John McGrath shines again but replay brings yet another game for double chasers Loughmore
14 November 2021; John McGrath of Loughmore/Castleiney is tackled by Michael Cahill, left, and Pádraic Maher of Thurles Sarsfields during the Tipperary County Senior Club Hurling Championship Final match between Thurles Sarsfields and Loughmore/Castleiney at Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
The odyssey continues for Loughmore-Castleiney although the sense among Thurles Sarsfields supporters afterwards was that their men were allowed to wriggle free in this classic Tipperary SHC final.
As it turned out, Liam McGrath’s third point earned Loughmore a second date, which is likely to take place at the end of the month thus becoming the senior double chasing club’s 17th consecutive weekend of championship action.
They had actually only gone ahead for the first time in the game with 10 minutes of normal time remaining and then quickly went two up. For all of Thurles’s faults on the day, they were able to cancel that deficit and lead via a monster Ronan Maher free in additional time before Liam McGrath’s intervention.
Whether Pádraic and Ronan Maher will be as quiet again in the replay is unlikely but then next time Loughmore might take the goal openings that they failed to convert in the first half. John Meagher may also play out of his skin as he did on this occasion.
Considering his consistency throughout this championship (5-30 from the quarter-final stage on is quite the shooting), John McGrath can be expected to provide more of the same when these two look horns again. Notwithstanding back-to-back wides from frees in the first half, he was a giant for his team and yet again belied the difficulties he has experienced at inter-county level these past three seasons.
Some praise also for 33-year-old Pa Bourke who continues to roll back the years with 1-8 from play in his last three outings, five points his latest offering. Along with fellow thirtysomething Denis Maher, they led the attack for Thurles.
What state Loughmore will be with a football final against Clonmel Commercials to contend with next weekend remains to be seen but it was they who were calling for more time at this end of this clash, questioning the decision of referee Conor Doyle to call matters to a halt just as they had won a sideline in the Sarsfields half of the field — Noel McGrath had pointed from a similar distance earlier.
Sarsfields might be more relieved with the outcome but happier too that they have a chance to put this spluttering display behind them. Not that their opponents were deadly - their first-half shooting left a lot to be desired - but in several exchanges they didn’t appear to want it as much as Loughmore who were putting all body parts on the line to win possession.
Credit to Sarsfields’s stubborness, after John McGrath had put Loughmore two up in the 52nd minute they responded with a brace. And when McGrath sent over his eighth free, Conor Stakelum found enough space to square the game on the hour mark before Ronan Maher’s free.
Sarsfields’ four-point half-time advantage was cut in half by the second water break, 2-13 to 0-17. John McGrath hit over four frees in that third quarter although Loughmore goalkeeper Aidan McGrath had to make himself big to deny Denis Maher a third goal in the 42nd minute after a short puck-out went awry.
Those earlier Denis Maher goals, which came in less than two minutes, put Thurles Sarsfields in the driving seat. The first in the 10th minute was a result of Maher getting to Darragh Stakelum’s dropping ball ahead of Loughmore goalkeeper Aidan McGrath at the Town End who may have been blinded by the low sun over the Killinan End terrace.
For the second, McGrath was equal to Maher’s first attempt but his parry fell kindly for the Thurles full-forward who made no mistake with the second opportunity and Sarsfields led 2-6 to 0-4 at the first water break.
Three points in a row upon the resumption steadied Loughmore although their conversion rate by the end of the half left a lot to be desired. By the break, they had registered eight wides and dropped two scoring attempts short. Three of their wides came in quick succession, two of them John McGrath frees.
Ed Connolly was also foiled for a couple of goal opportunities, Ronan Maher hooking then blocking him for his first chance in the eighth minute and Pádraic Maher blocking him as he unloaded in the 22th minute.
With another hat-trick of points, Loughmore did finish the half stronger to bring themselves to within four points, 0-11 to 2-9.
“The couple of goals in the first quarter were the difference but then we got our structure a bit better and in the second quarter we really owned it if our shooting had been a little bit of a higher standard,” said Loughmore-Castleiney manager Frankie McGrath. “The second half, it was nip and tuck the whole way through.”
More of the same in the replay please, gents.
J. McGrath (0-12, 8 frees); N. McGrath (1 sideline), L. McGrath (0-3 each); C. Connolly (0-2); A. McGrath (free), E. Sweeney, C. McGrath (0-1 each).
D. Maher (2-1); A. McCormack (0-6, 3 frees, 1 65); P. Bourke (0-5); D. Stakelum, Paul Maher, P. Creedon, C. Stakelum, R. Maher (free) (0-1 each).
A. McGrath; L. Egan, J. Hennessy, W. Eviston; T. Maher, J. Meagher, B. McGrath; T. McGrath, C. Connolly; L. Treacy, N. McGrath (c), L. McGrath; E. Connolly, E. Sweeney, J. McGrath.
Ciarán McGrath for E. Connolly (47); Conor McGrath for E. Sweeney (52).
P. McCormack; Paul Maher, Pádraic Maher, S. Ryan; D. Corbett, R. Maher, J. Derby; S. Cahill, M. Cahill; A. McCormack, C. Stakelum, D. Stakelum; P. Bourke, D. Maher (c), P. Creedon.
C. Moloney for J. Derby (50); B. McCarthy for A. McCormack (58).
: C. Doyle (Silvermines).
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