Tipperary Senior Hurling Power Rankings After Round 2: Who Rises, Who Falls and Who Is Really Ready for the Dan Breen Run-In?
Two rounds down.
One round left.
And very little in the FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship looks quite the way it did when the competition began.
The defending champions are still searching for their first county championship victory.
Two teams have already guaranteed themselves top spot in their groups.
One side has beaten divisional champions in successive rounds.
Another has scored more than anyone else in the championship while simultaneously conceding more than almost everybody around them.
One of the competition’s leading contenders has already suffered a defeat despite scoring 3-22.
Another team has the best defensive record in the championship, conceding just 39 point-equivalents across two games.
And several clubs now enter Round 3 knowing that sixty minutes could be the difference between a direct route to the knockout stages, a preliminary quarter-final lifeline or a relegation battle.
That is the landscape after Round 2.
And it makes these power rankings far more complicated than simply copying the four group tables.
Because the standings tell us who has the points.
They do not necessarily tell us who is hurling best.
They do not tell us who has the deepest attack.
They do not tell us who is too reliant on frees.
They do not tell us whose defensive numbers are beginning to become a serious concern.
And they certainly do not tell us which team you would most trust with ten minutes remaining in a knockout championship game.
That is what these rankings are trying to measure.
Form matters.
Results matter.
Championship pedigree matters.
So do injuries, scoring spread, goal threat, defensive structure, the route through the competition and what lies waiting in Round 3.
And after two rounds, we finally have enough evidence for the numbers to start becoming meaningful.
The leading attack has already produced 64 point-equivalents, an average of 32 per game.
The next-best has scored 60.
Another has generated a championship-best +14 scoring differential.
At the opposite end, two teams have managed just 42 point-equivalents across their opening two matches.
Individually, the scoring race is beginning to take shape too.
The championship’s leading scorer has accumulated 1-26.
The next four leading totals are 0-23, 1-18, 0-20 and 0-19.
From play, one attacker has already hit 1-10, while two others have produced 2-05 and another has scored an extraordinary 3-01 without relying on placed balls.
Those numbers matter because knockout hurling eventually removes comfort.
Frees become harder to win.
Space becomes harder to find.
Defences become more organised.
That is where scoring from play, depth of attack and the ability to manufacture chances under pressure become decisive.
Round 2 also gave us something even more valuable than numbers.
It gave us evidence of character.
We saw games decided in injury time.
We saw a seven-point lead disappear.
We saw teams survive despite being second-best for long stretches.
We saw a side score seven of the final eight points after a game had been level ten times.
We saw another concede three goals and still come within two points of rescuing a result.
And we saw one championship campaign effectively pushed towards relegation despite two highly competitive performances.
That is why this ranking will cause arguments.
It should.
Power rankings are supposed to.
A team with two wins can sit below another with a less impressive record if the underlying evidence suggests something different.
A team on zero points can remain dangerous because the route through the championship has not closed.
A side sitting comfortably in a group can still have weaknesses that may become far more important when knockout hurling begins.
And a team that looked like a contender two weeks ago can fall quickly if the numbers, performances and upcoming fixtures start pointing in the wrong direction.
Round 3 will settle some of those arguments.
But not all of them.
There are qualification battles.
There are local rivalries.
There are effectively knockout games before the knockout championship has even started.
And there are clubs that will enter the weekend knowing they need something close to their best performance of the year just to stay alive.
So who has climbed?
Who has fallen?
Which impressive start is sustainable?
Which struggling contender are we refusing to write off?
And, most importantly, who sits at number one after two rounds?
There is only one way to find out.
We start at 16.
And work all the way to 1.
16. Upperchurch-Drombane
Record: Played 2, Won 0, Lost 2
Scored: 44
Conceded: 51
Scoring difference: -7
Round 1: Thurles Sarsfields 0-28 Upperchurch-Drombane 3-13
Round 2: Kilruane MacDonaghs 1-20 Upperchurch-Drombane 1-19
Round 3: v Holycross/Ballycahill, Saturday, 6.30pm, Borrisoleigh
There is a strange contradiction around Upperchurch-Drombane.
They are bottom of Group 1. They have lost both games. They are number 16 in these rankings.
And yet their championship is still alive.
That is how unforgiving, and occasionally forgiving, this format can be.
Their Round 1 performance against Thurles Sarsfields was concerning. Upperchurch found three goals but conceded 0-28, and when a team scores three goals and still loses by six, the warning signs are obvious.
Round 2 was completely different.
Against Kilruane MacDonaghs, Upperchurch went to the very edge of earning their first points. They scored 1-19, brought themselves level in injury time and then conceded the decisive free that allowed Kilruane to escape with a one-point victory.
The result hurts, but the performance gives them something.
Their scoring average remains 22 per game, the second-lowest in the championship, but there is genuine goal threat in this team.
Gavin Ryan has 1-05 overall, Philip O’Dwyer has 1-03, Paul Shanahan has a goal, while Conor Fahey’s Round 2 goal contribution has pushed him into the open-play scoring picture. Pat Ryan remains the principal scorer with 0-14 across the two games. The scorer data shows Upperchurch have several players contributing from play, rather than one isolated forward carrying the attack.
That matters against Holycross.
The biggest issue is that Upperchurch have spent the opening two rounds playing from behind in the championship picture. They have conceded 51, although that number has to be placed in context because 28 of those came against a Thurles team currently ranked second.
Round 3 is uncomplicated emotionally, even if the qualification permutations are not.
They must attack Holycross as though there is no tomorrow.
Holycross have conceded four goals across two games, two against Kilruane and two against Thurles. Upperchurch’s most obvious route to an upset is therefore not trying to win a point-shooting competition. It is to turn the game into something more chaotic, attack the square, force Holycross backwards and chase goals.
There is also pressure on the opposition.
Holycross came into this championship carrying enormous expectations. They have now lost to Thurles and suddenly face a game they are expected to win.
Upperchurch have less to lose.
Their season has not been good enough to date, and number 16 is deserved.
But anyone expecting a soft touch in Borrisoleigh has not watched enough Upperchurch-Drombane championship hurling.
15. CJK Mullinahone
Record: Played 2, Drawn 1, Lost 1
Scored: 43
Conceded: 55
Scoring difference: -12
Round 1: CJK Mullinahone 0-20 Toomevara 0-20
Round 2: Nenagh Éire Óg 3-26 CJK Mullinahone 1-20
Round 3: v JK Brackens, Sunday, 3.00pm, Leahy Park, Cashel
Round 1 left Mullinahone wondering how they had not won.
Round 2 left them wondering where the performance had gone.
That is why their stock has fallen sharply.
Against Toomevara, Mullinahone led by three points with five minutes remaining. Michael Dunne was superb from placed balls, Sam Rowan was arguably the best player on the field, the defence competed well and for long stretches it looked as though Mullinahone were about to bank two enormously valuable points.
Toome’s experience rescued a draw.
That missed opportunity now looks even more significant.
Nenagh dismantled them in Round 2.
The official championship table records a 3-26 to 1-20 defeat, an eleven-point margin in point-equivalent terms. Mullinahone lost Eoin O’Dwyer and Colin Shelly to injury during the first half before Eoin Fennelly was dismissed early in the second, but the central concern came before any mitigating circumstances could be applied.
Nenagh looked dangerous almost every time they attacked.
Mullinahone were 2-13 to 1-09 down at half-time and Ben West’s second goal after the restart effectively ended the contest.
There are still good individual performances in this team.
Michael Dunne has accumulated 0-23, leaving him second on the overall championship scoring list. Sam Rowan has 0-06 from play, and Martin Kehoe contributed 1-02 against Nenagh from wing-back.
But Dunne’s scoring profile also exposes the problem.
The scorer breakdown shows only five of his 23 points have come from play. He has been exceptionally reliable on frees and placed balls, but Mullinahone need more from their surrounding attack if they are going to trouble the strongest sides.
Their 43 point-equivalents scored is the third-lowest total in the championship.
Their 55 conceded is among the highest.
And the next opponent is already-qualified JK Brackens, arguably the most balanced side across the opening two rounds.
There is one possible source of encouragement.
Brackens have top spot secured.
That creates an unknown around team selection, intensity and how Paddy Cadell’s side approach a fixture that carries far greater consequences for Mullinahone than it does for them.
Mullinahone have survived difficult championship positions before.
But if they reproduce anything close to the Nenagh performance, they will be in serious relegation trouble.
14. Roscrea
Record: Played 2, Won 0, Lost 2
Scored: 46
Conceded: 55
Scoring difference: -9
Round 1: Kiladangan 2-23 Roscrea 0-21
Round 2: Drom & Inch 1-23 Roscrea 1-22
Round 3: v Cashel King Cormacs, Saturday, 6.00pm, Templemore
Status: Guaranteed bottom of Group 3, relegation semi-final
There may not be a more brutal illustration of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship than Roscrea’s position.
They have hurled far better than a team with zero points.
They have caused Kiladangan serious discomfort.
They led Drom & Inch by three points with four minutes remaining.
They have scored 46 point-equivalents across two games.
And they are already guaranteed to finish bottom of Group 3.
No Round 3 permutation can save them from the relegation semi-final.
That is ruthless.
Kiladangan appeared to have Roscrea buried in Round 1, building a 1-18 to 0-09 half-time advantage with the wind. Roscrea responded by cutting a twelve-point deficit to three before Kiladangan’s late 1-02 finally killed the comeback.
Then came Drom.
Roscrea were better than competitive. They were in a winning position.
Shane Fletcher was excellent and has now accumulated 0-14 across the championship. He scored 0-10 in Round 2, while Luke Cashin, Dan Ryan, Leigh Loughnane and Conor Dooley all contributed.
Their major regret will be the sixteen wides.
Drom hit eight.
When a championship game is decided by one point, that difference becomes painful.
With four minutes remaining, Roscrea led by three. Tony Cahill’s 59th-minute goal brought Drom level, Paudie Kinnane pushed them in front, Dan Ryan equalised, then Cormac Fitzpatrick landed the winner.
That sequence has effectively ended Roscrea’s Dan Breen challenge before the third group game has even been played.
It would be a mistake, however, to interpret that as evidence of a poor team.
They have produced enough competitive hurling to suggest that whoever meets them in the relegation series will face a serious test.
Their scoring has also become more varied. Fletcher is the obvious placed-ball threat, but Jack Lee has a goal, Leigh Loughnane has contributed four from play across the two rounds and Roscrea have had scores from deep positions.
What they have not done is win the crucial moments.
Kiladangan finished stronger in Round 1.
Drom finished stronger in Round 2.
Now Roscrea face the championship’s number-one ranked team, Cashel, in Templemore.
Cashel have already secured top spot, so the game carries nothing for them in terms of group position.
For Roscrea, it carries plenty.
Form matters before relegation.
Confidence matters.
And one win over the form team in the championship would completely change the mood around the club before the survival battle begins.
Fourteenth may appear harsh for a team that has been so competitive.
The table is harsher.
13. Kilruane MacDonaghs
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 47
Conceded: 47
Scoring difference: 0
Round 1: Holycross/Ballycahill 1-22 Kilruane MacDonaghs 2-18
Round 2: Kilruane MacDonaghs 1-20 Upperchurch-Drombane 1-19
Round 3: v Thurles Sarsfields, Saturday, 6.30pm, Templederry
Kilruane MacDonaghs are perhaps the most difficult team to place accurately.
Thirteenth looks brutal.
There are arguments for putting them inside the top ten.
There are also enough concerns to understand why they sit here.
Their two championship games have been decided by a combined two points.
They lost by one to Holycross.
They beat Upperchurch by one.
They have scored exactly 47 and conceded exactly 47.
That is almost absurdly balanced.
What Kilruane do have is a collection of players capable of generating scores without relying exclusively on frees.
Willie Cleary has 0-17 overall, Thomas Cleary has scored 2-02, Niall O’Meara has eight points from play and Kian O’Kelly has 0-05. Thomas Cleary’s 2-02 is entirely from play, while Niall O’Meara’s eight points have also come from play.
That gives them a genuine attacking base.
Their issue is turning stretches of good hurling into control.
They could easily be 2-0.
They could just as easily be 0-2.
Against Holycross, Kilruane had the chances and scoring power to win.
Against Upperchurch, they were clawed back level in injury time and required a late free to rescue the victory.
That creates an interesting psychological position entering Round 3.
They are alive.
But the opponent is Thurles Sarsfields, the only unbeaten team in Group 1 and a side whose performance against Holycross suggests they are improving quickly.
Kilruane will not fear that game.
They have enough pace, enough scoring power and enough quality around the middle to make Templederry uncomfortable for Thurles.
The question is whether they can produce sixty-plus minutes without the lapses that have allowed both previous opponents to remain in the contest.
There is also a broader issue.
At some point in a county championship, close calls stop being a sign of competitiveness and become a warning.
The leading teams begin to win games before injury time.
Kilruane have not done that yet.
If they beat Thurles, this ranking will look ridiculous in hindsight.
That is the nature of the middle section of this list.
The difference between thirteenth and eighth is far smaller than the numbers suggest.
12. Toomevara
Record: Played 2, Drawn 1, Lost 1
Scored: 42
Conceded: 48
Scoring difference: -6
Round 1: Toomevara 0-20 CJK Mullinahone 0-20
Round 2: JK Brackens 0-28 Toomevara 1-19
Round 3: v Nenagh Éire Óg, Sunday, 3.00pm, Cloughjordan
Nobody around Toomevara needs to be told what the next game means.
Nenagh.
Cloughjordan.
Championship survival and qualification possibilities on the line.
Whatever has happened during the opening two rounds, that fixture will have a life of its own.
Toome have been below their expected level so far.
They escaped Round 1 with a draw after trailing Mullinahone by three points late on, then went toe-to-toe with JK Brackens for most of Round 2 before being blitzed in the final minutes.
The final score, 0-28 to 1-19, looks relatively comfortable for Brackens.
The game was anything but.
It was level ten times.
Adam Hall’s goal brought Toome right into it.
Darragh McCarthy levelled the game from a free late on.
Then Brackens scored seven of the final eight points.
That finish is why JK are fourth and Toome are twelfth.
The fitness of Darragh McCarthy hangs over everything.
He missed the opening round, was unable to start against Brackens and came on after 18 minutes. He scored six frees but was visibly restricted from play.
Toome need more than his free-taking.
They need his athleticism, ball-winning, movement and ability to generate scores under pressure.
Adam Hall has been their outstanding attacking threat, producing 1-06 from play across the opening two rounds, one of the highest open-play totals in the championship. Jack Delaney’s return has also helped, and he hit 0-04 from play against Brackens.
Rory Brislane was excellent in goal against JK, making several saves that may yet prove important if scoring difference becomes a factor.
That should not be overlooked.
Brackens were getting in on goal.
Without Brislane, Toome’s deficit could have been far greater than six.
The wider question is whether the Toomevara attack can produce enough.
Their 42 point-equivalents is joint-lowest with Loughmore.
They average 21 per game.
Nenagh have scored 57.
Toome cannot simply try to match Nenagh in an open scoring contest. They need to make this a derby in every sense.
Physical.
Broken.
Uncomfortable.
If Darragh McCarthy is closer to full fitness and the game becomes a battle rather than a shootout, Toome have a chance.
And if anyone thinks the number 12 team in a power ranking cannot beat the number seven team, they have forgotten what Nenagh versus Toomevara means.
11. Clonoulty/Rossmore
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 53
Conceded: 53
Scoring difference: 0
Round 1: Clonoulty/Rossmore 3-20 Borris-Ileigh 2-21
Round 2: Moycarkey-Borris 3-17 Clonoulty/Rossmore 2-18
Round 3: v Loughmore-Castleiney, Sunday, 3.30pm, Holycross
Safety net: Guaranteed preliminary quarter-final place as divisional champions
There is no team in Tipperary that appears more comfortable in a crisis than Clonoulty/Rossmore.
They are almost built for adversity.
Injuries?
They deal with them.
Falling behind?
They stay in the game.
A chaotic final ten minutes?
That seems to suit them.
Their two county championship games have produced 106 point-equivalents, 53 scored and 53 conceded.
They edged Borris-Ileigh by two points in Round 1.
They lost to Moycarkey by two in Round 2.
And both games could easily have gone the other way.
Against Moycarkey, Clonoulty began brilliantly, fell behind, recovered, conceded two David Costigan goals and still managed to draw level on the hour.
Stephen Ferncombe, Cathal Bourke, Michael Ryan and Jack Ryan produced the late points that appeared to have secured a draw.
Then Kieran Morris and Killian Cantwell converted injury-time frees.
That was the difference.
Clonoulty will be annoyed with how those final moments played out, but there was once again plenty to like.
Cathal Bourke was excellent, scoring 0-05 from play.
Jack Ryan continues to be one of the most dangerous open-play scorers in the championship. He has 2-05 from play across two games, tied with Sean Hayes for second behind Billy Seymour in the open-play standings.
Stephen Ferncombe has 1-14 overall, while Robert Doyle’s influence remains important even when he is not scoring.
There is depth to Clonoulty’s attacking contribution.
There is also a defensive issue.
Five goals conceded in two games is too many.
Borris scored two.
Moycarkey scored three.
That is an obvious area of concern before meeting Loughmore.
The fascinating aspect of Round 3 is that both sides possess the same safety net.
Clonoulty have won the West.
Loughmore have won the Mid.
Both know that if they fail to finish in the top two they still have access to a preliminary quarter-final.
But neither wants to enter the knockout championship after three group games without momentum.
Clonoulty could still finish second.
They could also end up in an entirely different part of the championship picture.
We have them eleventh.
It feels low.
But place them ninth and who comes down?
Borris?
Loughmore?
Drom?
That is how tight this championship has become.
10. Borris-Ileigh
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 57
Conceded: 56
Scoring difference: +1
Round 1: Clonoulty/Rossmore 3-20 Borris-Ileigh 2-21
Round 2: Borris-Ileigh 3-21 Loughmore-Castleiney 1-24
Round 3: v Moycarkey-Borris, Sunday, 3.30pm, The Ragg
Safety net: Guaranteed preliminary quarter-final place as North champions
Here is the ranking that could generate the most argument.
Borris-Ileigh are tenth.
They have just beaten the reigning county champions.
They have scored 57 point-equivalents, joint fourth-highest in the championship.
They have the championship’s leading scorer.
They are North champions.
And they are below an 0-2 Loughmore team.
If you think that is ridiculous, there is a reasonable case to make.
But the margins between ninth, tenth and eleventh are almost nonexistent.
What Borris showed against Loughmore was significant.
They trailed by four at half-time.
They had been second-best for stretches of the opening half.
Then they changed the game.
Four unanswered points after the restart brought them level. Eddie Ryan took control of the scoring. Paddy McCormack found the net. Jack Bevans produced the decisive third goal.
When Loughmore came with the inevitable late surge, Borris stood up.
That may have been the most important part of the performance.
Plenty of teams can get ahead of Loughmore.
Far fewer remain composed when the champions begin hunting them in the final minutes.
Borris did.
Eddie Ryan’s scoring has been extraordinary.
He has 1-26 after two rounds, 1-16 of it coming against Loughmore. His tally contains a huge placed-ball component, but he has also contributed six point-equivalents from play.
The remarkable aspect of the Borris attack is that Ryan is not the only threat.
Paddy McCormack has 2-04 overall and 2-03 from play.
Jack Bevans has 1-02 overall, with his Round 2 goal coming after a powerful run through the Loughmore defence.
James Devaney and Conor Kenny can also score.
This is a real attack.
Their defensive figure, 56 conceded, is less impressive.
Only Cashel have conceded more.
That has to be part of the analysis.
Borris have been involved in two open, high-scoring games and have not yet demonstrated the defensive control of Moycarkey, Thurles or JK Brackens.
Round 3 provides the perfect examination.
Moycarkey have beaten Loughmore and Clonoulty.
They have conceded only 39.
Can Borris force the best defence in the championship into a game like their first two?
If they can, they could jump half this ranking in one weekend.
9. Loughmore-Castleiney
Record: Played 2, Won 0, Lost 2
Scored: 42
Conceded: 52
Scoring difference: -10
Round 1: Moycarkey-Borris 1-19 Loughmore-Castleiney 0-15
Round 2: Borris-Ileigh 3-21 Loughmore-Castleiney 1-24
Round 3: v Clonoulty/Rossmore, Sunday, 3.30pm, Holycross
Safety net: Guaranteed preliminary quarter-final place as Mid champions
If this ranking were based only on the first two county championship rounds, Loughmore would be nowhere near ninth.
The numbers are brutal.
Zero wins.
Two defeats.
Bottom of Group 2.
Only 42 scored, joint-lowest in the championship.
52 conceded.
A scoring difference of -10.
There is no statistical case for putting them above Borris-Ileigh.
The case is Loughmore-Castleiney.
That is it.
The case is history, experience, resilience and the knowledge that this championship has not yet managed to get rid of them.
They already possess a preliminary quarter-final place through their Mid Championship success.
Until they are actually eliminated, they remain dangerous.
That does not mean their current form can be ignored.
Round 1 against Moycarkey was poor. They were held to 0-15, by far the lowest team total of the opening round, and looked flat.
Round 2 was better.
Much better.
They scored 1-24 against Borris-Ileigh.
They led 0-13 to 0-09 at half-time.
John McGrath scored 0-11, Liam McGrath contributed, Ciaran McCormack was dangerous, Eoin O’Connell got forward for scores and they almost dragged the game back after Borris struck three second-half goals.
But there is still an attacking dependence problem.
John McGrath has 0-20 across the opening two rounds. Only Eddie Ryan, Michael Dunne and Billy Seymour have scored more. Yet just five of McGrath’s twenty have come from play.
Loughmore need more open-play scores from the rest of the attack.
Their Round 2 spread was encouraging, but this is still not the flowing, relentless Loughmore attack we have become accustomed to.
Then there is the goal concession issue.
Moycarkey scored one.
Borris scored three.
Four goals conceded in two games is un-Loughmore-like.
The next opponent is Clonoulty, another side almost impossible to break psychologically.
There is a scenario where Loughmore lose three group games and still enter a preliminary quarter-final.
Would anybody want them there?
No.
That is why they remain ninth.
And it is why the rest of Tipperary will not relax until somebody actually puts them out.
8. Drom & Inch
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 54
Conceded: 57
Scoring difference: -3
Round 1: Drom & Inch 0-28 Cashel King Cormacs 0-32
Round 2: Drom & Inch 1-23 Roscrea 1-22
Round 3: v Kiladangan, Saturday, 6.00pm, Dolla
Qualification equation: Drom need a win, Kiladangan qualify with a win or draw
Drom & Inch have reached exactly the kind of game that should tell us what they are.
Saturday evening.
Dolla.
Kiladangan.
Winner-takes-most.
Drom need the victory.
A draw is no good.
Kiladangan can progress with a win or a draw.
It has the feel of a knockout game before the knockout championship has even started.
Drom’s opening two rounds have been strange.
They were excellent going forward against Cashel, scoring 0-28 and generating 0-19 from play.
They were far less fluent against Roscrea, yet found a way to win.
That second performance might ultimately be more valuable.
Good championship teams do not always hurl well.
Sometimes they survive.
Roscrea were three ahead with four minutes remaining.
Drom were in serious trouble.
Then Cormac Fitzpatrick delivered the ball across goal, Tony Cahill arrived from the blindside and finished to the net.
Paudie Kinnane edged them ahead.
Dan Ryan equalised.
Cormac Fitzpatrick struck the winner.
Two points secured.
Season alive.
Séamus Callanan has scored 0-18 across two games, while the supporting cast is producing enough from play to prevent Drom becoming completely dependent on him. Cormac Fitzpatrick has 0-08 from play, John Campion has 0-07 and Tony Cahill has the equivalent of seven points from play, including his decisive Round 2 goal.
Robbie Long was outstanding against Roscrea, scoring three points from half-back and earning Player of the Match.
That development matters because Kiladangan will challenge Drom further out the field.
Drom cannot simply sit deep and hope Callanan takes care of the scoreboard.
Kiladangan’s runners are too dangerous.
Billy Seymour is the championship’s leading scorer from play.
Sean Hayes has two goals.
Paul Flynn is back and already making a difference.
This is Drom’s test.
They have enough experience.
They have enough scoring.
They have enough championship nous.
Now they need their biggest performance of the season.
Eighth feels right.
By Saturday night they could be much higher.
Or effectively gone from the Dan Breen race.
7. Nenagh Éire Óg
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 57
Conceded: 53
Scoring difference: +4
Round 1: Nenagh Éire Óg 0-22 JK Brackens 4-18
Round 2: Nenagh Éire Óg 3-26 CJK Mullinahone 1-20
Round 3: v Toomevara, Sunday, 3.00pm, Cloughjordan
Nenagh needed a response.
They got one.
After the tactical and defensive mess of the JK Brackens defeat, last year’s county finalists could not afford another uncertain performance against Mullinahone.
They delivered a comprehensive victory.
What made it more impressive was the personnel missing.
Jake Morris was sidelined with an Achilles injury.
Mason Cawley was absent with a broken toe.
Nenagh reshuffled and still carried a much greater attacking threat than in Round 1.
Ben West was sensational.
Two goals and two points in the match report, all from play, and a total of 2-03 from play across the championship according to the scorer data.
Philip Hickey scored a goal.
Josh Keller led the attack well.
Mikey Heffernan gave them another scoring option.
Sam O’Farrell continued to provide the placed-ball return.
The official team total has Nenagh on 57 point-equivalents through two rounds, fourth-joint in the championship.
That is a significant number considering how poor they looked for periods against Brackens.
There was also a much healthier scoring spread in Round 2.
Twelve different scorers were credited in the report.
That is what Nenagh need.
The concern remains Round 1.
Brackens cut through them repeatedly and scored four goals.
Nenagh’s short build-up play became a liability.
If that version reappears in a knockout game, they are vulnerable.
The other concern is Morris.
Nenagh can beat Mullinahone without him.
Can they win the county championship without a fully functioning Jake Morris?
That is a different question.
Round 3 against Toomevara will tell us plenty.
No form line makes a North rivalry predictable.
Toome are twelfth and under pressure.
Nenagh are seventh and coming off an eleven-point-equivalent win.
Nobody in Nenagh will care.
Toome will see this game as the perfect chance to turn their season around.
Nenagh need to treat it exactly that way.
Win, move on, get bodies healthy and the 2025 finalists remain dangerous.
Lose, and the whole tone of their season changes again.
6. Kiladangan
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 60
Conceded: 53
Scoring difference: +7
Round 1: Kiladangan 2-23 Roscrea 0-21
Round 2: Cashel King Cormacs 3-23 Kiladangan 3-22
Round 3: v Drom & Inch, Saturday, 6.00pm, Dolla
Qualification equation: A win or draw secures second place
How did Kiladangan lose that game?
They will have asked themselves that question repeatedly.
Seven points clear.
Five minutes remaining.
Playing some of the best hurling seen in the championship.
Then beaten.
It will hurt.
It should.
But it does not make Kiladangan a worse team than they were before throw-in.
If anything, much of the performance confirmed they belong in the top tier of contenders.
Billy Seymour was outstanding.
He has 1-18 overall and 1-10 from play, the best open-play total in the Senior Championship after two rounds.
Sean Hayes has 2-05 from play.
Paul Flynn returned to make a major impact, scoring 1-05 against Cashel and bringing a completely different layer to the Kiladangan attack.
The detailed scorer sheet gives Flynn seven point-equivalents from play across the championship despite not featuring in Round 1.
Kiladangan have scored 60 point-equivalents.
Only Cashel have scored more.
They have five goals.
Their +7 scoring difference remains strong.
For fifty-five minutes against Cashel they looked like a side capable of winning the county championship.
The concern is game management.
The concern is not that Cashel scored a freak late goal.
It is that Kiladangan allowed the entire momentum of the game to reverse from a seemingly winning position.
David McGrath’s goal changed the energy.
Aaron Browne’s save mattered.
Then Kiladangan began defending the lead rather than imposing themselves.
That is the lesson.
There is another psychological element now.
Cashel have beaten them twice this season, in the Division 1 league decider and now in the county championship.
If they meet again later, that becomes part of the story whether Kiladangan like it or not.
First they must qualify.
Drom need to beat them.
Kiladangan only need a draw.
That should suit a team with their scoring capacity, but playing for a draw would be dangerous.
Their best route is to attack Drom’s defence, which has conceded 57, the second-highest total in the championship behind Cashel.
Seymour, Hayes and Flynn should see opportunities.
Kiladangan remain sixth because the defeat was painful, not terminal.
They still look like a team nobody will want in a quarter-final.
5. Moycarkey-Borris
Record: Played 2, Won 2, Lost 0
Scored: 48
Conceded: 39
Scoring difference: +9
Round 1: Moycarkey-Borris 1-19 Loughmore-Castleiney 0-15
Round 2: Moycarkey-Borris 3-17 Clonoulty/Rossmore 2-18
Round 3: v Borris-Ileigh, Sunday, 3.30pm, The Ragg
Two games.
Two divisional champions.
Two wins.
At what point do we stop calling Moycarkey-Borris an emerging team and simply call them a contender?
We are probably there.
Round 1 could have been dismissed by the sceptics.
Loughmore were flat.
Loughmore were understrength.
Loughmore often start slowly.
Then Moycarkey beat Clonoulty.
Different opponent.
Different type of game.
Same result.
That matters.
Their first victory was built on defence.
They held Loughmore to 0-15, the lowest team total of the championship.
Their second required far more attacking firepower.
Clonoulty scored 2-18.
Moycarkey answered with 3-17.
That adaptability is perhaps the most important development.
David Costigan is becoming one of the stories of the championship.
He scored the decisive first-half goal against Loughmore.
He scored two more against Clonoulty.
His championship return is 3-01, all ten point-equivalents coming from play.
That is elite impact.
And it is not just Costigan.
Kieran Morris has 0-10.
Killian Cantwell has 0-07.
Stephen Walsh came forward to score three points against Clonoulty.
Jack Hayes arrived off the bench and scored a goal.
Rhys Shelly has contributed on the scoreboard, but his greater value is coming from his puckouts and long-range restarts.
The ability to turn Shelly’s delivery into immediate pressure is a major weapon.
Then look at the defensive total.
39 conceded.
No other team is below 44.
Moycarkey have allowed an average of 19.5 point-equivalents per game in a championship where several teams are averaging close to 30.
That is a serious foundation.
The Hayes contingent and Tom Ryan have given them strength defensively, Stephen Walsh’s form is excellent and the work rate across the middle has made them difficult to play through.
There is still a question.
Can they sustain it when expectations change?
They entered the county championship somewhat under the radar.
That is over.
Borris-Ileigh will arrive at The Ragg knowing exactly what Moycarkey are now.
And Borris possess the most prolific scorer in the championship.
Moycarkey’s defence against Eddie Ryan will be one of the most interesting tactical contests of Round 3.
Win again and they will not just be a contender.
They may become one of the favourites.
4. JK Brackens
Record: Played 2, Won 2, Lost 0
Scored: 58
Conceded: 44
Scoring difference: +14
Round 1: JK Brackens 4-18 Nenagh Éire Óg 0-22
Round 2: JK Brackens 0-28 Toomevara 1-19
Round 3: v CJK Mullinahone, Sunday, 3.00pm, Leahy Park, Cashel
Status: Group 4 winners
If there is a more balanced two-game statistical profile than JK Brackens, it is difficult to find.
They have scored 58.
They have conceded 44.
Their +14 scoring difference is the best in the Senior Championship.
They have beaten two North teams who contested the last two county finals.
They have already secured top spot in Group 4.
And they produced their Round 2 victory without Lyndon Fairbrother.
This is real.
The Nenagh game announced them.
Four goals.
4-11 from play.
Constant pressure.
Turnovers.
An attack that looked capable of scoring every time Nenagh made an error.
The Toomevara game told us more.
There were no goals.
The match was level ten times.
Toome asked different questions.
Brackens still won.
Seven of the final eight points transformed a tight game into a six-point victory.
That late surge is championship evidence.
Jamie Ormond stepped into the free-taking role and scored 0-09.
Shane Doyle hit 0-05.
Eanna McBride scored three.
Andrew Ormond scored three.
Paddy Cadell landed two outstanding long-range efforts and gave a Player of the Match performance.
The scorer data underlines the balance.
Jamie Ormond has 0-13 overall, Shane Doyle has the equivalent of nine points, Eanna McBride seven and Andrew Ormond seven. Fairbrother still has his Round 1 0-10, but Brackens proved against Toome that they do not collapse without him.
That may be their biggest positive.
The best championship teams are difficult to scheme against because taking one player away does not remove the scoring.
Brackens are beginning to look like that.
Cadell’s form gives them a central defensive organiser.
Cathal Scully has been good.
Ned Walsh and the surrounding defenders are functioning.
The Ormonds are dangerous.
McBride’s running is hurting teams.
Shane Doyle has scoring and creativity.
And they already have the group wrapped up before meeting Mullinahone.
There will be questions about how they approach Round 3.
Do they rest players?
Do they maintain momentum?
Does Fairbrother return?
Whatever the answer, Brackens have already done the difficult work.
The next time they play a truly meaningful championship game could be in the knockout stages.
At the moment, they look ready for it.
3. Holycross/Ballycahill
Record: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
Scored: 47
Conceded: 48
Scoring difference: -1
Round 1: Holycross/Ballycahill 1-22 Kilruane MacDonaghs 2-18
Round 2: Thurles Sarsfields 2-18 Holycross/Ballycahill 2-16
Round 3: v Upperchurch-Drombane, Saturday, 6.30pm, Borrisoleigh
Third despite losing.
That will not please everyone.
But Holycross remain one of the teams we would least like to face once this championship reaches knockout territory.
There is a difference between losing and being exposed.
Holycross lost to Thurles.
They were not exposed as frauds.
They were beaten by a more determined, more composed team on the day.
That distinction matters.
There were warning signs.
The attack did not function as expected.
Robbie Ryan was by far their greatest open-play threat, scoring both goals and carrying danger whenever Holycross managed to isolate him.
Darragh Woods was excellent on placed balls and has now scored 0-19, joint-fifth on the overall championship scoring list.
But too many of the expected attacking contributors were peripheral.
Joe Ceaser, in particular, does not appear to be firing at full capacity.
Holycross need him.
They need more threats.
Because the deeper scorer data is revealing.
Robbie Ryan has generated 2-04 from play, equivalent to ten points.
The next Holycross player on the from-play list is Darragh Woods with five point-equivalents.
That is a sizeable gap.
Against the very best sides, Holycross cannot rely on Robbie Ryan creating the damage and Woods converting the placed balls.
Somebody else must force defenders to make decisions.
There were positives against Thurles.
They conceded fourteen first-half wides and could have been further behind, yet remained in the game.
They struck early in both halves.
They levelled the contest at 2-15 each approaching the finish.
Their young team was under genuine championship pressure and did not disappear.
What happened next is the lesson.
Thurles scored three injury-time points.
Holycross did not.
That is championship maturity.
They will have learned from it.
Round 3 now carries serious consequences.
Upperchurch have zero points but remain alive.
Holycross are expected to win.
That can be more uncomfortable than facing another favourite.
If Holycross get through, the experience of losing to Sarsfields may prove more valuable than another comfortable group win would have been.
They remain third because the ceiling is still exceptionally high.
Now they need to show us the response.
2. Thurles Sarsfields
Record: Played 2, Won 2, Lost 0
Scored: 52
Conceded: 44
Scoring difference: +8
Round 1: Thurles Sarsfields 0-28 Upperchurch-Drombane 3-13
Round 2: Thurles Sarsfields 2-18 Holycross/Ballycahill 2-16
Round 3: v Kilruane MacDonaghs, Saturday, 6.30pm, Templederry
Now we know something about Thurles Sarsfields.
Round 1 told us they could control a game against Upperchurch.
Round 2 told us they could win a proper championship battle.
That is a much more important piece of evidence.
Fourteen first-half wides.
Two goals conceded at psychologically awful moments.
An opponent widely considered one of the most talented teams in the championship.
A tight finish.
Sarsfields won anyway.
That is why they move to number two.
Paddy Meagher’s side were better than the two-point margin against Holycross suggests.
The wides kept Holycross alive.
Sars could easily have built a far greater first-half advantage.
Instead, Robbie Ryan’s early second-half goal brought Holycross level within seconds of the restart.
A younger or less composed team might have unravelled.
Thurles did not.
They stayed in the contest.
Eoin Purcell’s goal changed it.
Holycross came again.
The sides were level at 2-15 each late on.
Then Aidan McCormack, Paddy Creedon and Euan Murray scored three points in succession.
That is the passage that elevates them.
Aidan McCormack has 1-12 across two games and has become an increasingly important source of scores.
Eoin Purcell has 1-03 overall and six point-equivalents from play.
Conor Stakelum has been excellent at centre-back.
Denis Maher’s return to the full-back line worked.
Euan Murray played well in midfield.
Paddy Creedon gave Cathal Barrett a genuine examination.
The scorer data shows Sars have spread their scoring rather than loading it onto a single player, with McCormack, Conor Stakelum, Darragh Stakelum, Eoin Purcell, Murray and others all contributing.
There may also be reinforcements coming.
Stephen Maher missed the Holycross game through injury.
Ronan Maher could yet return to the selection picture.
That changes the ceiling again.
Their defensive number is also significant.
Only Moycarkey have conceded fewer than Thurles and JK Brackens.
Sars have allowed 44 across two games while scoring 52.
That is the profile of a contender.
Kilruane are next.
Sarsfields are in a strong group position, but this is not a game to drift through.
Momentum matters.
A third win would carry them into the knockout stages with a serious body of work behind them.
The old Sarsfields question has often been about whether their championship pedigree can be translated into a modern, consistent run.
After two rounds, the answer is beginning to look interesting.
1. Cashel King Cormacs
Record: Played 2, Won 2, Lost 0
Scored: 64
Conceded: 59
Scoring difference: +5
Round 1: Cashel King Cormacs 0-32 Drom & Inch 0-28
Round 2: Cashel King Cormacs 3-23 Kiladangan 3-22
Round 3: v Roscrea, Saturday, 6.00pm, Templemore
Status: Group 3 winners
Number one.
Cashel King Cormacs.
Not because the spreadsheet says they are the most complete team.
It does not.
Not because they have the best defence.
They emphatically do not.
Not because they have dominated both games.
They have not.
Cashel are number one because they have produced the highest scoring total in the championship, beaten two serious opponents, secured top spot with a round to spare and, most importantly, demonstrated a quality that cannot be manufactured.
They believe they can win games they should have lost.
That is dangerous.
Round 1 was a shootout.
0-32 against Drom & Inch.
Twenty-one points from play.
Ten different scorers.
A game played at a ridiculous attacking tempo.
Round 2 was something else entirely.
Kiladangan controlled large parts of it.
Cashel hit 18 wides.
They trailed by seven points with five minutes remaining.
Kiladangan had just scored through Sean Hayes and appeared to have finally broken them.
The game looked over.
It was not.
David McGrath goaled in the 56th minute.
Denis O’Callaghan scored.
Oisín O’Donoghue scored.
Devon Ryan converted.
Billy Seymour and Neil Cahalan appeared to steady Kiladangan.
Then the last ball went in.
Cathal Quinn got to it.
Goal.
Cashel win.
There are games that provide two championship points.
There are games that alter how a team sees itself.
This felt like the latter.
The numbers surrounding Cashel are fascinating.
They have scored 64 point-equivalents, the best attacking return in the championship.
That is an average of 32 per game.
Devon Ryan has scored 0-19, with eight of those points coming from play.
Ger Browne has produced 1-06 from play, including a huge second-half influence against Kiladangan.
Oisín O’Donoghue has six point-equivalents from play.
Conor O’Dwyer has five.
Cathal Quinn has contributed 1-01 overall and the most important goal of the championship so far.
David McGrath has 1-01.
The attack is not one-dimensional.
That is the reason Cashel can survive a night when one or two scorers are off.
But we cannot simply ignore the other number.
59 conceded.
No team in the Senior Championship has conceded more.
Drom scored 0-28.
Kiladangan scored 3-22.
Cashel are allowing an average concession of 29.5 point-equivalents per match.
That is not a championship-winning defensive profile.
At some stage, it will catch them.
You cannot expect to score 32 every week.
You cannot expect to concede three goals and survive.
You cannot expect injury-time miracles to become a system.
That is the challenge for Cashel from here.
The attack has proven itself.
The mentality has proven itself.
Now the defensive structure must catch up.
There were still important defensive moments against Kiladangan.
Aaron Browne’s save from Billy Seymour late in the game was enormous.
Without it, there is no comeback.
James Cummins had important moments.
Nathan Ryan and the defence eventually found a way to stop Kiladangan scoring enough to kill the contest.
But eventually is not enough when the championship moves into knockout hurling.
The next game against Roscrea offers an interesting opportunity.
Top spot is secured.
Roscrea are guaranteed bottom.
Cashel can use the game to improve the areas that have been loose without carrying the immediate pressure of qualification.
That may be valuable.
And there is another psychological layer.
Cashel have now beaten Kiladangan twice this season.
First in the Division 1 league.
Now in the championship.
This is not a one-off upset.
Ger Browne is in outstanding form.
Devon Ryan is producing.
O’Donoghue is influencing games.
The confidence must be enormous.
Cashel began this championship as one of several dangerous outsiders.
After two rounds, they are no longer outside anything.
They are at the front.
Everybody else is chasing.
The Round 3 Picture: Where the Championship Will Be Decided
The beauty of this final weekend is that every group has a different personality.
Group 1
Thurles Sarsfields, 4 points
Holycross/Ballycahill, 2
Kilruane MacDonaghs, 2
Upperchurch-Drombane, 0
Round 3
Kilruane MacDonaghs v Thurles Sarsfields, Saturday, 6.30pm, Templederry
Holycross/Ballycahill v Upperchurch-Drombane, Saturday, 6.30pm, Borrisoleigh
All four remain involved in the qualification picture entering the final round.
Thurles have placed themselves in the strongest position after beating Holycross.
Holycross are under pressure to respond.
Kilruane know victory over Sarsfields changes everything.
Upperchurch have to produce the performance of their season.
There is no dead game.
Group 2
Moycarkey-Borris, 4 points
Clonoulty/Rossmore, 2
Borris-Ileigh, 2
Loughmore-Castleiney, 0
Round 3
Borris-Ileigh v Moycarkey-Borris, Sunday, 3.30pm, The Ragg
Clonoulty/Rossmore v Loughmore-Castleiney, Sunday, 3.30pm, Holycross
This is chaos.
Moycarkey have won twice but still face an in-form Borris team.
Clonoulty and Borris are level on two.
Loughmore are on zero but can still have a say in who finishes where.
And the divisional championship context means Borris-Ileigh, Clonoulty and Loughmore all have preliminary quarter-final protection if they fail to finish in the top two.
Moycarkey do not.
That makes their 2-0 start even more valuable.
It is the group of death and, appropriately, nobody has died yet.
Group 3
Cashel King Cormacs, 4 points
Kiladangan, 2
Drom & Inch, 2
Roscrea, 0
Round 3
Drom & Inch v Kiladangan, Saturday, 6.00pm, Dolla
Cashel King Cormacs v Roscrea, Saturday, 6.00pm, Templemore
The cleanest group.
Cashel are top.
Roscrea are bottom.
Everything rests on Drom against Kiladangan.
Drom must win.
Kiladangan progress with a win or draw.
There may not be a more straightforward pressure game anywhere in the championship.
Group 4
JK Brackens, 4 points
Nenagh Éire Óg, 2
Toomevara, 1
CJK Mullinahone, 1
Round 3
Nenagh Éire Óg v Toomevara, Sunday, 3.00pm, Cloughjordan
JK Brackens v CJK Mullinahone, Sunday, 3.00pm, Leahy Park, Cashel
JK Brackens have top spot secured.
Everything below them remains live.
Nenagh against Toome is a derby with enormous championship consequences.
Mullinahone need to revive themselves against the form team in the group.
The last round could turn a comfortable table into complete disorder.
What the Numbers Say After Two Rounds
The championship’s attacking hierarchy currently reads:
1. Cashel King Cormacs, 64
2. Kiladangan, 60
3. JK Brackens, 58
4=. Nenagh Éire Óg, 57
4=. Borris-Ileigh, 57
6. Drom & Inch, 54
7. Clonoulty/Rossmore, 53
8. Thurles Sarsfields, 52
9. Moycarkey-Borris, 48
10=. Kilruane MacDonaghs, 47
10=. Holycross/Ballycahill, 47
12. Roscrea, 46
13. Upperchurch-Drombane, 44
14. CJK Mullinahone, 43
15=. Toomevara, 42
15=. Loughmore-Castleiney, 42
The defensive picture is almost the reverse:
1. Moycarkey-Borris, 39 conceded
2=. Thurles Sarsfields, 44
2=. JK Brackens, 44
4. Kilruane MacDonaghs, 47
5=. Toomevara, 48
5=. Holycross/Ballycahill, 48
7. Upperchurch-Drombane, 51
8. Loughmore-Castleiney, 52
9=. Kiladangan, 53
9=. Clonoulty/Rossmore, 53
9=. Nenagh Éire Óg, 53
12=. CJK Mullinahone, 55
12=. Roscrea, 55
14. Borris-Ileigh, 56
15. Drom & Inch, 57
16. Cashel King Cormacs, 59
That contrast explains why this championship remains so difficult to call.
Cashel have the best attack and the worst defensive total.
Moycarkey have only the ninth-highest scoring total but the best defence by five points.
JK Brackens are the most balanced side statistically.
Kiladangan have the second-best attack.
Thurles have conceded only 44.
Holycross have not yet produced the attacking explosion many expected.
Borris-Ileigh have the championship’s leading scorer but have conceded 56.
There is no perfect team.
Not yet.
And that may be the single biggest takeaway after two rounds.
Everybody has something that can be attacked.
Cashel can be scored against.
Kiladangan can be caught late.
JK Brackens can be dragged into a battle.
Moycarkey still have to prove their form under the weight of expectation.
Thurles can be wasteful.
Holycross can become over-reliant on Robbie Ryan and Woods.
Nenagh have shown tactical vulnerability.
Drom can concede heavily.
Loughmore are not scoring enough.
Borris are giving opponents opportunities.
That is why the Dan Breen Cup remains wide open.
Round 1 gave us evidence.
Round 2 gave us arguments.
Round 3 will give us answers.
And after that, the safety nets disappear, the margins tighten and the championship becomes something else entirely.
For now, Cashel King Cormacs sit at number one.
But in this championship, being number one in August guarantees absolutely nothing.