Nenagh CBS do the necessary but last-gasp action elsewhere halts Harty journey

HEARTBREAK: Adam Hall of Nenagh CBS clearing the sliotar against CBS Cork in an earlier round. Pic: Brendan Gleeson

Nenagh CBS 4-26 Gaelcholáiste Mhuire an Mhainistir Thuaidh 0-13 

Winners by a whopping 25 points and yet devastation swept through the Nenagh camp shortly after the final whistle.

When referee Johnny Murphy blew for full-time at Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, proceedings were still ongoing in the other Group 1 match between Christians and De La Salle Waterford at Ardmore.

Nenagh had begun the day two points behind De La Salle in the Group 1 table and with a score difference 20 points worse than the Waterford students they had drawn with last month.

Irrespective of what happened in Ardmore, Nenagh knew that to position themselves for knockout involvement they had to win at Hospital and they had to win by a margin that wiped out the aforementioned 20-point score difference.

Both boxes were comprehensively ticked. Their bit done, attention turned to Ardmore and the nervous wait for a full-time result.

A WhatsApp message came through to yours truly to say Christians were three up on De La Salle in injury-time. It was a state of play that was immediately relayed to the Nenagh camp standing in the middle of the field. It was a state of play that would see Nenagh progress.

There wasn’t a word spoken as we waited for the full-time message to come through. The collective anxiousness grew and grew as the seconds and minutes passed. And then it arrived, the outcome Nenagh had silently feared.

Last gasp De La Salle goal. Draw match. Nenagh gone.

Players sank to their knees. More than one hurl was fired at the ground in frustration. The cruelest of eliminations.

In doing as much as they could, Nenagh had completely overpowered a Gaelcholáiste Mhuire side that was down several first-team regulars such as Sean Paul Cooke, Jonathan Kirwan, Eoghan O’Sullivan, Liam O’Driscoll, and Michael Sheehan.

The gulf in class, widened by these absentees, was evident right from the off. An early Nenagh burst of 1-7 without reply, contributed exclusively by Jack Mulcahy (1-1) and Darragh McCarthy (0-6, 0-5 frees) had Nenagh CBS 1-11 to 0-2 clear by the 17th minute.

A couple of Ross O’Sullivan points in the second quarter narrowed the interval gap to 10, 1-14 to 0-7. The Cork minor was his team’s outstanding player, the Na Piarsaigh teenager finishing with five frees and four from play. Their task became all the tougher when corner-back Kian Galvin received his marching orders early in the second period.

Knowing they needed a very sizable winning margin, Nenagh were more aggressive in hunting goals upon the change of ends. They found three, delivered by Danny Quinn, Mulcahy’s second, and centre-forward Adam Hall.

In the end, though, it all proved in vain.

• Elsewhere, Thurles CBS had a very convincing win over Youghal school, Pobail Scoil Na Trionide on a scoreline of 4-25 to 2-8.

Scorers for Nenagh CBS: D McCarthy (0-15, 0-12 frees); J Mulcahy (2-2); A Hall (1-3); D Quinn (1-2); C Foley (0-3, 0-2 frees); K Grace (0-1 each).

Scorers for Gaelcholáiste Mhuire an Mhainistir Thuaidh: R Ó Súilleabháin (0-9, 0-5 frees); J Ó hÉigeartaigh, D Ó Dochartaigh, D Ó Scannláin (0-1 each).

Nenagh CBS: C Hogan (Toomevara); C Bailey (Silvermines), J McGrath (Kiladangan), G McGrath (Kiladangan); J Doran (Toomevara), J O’Callaghan (Portroe), C Connolly (Nenagh Éire Óg); K Grace (Burgess), C Foley (Borrisokane); C Cooney (Burgess), A Hall (Toomevara), C Tracey (Silvermines); D McCarthy (Toomevara), J Mulcahy (Kilruane MacDonaghs), D Quinn (Silvermines).

Gaelcholáiste Mhuire an Mhainistir Thuaidh: M Gayfer (Glen Rovers); P Hosford (Na Piarsaigh), S Ó Scannláin (Na Piarsaigh), K Ó Gealbháin (Na Piarsaigh); C Ó hUiginn (Na Piarsaigh), C Mac Uidhir (Glen Rovers), C Ó Maonaigh (Na Piarsaigh); C Ó Néill (St Vincent’s), J Ó hÉigeartaigh (Whitechurch); D Ó Dochartaigh (Na Piarsaigh), R Ó Súilleabháin (Na Piarsaigh), C Ó Riagáin (Watergrasshill); D Ó Scannláin (Na Piarsaigh), L Ó Síocháin (Na Piarsaigh), A Ó Loingsigh (Na Piarsaigh).

Subs: J Ó Súilleabháin (Na Piarsaigh) for Ó Dochartaigh (35 mins); D Mac Con Ulaidh (Na Piarsaigh) for Ó Néill (45); B Ó Duibhir Ó hArrachtáin for Ó Síocháin, J Ó Gabhláin (Glen Rovers) for Gayfer (both 47).

Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).