Upperchurch/Drombane in dreamland following Munster championship success

The Upperchurch/Drombane story this year should offer encouragement to others. From shaky beginnings when their season tottered on the brink of collapse, they somehow stayed in the race. It took patience, but gradually momentum was gathered. The county title was their primary focus but that impetus has now carried them to new heights.

Saturday’s Munster title win was undreamed-of territory for the Mid Tipperary club. A few months back they were struggling for survival and now they go chasing All-Ireland glory. It’s a rags-to-riches story that won’t be lost on others. If Upperchurch/Drombane can do it, then why not us?

The extent of the Upperchurch transformation is extraordinary. Back in late July they lost a Mid division semi-final to Moyne/Templetuohy. Moyne finished with 14 players and subsequently got hammered by Gortnahoe in the Mid final. Later they had to fight off relegation, all of which gives context to that Upperchurch defeat.

Things didn’t improve greatly in the county round robin series either. Upperchurch drew with Moneygall in their opening game before beating Burgess and then having the escape of their lives against Ballina. They were seconds away from bowing out of the championship when a Gavin Ryan free from midfield dropped all the way to the Ballina net. It gave them a one-point win, 1-16 to 1-15.

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The margin was once again a single point when they played Gortnahoe in the county semi-final. That too was one that could easily have slipped away. Gortnahoe looked likely winners down the home straight but Upperchurch managed to edge it, 0-20 to 0-19. It was probably the result that ignited their season.

The ‘Church showed nerve that day in outstaying Gortnahoe and it was evidence of a growing assurance in the side, one that proved too much for Carrick Swan in the county final. Having come through so many tight battles they again displayed a newfound resolve in seeing off Ballinhassig in the Munster semi-final. This was a new level for the team and Saturday’s achievement capped it all off in some style.

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A ridiculous lack of discipline from O’Callaghan’s Mills meant that Upperchurch, for once this year, could revel in a stress-free finish. For close on forty minutes the game seemed headed for a thrilling climax. Upperchurch led by the minimum at half-time and were still one-up when the Clare champions lost it.

Wing forward, Jacob Loughnane, (scorer of 0-4) was the first to see red following another high tackle. There could be no complaint there. Then his colleague, Conor Henry, suffered a similar fate for continuing dissent. It all came after a patch of frantic play where the referee unwisely let the game run while ignoring several obvious frees. O’Callaghan’s Mills had been lippy throughout and now paid a heavy price.

Following the double sending-off there was a ten-minute spell where Upperchurch struggled to make it count. Numerical advantage doesn’t always guarantee success, as we know, so this was a nervy period.

However, the Tipp champs stayed on script, kept pushing forward, and the big break came with Conor Fahey’s goal on 49 minutes. It was bravely executed, soloing through and finishing with some style. Thereafter it was one-way traffic.

Upperchurch’s workrate throughout was outstanding and was key to Paddy Phelan’s goal. Great persistence by Paul Shanahan and Pat Ryan turned over the ball and set up Phelan for a well-placed finish.

Near the end Colm Ryan announced his arrival with the third major, finishing the rebound off a save from Paddy Phelan. It was all embellishment at this stage. The Tipp champs outscored the Mills by 3-8 to 0-4 following the dismissals.

For a team that struggled early in the season, Upperchurch developed a very economic style of play. It’s built around old style virtues of honesty and hard work. Players get in the tackles, hassle in numbers and back up each other when in possession. It’s the definition of ensemble play, where the collective rather than the individual is what matters.

Their defence is central to it all. They have a mean backline, conceding only four goals in the eight games so far in the county and Munster campaigns. Their average points concession is just over 15 per match. Those are stingy figures.

That defence last Saturday faced its toughest test early on when O’Callaghan’s Mills came at them. A goal at that stage could have set a match trend but the backs got in the blocks and hooks to deny them. Once the much-vaunted Clare inside forward line was being thwarted you could see some frustration setting in.

The Ryans, Keith and Gavin, anchor that defence so effectively. At midfield Aaron Ryan combines workrate with a useful scoring touch. Then in attack Conor Fahey gave a man-of-the-math display, scoring 1-2.

Paddy Phelan has been a big player for the team all year too; remember his 0-6 against Gortnahoe in the county semi-final. The Shanahans, Pat Ryan and company complete the offence with big inputs. They had 11 different scorers on Saturday again, underlining the collective nature of the display.

It has been a remarkable turnaround season for Upperchurch and Drombane. They become just the third Tipperary team to win this Munster title following Kiladangan in 2004 and Silvermines in 2012. Kiladangan went on to add the All-Ireland, something which now becomes the Upperchurch target.

In the All-Ireland semi-final, they’ll face either Ratoath (Meath) or Danesfort (Kilkenny) who face off in the Leinster final this Saturday. Toreen of Mayo have won the Connacht title while Eire Og Carrickmore (Tyrone) won Ulster. On county reputation Danesfort would appear to be the biggest threat.

That’s for the future. For the moment Upperchurch celebrate an historic win. They’ve known heartache and near-misses in recent years so nobody will begrudge them their moment in the sun. Jim O’ The Mills will be swinging this week.

Elsewhere, as expected the County Board voted midweek to return to even-age grades. This has been an ongoing debate since Croke Park dropped the inter-county minor age to Under 17 and introduced an Under 20 grade at Congress back in 2016. It was a decision that had implications for club grades and what transpired was quite confusing. Some counties followed the inter-county lead, which led to the introduction of an Under 19 grade, with the juvenile grades then reverting to uneven age brackets. Others didn’t, so major variations emerged countrywide.

In recent years, however, counties have been reverting back to the old format of even grades up to Under 18 for minor as well as the retention of the Under 21 grouping.Tipperary was merely following that trend last week.

As most counties have now restored the minor age to Under 18 - and retained the Under 21 - the pressure for a change at inter-county level will intensify. I expect it will also be resisted by those who championed the initial adjustment. Burnout was the main reason for the change to Under 17 but I’m not sure that argument holds the same force anymore. It’s an issue that we’ll hear a lot more about.

Finally, Tipperary has a nominated candidate for the upcoming GAA presidential race. The County Board last week unanimously endorsed Ger Ryan to contest the position.

Seamus Ó Riain was the last Tipperary man to hold the post back in the late sixties so Tipperary will be hoping to bridge that gap with Ger’s candidacy.

The Templederry clubman first came to my notice when he replaced Ed Donnelly as Tipperary PRO in 2009. Since then, he’s held a multiplicity of posts in Tipperary, Munster and Croke Park. As an organiser and administrator his talents are widely recognised and he’s built up quite a network of affiliations within the organisation.

At present Ger heads up the Central Referees Appointments committee at Croke Park and back home in Tipperary he’s chairman of the Management Committee of Semple Stadium. A busy man, he’ll be even busier in the months ahead. We wish him well.