Turning the tables on St Thomas’ is not the driving force for selector O’Brien

LIAM Mellows selector Seanie O’Brien insists the motivation for Sunday’s SHC final is more on delivering a performance rather than defeating the defending champions, St. Thomas. This is despite the latter having relieved the city outfit of the Tom Callanan Cup in last year’s decider.

In the last three seasons, Liam Mellows and St. Thomas’ have dominated the local hurling landscape. Yet, for all that, O’Brien says the 2019 showpiece is not about getting one over this Sunday’s opponents; it is about producing a performance that reflects Mellows’ attitude and application.

“We know, looking back on last year’s final, we didn’t compete against St. Thomas’. They blew us off the pitch in a lot of spots and they took their scores when the opportunity presented itself, where we found scores hard to come by,” recalls O’Brien of that 2-13 to 0-10 loss.

“So, going into this final, we just hope we now can bring our ‘A’ game with us and that we turn up and be competitive because if you turn up and be competitive in a final, you have a great chance. If you win, brilliant; but if you lose, at least you can turn around and say we gave it our all and the better team won on the day.

“We couldn’t say that last year because we were disappointed with the performance and that has been in the back of our head, all throughout the year. So, hopefully, we can remedy that next weekend: that we go out and play. If we do play well, and bring our ‘A’ game, we are in with every chance of winning the county final again.”

That said, O’Brien is under no illusions as to the task they face in St. Thomas’, a side that is seeking its fourth SHC title since 2012. “We know what St. Thomas’ bring. They are littered with inter-county players all over the pitch. They have huge experience with the titles they have won but they also have inter-county hurlers who have won All-Irelands with Galway.

“That is a huge thing to have in any team and it is why they have been so competitive over the past few years. They might be a small parish, but they buy into everything they do. They are a physical team, but they can score. You can’t give them half an opportunity at all; if you do, they will punish you,” believes the former Liam Mellows full-back.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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