Nenagh CBS manager Donach O’Donnell harks back to a Harty Cup group match between themselves and St Flannan’s. He is uncertain of the year in question. What he is certain of is that said group match wasn’t today, yesterday, or any time in the past 10 years.
Nenagh CBS overcame Flannan’s the same day. By the time O’Donnell and the students got back to school, there was nearly a session going in the staffroom such was the delight at edging roll-of-honour-topping St Flannan’s.
The Nenagh mindset has changed over the years. It had to change. The class of 2026 is the embodiment of that change.
In November 2023, they toppled St Flannan’s to deliver the school’s first-ever U17 Dean Ryan title. On the last Saturday of January a little over two years later, they again toppled St Flannan’s to deliver the school’s second Harty crown.
Nenagh’s second Harty in three seasons and the dominance this represents puts them in the same bracket as Ardscoil Rís’s arrival across the last decade, De La Salle Waterford at the end of the noughties, and on back to St Flannan’s and St Colman’s before that. This is the company they can now stand among.
Darragh McCarthy led an exceptional bunch to maiden glory two years ago. It’s now been proven to be no one off. The Nenagh culture and self-confidence has fed another. Being cock-a-hoop over a single group win is long behind them.
“This is so rare, and what’s rare is beautiful,” remarked O’Donnell of two Harty wins in the space of 24 months.
“I remember a number of years ago we played Flannan’s in a group game, a game we won. When we got back to the school, there was nearly a session in the teacher’s lounge as a result of it. It was because we’d never beaten Flannan’s – ever. Slowly, we’ve built and built and built. Now we are consistently competing with the best teams in the country.”
Cusack Park was the scene of their historic first victory two years ago. There was a different pressure returning to the Ennis venue this weekend.
O’Donnell heaped endless praise on a group saturated in the sort of expectation that didn’t accompany the class of 2024.
“There was a huge amount of pressure two years ago because we had never won it. When we did win it, it was a monkey off our back. This time, I think we knew we had the players to do it. It was just a matter of getting them to perform.
“But that in itself brings a bit of pressure, and you could feel it all over the place. Meeting people downtown or wherever, there was an expectation, particularly after a hard semi-final where we beat Thurles. Just to keep the lads balanced and keep them focused for the final was tough enough.
“It’s a relief to have won it because you’re expecting them to do it, but again, in a really tight game, it comes down to pure heart and guts and courage. We know we have that, that the players will fight for each other to the very end. It’s just phenomenal to be here again.”
A crowd of 6,509 clogged Ennis arteries from noon onwards. A pitch invasion greeted the final whistle. It was impossible to find players and properly acknowledge their effort.
As captain Eoghan Doughan was being gestured and guided towards the presentation area by local stewards, O’Donnell let a shout in the centre-forward’s direction. Realising who was calling him, the contributor of 0-12 turned and raced into his manager’s embrace.
“He’s actually a very quiet young fella,” O’Donnell said of the man of the match.
“He’s just such a good young man, a real leader around the group. In the first 20 minutes, we struggled a little bit with our shape and Eoghan was kind of getting pulled and dragged a bit that the referee just let go, which is fine. But we had to adjust to that.
“Eoghan is such a phenomenal player. He gives everything he has to it, which he did again today to play his part in bringing us back into the final. A huge amount of adoration for him, and hopefully he’ll get on with Tipp in a year or so.”
Others were singled out too. A defence that held Flannan’s to one point from the 48th minute onward had to be lauded.
“I look at Emmet Jones, we took him off in the semi-final as he wasn’t great against Thurles. He turns around then and what a phenomenal performance today. Johnny Grace, our two full-backs, our two corner-backs, they’ve been consistently good all year. And they just excelled again today.”
