It was arguably the biggest club GAA upset of 2024. Thanks to Thomastown, giants Ballyhale Shamrocks will not contest the Kilkenny senior championship final for the first time since 2017.
The 20-time Kilkenny champions were beaten by last years intermediate All-Ireland champions in Saturday afternoon's quarter-final at John Locke Park in Callan.
The final score was 0-21 to 1-16 with Ballyhale battling to the end as Colin Fennely's goal in the second half brought them right back into contention. But it wasn't to be as Thomastown were inspired by Robbie Donnelly, goalie Diarmuid Galway and youngster Zach Bay Hammond. They secured a famous two-point win against the 9-time All-Ireland champions.
Colin Fennelly on his return from an ACL injury finds the net for @BallyhaleGAA! ☘️
Watch @KilkennyCLG SHC LIVE on https://t.co/yMkMTpFmTc 📺
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READ HERE: Eight Of The Biggest Cross-Town Rivalries In Club GAA
Thomastown - 'We hit them hard, we hit them fair
You'll rarely see a more blatant meeting of bluebloods and upstarts. It was Thomastown's first Kilkenny SHC game against Ballyhale since 1988. The club hasn't won Kilkenny's senior title since 1946 and have been toiling at junior level for years, before a recent upturn.
Speaking to Clubber after the game, Thomastown's intercounty star John Donnelly spoke of the huge achievement for the club:
When we were kids, we were always junior. When I was young, I would have gone into Nowlan Park just watching TJ (Reid) and all them boys winning seniors with Ballyhale. We were so far away we probably thought we never were going to get there. To beat them - I suppose and all the tradition they have over us - it's brilliant really. We never thought we'd do it
His teammate Hammond discussed what it was like coming up against some of the country's best hurlers
We knew we were facing a savage team. The likes of Eoin Cody, Adrian Mullen. Paddy Mullen had a great game. Joey Holden with all his experience...It is very daunting, now. Lads might be nervous when you're coming out on the pitch and you're facing TJ Reid. He's a renowned hurler. Once that whistle blows, everything goes out. You're focused on your game and your team and getting over the line. Like we did today. The names that they had in the team... we persevered, we kept going. we hit them hard, we hit them fair. We played our game.
In the other Kilkenny quarter-finals, Tullaroan play Bennettsbridge, Mullinavat face Erins Own, and last season's losing All-Ireland senior finalists O'Loughlin Gaels take on Dicksboro.
