Gaelic Games

Sarsfields edge Éire Óg to win third title in four years

Pádraic Maher points to experience after one-point win at Semple Stadium

Thurles Sarsfields’ Lar Corbett celebrates with his daughter Faye and the Tipperary SHC trophy after victory at Semple Stadium. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho
Sun Oct 25 2015 - 20:36

Thurles Sarsfields 1-18 Nenagh Éire Óg 3-11

Thurles Sarsfields won their third Tipperary senior hurling championship title in four years and 34th overall as they edged out Nenagh Éire Óg in a closely fought decider at Semple Stadium, Thurles, yesterday.

Sarsfields captain Pádraic Maher pointed to that experience as they just got the better of a Nenagh Eire Óg side who have tasted final defeat by the slenderest of margins for the second time in three years.

Thurles Sarsfields celebrate after victory over Nenagh Éire Óg at Semple Stadium in the Tipperary SHC Final. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

“One thing is we showed a bit of heart and a bit of fight and we said at half-time that we were leading on the scoreboard and try and keep tipping away at that. I don’t think we scored for a long time in the second half but it suited us in a way to keep going and lads got crucial scores there at the end,” he said.

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Lar Corbett’s 57th minute point proved to be the difference as was a defensive play in the dying seconds that denied Nenagh a chance to force a replay.

“Thank God he’s 6ft 3 or 4 or whatever he is! It shows the workrate that lads were putting in. It was a small thing that turned it for us,” added Maher.

Thurles’ success was built on a strong start, and by the 20th minute they were nine points clear (1-10 to 0-4), with Conor Lanigan getting the goal, beating Nenagh goalie Michael McNamara to the high ball to flick to the net.

Setting tempo

With Corbett, Denis Maher and Aidan McCormack to the fore, Thurles were setting the tempo but Nenagh found their feet in the run up to half-time, helped by Michael Heffernan moving to full forward.

He was instrumental in the move that led to the 22nd-minute penalty, won by Pearse Morris, that Barry Heffernan converted, and two minutes later turned Michael Cahill inside out before firing to the corner of the net.

It helped cut the margin to two points at the break . The second half developed into a very cagey affair with only one point in the first 13 minutes .

Points from Pa Bourke and two from Denis Maher looked to set Thurles on their way again with 10 minutes to go, but Nenagh reeled them in again with Andrew Coffey availing of an absent Thurles full-back line to score a 53rd minute goal.

With the game back in the melting pot, Thurles had the greater ability to get scores, with Billy McCarthy and Lar Corbett coming up trumps to lead them to a successful defence of the title.

THURLES SARSFIELDS: P McCormack; M Cahill, S Maher, K O'Gorman; D Kennedy, P Maher, R Maher; S Cahill (0-1), J Maher (0-1); B McCarthy (0-1), D Maher (0-4), A McCormack (0-3); C Lanigan (1-2), L Corbett (0-2), P Bourke (0-4, 3f, 1 65). Subs: R Ruth for Lanigan (45 mins); D Maher for O'Gorman (47 mins); T Doyle for Ruth (60 mins).

NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG: M McNamara; M Flannery, N Maloney, J Brennan; C Ryan, H Maloney, Barry Heffernan (1-0 pen); D Quinn (0-1), M Heffernan (1-4, 0-2f); P Morris (0-2), P Murphy, A Coffey (1-1); K Gleeson, T Heffernan (0-1), S Hennessy. Subs: J Mackey (0-2) for Hennessy (29 mins); Billy Heffernan for Gleeson (37 mins); P Hickey for Morris (57 mins).

Referee: F Horgan (Knockavilla Kickhams).