Title holders St Thomas’ pull away from city rivals in the closing stages

St. Thomas’ 2-21

Liam Mellows 0-15

Alan Dooley at Pearse Stadium

FOR the first time since 2016, Liam Mellows will not be involved in the knockout stages of the senior hurling championship as St. Thomas’ class prevailed yet again in Pearse Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but the champions still have work to do to cement a coveted quarter final berth.

It has been a truly memorable run for the Ballyloughane club, claiming the 2017 title before maintaining a remarkable level of consistency in reaching the next two finals, but they are now scrapping to avoid the drop down a division, needing to beat Killimordaly in their final game to avoid that particular scenario.

They were without the suspended Tadhg Haran on Sunday, but the gulf in class was such that his involvement would certainly not have changed the outcome. Adrian Morrissey was a steady replacement on placed ball duty, but Mellows’ troubles lay in converting enough scoring opportunities and shackling St. Thomas’ inside forwards.

Approaching half-time they had registered as many wides as scores, and St. Thomas’ were only faring slightly better in what was a surprisingly subdued contest given what was on the line. St. Thomas’ hit the accelerator in the third quarter, though, hitting six unanswered points before Liam Mellows replied with five of their own, albeit all of them came from frees.

Somehow, only a goal separated the sides as the game ticked into the 51st minute. When St. Thomas’ livewire inside forward Oisín Flannery split the posts in injury time, though, that margin had more than quadrupled as the floodgates well and truly opened.

St. Thomas’ will have sterner tests ahead but they are still worthy favourites to make it four in a row. They have a tried and trusted formula and bags of experience to deal with most situations. Darragh Burke on his own scored as many points from play (4) as the entire Liam Mellows team, while veterans like David Burke, James Regan, and Bernard Burke all put in decent displays.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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