Noel McGrath feels more of a club player as Loughmore-Castleiney chase double

Ciaran McGrath, left, and Noel McGrath of Loughmore-Castleiney following the Tipperary SHC quarter-final win over Clonoulty/Rossmore. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Noel McGrath’s dedication to Loughmore-Castleiney is beyond reproach. Ditto his brothers John and Brian and the extended McGrath family.

“No matter what is going on with Tipp or how much they win with Tipp, they’ll be the first lads in the field on training nights,” said club chairman Eugene Stapleton last month.

But ask Noel if he feels more of a club player on the back of this split season structure and he admits: “You probably do. The way it was over the last number of years you are just coming straight back from plugging away during the summer with Tipperary, and then you are just thrown straight back into the club with a week to prepare. We have been all training together for two and a half months since were allowed back.

“It does help and I guarantee talking to players around the country they feel a lot more integrated in their club. If the split season does come it will be fairer to both inter-county and to the club scene and both will be treated with the respect they both deserve because we all know the inter-county game has its place as much as the club game does as well.”

Winning helps but McGrath likes to think the sheer enjoyment the players have experienced this last while is being seen in their victories. Their training to game ratio is so even that they can’t but be happy.

“We all did enough running on the roads during lockdown and now is the time for the games,” says McGrath. “During the week is about looking after the bodies and keeping them right.

"We have had massive numbers coming to the field, 35-40 lads training. Our juniors are into a Mid final.

It’s good to have lads around and is something for people to do at the moment and what else would you be rather doing?

Just over 120 minutes away from repeating the historic double of 2013 with Loughmore-Castleiney, it’s the club’s first SHC final appearance in six years. “We were all fairly young back in 2014,” says 29-year-old McGrath, “but you don’t feel the years slipping on.”

McGrath’s uncle and manager Frankie McGrath has spoken about the extra incentive for the club to succeed in the Bloody Sunday centenary year when they had two men on the Tipperary team, Jim Ryan (Loughmore) and Bill “Laha” Ryan (Castleiney).

Loughmore-Castleiney manager Frankie McGrath. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

“From when you were young, you knew the connection was there,” Noel remarks. “Bloody Sunday was a big thing in the GAA’s history and in the country’s history.

"We were always aware there was two players from the parish involved on the day and now that it coincides with the 100-year anniversary the GAA had big plans to mark and obviously with Covid it has put a small halt to that but they have new plans in place for the coming weeks and months and it would be great to honour the people that died on the day and to mark the occasion.

To have two from the one parish is a big thing and the field in Castleiney is named Pairc Uí Riain after those two men so it’s something that has been there in our history.

Loughmore hadn’t been doing just enough to progress prior to the semi-final when they took full advantage of their first-half wind to blitz Nenagh Éire Óg, who had just dumped favourites Thurles Sarsfields out of the competition.

On Sunday they face a Kiladangan team hungry to win in a third final appearance in five years and the three-time All-Ireland winner is wary of reading too much into that 10-point semi-final victory.

“Nenagh were probably hampered a small bit with Hugh Maloney beforehand and then with Barry Heffernan having to go off but that is just the way it is. That is sport and you just have to get on with it and our job was to perform on the pitch no matter who was there against us and we got a decent performance.

“Kiladangan have been there or thereabouts for a number of years and they had a fairly polished performance against Drom. It’s a county final and you are going to have strong opposition against you no matter who you are playing.”