Galway SHC: St Thomas’ make statement of intent with 23-point win over Gort

Conor Cooney of St Thomas' in action against Pakie Lally of Gort during the game

St Thomas’ 4-20 Gort 0-9

St Thomas’ sportingly allowed this fixture to be delayed a week to give Gort time to recover from a Covid outbreak but that’s where their generosity ended as they dished out a 23-point hammering to their neighbours in this Galway SHC semi-final at Pearse Stadium.

St Thomas’ will now be fancied to become the first side since Turloughmore in the 1960s to string four Galway titles in a row when they take on Clarinbridge in the final in two weeks.

St Thomas’ led by 1-10 to 0-5 at half-time having played with the breeze in the opening and they were on top in most of the exchanges throughout the field.

The Gort attack struggled to make an impact, with Aiden Helebert their only player to score in the opening half, shooting four frees and one from play.

St Thomas’, in contrast, had threats throughout and by the interval seven players hit the target with Oisin Flannery and Conor Cooney landing some excellent points.

And the experienced James Regan punished Gort when a puckout from Gerald Kelly broke well for him and he burst through to drill the ball low to the net and make it 1-6 to 0-4 after 20 minutes and they outscored Mattie Murphy’s men by 0-4 to 0-1 before the break.

St Thomas’ killed off any notion of a comeback when Conor Cooney and Damien McGlynn found the net in the opening four minutes of the second-half.

They proceeded to pick off scores at will as the Gort challenge wilted. Flannery got St Thomas’ fourth goal after 46 minutes and Gort finished with 14 men when sub Albert Mullins was sent off.

Scorers for St Thomas’: C Cooney (1-10, 7f); O Flannery (1-2); D McGlynn (1-1); J Regan (1-0); E Burke, C Burke (0-2 each); David Burke, B Burke, B Farrell (0-1 each).

Scorers for Gort: A Helebert (0-7, 5f); A Harte, G O’Donoghue (0-1 each).

ST THOMAS': G Kelly; C Mahony, F Burke, D Sherry; S Cooney, C Burke, E Duggan; David Burke, B Burke; J Regan, C Cooney, Darragh Burke; D McGlynn, O Flannery, D McGlynn.

Subs: V Manso for Regan (49), S Skehill for C Burke (49), B Farrell for E Burke (50), C Fallon for Flannery (57), M Caulfield for Sherry (58).

GORT: K Finnegan; S Og Linnane, G Lally, J O’Donoghue; J Grealish, A Harte, P Lally; D O’Donoghue, J Grealish; M Mullins, A Helebert, K Higgins; R Cummins, P Commins, G O’Donoghue.

Subs: A Mullins for D O’Donoghue (half-time), J Linnane for P Lally (half-time), E Cooley for S Linnane (47), R Burke for Higgins (47).

Referee: Shane Hynes (Liam Mellows).