IN THE LENGTHY and storied sporting career that Jimmy Barry-Murphy has enjoyed, a Saturday afternoon in Clonmel represented something new.
His exploits as a player, spanning both codes, have left him well-versed in Munster club championship action. It is four decades since his last appearance as a player in that provincial football arena.
Just three days short of Christmas 1985, he lined out in Bruff as St Finbarr’s were held off by Kerry’s Castleisland Desmonds with senior silverware on offer.
Support of St Finbarr’s remained unwavering since, but days having a front-row view were something he felt was behind him.
Being lured back into the club fold as a football selector this year offered a gateway to this environment again. The club were crowned senior champions in Cork last month, paving the way to test themselves against Tipperary’s Clonmel Commercials yesterday.
A three-point win after a gripping encounter captured the JBM imagination.
“It’s fantastic. I never thought I’d see this again, so for me it’s a great bonus. I love being involved in it. It’s a great competition. A different dynamic.
“I was reading in the programme before the match there, I’d never played against Clonmel in the club championship, but their record against Cork teams, they’ve beaten Nemo and the Barrs, they’ve run Castlehaven very close. The pedigree is there, no doubt about that.
“It was great to come up here away from home, we had great support and we’re glad we did our supporters proud.”
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These November days are examinations of grit and graft. The Clonmel Sportsfield required inspections on Friday afternoon and 8am Saturday morning before the fixture got the green light. The surface took a pounding from sheets of rain but the south Tipperary venue still served up an excellent contest.
St Finbarr’s prospects of victory appeared to be diminishing at times, when Clonmel counter-attacked for their second-half goal at a critical stage or when they held a one-point lead with three minutes of normal time left.
An unanswered run of four points from play was the display of defiance required to dig out success.
“I mean we looked like we were gone,” admitted Barry-Murphy.
“Away from home in these conditions, it’s hard to get scores back. Before the match, we looked at the pitch and it’s totally different to all the summer. Even when we played Nemo in the county final, it was a lovely day, great conditions and a different world completely.
“But all my life I’ve played Munster club hurling and football championships and that’s what you’ve got to do at this time of year. You’re going to meet these conditions and it takes a lot of character. It’s tough but that’s what you’re got to grind out a victory.
“I thought the pitch was excellent considering. It was going to need a huge effort to come up here and beat them. Our lads showed great character in the end. The key to the whole thing was our composure on the ball.
“William Buckley came alive. He’s a brilliant footballer for us, he got great scores and created great openings. Again Steven Sherlock of course, two-pointers have changed the game naturally. He’s just a very talented player.”
Barry-Murphy is conscious of the swirl of emotions their opponents have gone through, the grief that hangs over them after the sudden passing last month of club stalwart Philly Ryan, father of goalkeeper Shane.
“They’ve had a tough year, obviously losing Philly Ryan. Terrible tragedy for their club and you could see what it meant to them. I thought they were a brilliant side today. And that’s not just saying that, because they have great pedigree and it was going to need a huge effort to come up here and beat them.”
St Finbarr’s rounded off their Cork campaign by collecting the Andy Scannell Cup for the 11th time last month. Conquering Nemo Rangers ended their barren streak in finals against their southside neighbours. For the core of their current group, a third senior title felt like they had achieved a milestone.
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
But their ambition extends further. They will renew acquaintances next week with Éire Óg Ennis, who they defeated by eight points at the semi-final stage in December 2021.
Another challenge, another opportunity to write a new chapter in the club’s glittering history.
“We were delighted after such a great win over Nemo Rangers, who were our nemesis for so long,” reflects Barry-Murphy.
“It was a huge occasion for us to beat them and then the players reset straight away. They celebrated for a night or two and they came to us and we were thrilled, because we wanted to have a go off it. But it was the players who led this.
“Ian Maguire and Steven Sherlock came to me leaving Páirc Uí Chaoimh and they both said that they wanted to go after the Munster club — if we’re good enough. There are obviously very good teams left in it but that’s their attitude and that’s what we wanted to see.
“I wasn’t involved a couple of years ago when we put up a great performance to beat Stacks in the final in Thurles and then took Kilcoo to extra-time in Portlaoise in another thrilling game. We were unlucky and they went on to win the All-Ireland.
“We have a very good young panel of players coming through, we want to build on that and make sure that we maintain that tradition.”
St. Finbarr's' Ian Maguire celebrating after the Cork senior final with Steven Sherlock and Cillian Myers-Murray. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
In the Clonmel Commercials camp, they digested defeat. Their capacity to perform at this level was again reinforced, but parallels could be drawn with their semi-final loss to Dingle two years ago. The outcome then was also a three-point reversal and also a day when their shortcomings in front of goal were highlighted.
St Finbarr’s were more ruthless when required, Sherlock posting nine points and Buckley knocking over three. The third quarter tale of one score from seven shots was costly for the Clonmel outfit.
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Yet their resilience and competitiveness spoke volumes after an emotional few weeks for their group.
“When we sit down at the start of the year as a club, we always want to win that (Tipperary) trophy,” said manager Tommy Morrissey.
“After the last four weeks, the circumstances of that made it even more special to win it.
“It’s just a pity because when we get into this competition, we feel we’re as competitive as anyone. And it’s just another failed hurdle at it. So that stings for now.
“In terms of the performance, I thought we were brilliant. I’d say St Finbarr’s might admit, even to their level, we were probably a little bit ahead of them on the day.
“But they were just more clinical up the top end of the field. When you have players like Sherlock, he can do that to you. Any opportunity he got from a dead ball, he just punished us. Some of them we gifted to him, which will hurt.
“They’ve strong ball carriers and they came good for them. Their big names came good for them. They got a couple of scores that just created a gap. Then we were just chasing, chasing, chasing. Against a team like that, they’re going to punish you when you get turned over.
“They’re an unbelievable group of players and, as a club, we’re blessed to have them. We know that. In particular, how they’ve handled themselves in the last four weeks, it’s been completely admirable.
“When we move on and we get to digest things, I think we will be proud of the year as a whole. But it’s just hard to see that at the minute.”
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Jimmy Barry-Murphy: 'I never thought I'd see this again, I love being involved in it'
IN THE LENGTHY and storied sporting career that Jimmy Barry-Murphy has enjoyed, a Saturday afternoon in Clonmel represented something new.
His exploits as a player, spanning both codes, have left him well-versed in Munster club championship action. It is four decades since his last appearance as a player in that provincial football arena.
Just three days short of Christmas 1985, he lined out in Bruff as St Finbarr’s were held off by Kerry’s Castleisland Desmonds with senior silverware on offer.
Support of St Finbarr’s remained unwavering since, but days having a front-row view were something he felt was behind him.
Being lured back into the club fold as a football selector this year offered a gateway to this environment again. The club were crowned senior champions in Cork last month, paving the way to test themselves against Tipperary’s Clonmel Commercials yesterday.
A three-point win after a gripping encounter captured the JBM imagination.
“It’s fantastic. I never thought I’d see this again, so for me it’s a great bonus. I love being involved in it. It’s a great competition. A different dynamic.
“I was reading in the programme before the match there, I’d never played against Clonmel in the club championship, but their record against Cork teams, they’ve beaten Nemo and the Barrs, they’ve run Castlehaven very close. The pedigree is there, no doubt about that.
“It was great to come up here away from home, we had great support and we’re glad we did our supporters proud.”
These November days are examinations of grit and graft. The Clonmel Sportsfield required inspections on Friday afternoon and 8am Saturday morning before the fixture got the green light. The surface took a pounding from sheets of rain but the south Tipperary venue still served up an excellent contest.
St Finbarr’s prospects of victory appeared to be diminishing at times, when Clonmel counter-attacked for their second-half goal at a critical stage or when they held a one-point lead with three minutes of normal time left.
An unanswered run of four points from play was the display of defiance required to dig out success.
“I mean we looked like we were gone,” admitted Barry-Murphy.
“Away from home in these conditions, it’s hard to get scores back. Before the match, we looked at the pitch and it’s totally different to all the summer. Even when we played Nemo in the county final, it was a lovely day, great conditions and a different world completely.
“But all my life I’ve played Munster club hurling and football championships and that’s what you’ve got to do at this time of year. You’re going to meet these conditions and it takes a lot of character. It’s tough but that’s what you’re got to grind out a victory.
“I thought the pitch was excellent considering. It was going to need a huge effort to come up here and beat them. Our lads showed great character in the end. The key to the whole thing was our composure on the ball.
“William Buckley came alive. He’s a brilliant footballer for us, he got great scores and created great openings. Again Steven Sherlock of course, two-pointers have changed the game naturally. He’s just a very talented player.”
Barry-Murphy is conscious of the swirl of emotions their opponents have gone through, the grief that hangs over them after the sudden passing last month of club stalwart Philly Ryan, father of goalkeeper Shane.
“They’ve had a tough year, obviously losing Philly Ryan. Terrible tragedy for their club and you could see what it meant to them. I thought they were a brilliant side today. And that’s not just saying that, because they have great pedigree and it was going to need a huge effort to come up here and beat them.”
St Finbarr’s rounded off their Cork campaign by collecting the Andy Scannell Cup for the 11th time last month. Conquering Nemo Rangers ended their barren streak in finals against their southside neighbours. For the core of their current group, a third senior title felt like they had achieved a milestone.
But their ambition extends further. They will renew acquaintances next week with Éire Óg Ennis, who they defeated by eight points at the semi-final stage in December 2021.
Another challenge, another opportunity to write a new chapter in the club’s glittering history.
“We were delighted after such a great win over Nemo Rangers, who were our nemesis for so long,” reflects Barry-Murphy.
“It was a huge occasion for us to beat them and then the players reset straight away. They celebrated for a night or two and they came to us and we were thrilled, because we wanted to have a go off it. But it was the players who led this.
“Ian Maguire and Steven Sherlock came to me leaving Páirc Uí Chaoimh and they both said that they wanted to go after the Munster club — if we’re good enough. There are obviously very good teams left in it but that’s their attitude and that’s what we wanted to see.
“I wasn’t involved a couple of years ago when we put up a great performance to beat Stacks in the final in Thurles and then took Kilcoo to extra-time in Portlaoise in another thrilling game. We were unlucky and they went on to win the All-Ireland.
“We have a very good young panel of players coming through, we want to build on that and make sure that we maintain that tradition.”
In the Clonmel Commercials camp, they digested defeat. Their capacity to perform at this level was again reinforced, but parallels could be drawn with their semi-final loss to Dingle two years ago. The outcome then was also a three-point reversal and also a day when their shortcomings in front of goal were highlighted.
St Finbarr’s were more ruthless when required, Sherlock posting nine points and Buckley knocking over three. The third quarter tale of one score from seven shots was costly for the Clonmel outfit.
Yet their resilience and competitiveness spoke volumes after an emotional few weeks for their group.
“When we sit down at the start of the year as a club, we always want to win that (Tipperary) trophy,” said manager Tommy Morrissey.
“After the last four weeks, the circumstances of that made it even more special to win it.
“It’s just a pity because when we get into this competition, we feel we’re as competitive as anyone. And it’s just another failed hurdle at it. So that stings for now.
“In terms of the performance, I thought we were brilliant. I’d say St Finbarr’s might admit, even to their level, we were probably a little bit ahead of them on the day.
“But they were just more clinical up the top end of the field. When you have players like Sherlock, he can do that to you. Any opportunity he got from a dead ball, he just punished us. Some of them we gifted to him, which will hurt.
“They’ve strong ball carriers and they came good for them. Their big names came good for them. They got a couple of scores that just created a gap. Then we were just chasing, chasing, chasing. Against a team like that, they’re going to punish you when you get turned over.
“They’re an unbelievable group of players and, as a club, we’re blessed to have them. We know that. In particular, how they’ve handled themselves in the last four weeks, it’s been completely admirable.
“When we move on and we get to digest things, I think we will be proud of the year as a whole. But it’s just hard to see that at the minute.”
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