Sports
Burke’s men claim second county title after tough final battle
St. Thomas’ 1-11
Gort 0-10
Two minutes. In the end, that is what it took. Two minutes. Two minutes to decide this county final. Two minutes to define it. A disallowed goal for Gort followed by a 46th minute Sean Skehill strike from the resulting free out for St. Thomas’. All in two minutes.
Over 5,000 spectators turned up at Pearse Stadium on what was a horrific day for hurling and while the conditions impacted greatly on the standard of fare – and, by extension, the atmosphere around the ground – there was still enough intrigue in this one to send the neutrals home relatively happy.
In an ideal world, it would have been something to see this contest played on a dry, crisp Autumn day – as Saturday was – but unfortunately this was not the case and instead these two great rivals had to battle it out in weather conditions that would not have been out of place around the time of Noah’s Ark.
This game was to hinge on a couple of passages of play that straddled the three-quarter mark. By this time, St. Thomas’, who had hurled the better throughout, were three points ahead but when Pakie Lally sent a booming delivery into the Thomas’ danger area, and Michael Mullins got a touch for a 44th minute goal, Gort it appeared had just equalised.
However, there had been a suspicion of a square ball and the St. Thomas’ rearguard immediately remonstrated this point to the umpires. Referee Leonard Faye, to his credit, decided to consult, and the officials, giving the decision their utmost attention, finally agreed it was, indeed, a square ball.
Without the benefit of a video replay, it was a brave call by the officials. Mullins had not been in the square before Lally’s delivery but had arrived before the sliotar had reached its destination. It was close but the decision was the correct one.
Incredibly, from the resulting free out, the sliotar would end up in the back of the Gort net as centre-forward Darragh Burke forced the ball through the Gort cover and on hand to flick it over the advancing Gavin Lally was hero of the hour Skehill. A deft touch – not bad for a man who has spent most of his hurling career in defence.
Then again, St. Thomas’ successful county title bid – their second in five years – has been defined by the manner in which the their management of John Burke, Maurice Headd, Claude Geoghegan and coach Michael Haverty have reinvented and revitalised their team.
The move of Eanna Burke and James Regan, who had a superb first half, to defence took the scores they were conceding on average in their first four group games from 1-17 to 1-14 in their four ties in the knockout stages. You could say it was the difference on Sunday.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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