Nickey Rackard Cup Final: New York take the title

Nickey Rackard Cup final

New York 2-22 Tyrone 2-17

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

Just over a year after making their return to championship hurling, New York have added another prestigious title after capturing the Nickey Rackard Cup for the first time.

The Exiles only returned to championship action in 2025, following a 19-year gap, and duly took the Lory Meagher Cup title.

That earned Richie Hartnett's side promotion to tier four and they have blitzed that too, knocking out Mayo in last weekend's semi-final before overcoming Tyrone this afternoon.

Thomas Douglas, a new recruit this year from Waterford, scored 0-8 while Cian Barron and AJ Willis supplied the crucial goals.

There was an important cameo too from former Galway star and New York captain Jonathan Glynn, who now holds the distinction of winning MacCarthy, Meagher and Rackard Cup medals.

He will have the opportunity to add a Christy Ring Cup medal in 2027 as New York's reward for their fourth win from four games since making their championship comeback - two in the Meagher Cup and two in the Rackard Cup - is promotion to tier three.

GAA President Jarlath Burns made special mention in his presentation speech to James Breen, a New York native who come on for Glynn late in the five-point win.

Lining out with eight of the team that started last year's Lory Meagher decider, New York were boosted by the significant additions of Bill Maher and Douglas for 2026.

Dual talent Maher was a key player for Tipperary when they won their landmark Munster SFC title in 2020, and scored a point here. Douglas was an important part of the De La Salle team that pushed eventual All-Ireland winners Ballygunner hard in last season's Waterford SHC semi-final.

Douglas displayed his full range of skills again with five points in the first half alone, four of those coming from frees.

Willis, fresh off hitting Mayo for 3-4 last weekend, showed his unique ability to grab important goals with another net blast.

Glynn did the spadework this time, outfielding Tyrone full-back Oran McKee to Conor Hammersley's long delivery and kicking the ball off the crossbar, creating the breaking ball for Willis to gobble up and fire to the net.

That was an important goal because the 23rd minute strike returned New York to the front foot having been under pressure for a period.

Tyrone outscored New York by 1-4 to 0-1 between the 12th and 18th minutes to take a 1-7 to 0-7 lead.

Ciarán Magill scored the Tyrone goal from a penalty after Séamus Sweeney, played in by Shea Munroe, was brought to ground by a crude challenge from former Limerick U-21 Brian McPartland.

Tyrone skipper Aidan Kelly was solid on the frees and Munroe sniped a brilliant point from an acute angle along the left endline. Kelly almost struck a 16th minute goal but his pull on a loose ball was blocked by the goalkeeper, mirroring Munroe's earlier frustration when his snapshot struck a post.

But New York weren't under the cosh for long and finished the half strongly to take control again.

The Willis goal put them one up, 1-9 to 1-8, and they picked off four points in a row from Douglas, Barron and Glynn to lead by 1-14 to 1-10 at half time.

The intensity dipped in a humdrum third quarter, at the end of which Tyrone had pared the deficit back to three points.

A simmering contest came to the boil again in the closing 10 minutes, Michael Little's goal from a 62nd minute penalty for Tyrone leaving the scores 1-19 to 2-14.

It was anyone's game now, and Tyrone had fresh momentum, but New York, crucially, slammed the door shut with their own second goal.

Barron scored it, dancing across the front of the Tyrone goal line before finishing one-handed to restore a five-point advantage for New York.

And substitute David Mangan brought them home with three late points, cancelling out Tyrone points from Little, Fionn Devlin and Munroe.

New York scorers: Thomas Douglas 0-8 (0-5f), Cian Barron 1-2, AJ Willis 1-1, David Mangan 0-4 (0-1f, 0-1 65), Dara Walsh 0-3, Tom O'Meara 0-2, Bill Maher 0-1, Jonathan Glynn 0-1.

Tyrone scorers: Michael Little 1-4 (1-4f, 1-0 pen), Aidan Kelly 0-6 (0-4f, 0-1 65), Ciarán Magill 1-1, Shea Munroe 0-3, Kiefer Morgan 0-1, Niall McGarel 0-1, Fionn Devlin 0-1.

​New York: Cillian McNamara; Éanna Barry, Henry Keyes, John O'Meara; Seán O'Leary Hayes, Bill Maher, Brian McPartland; Tom O'Meara, Conor Hammersley; AJ Willis, Dara Walsh, Adam Loughlin Stones; Cian Barron, Jonathan Glynn, Thomas Douglas.

Subs: David Mangan for Loughlin Stones 52, Tomás O'Connor for McPartland 58, Niall Coen for Douglas 60, Cian Mullane for Willis 72, James Breen for Glynn 76.

Tyrone: Conor McElhatton; James McCann, Oran McKee, Dean Rafferty; Fionn Devlin, Séamus Sweeney, Fergal Donaghy; Cormac Munroe, Seán Paul McKernan; Aidan Kelly, Kiefer Morgan, Ciarán Magill; Michael Little, Shea Munroe, Niall McGarel.

Subs: Lorcan Devlin for McKernan 48, Rory Weir for Morgan 57, Cian McGuigan for Magill 57, Conall McKee for Rafferty 71.

Referee: Ciarán McCloskey (Antrim).