'Titanic battle' expected in TUS Harty Cup Final
Team captains, from left, James Cullinan of St Flannans, Eoghan Doughan of Nenagh CBS and Harry Doherty of St Flannans with the Dr Harty Cup during a TUS Dr Harty Cup Hurling Final media event at TUS Moylish Campus in Limerick ahead of the Dr Harty Cup final match between St Flannans College and Nenagh CBS. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.
By Stephen Barry
For St Flannan’s, there’s a striking symmetry between their last two TUS Dr Harty Cup campaigns.
Last season, they drew their opening group-stage game against Tipperary opposition before meeting again in the final. This time around, they drew their opener with Tipperary opposition and now face another final rematch.
Last year, Thurles CBS edged them in the decider. On Saturday, it’s Nenagh CBS providing the opposition at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg. Tipp schools are aiming to achieve four consecutive Harty titles. The Ennis institution are chasing their first since 2020 and 23rd overall.
Flannan’s joint-captain Harry Doherty, who was top scorer in last year’s competition and has 3-34 to his name this term, feels the experience of that Thurles defeat can stand to his side on Saturday (1pm throw-in).
The resilience they have gained has shown in their recent performances. Flannan’s trailed by 10 points at half-time against Nenagh last October, by seven against Our Lady’s, Templemore, and by five against St Joseph’s, Tulla, yet remain undefeated.
“Last year, the excitement of it took us a bit away from it. This year, we’re more used to that,” said the Clarecastle half-forward.
“We got a nice bit of learning from last year, so it's a positive that we've gone through it and done it all before.
“We know to stay calm. There's no point panicking. It doesn't do anything for anyone, so we just stay calm, and we know we have the players to bring it through.
“As a team, we fight together. There's not one man left behind, so we all have each other's backs. We go into battle together and we leave battle together, so it's good knowing that.”
Harry Doherty of St Flannans in action against Euan Murray of Thurles CBSduring the Dr Harty Cup final match between Thurles CBS and St Flannans Ennis at Mallow GAA Complex in Cork. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile.
Nenagh CBS won their breakthrough Harty crown at the same venue in 2024, led by Darragh McCarthy and assisted by the likes of Eoghan Doughan (0-3) and Austin Duff (1-1).
The latter duo remain central figures for the North Tipp school, which eliminated reigning champions and rivals Thurles CBS in a sold-out semi-final at Templederry. Doughan now captains the side and has scored 4-39 en route to the final.
“We've plenty of lads who've been there before,” said the Moneygall forward. “We have five or six lads who were on the panel two years ago, so it's great to have that experience around, especially for the younger lads to bring them on board with it.
“We've played them a couple of times now the last few years, and played them in the Dean Ryan final. We know all of their players. We know what's expected. It's going to be a titanic battle, and we can't wait for it.”
All-Ireland-winner McCarthy is now part of Donach O’Donnell’s Nenagh backroom team, and the manager feels retaining that link is invaluable for the group as a conduit between players and management.
“It's important that we have someone who's close to the players, even in age. He led us two years ago, a lot of the guys were involved in that panel, and I think Eoghan has learned a lot from him, in his attitude, the way he talks, and his leadership role,” said O’Donnell.
“That core is there from two years ago. A lot of them would have been on the panel. Overall, in terms of our bench, our second 15 are probably a little stronger than the previous year's second 15.
“We're carrying 43 on the panel, and a lot of them have had game time. We've looked at different subs for different games, so there's great competition.”
The Nenagh CBS team captained by Darragh McCarthy celebrate with the Dr Harty Cup after the 2024 TUS Dr Harty Cup final match between Nenagh CBS, of Nenagh and Ardscoil Ris, of Limerick at Cusack Park in Ennis. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile.
Opposition manager Brendan Bugler knew Flannan’s had a good crop of players coming through right from their first year together.
In the Clare schools competition, they entered two teams alphabetically arranged by their names: A to Ls and M to Zs. Half the current management team took one side, and half took the other.
Both teams beat all other opposition in the county to end up in the final together. They have lived up to their potential by reaching the Harty showpiece.
“We're under no illusions. You're up against a real, real, real strong Nenagh team, with a lot of lads that have experience at adult hurling with their clubs. That counts for a lot,” said Bugler.
“That year that guys get playing adult hurling brings them on leaps and bounds. They have a lot of guys playing adult hurling, and we've one or two ourselves.
“It's going to be a tough challenge for us. It'll be our toughest challenge to date, so we're going to need to have that 60-65-minute performance to be in with a shot here.”
Saturday, January 31st
TUS Harty Cup Final
St. Flannan's College, Ennis v Nenagh CBS, Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, 1pm
