Unbelievable drama as Nenagh CBS clinch first Harty title with last gasp goal

TUS Dr Harty Cup Munster PPS U19A Hurling Final

Nenagh CBS 2-16

Ardscoil Rís 0-21

Drama was the order of the day in Cusack Park, Ennis on Saturday afternoon as a last-gasp goal with one of the last pucks of the game by Andy Hoolan sent the North Tipperary school into ecstasy. 

Trailing by two points with just a minute of added time to go, a point from Patrick Kearney in the 62nd minute looked to have clinched a sixth success for Ardscoil Rís in a game that was enthralling and even tighter to boot.

Somehow though, Nenagh managed to win a late free and once the ball dropped into the 21-yard line, the play was something akin to a cattle crush as Nenagh tried to manufacture a glimpse at goal, and after being repelled a few times the ball fell to the unlikeliest of match winner in Andy Hoolan who scooped the ball to the net to steal victory for the CBS.

It was a script you just couldn't have written any better from a Nenagh perspective with everyone to a man digging deep to contribute to the win but the likes of Ciaran Foley, Mason Cawley, Darragh McCarthy, and Austin Duff were the main men in the victory and they will no doubt celebrate this win in style before resetting to see if they can have a cut at the All-Ireland schools competition.

A solid start was spoken about for Nenagh CBS in the build-up to this game given the way that previous teams had come undone in years gone by due slow starts and they got the game off to the perfect start with Darragh McCarthy dissecting the posts within a minute from midfield. A good start.

McCarthy had been heavily touted to be a key influence in the game if Nenagh were to succeed. After Fintan Fitzgerald equalised soon after, McCarthy was at it again, this time turning provider for Mason Cawley to slot over a shot un-hindered to put Nenagh back in front.

It was a decent start all told but Ardscoil Rís were looking the more astute team from restarts and with the ball in hand in the following quarter of an hour and they had taken a 0-4 to 0-2 lead by the fifth minute with Daniel Scully, Marc O’Brien, and Daniel Chaplin all hitting their first points of the day.

That Chaplin point came about after a brilliant hook from Cian Connolly on Michael Collins who was in on goal, and an even better save from Simon Grace on the double from a Collins whip, as the Ardscoil Rís full forward line were being afforded a lot of room.

Nerves were getting the better of Nenagh at this point though with a lot of errors and fumbles on the ball all too common for the Tipp school - even allowing for the slick conditions in Cusack Park in the constant drizzle.

Even more so, Nenagh were giving Ardscoil far too much space to ping uncontested puck outs to midfield and the half-forward line, with Nenagh on the other hand relying on breaking ball from theirs.

Fintan Fitzgerald in particular was proving elusive and equally prolific any time he got a sight at goal and he had his second from play in the 12th minute which came either side of a brace of Danny Chaplin frees as the Limerick school went back into a three-point lead.

Whatever Fitzgerald was doing at one end, Eoin Doughan was doing to the Ardscoil defence at the other as the Moneygall shooter was in fine shooting form early and hit two points in a row between the seventh and 13th minute but Ardscoil were being let do what they wanted as two more scores from Fitzgerald - including a beaut by selling two Nenagh defenders - had the perennial challengers in command at 0-9 to 0-5 at the 25-minute mark.

Management had seen enough at this stage and looked to the bench early and it paid off within minutes as Toomevara’s Austin Duff pointed within 30 seconds of his introduction but Ardscoil were still finding room to do the damage and responded with two Michael Collins efforts to cancel out that Duff point.

The diminutive Toome’ man was all over the place now though and after a Zac Keller clearance broke into Aodhan O’Connor around the 45, he found Duff on the shoulder and the forward ran in on goal from the angle and despite being surrounded, he got a strike off to hit the back of the net. A huge boost for Nenagh.

That put Nenagh in a great position considering they were second-best for large parts of the game so far, and it was even better by half-time as Eoin Doughan continued to show his scoring prowess with a fine third point of the day. All square and all to play for in the second half.

The second half was a far scrappier affair and that was in large part down to visible nerves and an increased work rate on Nenagh’s part, and the CBS did take the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the game by the 35th minute, with Darragh McCarhty (one free) and a second effort from Mason Cawley putting them 1-11 to 0-13 to the good.

A re-jig took place at half-time that worked a treat with Ciaran Foley moving to centre back to cull the influence of Fintan Fitzgerald, while Jake Hackett moved to midfield and it looked to be the right move as Nenagh began to get the upper hand and had extended their lead to two points by the 42nd minute; Mason Cawley and Darragh McCarthy leading the charge with further scores.

Ardscoil Rís were looking jittery now and much like Nenagh in the first half, they were making a lot of errors on the ball and it was sucking the life out of their play, but they managed to settle going into the final quarter, and re-tool the lead with points from Fitzgerald (his fifth), Eoin Begley and a long ranger from substitute Darragh Gleeson.

The experience of so many close calls going the wrong way for Nenagh was going to be playing on the mind at this stage with ten minutes to go, but Ciaran Foley had other ideas as the Borrisokane man found two brilliant scores with four minutes to go to put Nenagh back in front. 

But the drama was far from done….

Ardscoil has great pedigree in this competition in the last ten years and they called on that in the final minute-plus injury time to sneak back in front with points from Michael Collins and Marc O’Brien (free) putting them ahead, and when Patrick Kearney fired over a class solo effort with only a minute left to make it a two-point game, it looked like it was game over.

It was a goal or nothing now for Nenagh and from the resulting puck out, Austin Duff managed to win a free around the midfield area at the stand side to give them one last Hail Mary for glory.

Ciaran Foley stepped up but he half-topped the dropping ball and Eoin Doughan started as scrappy a move for goal as you will ever see, Nenagh somehow managed to recycle the ball into the danger zone three times and at the third time of asking, Darragh Treacy hand passed into the square was double on by Andy Hoolan and the ball dribbled into the corner to give Nenagh the most dramatic of late wins.

There was time for one last play according to Cathal McAllister in the middle of the field but the resulting puck out went straight out of play and the final whistle blew to huge celebrations and, at the schools fifth attempt, they are now Harty Cup champions.

Scorers: Nenagh CBS: Darragh McCarthy (0-7, 0-4f); Austin Duff 1-1; Andy Hoolan 1-0; Mason Cawley, Eoin Doughan 0-3 each; Ciaran Foley 0-2.

Ardscoil Rís: Marc O’Brien (0-5, 0-1f); Fintan Fitzgerald 0-5; Michael Collins 0-3; Daniel Chaplin (0-3, 0-2f); Eoin Begley 0-2; Daniel Scully, Darragh Gleeson, Patrick Kearney all 0-1 each.

Nenagh CBS: Simon Grace (Ballina); Conor Grace (Burgess), Cian Connolly (Nenagh Éire Óg), Gavin McGrath (Kiladangan); Jack Doran (Toomevara), Jake Hackett (Toomevara), Andy Hoolan (Moneygall); Ciaran Foley (Borrisokane), Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara); Jack Mulcahy (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Mason Cawley (Nenagh Éire Óg), Zac Keller (Nenagh Éire Óg); Aodhan O’Connor (Nenagh Éire Óg), Danny Quinn (Silvermines), Eoghan Doughan (Moneygall).

Subs used: Austin Duff (Toomevara) for Quinn (25); Darragh Treacy (Silvermines) for Keller (48); Joe O’Dwyer (Burgess) for Mulcahy (51); Brian O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs) for O’Connor (55).

Ardscoil Rís: Fionn O’Brien (Bruree); John O’Keeffe (Na Piarsaigh), Sean McMahon (Smith O’Briens), Sean Morrissey (Dromin Athlacca); James Finn (Na Piarsaigh), Jamie Moylan (Cratloe), Daniel Scully (Dromin Athlacca); Riain McNamara (Cratloe), Matthew O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge); Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara), Fintan Fitzgerald (Mungret St Pauls), Michael Collins (Clonlara); Daniel Chaplin (Sixmilebridge), Marc O’Brien (Cratloe), Eoin Begley (Clonlara).

Subs used: Darragh Gleeson (Adare) for O’Keeffe (HT); Patrick Kearney (Adare) for Chaplin (38); Jack Cosgrove (Ahane) for Stritch (58); Sean Arthur (Newmarket on Fergus) for Collins (62).

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)