ANALYSIS: Who are Tooreen's All-Ireland final opponents?

On Saturday evening, Ray Larkin’s Mayo and Connacht champions Tooreen will go up against the men
from Upperchurch-Drombane in Tipperary.

The club, which is situated on the outskirts of Thurles, is one with a proud hurling tradition.

READ MORE: A year to remember - Our month-by-month guide of 2025 in Mayo sport

The man that led the Premier county to All-Ireland glory, Michael Ryan, hails from the area while Jody Brennan and James Barry, who both represented Tipperary in recent years, are products of the youth system.

One of Ireland’s famous comedians Pat Shortt is also a native of the area.

On the field, the club nicknamed ‘The Church’, conquered the Tipperary ranks when they claimed the Premier Intermediate championship as they overcame Carrick Swan on a scoreline of 2-17 to 1-14.

In the Munster campaign, the men from the Premier County defeated Clare side O’Callaghan’s Mills 3-20 to 0-15.

On that occasion, the Clare side picked up three red cards as Upperchurch-Drombane romped to
provincial glory in impressive fashion.

That win saw the men in black and amber jerseys pick up their first ever provincial title.
In their most recent meeting, the Tipperary outfit met Kilkenny’s Danesfort and came out on top albeit in narrow fashion.

Liam Dunphy’s charges were victorious on a scoreline of 1-13 to 0-14 with the all-important goal coming from corner forward Pat Ryan.

That day, the game was held up as full-forward Paudie Greene picked up what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

In the forward unit, corner forwards Pat Ryan and Luke Shanahan both featured for the Tipperary U-20 side in 2023 while centre forward Paddy Phelan was a panelist on last season’s U-20 team that claimed the All-Ireland title.

Shanahan has been doing a lot of scoring for Upperchurch-Drombane and the accurate free-taker is certainly one to watch.

Full-back and captain of the team Keith Ryan is an excellent defender but the Tooreen attackers will look to seek weaknesses in that area.

One thing is for sure, when the two sides meet on Saturday evening, there won't be much between the pair.

The big question is will the silverware be crossing the Shannon or will it be heading to the Premier
County? It should be a cracker in Croker.