Gort let slip seven point lead as title hopes take a blow

Loughrea 2-14

Gort 1-16

Gort’s reputation as title contenders took a bit of a battering on Sunday as they succumbed to a second-half comeback from a hungrier and more battle-hardened Loughrea outfit.

The South Galway men had already qualified for the knockout stages of the senior club hurling championship prior to throw-in at Salthill. But the manner in which Gort failed to show-up after the change of ends for this Senior A Group 2 clash will worry anyone harbouring hopes of the 2016 and 2017 finalists going all the way this year.

This slip-up means Gort must play a preliminary quarter-final, while Loughrea, who finished level on points in the group table, proceed to the quarter-final proper by virtue of winning this head-to-head.

Mike Ryan’s men deserved it, in fairness. Loughrea were second best for most of the opening half, but they managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over even when things weren’t going their way.

The doggedness and determination to fight for every ball and fight for every score, that has become a trademark of Loughrea over the years, was evident again in the second half as they outscored their opponents by 1-8 to 0-3.

To call Gort’s second-half display a collapse is, perhaps, doing a disservice to Loughrea, but Ollie Fahy’s charges just didn’t hurl at all after the break.

Of course, the wind was a factor, but to raise just three white flags in 30-plus minutes is not good enough at any level and the fact that all of them were converted frees from Aidan Helebert – who landed nine placed balls in all – tells its own tale about where Gort were at in the second half.

Loughrea, by contrast, were full of industry after the break, and they immediately cut into the 1-13 to 1-6 lead that Gort had established in the opening half with a quick brace of frees from the excellent Jamie Ryan immediately after play resumed.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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