Premier Intermediate Hurling Power Rankings,5th Edition.

Premier Intermediate, the Full Breakdown ahead of the Quarter-Finals and the Relegation Show-Down.

The FBD Insurance Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship 2025 has reached the point in the season where every strike of the ball carries consequence. The group stages, preliminaries, and relegation semi-finals are behind us, and the landscape is starting to take shape. Ballina and Moneygall advanced through testing prelims, Templederry and Moyne/Templetuohy have breathed a sigh of relief after saving their status, and Clonakenny and Burgess are left staring down the barrel of a relegation shoot-out. At the other end of the spectrum, Carrick Swan and Gortnahoe-Glengoole have yet to put a foot wrong, while Boherlahan-Dualla and Upperchurch-Drombane lurk with intent.

This championship has always been defined by its balance, clubs from every corner of the county capable of bloodying a fancied nose and 2025 has reinforced that reputation. Across the field of 16, the numbers highlight just how fine the margins are. Some sides have been buoyed by firepower, while others are anchored by defensive structures that strangle opponents into submission.

Two numbers have become a useful shorthand: GF average, which measures the average score a team posts in each game, and GA average, which tracks what they concede. Between them, they reveal a club’s balance between attack and defence. Overlay that with goal tallies, number of scorers, and reliance on one or two marksmen, and the contours of the grade emerge clearly.

Consider Templederry, who have plundered 11 goals ,the most in the grade, but also shipped 10, the highest conceded. At the other end, Upperchurch-Drombane have managed just 2 goals in three games, the fewest in the competition, while St. Mary’s of Clonmel can claim the stingiest backline, having allowed only 2 goals all year. The spread of scorers also matters: Carrick Swan and Moneygall have seen contributions from 14 different players, while Silvermines and Templederry are at the other extreme, reliant on a handful.

Another Number; 199 individual scorers have registered across the Premier Intermediate Championship.

It is into that landscape that we set this fifth edition of the Premier Intermediate Power Rankings. From 16 down to 1, here is how the clubs stand, and why.

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16. Clonakenny.

For Clonakenny this year has been about survival, and their path has brought them to the brink. A narrow 1-17 to 1-15 loss to Moyne Templetuohy in the relegation semi final leaves them facing Burgess in a do or die Relegation Final. Their GF average of about 18 to 20 per game and a GA average that runs a shade higher tell the story of a side that can rarely outpace opposition.

Cian O’Dwyer has been their top line, posting 1-34 in total with 1-10 from play. That is 37 overall with 13 from play. Bobby Bergin has matched the from play punch with 1-10 as well. Clonakenny’s challenge is that while those two can hurt teams, the supporting cast has not put enough on the board often enough. With only 10 scorers overall and just 2 goals registered across the campaign against 8 conceded in the championship, the red light is flashing.

The relegation final will hinge on whether O’Dwyer and Bergin can land blows early and whether the full back line can keep a lid on the green flags that have proven so costly.

15. Burgess.

If Clonakenny are searching for a reliable spearhead, Burgess are hunting for a lock on the back door. Their relegation semi final was a wild ride. They scored 5-15, yet still conceded 4-25 to Templederry. That single game captured their season. Plenty of cutting edge, too much air at the back. The GA average sits dangerously close to 30 per outing and that is a number no one survives for long, in this grade.

Stephen Murray has 0-33 in total and remains the primary free taker and pace setter. From play, Kieran Grace has been a genuine weapon with 3-06, a clean 15 from play that changes games when he gets around the D. Between Murray’s reliability and Grace’s direct running, Burgess rarely struggle for looks at the posts. They have also raised 8 goals, but the counterpoint is stark. Ten goals shipped across the block of games is the heaviest concession in the division alongside Templederry’s tally allowed, and unless that figure tightens, they run the risk of being pulled under.

Burgess against Clonakenny in the relegation final will be decided by discipline. If Murray’s frees are matched by chaos concessions at the back, the scoreboard becomes a treadmill. If they give up three or fewer goal chances, they have the shooters to live another day.

14. Moyne Templetuohy.

Safety was secured by edging Clonakenny 1-17 to 1-15 in the relegation semi final. That ticked the main box but did not disguise the struggles of a stop start campaign. The GF average has hovered around 19 to 20 and the GA average sits a little north of that.

Gearoid O’Connor has posted 3-29 in total, a marquee return and one of the top threats across the grade. When he is on the ball he gives Moyne a different ceiling. Around him, Cormac Deegan 0-15 and Conor Bowe 0-04 have added play scores but the total number of scores out side of them has remained on the low side. Goals have been hard won with 5 across the campaign, and five conceded leaves them level in the green flag column.

13. Templederry.

Templederry’s relegation semi final win over Burgess, 4-25 to 5-15, told the entire story of their season over 60 minutes. They can pour scores when they get a platform. The GF average has pushed to around 27 on their best days, and the goals for column is a headline of its own with 11 scored, the highest in the grade. The sting is the counter. Ten goals conceded is also the highest and has kept them swinging on a tightrope.

Sean Ryan is the talisman. He has delivered 7-19 in total, and a remarkable 7-14 from play. That is 40 of a total overall with 35 purely from play. Éanna Murray has stacked 0-27 in total and has carried heavy minutes as the second line shooter. It is a potent one two, but the supporting cast has been thinner, and that reliance shows when frees dry up or breaking ball is lost at source. A sigh of relief all round for the North men, relegated out of Senior in 2024.

12. Sean Treacys.

Treacys were never out of their depth, but a consistent tilt at a quarter final berth was always a reach. The GA average has been sticky in the low to mid 20s, which made every tight game a dogfight.

Patrick Dawson has put up 0-26 in total and held the frees in big moments. Around him, the spread has been healthy rather than explosive. Seven goals conceded has been a real drag on their differential, and they have not raised enough green flags of their own to offset the damage.

11. St. Mary’s Clonmel.

St Mary’s are a puzzle for the rest of the field. They concede almost nothing and yet struggle to hit a game breaking vein themselves. The GA average under 20 and only two goals allowed speak to structure, communication, and a full back line that refuses to panic. The flip is the GF average that rarely climbs above 20 and the fact they have not been able to produce a spree of points from play in the third quarter when games typically open.

Peter McGarry has 2-08 from play and gives them aggressive running in direct positions. When he gets ball to grass he wins frees and scores. Put a consistent free taker on top of McGarry’s bursts and St Mary’s become the kind of team no one wants to draw.

They are not far away and the cavalry is coming in the shape of their County u19A winning side. One more strong shooter and a set piece threat from long range would change their 2026 ceiling quickly.

10. Thurles Sarsfields B.

Sarsfields B exited in the prelim after a thriller with Ballina, 3-16 to 2-22, but their trajectory is positive. The GF average around 23 shows growth, and the unit has found more variety,12 in total, in where scores come from, which is difficult to achieve with a second team panel that evolves week to week.

Jack Lanigan is the line that matters. He has put up 2-25 in total and leads both in frees landed and in the instinct to pull a score from the pocket when a game needs a it. Beyond Lanigan, Sars have a genuine mix. The green flag column is in credit and they have cut down on the cheap concessions that can break a second string side.

If the back six can reduce the fouls that allow soft frees against them, they will be back in a prelim at minimum and a rediscovery of their 2023 form in 2026.

9. Éire Óg Annacarty.

Éire Óg’s arc this season started with a lift and ended with a sigh. A one score loss to Moneygall closed the book, and the averages explain the outcome. A GF and GA both in the 21 to 22 band leaves the door open either way in every game. That is a hard way to live.

Aidan Griffin has 1-25 in total and 1-09 from play, while Dinny Crosse has also hit 1-09 from play. Add in Darragh Kelly’s 3-04 from play and you see the spine of their attack clearly. That trio can combine to create 1-10 or 1-12 on almost any day. The issue has been depth. When one of the three has been shut down, Éire Óg have struggled to find the next man up.

8. Silvermines.

Silvermines sit in the middle of our power rankings and in many ways they are the purest example of a team that lives by one intercounty level scorer. The GF average around 24 is what you would expect from a side with an elite free taker and a threat from distance. The GA average around 21 keeps them competitive in any game at this grade.

Jason Forde is the headline by some distance. He has 2-32 in total. He can turn a game with a score from play, metronomic free taking or by simply refusing to miss from 65 out. The flip side is the reliance curve. When Forde is double teamed on restarts or the supply line is cut off, Silvermines need goals from somewhere else. So far that has not been a guarantee.

They meet Carrick Swan in Boherlahan on Saturday the 27th at 2.30 pm. If Forde sees enough clean ball and placed ball. The ‘mines are in the fight. If he is starved, they will need a goal to live in the last ten minutes.

7. Moneygall.

Moneygall’s timing is right. A 1-19 to 0-20 win over Éire Óg has them moving into the last eight with momentum and with a scoring profile that now balances out their concessions. The GF average has climbed into the 23 band and the GA average has eased back toward 22.

Eoghan Douhan is their leading line. He has 4-26 in total and 4-04 from play, which marks him as both a finisher and a creator. That from play figure tells you about his knack for finding space. Around him they have real breadth with 11 other scorers and enough speed to stretch tired legs late.

They face Boherlahan Dualla in Borrisoleigh on Sunday the 28th at 1.00 pm. If Doughan gets the kind of primary possession he enjoyed in the prelim and round robins, Moneygall are capable of flipping the seedings.

6. Ballina.

Ballina’s prelim win over Thurles Sarsfields , 2-22 to 3-16, was the advertisement they wanted to show the rest of the field. When they run, they are a handful, and the surge of power in the middle channel has helped them secure longer spells in opposition territory. The GF average sits at 24 and the GA average just north of 22 leaves room to grow.

Matthew Power has 1-30 in total, the main man on the frees and a reliable scorer when they get going. From play, Charlie King’s 2-11 has been central to how they pin teams back. That is 17 from play with a handful of those points arriving right after turnovers. Between those two and 11 other contributors, Ballina have the weaponry. Eight goals scored and seven conceded is a fair mirror of their risk reward profile.

They face Gortnahoe Glengoole in Templederry on Saturday the 27th at 4.00 pm in the tie of the round. If King gets in behind early and Power gets his radar right, they can make it a very long hour for the favourites.

5. Killenaule.

Killenaule do what Killenaule do. They control the middle third, they keep the scoring rate honest, and they rarely cough up handy goals. The GF average around 20 reads conservative, but the goals against column is outstanding with only 4 shipped across the block. That sort of form, travels far in knockout hurling.

From play, Mark Stakelum has supplied 2-07 and tends to deliver his best minutes when games become chaotic. Their workrate from their half forward line shows the way Killenaule close the door, especially in the last quarter. The scoring spread stands at 14, joint second in the county.

They meet Upperchurch Drombane in Holycross on Sunday the 28th at 4.00 pm. It has the feel of a 0-19 to 0-18 contest where frees and a goal or two could decide it. Killenaule’s structure gives them a real chance to grind it out.

4. Upperchurch Drombane.

There is no mystery here. The GA average at 17.3 is the best in the grade and it is not an accident. Upperchurch deny the middle, they crowd teams everywhere and they then take the oxygen out of games. The GF average around 21 is enough when your defence is that good. They have scored only 2 goals across the run, the fewest in the competition, but their discipline and shape make that a footnote.

Luke Shanahan is key with 0-21 off placed balls, whilst Gavin Ryan has chipped in with 1-12. The absence of a single headline goal man has not hurt them because the way they defend coupled with their 14 man scoring spread.

They play Killenaule in Holycross on Sunday the 28th at 4.00 pm. The first team to 22 points probably wins. Upperchurch are comfortable living at that number.

3. Boherlahan Dualla.

Boherlahan have carried themselves like a top four side all year. The GF average sits in the mid 20s and the GA average near 21 points to a team that values efficiency. They will not waste ball, and they will force you to work hard to make progress from the sideline in.

Talisman Tossy Ryan has 2-34 in total and 2-06 from play. He controls the game from the dead ball and is a constant threat drifting into scoring positions. Seamus Leahy with 0-07 from play has also weighed in, but the scoring threat still runs through Ryan for the big moments. Seven goals scored against five conceded is a nice cushion in the goal differential.

They meet Moneygall in Borrisoleigh on Sunday the 28th at 1.00 pm. If Ryan owns the placed balls and they keep Doughan off green flags, Boherlahan will be where they expect to be in a week’s time.

2. Carrick Swan.

The South champions are unbeaten and hard nosed. A GA average in the high teens, about 18.3,which comes from a half back line that wins its share of aerial balls and a full back line that does not allow easy scores. The GF average has climbed as the year has gone on but, their defensive set up inspires confidence that scoring opportunities will keep coming as opposition legs tire.

Callum Lanigan is their leading return with a 0-29 in total. He has been accurate and assured. Importantly, Carrick Swan have spread their scoring across a wide 16 man cast that includes Aaron Dunne with 0-09 from play and Stefan Tobin with 2-05 from play also. That breadth means there is always another option.

They face Silvermines in Boherlahan on Saturday the 27th at 2.30 pm. The match up between Swan’s scorer spread and Forde’s dead ball excellence will decide momentum. If Swan can keep the frees down and turn breaks into points, they are in the box seat.

1. Gortnahoe Glengoole.

Every ranking needs a benchmark. Gortnahoe Glengoole are that team. Their GF total has passed the ton with an average in the low 20s per game, while the GA average around 22 is the tax you pay for playing on the front foot and daring opponents to live with your speed. The goal column is healthy at 8 for and 6 against. They can win low or they can win in a surge.

Keane Hayes has 1-33 in total and 1-13 from play. That is 36 overall and 16 from play. He carries a presence inside the lane and forces opposition double ups. Around him, Darragh Maher has 3-09 from play and gives them a second way to punch holes through the middle third. Crucially, Gortnahoe draw scores from a deep list, which makes them difficult to plan against.

They play Ballina in Templederry on Saturday the 27th at 4.00 pm. It is a headline tie because both sides can score in bursts. Gortnahoe’s ability to find scores from six or seven different points of attack across the hour may be the separating detail.

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