'We'll probably go in as underdogs' but Nenagh Éire Óg delighted to reach Tipperary SHC semis
Nenagh Éire Óg are back in the Dan Breen Cup conversation after holding out for a six-point quarter-final victory over battle-hardened Kilruane MacDonaghs. Pic: Sport Focus
Nenagh Éire Óg are back in the Dan Breen Cup conversation after holding out for a six-point quarter-final victory over battle-hardened Kilruane MacDonaghs.
The town team last made a Tipperary SHC semi-final in 2020 after a decade of near misses. Since then, Nenagh had delivered just one championship win in each of the past four years.
That stat is even more remarkable when you consider that Nenagh collected North titles in 2022 and ‘23, which saw them namechecked as major county championship contenders at the outset of those campaigns.
Perhaps that’s why manager Hugh Maloney was keen to emphasise their outsider status among the remaining quartet heading into a semi-final clash against Drom & Inch.
“We're under no illusions. We'll probably go in as underdogs,” he said. “But you're in the hat, and that's the most important thing.
“Taking out Kilruane was very pleasing in the end. The way the lads performed overall, you just have to be happy with that.
“It was a game that had a lot of tension in it. We had to win it twice in the end. Maybe three times. That’s the character of Kilruane. They kept coming back. Just delighted to get over the line.”
The 2022 champions’ charge stuttered after suffering a sizeable injury blow just before half-time. Jerome Cahill pulled up clutching his hamstring and had to limp off. Niall O’Meara also appeared to be hampered by the interval. He returned at full-forward for the second half.
The second part of Sunday's Semple Stadium double-header was level nine times in the first half. Nenagh edged ahead thereafter.
They still had to weather the concession of a late goal to Kieran Cahill, which trimmed the gap to one point. However, Jake Morris netted a penalty in the next play, and his teammates held out against a series of Kilruane raids.
Morris was playing through injury, but arrowed over three standout points from full-forward.
Outside him, the evergreen Mikey Heffernan set the tone with a clutch of early points in either half, finishing with 0-12 overall (five from play). His brother, Tommy, came off the bench to tag on three more.
Having split group-stage wins over Thurles Sarsfields and Mullinahone with a surprise defeat to Cashel King Cormacs, Nenagh endorsed their rising levels with a third win of the year.
Mikey Heffernan scored each of Nenagh’s first five points, beginning with a pair from play. The linesman intervened to award Michael Cleary’s opener for Kilruane, while Shane Cleary drew a save from Dermot McTiernan.
Kilruane’s route-one approach yielded the first goal after 13 minutes. O’Meara delivered a high ball into their towering inside line. Kian O’Kelly broke it for Thomas Cleary to rifle them 1-4 to 0-5 ahead. That lead didn’t last long as Sam O’Farrell replied with a quickfire brace.
Michael Cleary landed his second point, but Morris got into the game with a fine lead score from under the New Stand.
After Willie Cleary, Cian Darcy, and Aaron Morgan reeled off three in a row, Morris notched a classy pair to level again.
O’Meara pointed, but Nenagh replied with three on the trot, including a Mason Cawley brace. They led 0-14 to 1-10 at half-time, and wouldn’t be pegged back from there.
Mikey Heffernan began the second half in a similar vein to the first, reeling off 0-4 and teeing up the fifth for Tommy. The influence of their other brother, Barry, in a sweeping role limited Kilruane to 0-2 in the third quarter.
Conor Ryan pushed them five ahead, and that lead held into the final eight minutes.
Kilruane got a lifeline when Shane Cleary poached upon a dropped ball to feed Kieran Cahill to finish.
It was 0-22 to 2-15, but in the next play, substitute Ben West battled through on goal, only to be fouled by Craig Morgan. Morris’s penalty sent the keeper the wrong way.
Between Mikey and Tommy Heffernan’s stoppage-time points, a late Darcy drive was saved by McTiernan and an O’Meara free was blocked on the line.
M Heffernan (0-12, 5fs, 2 65s); J Morris (1-3, 1-0 pen); S O’Farrell, T Heffernan (0-3 each); M Cawley (0-2); C Ryan (0-1).
W Cleary (0-6, 4 fs, 1 65); T Cleary (1-1); K Cahill (1-0); M Cleary (0-3); N O’Meara (0-2); A Morgan, K O’Kelly, C Darcy (0-1 each).
D McTiernan; M Cawley, M Carey, J Donelan-Houlihan; C Hennessy, B Heffernan, P Murphy; C Ryan (capt), J Mackey; J Keller, M Heffernan, S O’Farrell; P Hickey, J Morris, A Carey.
A Healy for Donelan-Houlihan (h-t), T Heffernan for A Carey (38), B West for Mackey (50), S Phelan for M Heffernan (60+3-f-t, temp).
P Williams; J Cleary, A Morgan, J Peters; N O’Meara (capt), C Morgan, K Cahill; J Cahill, C Doheny; S Cleary, C Darcy, K O’Kelly; W Cleary, T Cleary, M Cleary.
M O’Neill for J Cahill (30, inj), D Peters for T Cleary (h-t), S McAdams for M Cleary (42), E Hogan for Doheny (47), T Cleary for O’Kelly (49, inj).
J McCormack (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams).
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