*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
FRESH from the disappointment of losing a successive Dr Harty Cup decider, St Flannan’s College are already eyeing up a shot at national glory and a trip to Croke Park.
An Eoghan Doughan inspired Nenagh CBS held off St Flannan’s College in Saturday’s Harty Cup final.
Home comforts were of little consolation to St Flannan’s who despite being level on six different occasions over the hour, contributed just a single score in the last seventeen minutes as they fell to a 0-20 0-18 defeat.
St Flannan’s College manager, Brendan Bugler believed it was their best performance of the competition. “There are really fine margins when it gets to this stage and Nenagh just finished that bit stronger. They’ve really earned it this year and are deserving winners but in fairness to our lads, they died with their boots on and were terrific from start to finish.
“I thought it was our best performance all year but it was just unfortunate to come up against an exceptionally talented Nenagh side. We gave everything but just came up short in the end and could have even got a lucky bounce right there at the end that might have gone in”.
Having started poorly in different games throughout their run to the final, Bugler said they put an emphasis on not giving Nenagh an early advantage. “We didn’t put together a really good performance from the first minute to the last all year and we had targeted a good start because they [Nenagh] are a team that can kill an opposition early on. They did it to Midleton in the quarter-final and after they played us in Round 1, they pretty much had won their next two group games before half-time.
“They can punish you as we know only too well after being down eleven points against them in the first round. I mean if we went down eleven points today we definitely wouldn’t have come back and made it a close game like we did that day. So we got a great start but they are a great side and have real quality and Eoghan Doughan’s shooting efficiency was just off the charts. Credit to Conor Hill and Sean McNamara who were on him at different stages. I don’t think they could have done any more on him either. They did their job, it’s just that he’s an exceptional hurler”.
Two-time All Star Bugler is optimistic his side will rally in the All-Ireland series and can forge a run to Croke Park. “Our ambition now is to try and get this team to Croke Park. And if we do that, it will be a great experience for the players as none of them have played in Croke Park before I think. It’s going to be difficult but they are an ambitious group.
“They played well today, it’s not as if they didn’t show up properly for the final. It would take a lot to regroup if they hadn’t performed. They played really well so I’m not sure who we’re playing or when it’s on but we’re rally the troop as best we can and hopefully go on a nice run in the All-Ireland series,” he told The Clare Echo.
