Better-balanced Gort men know how to get job done

Inside Track with John McIntyre

IN the build-up to Sunday’s county hurling final day, it’s difficult to avoid reflecting on the great club teams which have graced the occasion over the past 40 years. In no particular order, multiple title winners Athenry (8), Sarsfields (7) and Portumna (6) stood out from the crowd and, between them, have captured 21 senior championship since 1979.

In fact, there was an eight period from 1992 to 2000 when the only two clubs to get their hands on the County Cup were Athenry and Sarsfields. It was a remarkable domination, but these were remarkable teams. The likes of Joe Rabbitte, Brian Feeney, Eugene Cloonan, the Hardiman brothers, Gerry Keane, the Higgins brothers and Cathal Moran spearheading the club’s greatest era, largely under the management of Pat Nally.

Sarsfields were an exceptional force as well. With their plethora of Cooneys, Hopper McGrath, Aidan Donoghue, Padraig Kelly, Michael Kenny and Noel Morrissey backboning the side, the New/Inn Ballaun outfit were also admired near and far. Like Athenry, they proved their worth at All-Ireland level and also benefitted from the calm sideline demeanour of former Galway goalkeeper, Michael Conneely.

When Portumna first emerged as a serious force, they endured no shortage of heartbreak before finally cracking the title race in 2003. Five more county championships followed and they also brought the Tommy Moore Cup back west on four occasions, once more than Athenry and twice more than Sarsfields. In their respective hey-days, these three teams set a staggering standard.

It’s fair to say, in the wake of the recent county semi-finals, there is nothing close to them out there in Galway at present. Mind you, Sunday’s finalists Gort are going for a notable third title in six years and St Thomas’ pulled off a rare achievement by going on to land the All-Ireland Club championship after making an historic breakthrough locally in 2012.

This is a classic South Galway derby and both clubs have recovered well from some shaky moments – very shaky in St Thomas’ case – during the group campaign. Gort rode their luck in beating Craughwell in the semi-final. On the run of play, last year’s finalists had plenty going for them, but they were much less composed and clinical than Mike Finn’s charges who were indebted to Aidan Helebert’s first-half accuracy and substitute Gerard O’Donoghue’s final quarter goal.

Gort are traditionally wiry and are hard to get the better of in tight games. Craughwell left them hanging on and they paid the price for it. With former Clare manager and player, Gerard O’Loughlin, now lending coaching assistance, they appear to have got their timing right. As a team, they are better-balanced than St Thomas’ but wouldn’t possess the potential individual inspiration of their rivals who probably expected that they would have to work harder to fend of Loughrea in their semi-final.

To read John’s column in full, see this week’s Connacht Tribune.