'Win It for Paudie' – Upperchurch Drombane fuelled by belief ahead of All-Ireland final

Upperchurch Drombane manager Liam Dunphy knows chances like this do not come around often.

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After already capturing the Tipperary Premier Intermediate title and backing it up with Munster Intermediate success, his side now stands on the brink of national glory as they prepare for Saturday evening’s Intermediate All-Ireland final against Tooreen at Croke Park. For Dunphy, the occasion is everything a club hurler dreams of.

“It’s the stuff you dream of when you’re involved with a club,” he said.

“It’s not every day this comes around. For club hurlers to get a chance to play in Croke Park is a huge opportunity for them, as well as for the club and as a group of players.”

Despite the magnitude of the stage, Dunphy has been keen to keep preparation as normal as possible, despite the pressure that comes with lining out in the most iconic stadium in Gaelic Games.

“I’ll be honest, we have hardly spoken about Croke Park,” he explained.

“We’ve referred to it once or twice and, basically, it has been no different. If you’re able to hurl in Semple Stadium, the Gaelic Grounds, or more besides, you should be able to hurl in Croke Park. What is it? It’s only a green field with four lines around it. Just go out there and hurl as we hurl. Just play the game.”

Upperchurch Drombane’s journey to this point has not been without its setbacks. One of the defining moments of their All-Ireland campaign to datecame in the win over Danesfort, when influential forward Paudie Greene was forced off injured early on, and will now miss out on the final as a result.

“Paudie was a big loss,” Dunphy admitted.

“He was given a job on the day, marking Paul Murphy, and he was told to hold his own game and lead from the front. To be fair to him, he had two points scored when he went off and a goal opportunity as well. That was all in the space of 10 or 12 minutes, so he was off to a very, very good start.”

Greene’s absence will be keenly felt again on Saturday, but Dunphy believes it has helped sharpen the group’s resolve.

“He’s a huge loss to us for the final. But look, it’s our job now to go and win this final for Paudie Greene. Really, that’s our motivation.”

One of the major positives from that Danesfort test was the way others stepped up. Pat Ryan’s second-half display, in particular, caught the eye.

“For such a young man, he probably didn’t get off to a great start in the Championship,” Dunphy said. “But he’s grown into it as the Championship has gone on. He’s played really, really well in the latter stages of the Tipp Championship and in the Munster Championship in the All-Ireland series so far.

“We’ll be hoping he delivers in Croke Park the next day out as well.”
Attention now turns to a Tooreen side that have quietly built a formidable reputation.

The Mayo club were at this stage of the competition in 2023 when they lost out narrowly to Limerick’s Monaleen in a tightly fought and high quality final. Coming from a non-traditional hurling county, they may not be widely known to all, but Dunphy is under no illusions about the scale of the task.

“They’re going to be a daunting prospect,” Dunphy said.

“I’ve watched them before, including that All-Ireland final against Monaleen a few years ago. To be fair, most neutrals were probably hoping Tooreen would get over the line that day.”

“Their pedigree is clear. A number of their players feature on the Mayo senior panel, they have multiple Connacht titles to their name, and their scoring power is eye-catching.

“They’ve scored 1-28 and 3-21 in the last two games,” Dunphy noted. “We’ve just got to cut down that score and try to score more than them at the other end of the field. That’s our job.”

Upperchurch Drombane have already proven themselves champions at county and provincial level. On Saturday evening in Croke Park, they have the chance to finish a remarkable season by climbing the final step of the ladder and bringing an Intermediate All-Ireland title back to Tipperary.

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