Tipperary SHC semi-finals:
Nenagh Éire Óg 1-20 Drom & Inch 1-12
Loughmore-Castleiney 1-18 Holycross-Ballycahill 0-15
Loughmore-Castleiney’s Tipperary SHC title defence will come down to a repeat of the 2013 final against Nenagh Éire Óg.
Nenagh’s 30-year hunt for the Dan Breen Cup moved a step closer with a 1-20 to 1-12 dismantling of Drom & Inch on Sunday afternoon at Semple Stadium.
The winners were robbed of the services of free-taker and centre forward Mikey Heffernan before throw-in, but his sizeable absence was mitigated by 1-3 from Ben West.
West struck three early points and smacked the crossbar in between before his 40th-minute goal ended the game as a contest.
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Both semi-final wins were earned by suffocating defences. Conor Hennessy held Séamus Callanan scoreless from play, while Barry Heffernan anchored the Nenagh rearguard.
Tipperary under-20 captain Sam O’Farrell took to placed-ball duties with ease, ending with 0-9 to his name and creating more for his team-mates.
Podge Campion’s fifth-minute point proved Drom’s sole score from play in the first half, with their only other effort dropping short. They didn’t record a wide either, which highlighted their creation rather than accuracy as the issue.
Nenagh took them for six points on the spin to lead 0-12 to 0-5 at the break.
Captain Conor Ryan assisted four points, but his most significant contribution was the turnover for West’s goal. Jake Morris gave the ball in long for the corner forward to catch and finish one-handed for a 12-point lead.
Drom closed with 1-3 from their bench. The goal was a 59th-minute consolation as Cormac Fitzpatrick squared for Paudie Kinane to finish.
In Saturday’s semi-final, Loughmore extended their double-double dreams by gritting out a 1-18 to 0-15 semi-final victory over Holycross-Ballycahill.
A day after the birth of his second child, Noel McGrath guided them through with four classy points from play as their forwards struggled for space for long spells. His younger brother and Hurler of the Year contender John accounted for nine frees.
The reigning county hurling and football champions are now just an hour away from defending Dan Breen for the first time in the club’s history – and with a football semi-final on Saturday, three hours away from another double.
It was the type of game where forwards weren’t just shackled, they were outscored. Between both teams, attackers registered 0-8 from play, while defenders and midfielders tallied 0-9. Both marquee forwards were restricted to placed balls, which accounted for the other 1-16.
Brian McGrath’s high-fielding and smart positional play ensured that Holycross, scorers of 12 goals in four games, didn’t record a single goal chance, with the Loughmore full-back line of Lorcan Egan, Willie Eviston, and Ed Meagher exceptional.
Loughmore leveraged their experience, while Holycross displayed jitters under early long balls. The challengers leaked a fifth-minute goal as Ciarán McCormack’s sideline cut from his own 65 travelled untouched to the net.
Holycross matched Loughmore’s intensity for long spells to force four overcarrying frees and one for a throw. Cathal O’Reilly and Cathal Barrett were pivotal figures in holding Loughmore scoreless from play for 25 minutes.
Two Darragh Woods sidelines and a pair from wing back Liam Doyle levelled just before half-time.
Thereafter, despite the best efforts of Robbie Ryan in attack, they were ground down and outpointed 0-12 to 0-6 in the remaining 33 minutes.
