Tipperary county board are pulling out all the stops.
The wannabes have been weeded out and it’s down to the heavyweights of Tipperary club hurling now.
It’s quarter final week down in the Premier County and the hurling promises to be rousing. It all kicks off on Tuesday evening when one of the most admirable clubs in Ireland, in Loughmore-Castleiney take on Kilenuale.
The mid Tipperary club are like a southern, less renowned version of Slaughtneil. The similarities between the Derry kingpins and the 2013 Tipperary senior hurling champions don’t end at a modestly-sized parish, because Loughmore-Castleiney are also similarly competitive across both hurling and football.
Lining out with a quota of over ten McGraths on any given teams, the culture, blood-line and brotherhood of this club begins with that famous family and extends much further with Meaghers, Hennessys, Sweeneys and other GAA families donning the green and red.
They’re in with a big shout for both the hurling and the football this year, and they’ll be fighting tooth-and-nail for both.
Their meeting with Kilenuale in Borrisoleigh’s pitch will see some of, not just the county’s, but the country’s finest stick men face off. John and Noel McGrath are two of the most beautiful hurlers to watch while John O’Dwyer, with those beautiful wrists will be on the other end flanked by men like Kieran Bergin.
It’s not a do-or-die game for Loughmore-Castleiney, seeing as they’ve a potential path to the last eight via their upcoming divisional final against Thurles Sarsfields, but they’ll be eager to keep their winning habit going here.
And that sets the hurls swinging and the sliotars flying on a bloody brilliant week of club hurling in Tipperary. On Saturday, stalwarts Toomevara with Benny Dunne still hurling will face Seamus Callanan and James Woodlock’s Drom and Inch in McDonagh Park at 2.30.
An hour and a half later, recently crowned North Champions Kilruane McDonaghs will take on the five-in-a-row-seeking Thurles Sarsfields. The Magpies will be buoyed by their famine-ending divisional victory and men like Niall and Brian O’Meara, Justin and Jerome Cahill and Cian Darcy will really test to see if Thurles’ hunger is still there.
Then on Sunday, the rising Kiladangan will face Clonoulty-Rossmore in Dolla and that’ll be followed by Nenagh Éire Óg against the winners of Tuesday night’s game.
Any real hurling person would love to be down in Borrisoleigh on Tuesday and any real hurling person would love to be at Nenagh, Dolla and other grounds all over the county for these games.
Draws for the Tipperary county senior hurling quarter finals #GAA #Hurling pic.twitter.com/bjDdFSHiuN
— Stephen Gleeson (@StephenGleeson_) September 19, 2018
Thanks to a fantastic initiative from the Tipperary county board, hurling lovers can do that at a more affordable rate than in most other counties.
They’re offering a €20 package ticket that includes entry to every single one of the 17 championship games in the county this week.
Tonight's SHC Prelim Quarter Final sees @KillenauleGaa play @Loughmore_Gaa For just €20 you can attend as many games as you wish during Saturday and Sunday if you avail of the Weekend Package and this also includes entry to tonights game #supportyourclub pic.twitter.com/wvlFl6qmXy
— Tipperary GAA (@TipperaryGAA) September 25, 2018
The standard entrance fee into these games is a fiver, sometimes a tenner, and this will be a big saver for the diehards in Tipp. It’s a win-win situation, as attendances will surely be boosted on the back of it too.
Tipp County Board have a €20 match pass which covers 17 championship games in all codes grades to be played next weekend, 29-30 September.
The pass is available tonight in Borrisoleigh for Killenaule v Loughmore, and can be used for next weekends quarter finals also— Shane Brophy (@BrophShane) September 25, 2018
Fair play to the Tipp county board.
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