Backdoor buoyancy could serve Tulla well

Eoin Brennan suggests qualifier momentum could help bring St Joseph’s Secondary School over the line on Saturday

IT may be their very first Dr. Harty Cup decider but what St Joseph’s Tulla lack in experience, they’ve more than made up for in their swashbuckling never-say-die performances that have gathered unprecedented momentum in the lead up to their biggest ever day.

Those heartening character-filled turnarounds to edge out St Colman’s, CBC Cork and De La Salle were born out of sheer necessity following an opening round reverse to the Waterford side back in November.

So while that two point defeat complete with 14 wides was difficult to stomach, in hindsight it has been somewhat of a blessing in disguise according to Terence Fahy who manages St Joseph’s Tulla alongside fellow teachers Tomás Kelly and Aidan Harte.

“It has been great and it’s funny the way things work out sometimes because if we had won the first day against De La Salle, would we be in a Harty Cup Final now? I doubt it personally.

“When you scan back over it, it has been the optimum preparation. Obviously we would have liked a smoother passage in certain parts but to lose in the first round after a good performance and have to go through the backdoor and travel away to Harty Cup specialists St Colman’s who were hotly, hotly fancied, we simply had to step up or else we were out.”

“The CBC victory was just as significant and then we got an ideal chance to have another crack at De La Salle in the semi-final so in many ways, we couldn’t have scripted a better preparation.

“I mean we got more experience under the bonnet, we got ourselves into tough positions and as a result learned a lot about ourselves. And with each passing victory, we quickly realised that we were at the pitch of it and we were able to take on the biggest teams in the competition.

“So we’re battle-hardened now and it really puts us in a good place ahead of the Harty Cup Final.”

Also in a good place are the county as following St Flannan’s return to Harty Cup glory in 2020, Saturday’s decider will see 45 Clare natives togging out for their respective sides, less than three months on from a Dean Ryan Cup final between St Flannan’s and Ardscoil Rís that saw 27 of the 36 on show being from the Banner.

With Terence Fahy and Tomás Kelly also taking up the managerial reigns of the Clare Under 20’s this year alongside St Flannan’s teacher Brendan Bugler, it’s an encouraging development for hurling in the county, not to mention a welcome one.

WATCH: @sjt_sport coaches Aidan Harte & Tomas Kelly look ahead to the @TUS_ie Dr Harty Cup Final against @ArdscoilRisLimk @MunsterGAA | @Munsterpps | @LimerickCLG | @GaaClare | #StreamSportI https://t.co/Dz4glua71P

— Munster P.P.S. (@Munsterpps) February 1, 2022

“We need it. We’re coming out of a cycle there at underage in Clare and there are great shoots evident. There’s a lot of good work being done in Clare and a lot of low-key work being done by very good people in clubs and development squads. And if that’s consistently brought, then Clare hurling is only going to go one way fingers crossed.

“It was great to see such representation in the Dean Ryan Final, there was also great work being done by an underage development committee for Clare Post-Primary Schools which organised a Clare Under 15 competition that included Ardscoil. They’ve been very intentional about building up hurling in all secondary schools in Clare and have done some great work in a short space of time.

“Their results so far have been encouraging and it’s gives everyone a lift to see teams and players competing in the final stages of the elite level Munster colleges competitions.”

It’s his St Joseph’s Tulla hat that the Whitegate clubman will be wearing on Saturday though as Fahy and Co. look to work the oracle one more time against five time winners since 2010, Ardscoil Rís.

“Ardscoil are tried and trusted, almost military-like at this level and particularly this stage of the competition. They know the drill and they have that expertise in their school and backroom so they’d be quite confident I’m sure but we’d be hopeful enough that we‘ll give them lots to think about on Saturday.

“I’d see no reason why we can’t do it if the lads can find a bit more improvement. That’s a realistic target as we’ve already vastly improved as this competition has developed.

“We improved the last day from our previous rounds, we improved by playing on a better field and our hurling performance has also improved and I feel that we have a good bit of capacity that’s still untapped yet in that team.”

“So hopefully we can find that improvement because let’s be honest, we’re going to have to find it as we’re coming up against a serious machine.

“Just look at what they did in the opening quarter against Thurles. I’ve never seen that before in a Harty Cup match, not to mind a semi-final. I mean that was a heavyweight contest so for Thurles to be swatted away in the opening 15 minutes like that was a ferocious display of power.

“In order to match that, we need to give it everything possible on Saturday. I know that improvement is there and we’ll be hunting that over the next few days as we’re going to need it.”

St Joseph’s Tulla Panel: Ronan O’Connor (Feakle) (Captain); Colm Cleary (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Oisin Clune (Feakle), Evan Creaven (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Eanna Culloo (Tulla), Aaron Curtis (Tulla), Eoghan Daly (Feakle), Patrick Daly (Feakle), Dara Fitzgerald (Sixmilebridge), Dannan Fox (Clooney-Quin), Fionn Hickey (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Adam Hogan (Feakle), Colin Hogan (Tulla), Darragh Keogh (Clooney-Quin), Tony Leyden (Tulla), Evan Maxted (Clooney-Quin), Eoghan McMahon (Crusheen), Mikey McMahon (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Jack McSweeney (Tulla), Darragh Moroney (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Cormac O’Brien (Broadford), Lorcan O’Connor (Clooney-Quin), Oisin O’Connor (Feakle), Conor O’Donnell (Broadford), Cillian O’Gara (Clooney-Quin), Dara Ryan (Tulla), Fionn Ryan (Tulla), Michael Ryan (Tulla), Billy Scanlan (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Aaron Shanahan (Tulla), Gearoid Vaughan (Broadford), Sean Withycombe (Tulla)

Management Team: Tomás Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona), Aidan Harte (Gort), Terence Fahy (Whitegate)