Despite being down two men, Tipperary put on an unforgettable performance to clinch the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship over Kilkenny in a nail-biting match at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny this Saturday evening. A golden moment for Tipperary’s young hurling players aged 16 and 17, who triumphed not just in standard time but also in an intense extra-time session. The pivotal goal, scored by Billy O’Brien just three minutes before the final whistle, will be remembered for years to come.
James Woodlock, Tipperary’s manager, was effusive in his praise for the team. “These lads have an impressive amount of determination, tenacity, and strength,” he exclaimed. He had grown frustrated with hearsay suggesting that deciding to play at Nowlan Park was a mistake, but expressed that he was familiar with the area, with many successes down here. He promised his team it wouldn’t be a place of disappointment for them and he was right.
Cillian Minogue and Darragh O’Hora, sadly, were both given the red card within the first 25 minutes of the game by referee Thomas Gleeson. Moreover, Tipperary was already behind 1-5 to 0-5 after a goal by Kilkenny captain Bill McDermott. Happily, a foul up by Kilkenny’s goalie, Jake O’Doherty’s who mishandled the ball turned in Tipperary’s favour, levelling the score to 1-5 each at half time.
The exceptional play of Euan Murray, coupled with the long-range free by Jake Donelan Houlihan, managed to get Tipperary back on top in the second half. This, coupled with the unyielding support from their thousands of fans present, signaled the start of something extraordinary.
In a thrilling match, Kilkenny rallied, scoring through Conor Holohan and a free from Jake Mullen, before Robbie Doherty secured a goal at 39 minutes, taking back the advantage. Despite Tipp’s goalkeeper, Daire English, exerting himself with a formidable rescue from Ollie O’Donovan, Tipp stood their ground. However, their efforts were assisted by Kilkenny’s woeful aim with eight wide shots in the second half, amounting to 18 overall.
In turn, Tipp had opportunities with Stefan Tobin’s shot being declined by O’Doherty and an impressive individual point from Donelan Houlihan at 55 minutes. This effectively sent the game into overtime, with both sides having additional possibilities to win.
This year’s modification to the overtime rule meant Tipperary carried on with 13 players for an extra 20 minutes. Both teams cranked up the excitement, each gaining a point during the initial overtime. Whilst Tipp’s goalkeeper, Daire English, made a major save, O’Brien was prohibited from scoring a goal by the post.
The deadlock persisted into the second overtime, where Tipp persevered and scored points through Murray, O’Brien, and a substitute, Killian Cantwell. Kilkenny swiftly replied with substitute Eoghan Cahill claiming a goal and the lead recaptured by co-substitute Cian Byrne.
In a remarkable twist to the game, Tipp was able to exploit an overlap despite their lesser numbers. This allowed O’Brien to break through, immortalising his and the Tipperary team’s feats in the local hurling lore.
TIPPERARY’s team for the match included D English; S Ryan, C O’Reilly, and P Ryan; D Ryan, O O’Dwyer, and J Donelan-Houlihan (scoring 0-4, 3f); T Ryan and B O’Brien (1-1); A Ryan (0-1), E Doughan (1-3, 1-0 65, 0-1f), and D O’Hora; S Tobin (0-1), E Murray (0-4) and C Minogue (0-1), with substitutes A Duff (0-1), A Cagney, K Cantwell (0-1) and S Tobin.
The Kilkenny match saw the following players on the field: J O’Doherty; B Brennan, L Phelan, and O Henderson; followed by D Barcoe, J Dollard, and M Rohan; E Brennan (who scored 0-1), K Buggy (with a score of 0-1); R Doherty (1-0), B McDermott (1-2), and C Holohan; there was also O O’Donovan (0-3), J Mullen (0-3, inclusive of 2f), and J Cody.
During the match, C Byrne (0-1) came on the field replacing Cody after 43 minutes; later, at the 49th minute, L Raggett stepped in for B Brennan; and then P Lacey (0-1) took over for O’Donovan on the 56th minute. In the extra time, E Brennan was replaced by A Clifford (1-0) at the 9th minute; then Rohan was succeeded by E Cahill after 15 minutes; and finally, O’Donovan came in for Holohan on the 18th minute. T Gleeson from Dublin officiated the game.