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*Wolfe Tones goalkeeper, Oisin O’Rourke. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
A SECOND season back in the top tier is the chance for Wolfe Tones to take the scalps of their neighbours and show their worth at senior level.
You don’t have to dust down the managerial playbook to decipher that maintaining an upward trajectory in their development graph is patently the aim of every manager. However, considering Wolfe Tones’ seesaw form over the last two decades since last lifting the Canon Hamilton trophy, it has never been as pivotal for the Shannon side to finally provide some consistent optimism.
After all, not since their last return from a brief vacation at intermediate level in 2015 and ’16 had the Tones last put incremental higher championship finishes back-to-back but after another momentum-fuelled surge to soar to the Paddy Browne Cup in 2024, last year’s trepidatious senior reunion would turn out to be a hugely encouraging jolt of confidence for manager Barry Keane and his management team.
That may be seem strange as Wolfe Tones were heartbreakingly edged out on score difference in what would have been their first quarter-final in three years. However, the mere fact that they were disappointed to only eke out a battling draw with defending champions Feakle in their first outing only demonstrates the ambition within the camp.
That potential would finally surface just in time to spectacularly banishing neighbours Newmarket-on-Fergus into the relegation play-offs thanks to an unanswered eight point final flourish and it’s that late blitz that has essentially provided the perfect platform to build on for the 2026 version according to manager Keane.
“In the cold light of day when we sat back and reviewed the year ourselves, we were disappointed. I mean in the first day out against Feakle, both teams probably felt that they could have gotten the win and we definitely felt that we could but the next day out against Éire Óg, even for myself as a manager, we took some amount of learnings out of it because they [Éire Óg] were just outstanding and ultimately we just weren’t ready for what was coming at us.
“However, our second half performance against Newmarket was outstanding and, in a way, it was a real launchpad for us as well, knowing that we can perform. I mean we came up against the county champions in their first defence and were disappointed not to win the game and then the win against Newmarket made us sit up and think ‘if we put our minds to it and we hurl, we feel that we’re a match for anyone.’ Hopefully we can bring that mindset into our opening game on Saturday but of course there are fine margins as well as for as good as we were against Newmarket, the Éire Óg result was tough to take so it’s about finding that consistency now in 2026”.
What may help that path to uniformity of performance is the fact that Wolfe Tones are grouped with their noisy neighbours Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus.
“Since the inter-county lads have come back in, there has been a great drive again but no player needs any extra motivation when the draw put us in with Newmarket and the ‘Bridge again. The familiarity adds to it as well as players from all three clubs would have maybe gone to school together or worked together so those local rivalries have definitely focused us in a way. I mean we were disappointed with our league campaign so the draw came at a good time because it kind of got lads back on track as they could see that they needed to be ready for what was coming down the tracks.”
Indeed, Keane has his own familial links with Sixmilebridge that will only be ramped up ahead of Saturday’s opening showdown in Cratloe at 1pm.
“We haven’t met the ‘Bridge in a couple of years and their record against us when we have met hasn’t been good for us as they’ve been us comfortable twice in the last two meetings. Even to this day, the ‘Bridge still have a serious mix of youth and experience with plenty of current and past inter-county players and loads of young players coming through that are probably going to be itching to get going. They may be going through a bit of transition but they always have good hurlers so no matter what team we face from the ‘Bridge, it’s going to be a huge challenge. So that’s why from the draw, we’ve been very much honing in on the ‘Bridge and everyone is looking forward to Saturday now”.
Wolfe Tones Factfile:
Management: Barry Keane (Manager); Alan Cunningham, Paul O’Shea, Paul Hogan (Coaches/Selectors); John Kearney (Goalkeeping Coach); Eoghan Wallace (S&C); Clem Nihill (Physio); Shane Purcell, Conor Casey (Stats); Tommy O’Rourke (Kitman)
Captain: Evan O’Gorman
Key Player: Aron Shanagher
One to Watch: Ben O’Gorman
Fresh Blood: Kevin Hanley, Ben O’Gorman
Departure Gate: Stephen Donnellan (Abroad)
Treatment Table: None
Titles Won: 2 (1996, 2006)
Last season’s run: Just missed out on quarter-finals on head-to-head
Schedule
Round 1 v Sixmilebridge at Páirc Micheál Uí hEithir, Cratloe (Saturday, July 25th) 1pm
Round 2 v Kilmaley at Clarecastle GAA (Saturday, August 8th) 2pm
Round 3 v Newmarket-on-Fergus at Glenomra Park, Broadford (Sunday, August 23rd) 3.30pm
Championship power ranking (1=weak/unlikely winners, 10=strong contenders): 5
