Kiladangan 1-21 Kilruane MacDonaghs 2-18
Kilruane MacDonaghs led for almost all of their first Tipperary SHC final in 36 years but in the end, they were glad to escape with a draw against favourites Kiladangan.
Kiladangan will be satisfied enough to have a second day out too. They never led until Paul Flynn's 52nd-minute goal and were behind as late as the 61st minute, when Cian Darcy put Kilruane back ahead, 2-17 to 1-19.
Declan McGrath’s second point from wing-back and a Bryan McLoughney free seemed to have etched Kiladangan’s name on the Dan Breen Cup after 64 minutes, but there was enough time for one more play.
Séamus Hennessy, reintroduced after his first-half substitution, was fouled and Willie Cleary slotted the 65th-minute free to level it for a seventh and final time.
It also meant the impact of a controversial Bryan McLoughney point in the 49th minute, which TV cameras appeared to show missing left and wide, was lessened.
In their first final appearance since 1986, Kilruane led for the most part thanks to two cracking Jerome Cahill goals.
Captain Cahill, wearing number 30 instead of 11 as a mark of respect to Dillon Quirke, scored the first in the 16th minute.
Kilruane had lost an attacking free but from the throw-in, Thomas Cleary picked out Niall O’Meara who, not content with a point, lasered the sliotar into Cahill’s hand.
His swivel sent Alan Flynn tumbling to the ground and he blasted the sliotar to the net.
O’Meara assisted 1-2 from the half-back line with Cleary (0-2) and his brother Willie (0-4, 3f) leading the scoring in the first half. However, Kilruane also hit nine wides in the half, including Kian O’Kelly striking a goal chance wide.
O’Meara’s free role gave space for Paul Flynn to pick off two points, a tally matched by Willie Connors, while Tadhg Gallagher had a tame shot at goal saved by Páidí Williams.
It turned into a free-taking contest on the resumption, McLoughney’s four to Willie Cleary’s two narrowing the gap to one. And when McLoughney escaped the sticky marking of Eoin Hogan, it was level for the first time in 35 minutes, 1-11 to 0-14.
Not for long. Cahill slipped away down the sideline and carried the ball in and fired to the net again.
Flynn and that McLoughney shot, waved as a point, had Kiladangan back within one before another Willie Cleary free made it two.
Then came Paul Flynn’s goal.
Aaron Morgan appeared to have the situation under control as he emerged with the sliotar but dropped it as he looked downfield. Connors flicked it to Flynn who beat Williams in the goal.
They doubled their lead with a Flynn point to make it1-17 to 2-12, but Willie Cleary frees kept Kilruane close.
Then, O’Meara emerged with a three-minute masterclass, hitting two levelling points either side of a McLoughney tap-over free, with Connors adjudged to have been pulled down just outside the penalty box – mirroring an earlier professional foul on Thomas Cleary.
Into injury time and still, the sides couldn’t be separated.
Kiladangan: B Hogan; J O’Meara, D Sweeney, J Quigley; A Flynn (0-1), D Moran, D McGrath (0-2); T Gallagher (0-1), T O’Meara; B Seymour, S Hayes, P Flynn (1-4); B McLoughney (0-10, 8f), J Gallagher (0-1), W Connors (0-2).
Subs: D O’Meara for Seymour (28), D Flannery for Moran (34), J Loughnane for T O’Meara (46), D Butler for J O’Meara (57).
Kilruane MacDonaghs: P Williams; A Morgan, J Peters, Eoin Hogan; N O’Meara (0-2), J Cleary, K Cahill; S McAdams (0-1), M O’Neill (0-1); W Cleary (0-10, 9f), S Hennessy, J Cahill (2-0); T Cleary (0-2), K O’Kelly, C Darcy (0-2).
Subs: C Cleary for Hennessy (21), C Austin for O’Kelly (30+2 inj), K O’Kelly for J Cahill (34-36, blood), K O’Kelly for C Cleary (40), S Hennessy for O’Neill (48).
Referee: K Jordan (Thurles Gaels).
