Rampant Nenagh ease into Harty quarter-finals
The result means Nenagh and St Caimin’s (Shannon) finish one and two in their group and will be in the quarter-final draw after Christmas, while the once-mighty St Colman’s and St Flannan’s are out of the championship for this year.
Carrigaline Community School, who defeated St Flannan’s yesterday, and who finished level with Nenagh and St Caimin’s on points, miss out of the quarter-finals by scoring difference, which means there is no Cork team in the knockout stages of this year’s Harty Cup.
Nenagh needed just a point from their game with Colman’s to be sure of staying in the title hunt, but they came for the two on offer and got them with a ruthless display.
They out-hurled and out-muscled Colman’s all over the field. Corner back Paudie Kelly gave a man-of-the-match performance and their half back line of Darren Delaney, Mark Flannery and Niall Madden reigned supreme all through.
Brian Stapleton and Brian Shanahan dominated the midfield exchanges and county minor Paddy Murphy and David Nolan sparkled up front.
The sides were level three times in the opening quarter, but a superb scoring burst by Nenagh saw them score eight points in a row, six by superb freetaker David Nolan, helping the Tipperary school to a half-time lead of 0-12 to 0-4.
Nolan continued his scoring spree with two further points from placed balls early in the second half, before Paddy Ryan, not as accurate from frees as in the previous round, knocked over two points to threaten a Colman’s revival.
However Nenagh were never going to let this game slip away, with Paudie Kelly heroic at corner back, and they finally closed the door on Colman’s when Mark Gennery finished Ray Whelan’s cross to the net for the game’s only goal.
It gave the Tipperary school a 1-16 to 0-6 lead and a place in the last eight was well and truly secured. Credit to Colman’s, they battled hard through Anthony Cronin, Brian O’Sullivan and Paddy Ryan but a lack of physical strength, particularly in attack, meant in the end, they were a well-beaten side.
Nenagh CBS: D. Nolan 0-10 (0-8 frees); M. Gennery 1-1; J. Shields, E. Slattery, R. Whelan, B. Stapleton, P. Murphy, C. Moloney 0-1 each. St Colman’s: P. Ryan 0-3 (frees); B. O’Sullivan, A. Condon, L. Whelan 0-1 each.
D. Reddan; J. Cahill, S. Maher, P. Kelly; D. Delaney, M. Flannery, N. Madden; B. Stapleton, B. Shanahan; M. Gennery, R. Whelan, P. Murphy; D. Nolan, J. Shields, E. Slattery.
T. O’Brien for Whelan; C. Moloney for Nolan; B. Heffernan for Madden; K. Walsh for Cahill.
E. Ahern; D. O’Carroll, K. Lane, S. O’Brien; M. Flynn, R. Clancy, K. O’Brien; S. Finn, A. Cronin; T. Ryan, D. Pyne, B. O’Sullivan; L. Whelan, A. Condon, D. Tobin.
D. Dooley for Condon; M. O’Leary for K. O’Brien; E. Sheehan for Pyne; B. Mulcahy for Tobin; C. Hegarty for S. O’Brien.
J M Kelly (Waterford).
