Gort weather all kind of storms to reach final four

Date Published: {J}

Gort 2-10

Loughrea 1-8

STEPHEN GLENNON AT KENNY PARK

For the second time this year, Gort showed they had the measure of their Group D rivals, Loughrea – this time second half goals from Ollie Fahy and substitute Keith Killilea putting the 2010 county finalists to the sword and catapulting Mattie Murphy’s charges back into the county semi-finals.

To say this well-attended quarter-final at Kenny Park in Athenry was blessed with good hurling would be akin to declaring that Santa hates Christmas, but, in saying that, this contest was played in the most atrocious of weather conditions, none too conducive to the sporting art.

In the end, it was not only Gort’s greater ability to deal with the conditions, but their talent for netting goals – something they really have shown a propensity for doing over the years – that secured them a deserved victory. Not that Loughrea were a million miles away either.

On reflection, the 2006 champions will point to the concession of the two goals at key moments – just when they look poised to make their mark on the contest – as one reason for their downfall, while, another, has to be the costly concession of frees.

In all, Loughrea conceded 13 to the victors’ seven throughout the game. Given that five points separated the two sides in the finish – the same total as Gort’s Gerry Quinn converted on the day – it will be a statistic that will rankle with the losing camp.

However, they can have no qualms – at least, certainly not with referee Sean Moran who endeavoured to let the game flow as much as possible under the circumstances. They will just have to concede that they may be losing their touch in winning these tight sort of games, which, for the last decade, has been a distinguishable trademark of the former champions.

If Loughrea’s star is on the wane remains to be seen, although one has to wonder how many times can the older members of the Loughrea team go to the well. That said, at times on Sunday they were still unflappable . . . they started in whirlwind fashion with Johnny Coen – deployed in defence – rampaging forward for the first score within 13 seconds.

Although points from Quinn – from play and a placed ball – and Aidan Hate subsequently nudged Gort into an early lead, Loughrea bounced back through efforts from Johnny Maher, James Regan and Neil Keary to lead 0-4 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter.

While some outstanding hooking and blocking was a noticeable feature of the opening period – again, the weather conditions, perhaps, slowing the play down to allow such actions – it was, by and large, a tentative start from both outfits.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.