A NOVEL REMATCH will take place on Sunday as Loughmore-Castleiney face Éire Óg Ennis in a second consecutive Munster semi-final.
Last year saw the clubs’ footballers meet. This year’s Cusack Park rerun will concern the hurlers.
Not that there’s much difference when it comes to Loughmore. Seventeen players who featured in the 3-9 to 2-7 victory are likely to see action again this weekend.
The Clare champions have a far larger catchment area but remain a true dual club. They had eight players on the field for both their hurling and football triumphs.
That mindset will help their hurling cause. Breakthrough winners often underperform on the provincial stage. After years of knocking on the door, Éire Óg bridged a 35-year gap to their last Canon Hamilton Cup when beating Clooney-Quin by 0-17 to 0-12.
However, the experience of four Munster football campaigns in the past five seasons provides valuable insight on how to manage the transition from celebration mode to refocusing for the next challenge.
Loughmore lack nothing in that regard. The 2007 Munster hurling champions have returned to provincial action three times in the intervening years. On each occasion, they also had to juggle football commitments. This time, hurling is their sole focus. Just like 2007.
In fact, since that Munster final victory over Tulla, back when Noel McGrath was a callow 16-year-old, Loughmore hadn’t won any of their next six provincial games (three in hurling, three in football) until beating Éire Óg to reach last year’s football decider.
Those recent campaigns have been beset by bad luck. They have been struck by illnesses, injuries, and controversial red cards while facing top-level opponents.
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With Ballygunner and Sarsfields engaging in a Munster final rematch on the other side of the draw, this semi-final has a wide-open complexion.
Shane O'Donnell lifts the Canon Hamilton Cup. Natasha Barton / INPHO
Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO
Both sides have match-winning talent, including the past two Hurlers of the Year: Shane O’Donnell for Éire Óg and the recently crowned John McGrath in green and red.
Such rare clashes are to be savoured. The last time the previous two Hurlers of the Year met in club championship action was all the way back in 1998, when Jamesie O’Connor’s St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield defeated Tony Browne’s Mount Sion. They didn’t mark each other that day, but were in close quarters.
McGrath and O’Donnell will be at opposite ends of the field. Both featured at full-forward in their county finals, although each has a licence to roam. McGrath, for instance, spent much of the first half against Nenagh Éire Óg operating as an auxiliary half-forward.
Playing through a niggly injury, McGrath’s contribution from play across three knockout games in Tipp has been 1-0. However, his free-taking, link play, and work rate have offered so much for his teammates, such as the wonderful assist for Liam McGrath’s county-final clinching goal.
47Nóim
Cúl crochnaigh go snasta ag Liam McGrath 🎯 What a beauty !!
O’Donnell is famous for those qualities. His 0-4 return in the Clare knockout stages looks modest, but his all-round contribution remains strong, such as his high-fielding assist for Darren O’Brien’s quarter-final goal.
Whatever about experience, O’Donnell has identified the six-week break since winning the Clare title as their biggest hurdle in the build-up.
“It’s a difficult period of time to manage from a training perspective,” he told Clare FM a fortnight ago.
“You don’t want to go back too early and have too long building. But you don’t want to leave it too late, because you could pick up soft tissue injuries.
Six weeks is quite long. It’s a hard timeline to navigate, but at the end of the day, it’s a brilliant situation to be in.”
He identified three weeks as “the ideal amount of time; one week to come down off the high and then two weeks to build”.
Tipperary's John McGrath tackles Shane O'Donnell of Clare during the 2012 Munster Minor Hurling final. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
That’s exactly the break Loughmore have enjoyed. They will field essentially the same team as last year against Ballygunner. Yet their adjustment towards a greater mix of direct play, as coach Donal O’Rourke employed with Cork, has added freshness as the season progressed.
It has also resulted in their matches becoming higher scoring. They have fired five extra points per game versus their 2024 scoring rate.
Noel McGrath with his son Sam, Brian McGrath, and John McGrath celebrate with the Dan Breen Cup. Paul Barrett / INPHO
Paul Barrett / INPHO / INPHO
They also have a healthy scoring spread. Liam and Noel McGrath and Ed Connolly have taken turns as top scorer from play in the knockout rounds.
Similarly, O’Brien, Oran Cahill, David Reidy, and Marco Cleary have come up with big tallies for the Banner champions.
A refreshed Lorcan Egan, after overcoming the gastroenteritis misery that saw him shed 5kg days before marking Jake Morris in the county final, will likely be backed to tag O’Donnell. Reidy may drift from centre-forward in a bid to lure the in-form Brian McGrath away from his covering role.
At the other end, Éire Óg’s defensive stats have been eye-catching, conceding 1-14 per game. Former Clare footballer Ciarán Russell will have his hands full containing John McGrath.
All over the pitch, Loughmore are packed with experience. They are driven to do themselves greater justice on the provincial stage. They should just about do so on Sunday.
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Hurlers of the Year cross paths in Loughmore and Éire Óg's novel rematch
A NOVEL REMATCH will take place on Sunday as Loughmore-Castleiney face Éire Óg Ennis in a second consecutive Munster semi-final.
Last year saw the clubs’ footballers meet. This year’s Cusack Park rerun will concern the hurlers.
Not that there’s much difference when it comes to Loughmore. Seventeen players who featured in the 3-9 to 2-7 victory are likely to see action again this weekend.
The Clare champions have a far larger catchment area but remain a true dual club. They had eight players on the field for both their hurling and football triumphs.
That mindset will help their hurling cause. Breakthrough winners often underperform on the provincial stage. After years of knocking on the door, Éire Óg bridged a 35-year gap to their last Canon Hamilton Cup when beating Clooney-Quin by 0-17 to 0-12.
However, the experience of four Munster football campaigns in the past five seasons provides valuable insight on how to manage the transition from celebration mode to refocusing for the next challenge.
Loughmore lack nothing in that regard. The 2007 Munster hurling champions have returned to provincial action three times in the intervening years. On each occasion, they also had to juggle football commitments. This time, hurling is their sole focus. Just like 2007.
In fact, since that Munster final victory over Tulla, back when Noel McGrath was a callow 16-year-old, Loughmore hadn’t won any of their next six provincial games (three in hurling, three in football) until beating Éire Óg to reach last year’s football decider.
Those recent campaigns have been beset by bad luck. They have been struck by illnesses, injuries, and controversial red cards while facing top-level opponents.
With Ballygunner and Sarsfields engaging in a Munster final rematch on the other side of the draw, this semi-final has a wide-open complexion.
Both sides have match-winning talent, including the past two Hurlers of the Year: Shane O’Donnell for Éire Óg and the recently crowned John McGrath in green and red.
Such rare clashes are to be savoured. The last time the previous two Hurlers of the Year met in club championship action was all the way back in 1998, when Jamesie O’Connor’s St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield defeated Tony Browne’s Mount Sion. They didn’t mark each other that day, but were in close quarters.
McGrath and O’Donnell will be at opposite ends of the field. Both featured at full-forward in their county finals, although each has a licence to roam. McGrath, for instance, spent much of the first half against Nenagh Éire Óg operating as an auxiliary half-forward.
Playing through a niggly injury, McGrath’s contribution from play across three knockout games in Tipp has been 1-0. However, his free-taking, link play, and work rate have offered so much for his teammates, such as the wonderful assist for Liam McGrath’s county-final clinching goal.
O’Donnell is famous for those qualities. His 0-4 return in the Clare knockout stages looks modest, but his all-round contribution remains strong, such as his high-fielding assist for Darren O’Brien’s quarter-final goal.
Whatever about experience, O’Donnell has identified the six-week break since winning the Clare title as their biggest hurdle in the build-up.
“It’s a difficult period of time to manage from a training perspective,” he told Clare FM a fortnight ago.
“You don’t want to go back too early and have too long building. But you don’t want to leave it too late, because you could pick up soft tissue injuries.
He identified three weeks as “the ideal amount of time; one week to come down off the high and then two weeks to build”.
That’s exactly the break Loughmore have enjoyed. They will field essentially the same team as last year against Ballygunner. Yet their adjustment towards a greater mix of direct play, as coach Donal O’Rourke employed with Cork, has added freshness as the season progressed.
It has also resulted in their matches becoming higher scoring. They have fired five extra points per game versus their 2024 scoring rate.
They also have a healthy scoring spread. Liam and Noel McGrath and Ed Connolly have taken turns as top scorer from play in the knockout rounds.
Similarly, O’Brien, Oran Cahill, David Reidy, and Marco Cleary have come up with big tallies for the Banner champions.
A refreshed Lorcan Egan, after overcoming the gastroenteritis misery that saw him shed 5kg days before marking Jake Morris in the county final, will likely be backed to tag O’Donnell. Reidy may drift from centre-forward in a bid to lure the in-form Brian McGrath away from his covering role.
At the other end, Éire Óg’s defensive stats have been eye-catching, conceding 1-14 per game. Former Clare footballer Ciarán Russell will have his hands full containing John McGrath.
All over the pitch, Loughmore are packed with experience. They are driven to do themselves greater justice on the provincial stage. They should just about do so on Sunday.
Sunday 16 November
Munster senior hurling semi-final
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Clare GAA Eire Og Ennis GAA Hurling Loughmore-Castleiney Munster Club SHC Tipperary GAA