In the closing seconds of a county final, as his team hung onto a two-point advantage, Tadhg De Búrca produced the type of catch and break from defence expected of a marquee name at such a high-pressured moment in a game. The sliotar was still in De Búrca’s hand when the final whistle sounded seconds later to confirm the Waterford county defender and his Clashmore-Kinsalebeg club mates had secured senior hurling status for the first time in the club’s 141-year history.
Luke Coughlan won’t have to buy a pint in Clashmore tonight.
Senior hurlers after 141 years. What a story 🔴 🟢 🏆
De Búrca has experienced enough injury hardship – two cruciate injuries and a torn Achilles since 2019 – to savour a moment like Sunday in the Fraher Field. Clashmore-Kinsalebeg’s 2-16 to 0-20 success over neighbours Brickey Rangers, atoned for their loss at the same stage to the same opponents in 2024. Luke Coughlan’s late goal was a priceless score while De Búrca grabbed 0-3 and Waterford hurling colleague Brian Lynch fired 0-4. The inter-county hurling experience stretched further in the team with Brian O’Halloran, who featured in the 2017 All-Ireland final, in action in attack.
Former Waterford hurler Brian O'Halloran. Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
The coveted prize of senior status awaits the club in 2027, and after they’ve parked these celebrations, they’ll face Kerry senior kingpins Abbeydorney in a Munster senior opener in early November.
*****
2. Mayo football kingpins exit title race
The Mayo football season has been dominated by a long-awaited breakthrough and that sense of change has also filtered through to the club game. Ballina Stephenites have been the undisputed bosses of the local senior scene of late, scooping up the last three titles, and they also contested the 2022 final before their winning run commenced. But two round into this year’s group stages and their hopes have been extinguished of landing the Moclair Cup for the fourth year in a row.
Friday night’s loss to Castlebar Mitchels by seven points, coupled with the four-point defeat to Garrymore in the opening round, means Ballina Stephenites are now removed from the title race. They have one last round game against Balla to ensure they do not finish bottom of their group.
The consequence of Ballina’s exit is that it paves the way for a new champion. Claremorris, Castlebar Mitchels, Garrymore, and Breaffy have all started brightly with full points from their two games played, ahead of the last set of group games.
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
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3. Rare tiebreaker in Clare
There was a remarkable sequence of events in the Clare senior hurling championship which led to Wolfe Tones emerging from a three-way tiebreaker, which saw all teams level on a score difference of 0.
Newmarket-on-Fergus looked set to go from bottom into the qualification places as they led by seven points while playing with an extra man late on after Aron Shanagher’s red card, but Aaron Cunningham’s goal sparked a revival to narrow the final deficit to two.
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Former Clare hurler Aaron Cunningham Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The three-way ‘mini-league’ format only factored in results from the three teams involved. Those results were a two-point Wolfe Tones victory over Sixmilebridge, a two-point Sixmilebridge victory over Newmarket, and Newmarket’s two-point victory over Wolfe Tones.
It all came down to scores for. Wolfe Tones’ 4-38 (50) pipped Sixmilebridge’s 4-37 (49), and Newmarket’s 3-38 (47), with the latter heading for a relegation semi-final.
Scariff also produced a 1-9 charge to swing a three-way tiebreaker. They needed a 10-point win and Patrick Ryan’s goal ensured they closed with 13 to spare over Crusheen. Scariff ended on +8 score difference in the relevant games against Broadford’s +4 and Crusheen’s -12.
The quarter-final draw is:
Éire Óg Ennis v Wolfe Tones
Clooney-Quin v Scariff
Inagh-Kilnamona v Cratloe
Kilmaley v Clonlara
*****
4. Could there be an appeal in Tipperary?
There were incredibly tight margins to determine qualification and relegation in the Tipperary SHC, which may yet end up in the boardroom.
First up, Loughmore-Castleiney had to settle for a preliminary quarter-final berth after a three-way tiebreaker saw the reigning champions, Borris-Ileigh, and Clonoulty-Rossmore separated by just two points on score difference. Borris-Ileigh squeaked through to the quarter-finals with a +1 score difference in the ‘mini-league’ tiebreaker. Loughmore ended on 0 with Clonoulty on -1, but both teams will feature in the preliminary quarter-finals as divisional champions.
In a further example of the razor-thin margins involved, 2024 runners-up Toomevara were dragged into the relegation play-offs based on their total scored. They were tied with Mullinahone on a -15 score difference at the foot of Group 4, but the South side prevailed having tallied 1-67 in their three games against Toome’s 2-53.
However, Clubber footage demonstrated that a wrong score appears to have been recorded in the Mullinahone-Brackens match. The tables were calculated on the official scoreline of Brackens 3-22 to Mullinahone’s 0-27. Yet local media and Clubber had a six-point gap, 3-23 to 0-26. That would’ve sent Mullinahone into a relegation semi-final instead.
Loughmore-Castleiney players after last year's Tipperary senior final win. Paul Barrett / INPHO
Paul Barrett / INPHO / INPHO
As it is, Thurles Sarsfields, Moycarkey, Cashel King Cormacs, JK Brackens, and Borris-Ileigh are guaranteed quarter-finals. Two of Holycross-Ballycahill, Kiladangan, and Nenagh Éire Óg, will contest preliminary quarter-finals against Loughmore and Clonoulty, with the team not drawn advancing direct to the last eight.
*****
5. Dingle dodge relegation trouble
While All-Ireland hurling champions Ballygunner sauntered through to their 14th consecutive Waterford SHC final, where they will chase 13-in-a-row against Fourmilewater, the All-Ireland football champions had an entirely different weekend.
Off the back of two defeats, Dingle’s clash with Spa took the form of a relegation play-off. And it looked like a shock was on as the Killarney side stormed back to snatch the lead entering the closing stages.
Dingle's Dylan Geaney. Dan Clohessy / INPHO
Dan Clohessy / INPHO / INPHO
Up stepped Dylan Geaney to curl over a leveller from just inside the arc before launching a clinching two-pointer to secure a one-point win. That kick sends Spa into a relegation final against the loser of An Ghaeltacht and Templenoe’s semi-final.
In the Kerry Club SFC knockout stage, which precedes the County SFC featuring divisional sides, Dr Crokes and Na Gaeil got byes to the semi-final. Kenmare Shamrocks play Milltown-Castlemaine and Rathmore face Austin Stacks in the quarters.
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De Búrca's Waterford glory, Mayo champions exit, rare tiebreaker in Clare
1. Club glory for Waterford’s De Búrca
In the closing seconds of a county final, as his team hung onto a two-point advantage, Tadhg De Búrca produced the type of catch and break from defence expected of a marquee name at such a high-pressured moment in a game. The sliotar was still in De Búrca’s hand when the final whistle sounded seconds later to confirm the Waterford county defender and his Clashmore-Kinsalebeg club mates had secured senior hurling status for the first time in the club’s 141-year history.
De Búrca has experienced enough injury hardship – two cruciate injuries and a torn Achilles since 2019 – to savour a moment like Sunday in the Fraher Field. Clashmore-Kinsalebeg’s 2-16 to 0-20 success over neighbours Brickey Rangers, atoned for their loss at the same stage to the same opponents in 2024. Luke Coughlan’s late goal was a priceless score while De Búrca grabbed 0-3 and Waterford hurling colleague Brian Lynch fired 0-4. The inter-county hurling experience stretched further in the team with Brian O’Halloran, who featured in the 2017 All-Ireland final, in action in attack.
The coveted prize of senior status awaits the club in 2027, and after they’ve parked these celebrations, they’ll face Kerry senior kingpins Abbeydorney in a Munster senior opener in early November.
*****
2. Mayo football kingpins exit title race
The Mayo football season has been dominated by a long-awaited breakthrough and that sense of change has also filtered through to the club game. Ballina Stephenites have been the undisputed bosses of the local senior scene of late, scooping up the last three titles, and they also contested the 2022 final before their winning run commenced. But two round into this year’s group stages and their hopes have been extinguished of landing the Moclair Cup for the fourth year in a row.
Friday night’s loss to Castlebar Mitchels by seven points, coupled with the four-point defeat to Garrymore in the opening round, means Ballina Stephenites are now removed from the title race. They have one last round game against Balla to ensure they do not finish bottom of their group.
The consequence of Ballina’s exit is that it paves the way for a new champion. Claremorris, Castlebar Mitchels, Garrymore, and Breaffy have all started brightly with full points from their two games played, ahead of the last set of group games.
*****
3. Rare tiebreaker in Clare
There was a remarkable sequence of events in the Clare senior hurling championship which led to Wolfe Tones emerging from a three-way tiebreaker, which saw all teams level on a score difference of 0.
Newmarket-on-Fergus looked set to go from bottom into the qualification places as they led by seven points while playing with an extra man late on after Aron Shanagher’s red card, but Aaron Cunningham’s goal sparked a revival to narrow the final deficit to two.
The three-way ‘mini-league’ format only factored in results from the three teams involved. Those results were a two-point Wolfe Tones victory over Sixmilebridge, a two-point Sixmilebridge victory over Newmarket, and Newmarket’s two-point victory over Wolfe Tones.
It all came down to scores for. Wolfe Tones’ 4-38 (50) pipped Sixmilebridge’s 4-37 (49), and Newmarket’s 3-38 (47), with the latter heading for a relegation semi-final.
Scariff also produced a 1-9 charge to swing a three-way tiebreaker. They needed a 10-point win and Patrick Ryan’s goal ensured they closed with 13 to spare over Crusheen. Scariff ended on +8 score difference in the relevant games against Broadford’s +4 and Crusheen’s -12.
The quarter-final draw is:
*****
4. Could there be an appeal in Tipperary?
There were incredibly tight margins to determine qualification and relegation in the Tipperary SHC, which may yet end up in the boardroom.
First up, Loughmore-Castleiney had to settle for a preliminary quarter-final berth after a three-way tiebreaker saw the reigning champions, Borris-Ileigh, and Clonoulty-Rossmore separated by just two points on score difference. Borris-Ileigh squeaked through to the quarter-finals with a +1 score difference in the ‘mini-league’ tiebreaker. Loughmore ended on 0 with Clonoulty on -1, but both teams will feature in the preliminary quarter-finals as divisional champions.
In a further example of the razor-thin margins involved, 2024 runners-up Toomevara were dragged into the relegation play-offs based on their total scored. They were tied with Mullinahone on a -15 score difference at the foot of Group 4, but the South side prevailed having tallied 1-67 in their three games against Toome’s 2-53.
However, Clubber footage demonstrated that a wrong score appears to have been recorded in the Mullinahone-Brackens match. The tables were calculated on the official scoreline of Brackens 3-22 to Mullinahone’s 0-27. Yet local media and Clubber had a six-point gap, 3-23 to 0-26. That would’ve sent Mullinahone into a relegation semi-final instead.
As it is, Thurles Sarsfields, Moycarkey, Cashel King Cormacs, JK Brackens, and Borris-Ileigh are guaranteed quarter-finals. Two of Holycross-Ballycahill, Kiladangan, and Nenagh Éire Óg, will contest preliminary quarter-finals against Loughmore and Clonoulty, with the team not drawn advancing direct to the last eight.
*****
5. Dingle dodge relegation trouble
While All-Ireland hurling champions Ballygunner sauntered through to their 14th consecutive Waterford SHC final, where they will chase 13-in-a-row against Fourmilewater, the All-Ireland football champions had an entirely different weekend.
Off the back of two defeats, Dingle’s clash with Spa took the form of a relegation play-off. And it looked like a shock was on as the Killarney side stormed back to snatch the lead entering the closing stages.
Up stepped Dylan Geaney to curl over a leveller from just inside the arc before launching a clinching two-pointer to secure a one-point win. That kick sends Spa into a relegation final against the loser of An Ghaeltacht and Templenoe’s semi-final.
In the Kerry Club SFC knockout stage, which precedes the County SFC featuring divisional sides, Dr Crokes and Na Gaeil got byes to the semi-final. Kenmare Shamrocks play Milltown-Castlemaine and Rathmore face Austin Stacks in the quarters.
*****
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Clare Club Corner GAA Kerry Mayo Tipperary Waterford