Sports
St Thomas’ do enough to set up final battle with Gort
St. Thomas’ 1-15
Loughrea 1-10
THOSE who turned up to Kenny Park looking to see a fire and brimstone clash between neighbours St. Thomas’ and Loughrea in the county senior hurling semi-final on Sunday may have left the venue sorely disappointed, but that will matter little to St. Thomas’ who advance to a second decider in four years.
When you get to the concluding stages of any competition, these SHC games are all about winning and, to this end, St. Thomas’ – who have been steadily building momentum throughout this campaign – were full value for this victory.
Slicker, composed and boasting a great deal more method to their play than their rivals, St. Thomas’ – as they did against Portumna in the quarter-final – also showed the fortitude to absorb an early setback of a Loughrea goal, responding in kind by tallying an answered 1-3 in the ensuing seven minutes.
No doubt, St. Thomas’ look a different animal now than they were in the group stages, in which they incredibly lost three games. It shows what can be achieved when you keep the faith and, just as important, get your best players on the field.
In this respect, Conor Cooney, who has had his fair share of injuries in the past, has really stepped up in the quarter-final and semi-final, scoring 0-11 (0-7 placed balls) and 0-8 (0-7 placed balls) against Portumna and Loughrea respectively. With Galway captain David Burke also hurling like a man possessed and others getting a new lease of life in a re-jigged team formation, St. Thomas’ are well poised for a county final showdown against another of their neighbours, Gort.
This semi-final, though, was a lifeless affair, reflected in the subdued nature of the atmosphere and the indifference, by and large, of the crowd. Other than a few flashes of individual brilliance, there was little to grab or excite the imagination. It was lacking something.
On this front, Loughrea must shoulder a great of the blame. Love them or hate them, the Town have been fantastic for senior championship hurling over the past decade but, on Sunday, they failed to tap into that quality that has seen them become one of the top clubs in Galway.
That quality is rage – unbridled, uncompromising rage. It has been the fuel in their engine and when the battle was needed to be waged in the past you could always be assured they would chew iron to get the job done.
Okay, it didn’t always work out – their defeat in their last county final appearance against St. Thomas’ in 2012 a case in point – but they never lacked passion or desire. The wheels just came off the wagon in those instances; beaten by a better team.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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