ConroyÕs scoring exploits fail to save Connacht men from semi-final exit

Date Published: 19-Feb-2013

Connacht 1-20

Leinster 1-21

GALWAY’S Paul Conroy scored 1-5 but still ended up on the losing side as Connacht were pipped at the post by Leinster thanks to a late scoring burst from Dublin’s classy corner-forward Bernard Brogan, which clinched this entertaining M. Donnelly inter-provincial semi-final at Pearse Park, Longford on Sunday.

Conroy, Connacht’s top scorer on the day and one of five Galway starters on the team, looked to have sewn-up the match for the westerners when he struck for a goal with about 13 minutes remaining.

The St. James’ clubman preyed on a mistake by Leinster ‘keeper Stephen Cluxton, who failed to deal with a speculative kick from Mayo’s Seamus O’Shea into the danger area, and Conroy pounced to toe-poke it to the net to give Connacht the lead, 1-18 to 1-15, heading into the home straight.

When Mayo wing-back Lee Keegan and Conroy, again, picked off points from play (The Galway man’s effort looked to have drifted well wide but was wrongly signalled a score by the umpires, although Leinster didn’t even bother to protest), Connacht were in full control and were on course to cause a minor upset.

However, Leinster, and more specifically, Bernard Brogan, had other ideas – the St Oliver Plunkett’s clubman simply ran riot in the final 10 minutes, scoring four points, two from play, and setting up attack-minded wing-back, Wexford’s Adrian Flynn, for a white flag.

Longford substitute Seán McCormack set the comeback rolling with a point in the 26th minute of the second half and then Brogan turned on the style for the 100-odd spectators in the ground, overturning a five points deficit to win by the minimum.

Brogan can be considered fortunate his winning point still stood – it appeared the Dubliner had fouled Galway captain Finian Hanley, who had a steady afternoon at full-back, before punching it over the crossbar.

In fairness, Connacht ran out of steam in the dying minutes and once the winners built up momentum, John Tobin’s men just couldn’t hold out, and perhaps could have done with the introduction of fresh legs.

Had it been a county or club championship match, one suspects cynicism would have taken over and Connacht, five points up, would have wound the clock down. But this free-flowing Railway Cup tie was played in a positive, sportsmanlike spirit with a high entertainment value and professional time-wasting never entered the equation.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.