Sports
Cooney inspires Sarsfields to seventh senior title
SARSFIELDS 2-10
CRAUGHWELL 0-14
THIS was a final showdown of dreams that dished out its usual measure of joy and disappointment but, in the end, one deft movement of wrist and ash just before half-time effectively decided the fate of the 2015 senior hurling championship at Pearse Stadium on Sunday.
This county final replay mightn’t have been a classic but a benign November’s day and quite an excellent sod at the more expansive Salthill venue meant that the tie provided more open passages of hurling than the drawn encounter in Kenny Park two weeks previously.
For most of the first half, scarcely a puck of the ball separated the sides but as both sets of mentors had their first steps taken towards the dressingrooms in the 32nd minute, the course of this county final was to change inexorably.
The two minutes of injury time had just ticked up to their limit when Niall Quinn shaped up to a long range free on the terraced side of the ground – it gave him the opportunity to land one last ball into the danger zone.
His long delivery to the edge of the Craughwell square was met with the cleanest of flicks from Noel Kelly, and in the blink of an eye, the ball had nestled in the back of Aidan Ryan’s net. A mighty torpedo had been delivered by Sarsfields and Craughwell had taken in a gush of unexpected water.
This was a county final that was there to be won by either side . . . make no mistake about that. Over 120 minutes of hurling, scarcely a puck of the ball separated the sides but in the end just a little extra edge in finishing power was enough to see Sarsfields over the line.
The simple but truthful analysis of this match is that Sarsfields’ two first half goal strikes decided the outcome, with Joseph Cooney’s 10th minute score also laying down a clear marker that he intended to make this his day in the sun.
Cooney, who gave quite a majestic display of power hurling over the course of the hour, cut through the heart of the Craughwell defence and ended his 30 yard run with a rasping shot to the back of Ryan’s net.
It was a score of near equal importance to Kelly’s late first half strike as it undid a lot of early Craughwell dominance. Stephen Glennon’s charges had started with real intent, storming into an early 0-4 to 0-1 lead, with points from Niall Healy (two frees), Jamie Ryan and Alan Callanan.
Sarsfields had been struggling a tad to match the early intensity of the Craughwell onslaught but Cooney’s goal strike helped them into a 1-3 to 0-5 lead by the 17th minute following a Kerril Wade point strike.
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.
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.
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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