By Noel Dundon, Tipperary Media
Loughmore Castleiney, the Kings Of Tipperary.
There is absolutely no denying it – Loughmore Castleiney are the GAA Kings of Tipperary. Three Senior hurling and football doubles in eleven years crowns an incredible period for the club and when you throw in the junior A county football final won on Saturday, thereby making it three County titles in seven days, well, you just have to hold you hand up and say, wow, this really is something special.
The Junior victory over neighbours JK Brackens set up the opportunity for a unique double in the football code, to go along with the opportunity for the senior hurling and football double, and a third double in eleven years – I know, you’d need a pen and paper to work all that out!! Thing is, it requires little enough working out for the club – they just take it as it comes and by the time the senior final came about on Sunday in FBD Semple Stadium, there was only ever going to be one winner.
Granted Clonmel Commercials were going for three-in-a-row themselves, but the Loughmore Castleiney factor was lurking there in the background all the time and when they created a five point advantage by the half way mark having played with the breeze, we wondered if it would be enough to see off Commercials. But, the Clonmel lads didn’t go at it as you would have expected. Instead of hitting the mid men head on, they tried to work their way in around them – big mistake.
It’s actually hard to credit the Commercials approach when you consider the fine shooters they have in their ranks. With a gale behind them they continued to try and work the ball in. And, more often than not, when they got in, they worked it back out again. Loughmore Castleiney had them in an arm wrestle and they were out-muscling them big time.
The cagey, slow build-up approach of Commercials contrasted sharply with the kind of incisive football Loughmore Castleiney played – they constantly broke the line, went at the defence and used the ball so cleverly that they often by-passed the congested areas of the field with forward-facing triangular passing movements which had Commercials chasing their tails.
Marvellous champions again – on the double – Loughmore Castleiney will enjoy these days, before turning their attention to the Munster campaign – the football draw looks particularly favourable, but they will have their eyes on both prizes. Again.
New rules
Well, what did ye make of the new football rules? There have been very contrasting reactions to the changes which had their first outing in the inter-provincials at the weekend. Some good; some bad; some difficult to implement. Whatever about using the rules at inter-county level, club referees will have some job trying to police them for a midweek evening junior football game. Still, everyone agrees that something has to be done about the state of football and at least something is being done. Surely, the worst thing of all would be to do nothing. Let’s see how it plays out.
Clonoulty Rossmore get there at last.
A bumper attendance – the biggest for years – witnessed Clonoulty Rossmore make history at the County Camogie Grounds on Saturday afternoon as they finally reached the Holy Grail by claiming the silverware over first time finalists Thurles Sarsfields. Congratulations to the Clonoulty ladies led by the wonderful Cáit Devane – their persistence paid off after many years of heartbreak and their elation was very understandable when the final whistle sounded on a game which had a real edge to it – a lot was let go throughout and this made for an exciting spectacle from a spectators viewpoint, though a number of decisions would have to be classed as debatable to say the least.
Thurles Sarsfields first appearance in the final – Thurles Camogie Club was there the last time fifty years ago – the girls lacked nothing except experience, and this year’s campaign will certainly stand to them going forward. They will know though that nothing is ever guaranteed in sport and the kind of dedication and commitment to the cause shown by their opponents, will be necessary if they are to have their name etched on the silverware in the years to come. The diamonds are there, you would think, only for them to be polished up.