Kiladangan crash out after defeat toKilruane MacDonaghs
Kiladangan's John O’Meara attempts to hook Kilruane's Kian O’Kellys goal bound shot. Pic: Padraig Hogan, Sportsfocus
Kilruane MacDonaghs handed neighbours Kiladangan their earliest championship exit in almost a decade in deservedly winning their Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship preliminary quarter-final 3-19 to 3-15 in Nenagh on Sunday.
In the first meeting between the sides since the 2022 county final replay won by Kilruane, they repeated the dose, leading from the front most of the way and while Kiladangan had their periods, and hitting 16 wides, they were still off their fluent best and suffered their third championship defeat in a row in their exit.
Kilruane MacDonaghs were boosted by the return from injury of Jerome Cahill, and he took just two minutes to get on the scoresheet as the Magpies made the early running with Willie Cleary (free) and Shane Cleary on target.
It took a full eight minutes for Kiladangan to register through full forward Sean Hayes as he was the only attacker to threaten Kilruane with Paul Flynn’s move to midfield paying off with three points from play.
Kilruane’s first goal came on 21 minutes with the strength of Thomas Cleary leading to Kian O’Kelly scoring his first of two goals. It put them into a deserved six-point lead, but the deficit was halved at the interval, 1-11 to 1-8, largely due to Bryan McLoughney’s 30th minute goal.
O’Kelly’s second goal three minutes after the resumption gave Kilruane the ideal tonic facing into the breeze and a Kiladangan surge where the relocation of Joe Gallagher to the forwards in this game paid off in the form of 1-2, his goal on 57 minutes bringing the 2020 & 2023 champions back within two.
However, Kilruane’s response was impressive with points from Jerome Cahill and newcomer Shane Cleary before Niall O’Meara converted an injury time penalty after substitute Eoin Hogan was fouled.
Bryan McLoughney’s second goal for Kiladangan was mere consolation as Kilruane march onto next weekend’s quarterfinals.
: P Williams; J Peters, A Morgan, J Cleary; N O’Meara (1-2, 1-0 pen), C Morgan (0-1), K Cahill; C Austin (0-1), J Cahill (0-3); S Cleary (0-2), K O’Kelly (2-0), C Darcy (0-2); W Cleary (0-8, 5f), T Cleary, M Cleary.
Subs: M O’Neill for C Austin (22); D Peters for M Cleary (53); E Hogan for T Cleary (58).
: B Hogan; D Sweeney, J Quigley, D Butler; W Connors (0-2f), A Flynn, J O’Meara; C Byrne (0-1), P Flynn (0-5); J Gallagher (1-2), T Gallagher (0-1), B Seymour; D O’Meara, S Hayes (0-4), B McLoughney (2-0).
Subs: D Flannery for D O’Meara (41); N Cahalan for Seymour (53); C Culhane for Byrne (60+1)
: Kevin Jordan (Thurles Gaels).
