Hurling title race reaching a climax but what about teams left behind?

Inside Track with John McIntyre

IT’S a south Galway take over of the senior hurling championship. Title holders St Thomas’, Gort, Clarinbridge and Craughwell are the only teams still standing, with barely a total of 20 miles separating them from each other at the crow flies. And that derby atmosphere adds spice to this weekend’s semi-finals

But what about the casualties along the way or, for that matter, the clubs who went further than was anticipated? Topping the list of under-achievers are Turloughmore. After reaching last year’s county final on the back of significant under-age success over the past five or six years, Joe Hession’s troops were being tipped as potential champions at the outset of the campaign.

Though injuries did disrupt their challenge, Turlough simply didn’t catch fire. The warning signs were there when they were fortunate to earn a draw with Craughwell in the opening round, while they just about got over the line against Castlegar. A routine group win over Ahascragh/Fohenagh followed, but the team’s overall form was a concern for supporters

Still, they were expected to comfortably overcome the challenge of Kilnadeema/Leitrim in the preliminary quarter-final and when they established a ten-point lead everything seemed to be going according to script. But what happened subsequently constituted the shock of the championship. Turlough imploded and even allowing for Daithí Burke’s dismissal, it represented a shocking collapse.

Losing a ten-point advantage any day is a tough outcome to handle, but when that happens against a team which had to survive a long-delayed relegation final in late September – more power to Leitrim/Kilnadeema – Turlough’s eventual three-point represents a massive setback to the club’s short-term ambitions.

We have become so used to seeing luckless Cappataggle in county semi-finals it’s something of a shock not to see them back at the business end of the championship again this year. Their season ended with another agonizing knock-out defeat, this time to Gort in the quarter finals, despite a sparkling show from young Liam Collins.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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