Provincial glory puts the seal on great year for Oughterard

OUGHTERARD 1-16

THE NEALE 0-11

Mark Walsh at MacHale Park

IN the annals of Oughterard football, the year 1938, and the club’s Senior County final success, is held in the highest of regard, even 81 years later. However, the twists and turns of their run of 2019, which has led them to Intermediate county and now provincial glory, will also be revered in exalted tones in years to come.

Castlebar’s MacHale Park was lit up for this Connacht final occasion on Saturday evening, and there’s something about playing beneath the shining lights that brings out the best in the best players. While Tulsk had kept the younger Tierney brother, Matthew, relatively under wraps in the semi-final, Galway U-20’s standout player was not about to let a game of this magnitude slide him by.

A haul of 1-5, 1-2 from play, illustrates that. However, his performance was not without error, as a couple of missed goal chances in the first will testify to, but when himself and his older brother Enda have concluded their efforts with Oughterard, Padraic Joyce will surely be testing them out in maroon and white.

Draws have been one of the protruding themes of Oughterard’s remarkable 2019 journey. Both Clifden and Kilkerrin/Clonberne drew with them in the group stages of the Galway IFC, whilst those two memorable County finals with Micheál Breathnach ended level, with penalties needed to decide the replay.

Oughterard and The Neale look wistfully across the banks of the River Corrib at one another. On Saturday night, they stared each other directly in the eyes. Nose-to-nose at half-time, tied at 0-7 apiece, by whistle’s end, Oughterard had left The Neale firmly in their shadow.

Tommy Finnerty’s side fell a point behind after the break. No matter to them, because they went on a run of 1-8 without reply, culminating in team captain Eddie O’Sullivan collecting the Gene Byrne Memorial Cup. It will have a nice glimmer to it sitting beside the Cotter Cup, won last month at Pearse Stadium, in the Oughterard clubhouse.

What the eight-point win over the Mayo champions, and the 11-point success over Roscommon’s Tulsk Lord Edwards the previous weekend, demonstrated above anything else, is the high standard of football and competitiveness at play within the Galway IFC.

The anatomy of that second half display on Saturday evening centred on another salient theme of Oughterard’s season, their support play and ability to finish off hard runs out of defence with punishing scores. O’Sullivan referenced it in the aftermath, and the goal was an example in point.

Eric Lee was selfless and made constant forays into his full-back line to help out all evening. He wasn’t just filling space as a healthy number of forwards do when carrying out defensive duties. Oughterard’s number 12 made one important interception in the first half, and another in the second half, led to the goal.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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