Controversial finale earns Loughrea unlikely reprieve

St. Thomas’ 0-21

 Loughrea 2-15

WHEN this quarter-final is recalled in years to come, it will be remembered for the point that never was. Had referee Ger O’Connor waited another three seconds before blowing his final whistle, James Regan’s shot would have made it over the bar on time and St. Thomas’ would now be preparing for a county semi-final.

For those of us in Athenry on Saturday, O’Connor’s decision to blow the final whistle as Regan’s effort was halfway on its route over the bar, is one of the most incredible moments we’ll ever see on a GAA pitch. The scoreboard in Kenny Park remained at 0-21 to 2-15 after the final whistle went and O’Connor was escorted away as a mass of players, team officials, supporters and stewards engulfed the field.

The clock in Kenny Park read ’34:49’, which tells us that O’Connor played almost five full minutes of added time. Now, there were a number of opportunities for the whistle to have been blown in the minutes before the referee actually did call a halt to proceedings, but it’s fair to say that those added minutes were helter-skelter.

And while it is nice to be talking about hurling again considering all the managerial upheaval in the county of late, controversy and Galway hurling seem to be familiar bedfellows this weather. While it was just circumstance that the biggest talking from the weekend’s quarter-finals involves the club that Galway manager Anthony Cunningham hails from, there is probably a touch of irony in there too.

In the cold light of day, St. Thomas’ shouldn’t have needed a last-gasp point to win them this game. They were seven points in front at one stage of the first half, six up at half-time, and still six ahead of Loughrea with 54 minutes gone. Enter Kenneth Colleran to the fray, because his goals in the 54th and 60th minutes salvaged a draw for Loughrea in the most unlikeliest of circumstances.

That’s not to take anything away from Loughrea, who deserve huge credit for battling on through the second half. In the absence of their two spiritual leaders Johnny Coen (hand injury) and Johnny Maher (leg injury), some of their young guns stepped up. Loughrea just refused to giove and last Saturday, it was the likes of Colleran, Emmet Mahony, Neil Keary, Sean Sweeney, Paul Hoban, Oisin Coyle and Damien McClearn who led the charge.

Keary scored four and five points in either half, seven from placed balls, but his contribution exceeded that, as he gave All-Ireland minor winner Fintan Burke plenty of food for thought in the second period. Same with Emmet Mahony, who went to centre-half forward, scored two points, and lessened the impact Darragh Burke was able to exert on the game.

Perhaps Thomas’ goalkeeper Patrick Skehill should have got a stronger hurl to Colleran’s first goal, but he was at fault for the Loughrea man’s second. Skehill hesitated after a long delivery from Paul Hoban landed in the square, and the hesitation gave Colleran just enough time to rob Skehill and tap the sliotar into an empty net.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.