Dungarvan Colleges and Our Lady's Templemore clash in Dr. Harty Cup Final

 

It’s a well known view of mine that we have too many boards and way too many officers. If I had my way just as Phil Hogan has done with town/city and county councils up and down the country in the past year or so, plans would be put in place to slash the amount of boards and officers not in the morning, but this evening.

There are too many people involved for more years than anyone cares to remember holding the same position or moving around like musical chairs changing positions amongst themselves when the need arises.

The staging of this year’s Dr Harty Cup final is a perfect example as to why things have to change. Accuse me of what you want, tell me I am looking at things from a Waterford perspective. I don’t mind. I am around long enough now not to let these things bother me. I’d think the same think if two colleges from any of the other counties in Munster were involved.

Playing a Dr Harty Cup with a Waterford team involved on the same day, almost the same time that the Waterford senior hurlers are playing in a National League game 100km up the road makes absolute no sense and someone somewhere has to ask some questions of themselves.

Why the Dr Harty Cup final is not played on Saturday evening is a little mind boggling. On Saturday evening, Tipperary Senior Hurlers are away to Cork in the opening game of this years Division 1A National Hurling league.

The natural thing to do for the Templemore supporters and any other Tipperary supporter wanting to see the college’s game would be to play it in Cashel, New Inn or Cahir around 3pm. Supporters heading to Cork could veer off the motorway head to the colleges game and after the game go back on the motor way and head to Cork.

Playing the league game on Saturday evening and the Colleges game on Sunday, means that any supporter in Tipperary wanting to see the two games will have to make two journeys.

Playing the Dr Harty Cup game on Saturday evening and Waterford’s game on Sunday would mean that Waterford supporters will have to make two journeys, but the genuine hurling supporter that goes to a lot of games could see both. A win – win situation surely for hurling.

And here is another thing to ponder on. Within the Dungarvan Colleges panel is An Rinn Club man Christy Breathnach. In the Waterford set up is another An Rinn Club man – his name Donie Breathnach. To those that don’t know, the two are brothers. So to which game to his parents and siblings go. Which brother and which son do they support?

This years Dr Harty Cup final promises to be an exciting one. It is one that resembles the 2012 final going into that game neither Coláiste na nDéise or Nenagh CBS had their name engraved on the famous trophy, while this year Our Lady’s Templemore or Dungarvan Colleges will have their name put on the trophy albeit that the names that both colleges would have been known as in the past (Templemore CBS and Coláiste na nDéise) are already named on the roll of honour, having won it in 1978 and 2012 respectfully.

Both sides will head into Sunday’s final in somewhat of a confident mood. Last weekend Our Lady’s Templemore won the Munster Senior ‘B’ Football final against Abbey CBS from Tipperary Town, while Dungarvan won the Munster Senior ‘B’ Hurling final after extra time against St Joseph’s from Tulla while Saint Augustine’s College, the second side in the Dungarvan Colleges make up won the Munster Senior ‘C’ Football final in the past ten days.

At the start of the year, it’s possibly fair that the Tipperary side while fancying their chances privately would not have been considered serious contenders by most outside their own set up. However, they have gained plenty of momentum since the competition began last September and will take to the field on Sunday highly confident of winning the game.

The Templemore outfit are seen as a better side than that which Nenagh CBS fielded last year. They are seen as a side that are more suited to the physical game that Dungarvan Colleges could well serve up. They also believe that playing Abbey CBS in a Munster Football Final last weekend was more beneficial to them than any tough training session that they would have gone through had they not been playing football.

The strength of the Tipperary outfit is the spine of their team. Sean Patrick Guerins is a highly thought of goalkeeper in Tipperary. Jason Ryan is likely to be full back, Joseph Nyland has been the Templemore centre back all year, while John McGrath and Colin O’Riordan are in the middle of the field. The latter two in particular are very experienced players at this level. Both are a very rare bread of player having won Minor All-Irelands in both hurling and football in the last two years.

However, there is a doubt about the availability of about Joseph Nyland going into this game. He missed last weeks football game with an ankle injury and is reported to have missed training again this week and if he misses out it will mean that surgery will have to be performed on the team with one of the centre field pairings most likely to take his place in the number six position.

Dungarvan Colleges will head into this weekends game in equally as confident mood. The wins for Saint Augustine’s College and Dungarvan CBS are to be welcomed. However there is the chance that some of the players might go into the game over confident. However, they are lucky that there is some good men over the team and especially Peter Power who will be warning the team against complacency and will have told the team that the bigger you are the greater the fall.

Dungarvan Colleges like the Templemore side have some very experienced players. A great deal of the team was involved in last years win and that has to count for something.

The team’s main strength will be seen as its centre back line. Kevin Daly who missed last years final because of suspension will line out at centre back and will be flanked by two other members of last years team Tom Devine who captains the team this year and Tadhg Bourke.

Two from Colin Dunford, Cormac Curran and Michael Harney are likely to line out in the middle of the field while with the one not selected there likely to start in the full forward line and Patrick Curran could well start at centre forward and Seamus Keating could well start at full forward.

Who will win this years final is hard to know. Its most likely to rest on a shoot out between John McGrath (Templemore) and Patrick Curran (Dungarvan) with which ever proving to be most accurate from shooting of placed balls likely to win through.

 

Paths to the final:

Our Lady’s Templemore

Our Lady’s Templemore 1-18 West Limerick Schools. 1-18

Our Lady’s Templemore 1-13 Charleville CBS 0-14

Our Lady’s Templemore 1-19 Blackwater C.S. 1-18

Our Lady’s Templemore 1-12 Abbey CBS Tipperary 0-7

Our Lady’s Templemore 2-5 Midleton CBS 0-10

Our Lady’s Templemore 0-14 Ardscoil Ris 1-11

Our Lady’s Templemore 1-13 Ardscoil Rís Limerick 0-14

Dungarvan Colleges

Dungarvan Colleges 3-13 Doon CBS 1-13

Dungarvan Colleges 2-9 St. Flannan’s Ennis 0-16

Dungarvan Colleges 3-12 St. Caimin’s Shannon 0-11

Dungarvan Colleges 5-18 Gaelcholáiste Mhuire A.G. 2-8

Dungarvan Colleges 0-14 Blackwater C.S. 0-10

Dungarvan Colleges 1-12 Thurles CBS 0-12

 

Panels:

Dungarvan Colleges:

Laurence Power (Abbeyside), Kealan Looby  (Ballinameela), Brian Looby (Abbeyside), Jack Mullanney  (Stradbally), Tadhg Bourke (Clashmore), Kevin Daly (Dungarvan), Tom Devine (Modeligo) Cormac Curran  (Brickeys), Colin Dunford (Colligan) Ryan Donnelly (Dungarvan), Michael Harney (Ballydurn), Eamon Crotty (Abbeyside), Darragh Lyons (Dungarvan), Seamus Keating (Ardmore), Patrick Curran (Dungarvan), Gavin Power (Dungarvan), Christy Breathnach (An Rinn), David Gartland (Ardmore), Michael Cronin (Ardmore), Sean Daly (Abbeyside), Kieran Barron(St Marys) Aaron Donnelly (Dungarvan), Jack O’Donnell (Brickeys), Michael Shine (Ballinameela), Conor Prunty (Abbeyside), Cian Culloo (Ballinameela), Carthach Barry (Brickeys), Cormac O’Grady (Brickeys), Conor Tobin (St Marys), Ross Browne (Colligan) Jack Morrissey (Dungarvan).

Our Lady’s – Templemore:  

John McGrath, Tommy Maher, Denis Brereton, Joseph Nyland, Bill O'Connell (all Loughmore\Castleiney), Jason Ryan (Toomevara), Tommy Nolan, Jamie Bergin, Michael Campion, Kevin Ahearn, Kevin Hassett, Emmet Moloney, Joey Maher, Colm Kinane, Robert Ryan (all Drom\Inch), Colin O'Riordan, Sean Patrick Guerins, James Bergin, Jack Fogarty, Dean McEnroe, Brian Kennedy, Tommy Brett (all JK Brackens), John Joe Ryan, Paul Bergin (both Clonakenny), Dylan Carey , Padraig Hogan ( both Templederry Kenyons), Matt Stapleton (Borris-Ileigh), Jacque Dowling (Erril\Rathdowney), Gary Russell, Shane Ryan  (both Moyne\Templetouhy), PJ Bourke (Upperchurch\Drombane).

There is a feeling that this could be Dungarvan College’s last game in the Dr Harty Cup for some time. Over the past four years, Dungarvan CBS have won the Munster ‘B’ Colleges final on two occasions and reached the final on the two years they did not win. Saint Augustine’s College are also somewhat successful in recent years and there are rumblings in some quarters that the sides should field separate teams of their own in the competition from 2014.