Tag Archives: Munster Club hurling final

In a top class Munster hurling club final a powerful finish saw reigning provincial and All Ireland champions Ballygunner prevail by 1-23 to 0-17 after a huge battle with Ballyea. Outscoring the Clare champions by 0-6 to 0-1 in the last ten minutes put the icing on the cake for Darragh O’Sullivan’s charges. Tony Kelly was simply majestic for the Banner men scoring 0-11 but it is youngster Patrick Fitzgerald who will take all the plaudits after landing 1-4 from play in a devastating performance. The first half simply flew by such was the non stop action on display. Starting brightly the Waterford champions led 0-4 to 0-2 and only for a remarkable Peter Casey block on Hutchinson the game’s first green flag would have arrived. Five Tony Kelly points though followed including a sensational monster point from distance before disaster for Ballyea in the 20th minute. Pauric Mahony picked up possession just inside the 40 before cutting through and …

UNTIL it is surpassed, 2016 will be regarded as Ballyea’s greatest season as breakthrough county and Munster titles were garnered in a fairytale few months that only ended in the All-Ireland Final on the following St Patrick’s Day. Personally however, 2022 has to be Paul Flanagan’s best year to date, with his immense performances for Clare earning him a first ever All-Star nomination before also excelling once more for Ballyea in securing historic back-to-back Canon Hamilton crowns. Understandably therefore, he is not too keen for 2022 to end anytime soon. “The year keeps going and it’s funny because it kind of instills a bit of extra hunger in you too to go up to Dublin for that awards night. It was my first time at anything like that whereas for some guys they’re probably there every year. “So for me it was all new as the All-Stars recipients are the best in the country and to get to that level …

Former Waterford defender Noel Connors believes Ballygunner’s strength in depth will prove decisive when they meet Ballyea in this Saturday’s Munster final. The three time All-Star believes Ballyea will provide a stern examination of the reigning champions’ credentials, but he believes that Ballygunner possess a squad that is deep enough to withstand the best Robbie Hogan’s side can produce. “They probably have a squad of 32, 33, 34 lads at a similar level. They have players who have starred at minor and U20 level and sometimes those guys aren’t making the panel. Fellas can come in if a guy like Dessie (Hutchinson) is being held. “Probably not many people knew Harry Ruddle before his goal in the All-Ireland final but he was exceptional in the Club Championship all along and was probably the best player in the league down here. “They have quality throughout and that’s why I think they can pull away near the end against Ballyea. I think …

Adrian O’Brien is certainly looking forward to patrolling the sidelines of Semple Stadium this Saturday. The Limerick native was faced with the unprecedented conundrum of seeing two clubs he’s currently coaching clash in the Munster Senior Club Semi-Final a fortnight ago when Ballyea and St Finbarr’s met for the very first time at competitive level.. “As such, there is a huge sense of relief that he can finally get back down to work after stepping back from both the Clare and Cork champions ahead of their Cusack Park bout. “It has definitely been a strange few weeks. That said, the two boys have been brilliant, both Ger [Cunningham] and Robbie [Hogan] and both sets of players and clubs too. “You don’t envisage something like that happening at the start of the year but just the way it came together I suppose was just a very unique situation. “So I watched the game from home. I wanted to remove any emotion …

It’s unusual to be beginning a Munster Senior Club Final preview on such a sombre note but Ballyea Manager Robbie Hogan is more than willing to go down the cathartic route of embracing last year’s nadir. Indeed, after winning what could be argued as their greatest county title, 17 points subsequently separated Ballygunner and the Clare champions in their quarter-final bout in Cusack Park almost twelve months to the day. “It’s a long time since we took a beating like that,” admitted Hogan in the safe confines of the Ballyea GAA Club dressing rooms. “I’d say Cuala were the last side to give us a trimming and they were back-to-back All-Ireland champions. Signs on Ballygunner ended up being All-Ireland champions last year but regardless it still doesn’t make up for the size of the defeat. “If you look across their results, they scored 3-20 against us and put up the exact same score against Kilmallock in the Munster Final and …

Ballyea and Glen Rovers’ supporters will travel to Semple Stadium in Thurles on Sunday confident that their sides will be returning home with the Munster Club Senior Hurling title, following their impressive semi-final victories. Although a surprising final pairing, have both have qualified after tough campaigns, starting back in their respective county championships Not for the first time this year, Ballyea will go into the game as underdogs but the odds on them being crowned champions have shortened greatly, following their superb victory over hot favourites Thurles Sarsfields in the semi-final. Representing Cork for the second successive year should be a help to Glen Rovers. Retaining the Cork title in 2016, they showed that they had learned from the experience gained last year. In the provincial campaign in 2015, the Glen lost out to Ballygunner in a game played at Walsh Park in Waterford. Following that game, they were determined to get back into the provincial campaign and now that …