Harty Cup Round 1, The madness has already begun…..
Round 1 of the 2025 to 2026 Dr Harty Cup had a bit of everything, late frees, purple patches, wides by the bucket, statement wins, and two comebacks that left one side sick and the other sighing with relief. With eight games played, here are the standout lessons from Lisgoold, Kilmallock, Dundrum, Cappamore, Goatenbridge, Limerick, Knocklong, and Fraher Field.
1) The free takers are already winning points.
The calm lads on the placed balls made the difference. In Lisgoold, Cormac Barry clipped the equaliser for St Colman’s to finish 0-19 to 0-19 with Midleton after CBS had roared back from four down. Fionn Daly’s 0-9, five frees, kept Midleton alive, but Barry’s last swing split the posts and the spoils.
In Kilmallock, Matthew Corbett’s fourth on the bounce deep in injury time dragged St Joseph’s Tulla level with Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG, 1-16 to 0-19. Nenagh leaned on Patrick Ryan’s frees once Eoghan Doughan went off, while Eoghan O’Shea’s 0-13, six frees, kept CBC in the hunt against Templemore. Early days or not, discipline is already costing teams, and the free takers are cashing in.
2) Holders Thurles CBS look settled and sharp.
Thurles CBS did what champions do, 0-24 to 0-15 over John The Baptist CS, Hospital, on a fine surface that offered no excuses. The spine was solid, Ryne Bargary minding the house, Euan Murray and Tiarnán Ryan on top at midfield, and Cillian Minogue cool with 0-10, six frees.
Hospital had a burst after the break, then Thurles rattled off six in a row late in the third quarter and that was that. There will be stiffer tests, Blackwater are in this group, but the control, the shot selection, and the spread of scorers felt sustainable, not just first day energy.
3) Goals change games, Blackwater and Templemore timed theirs perfectly.
Blackwater CS, Lismore, treated Doon like knockout stuff, and they were dead right with Thurles next. Three green flags told the story, Ben Cummins netted a penalty on the way to 1-11, with Seán Óg Costin and Adam Cummins grabbing the others in a 3-17 to 1-14 win.
The key spell after half time, a 1-5 burst, turned a tight one into clear daylight, then Billy Murphy saved a penalty to snuff out the fightback. In Knocklong, Our Lady’s, Templemore, saw off CBC 2-19 to 0-20. Padraig O’Dwyer finished a lovely move early in the second half, then Jack Bevans buried a close range free on 49 minutes just when CBC were rallying. Cork came late with points, but the damage was done.
4) Ardscoil Rís create chances for fun, tidy the wides and they are a handful.
A 2-23 to 2-15 win over Cashel CS reads convincing. Under the hood it is even better, ten different scorers, Ian O’Brien and John O’Keeffe on 1-4 each, and Jack Cosgrove pinging six from play, including one outrageous effort. Nineteen wides is the warning, that kind of waste will hurt in knockout hurling, but it also shows volume. In a group with Nenagh CBS and St Flannan’s, Ardscoil’s chance creation, off turnover and from structured play, is a proper weapon if the radar tightens even a little.
5) Resilience paid out, two draws rescued at the death.
Two ties swung late and could shape the groups. St Flannan’s were ten down to Nenagh, 1-13 to 0-6 at the break, and had nine wides to curse, but they upped the work rate, found goals through John Barry and Thomas O’Connor, and kicked three stoppage time points to nick 2-18 to 1-21. That was problem solving as much as character, especially after Doughan’s hamstring forced Nenagh to rejig. In Lisgoold, Midleton trailed 0-17 to 0-13 with nine left, then outscored Colman’s 0-6 to 0-1 before Barry’s equaliser. Legs off the bench, belief, and reliable frees, that is the recipe.
6) Injuries and needless fouls will decide who kicks on.
Round 1 already showed two truths. Nenagh changed shape without their captain Doughan and lost a bit of cut and thrust, even if Patrick Ryan’s placed balls steadied things. Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG led most of the second half, then invited Tulla forward with cheap frees. That can be fixed in a week with tidy discipline, because one score cushions vanish when a free taker like Corbett is in rhythm. CBC will say the same, seven early wides and a stretch of scorable frees against left Templemore in control until late.
7) Star turns are emerging, the better teams still spread the scoring.
Plenty of headliners put their hands up, Minogue 0-10 for Thurles, Daly 0-9 for Midleton, Cormac Barry 0-10 for Colman’s, O’Shea 0-13 for CBC, Jamie Shanahan 1-8 for De La Salle, Ben Cummins 1-11 for Blackwater, Corbett 0-14 for Tulla. The sides that looked most durable also shared it around, Ardscoil with ten scorers, Templemore with seven names and two goals, De La Salle with Oisín Fives clipping 0-5 from play to ease the load on Shanahan. When the weather turns and the margins tighten, that spread wins matchups, frees up the main man, and gives you late options.
8) De La Salle kept their heads, Clonmel showed they belong.
Fraher Field served up the day’s best rollercoaster, De La Salle 1-24, Clonmel High 2-19. Shanahan’s first half goal flipped it after Clonmel had edged in front, then the Tipp lads hit two in three minutes, Mikey McGuire and Conall Morrisson, to lead on 40. No panic from the Waterford school, Toby Ryan and Conor O’Brien picked smart shots, Shanahan’s frees landed, and a long range Jack Power point gave them the cushion to see it out. For last year’s B champions, the pace and accuracy clearly travel up a grade. For De La Salle, that was a semi finalist’s win, not flawless, but cool in the heat.
What it means for the road ahead
- Group 1 is every bit the shark tank, Ardscoil Rís look well armed, Nenagh showed a high ceiling before the injury, and Flannan’s banked a comeback point that could be gold on tiebreakers.
- Group 2 is already tight, Colman’s and Midleton share the points, De La Salle take the lot, and the Cork derby plus DLS head to heads will sort who dodges a nightmare quarter final draw.
- Group 3 is a power alley, Thurles were ruthless, Blackwater were clinical, and Doon learned the hard lesson about conceding at bad times and giving up penalties.
- Group 4 looks balanced, Templemore have a solid spine and a dead ball ace in Bevans, CBC finished strong and will improve as their club men bed back in, and the Kilmallock draw says both Tulla and North Mon have knockout profiles once the frees are tidied.
Early nods, for the craic
- Team of the day, Thurles CBS for complete control, with an honourable mention to Ardscoil Rís for chance creation.
- Performance of the day, De La Salle for closing a frantic game with a clear head.
- Goal of the day, take your pick, Blackwater’s flowing third finished by Adam Cummins, or O’Dwyer’s tidy finish for Templemore right after the break.
- Clutch moment, Barry in Lisgoold and Corbett in Kilmallock, both frees felt heavier than a normal Round 1 score.