Impressive Lally’s troops make short work of defending champions in county final

THERE was quite simply no stopping the St Thomas’ juggernaut at Pearse Stadium last Sunday.

This display was as impressive a performance as there has been on county final day in recent times as they secured their third county championship in the past seven seasons.

Dominant throughout, Kevin Lally’s side never looked in trouble against Liam Mellows who put up a staunch defence of their county title, but they couldn’t come close to the intensity and desire of the St Thomas’ players on a day they simply weren’t going to be beaten.

It’s well documented just how difficult retaining the county title is, particularly in such a competitive county like Galway. Not since the great Portumna team of ’07, ’08 and ’09 has it been done and that stat will continue until next year at the very least but it won’t be that, nor even the defeat that will haunt Mellows, but rather the manner of it.

They were second best in every sector against the south Galway side. Few would have predicted a similar outcome to their earlier clash in this year’s championship – that a 0-23 to 0-14 victory for St Thomas’ in the group stage – but this was every bit as comprehensive, perhaps even more so.

St Thomas’ had stars across the board. Tadhg Haran, Conor Kavanagh and Aonghus Callanan were key men in attack for Mellows on their run to last Sunday’s decider, but they were snuffed out by the tight-marking trio of Fintan Burke, Cathal Burke and David Sherry.

Outside them, Shane Cooney excelled at the heart of the defence, while three of the Burke brothers; David, Darragh and Eanna were outstanding too along with Conor Cooney and James Regan.

The biggest difference between the sides however, was work rate and that’s what separated them at the final whistle.

For more,  read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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