Treaty boosted by Harty hope
A victory would also end a seven-year wait since the title last came to Shannonside when Limerick CBS were victorious.
The Harty Cup has been good to Limerick. The CBS are third in the roll of honour with 10 titles to their name, and they are ahead of some of the greats such as Thurles CBS, St. Colman’s and the defunct Farranferris.
Ardscoil Rís are relative newcomers to Harty hurling, team manager Derek Larkin relieved to have finally reached the showpiece.
“This year was our third semi-final and we needed to push it on and get to the final. St Caimin’s knocked us out in last year’s semi so it was pleasing to reverse that result,” said Derek.
“We have been building up to this day over the last few years and it’s brilliant for all concerned to have finally made it there. This present group of players has been fantastic and deserves their chance.
“It’s going to be very difficult for us, but we have a very experienced team, a number of whom have been around a while. Winning the Dean Ryan title last year was a big boost for the school and we will be looking to build on it.
“For us to win we’ll have to improve at least 15% on the form we displayed in the semi-final, and even that may not be enough because this is a very experienced Thurles side who are the holders and won’t give up their title easily.”
While Ardscoil Rís will go into today’s final as underdogs, they are there on merit. They began theircampaign with a thrilling draw with Midleton CBS before defeating Cashel CS, St Colman’s, Our Lady’s and St Caimin’s to reach the decider.
Thurles won all their five games in style. Their quarter-final against St Flannan’s was a classic, surviving by the narrowest of margins. It was their performance in that match which convinces me they will win thisafternoon. It was as searching a test as they could have wished for and they came through it, albeit it by a single point.
This will be Thurles’s third final appearance in a row and they arelooking to put back to back titles together. They possess a host of outstanding players, a number of whom are destined for greater things, but the loss of Aidan McCormack through suspension is a massive blow.
Apart from being a very clever forward, McCormack is also an excellent free taker, but with Stephen Maher, Pa Dunne, Mike O’Brien, superb free taker Aidan McCormack and that prince of centre backs Denis Maher currently on top of their form, there is every chance the Harty Cup will stay in Tipperary for another season.
Like their opponents, Ardscoil Rís have a number of excellent exponents of the game including Declan Hannon who is a second cousin to the Thurles goalkeeper Aidan Stakelum and John Fitzgibbon whose dad Shane played senior hurling with Limerick.
Add in Kevin Downes who can be lethal around the square, Seanie O’Brien, Shane Dowling and Mark Carmody whose father Anthony was on the Limerick CBS team beaten in the 1984 Harty final by Farna, and this Ardscoil Rís side is a match for the best.
Experience and tradition will be worth a couple of points to Thurles, and while they get the nod to retain their title, expect a massive effort from the Limerick boys to win their first crown.
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