Larkins gain revenge as Craughwell struggle to get going

Tommy Larkins 1-14

Craughwell  1-9

Mark Walsh at Kenny Park

Craughwell ended Tommy Larkins’ interest in last year’s Senior Championship at the quarter-final stage, but last Saturday evening, Michael Rourke’s men exacted some revenge. Getting out of the blocks quickly laid the foundation stone for Craughwell’s win last September, and it was a similar occurrence which allowed Tommy Larkins get off to the perfect start in Group A.

The game itself lacked the obvious intensity of the corresponding meeting, but Craughwell struggled more to get to the pace it must be said. Tommy Larkins were quicker to the ball from the off, and were 1-5 to 0-1 up midway through the opening half. While Craughwell did come back into the contest, Tommy Larkins were always able to keep them at arm’s length.

Jason Flynn scored 0-25 from placed balls for Galway during the National League, and he was his side’s main scoring threat as per norm. His long stride makes him very difficult to catch if he gets a run on a defender, but it was Kevin McHugo who perhaps performed best for Tommy Larkins. The number nine got on a lot of possession in the middle sector, and he was directly involved in his team’s opening two points.

Niall Healy missed the business end of last year’s club championship with a cruciate injury, but he was back in the starting 15 on Saturday. Shane O’Grady was given the task of shadowing him, and the duo had a great tussle all evening, a tussle which was shaded by the Tommy Larkins’ corner-back.

Although Healy did well to get his goal and was unlucky to see another strike hit the side-netting in the opening period, the 2004 All-Ireland minor winning captain was off target with four other efforts in the first period. Craughwell shot nine wides in total in the first-half, a half at the end of which they were 1-6 to 1-3 behind.

Tommy Larkins had raced into a four point lead before Mark Horan got Craughwell up and running in the 11th minute. Ger Kelly and Flynn got the scoring underway, before wing-forward Gardiner struck for two points in quick succession.

Horan’s effort was cancelled out by a Jason Flynn free, and with 15 minutes played, Kelly was set up by Gardiner and Seamus Jones for Tommy Larkins’ goal. Craughwell, wearing a changed strip of predominantly yellow compared to green as opposed to vice versa, were jabbed into life, and Kealan Cullinane scored their second point.

Cullinane finished with 0-5 to his name against Tommy Larkins in that quarter-final playing in a withdrawn role, but given a similar task on Saturday, he featured sporadically, and the same could be said of Fergal Healy also. Alan Callanan and Niall Healy played as a two-man inside line in the opening period, and Callanan flicked on an Adrian Cullinane delivery for Healy to gather and fire past Darragh Starr in the Tommy Larkins goal in the 18th minute.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.