Galway SHC: Conor Cooney inspires St Thomas' to fourth title in a row
St Thomas' players celebrate with the Tom Callinan Cup. Picture:Â INPHO/Bryan Keane
The phrase “winners get it done” was never more apparent in Pearse Stadium as St Thomas’ turned on the charm to claim a fourth consecutive Galway senior hurling crown.
The final scoreline was slightly flattering for a greenish Clarinbridge side who only scored two points from play in the second half but are improving rapidly and, in this the club’s first final in 10 years, can perhaps put this disappointment down as a rite of passage.
The second of those Clarinbridge scores came with almost the last puck of the game in additional time as Evan Niland, so deadly from frees throughout, saw his goal attempt flash over the bar.
St Thomas’s had done the damage in the closing stages of normal time when the immense Conor Cooney sent over three points, the first of them a free in the 57th minute followed by his exploitation of a bad clearance. To rub salt into Clarinbridge’s wounds, he then gathered the resultant puck-out and bisected the posts.
The last of those scores brought his total to 11 points, five of them from play, and capped an incredible championship campaign for the 29-year-old. The watching Henry Shefflin will be without him for the start of Galway’s Division 1 campaign but in this form he will have to be a factor in the Tribe forward line towards the end of it.
Even if he was relatively quiet in normal play, Niland must also come into the reckoning with his stunning array of free-taking as will St Thomas’ Fintan Burke who was largely flawless at the edge of his team’s square.
Shefflin may also be paying mind to the work-rate of the other St Thomas’ forwards whose movement and ability to work in packs rarely gave Clarinbridge. Thirty-year-old James Regan turned back the years as did Darragh Burke while OisĂn Flannery grew into the game.
Turning over as much ball as they did pleased their manager Kenneth Burke no end. “You have to do that in the modern game. If you’re not getting turnover scores the opposition are going to punish you. The name of the game is you have to get possession and if you don’t get possession you’re going to be struggling so when you have it you have to use it and when you don’t you have to get it off them and that’s the main mantra.”
St Thomas’ led 0-10 to 0-9 at half-time having been three points up in the 22nd minute. They looked a more purposeful team after the water break when they trailed 0-4 to 0- as Clarinbridge belied their month-long break since their semi-final win over Craughwell.
The scores had been tit-for-tat in the opening quarter, Clarinbridge producing some fine scores from the left wing, Niall Armstrong’s ninth minute the pick of them in the ninth minute.
The game was feisty too and three yellow cards were shown with skirmishes breaking out regularly throughout the opening half. St Thomas’ were able to complement their aggression with quality in the second quarter as they rattled off four scores without reply to go three up, the water break coming at just the right time for their management to remind them of what to do.
“We just told them there was probably a bit of panic at times in the first quarter and told them to take the extra step, get the head up, simple things that we say every day,” recalled Burke.
The intensity shown by the St Thomas’ half-forward line led by Cooney told on the scoreboard although Clarinbridge gathered themselves through dazzling scores from Mark Kennedy and a monster effort by TJ Brennan. Clarinbridge scores by Gavin Lee and Evan Niland, his third free of the afternoon, finished out the half.
St Thomas’ stretched their advantage to four points in the 40th minute, Éanna Burke picking off a brace in the space of three minutes. Niland (free) and Flannery swapped scores before Cooney had a shot saved by Aaron Bindon in the 43rd minute.
From distance, Niland converted a free to encourage the large Clarinbridge crowd but Regan responded shortly afterwards and St Thomas’ commenced the final quarter four to the good.
Niland was being called on to perform heroics and sending over a second free in succession, this time from his own 45-metre line in the 52nd minute, it appeared he was up to the job. His county team-mate Cooney and he then exchanged frees before Cooney grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and made it his own to secure St Thomas’s their place in Galway hurling history.
Whether they can sustain this level of poise and precision over the Christmas period for an All-Ireland semi-final will soon be their most pressing question - it has been beyond them in the recent past - but for a day or two it can wait.
Giving Gort the extra week to prepare themselves for a semi-final, they did the correct thing. And playing as good as this will make their achievement feel even more righteous.
C. Cooney (0-11, 6 frees); Darragh Burke. É. Burke, O. Flannery, J. Regan (0-2 each); David Burke (0-1).
E. Niland (0-10, 9 frees); M. Kennedy, G. Lee (0-2 each); N. Armstrong, M. Daly, T.J. Brennan (0-1 each).
G Kelly; D. Sherry, F. Burke, C. Mahony; E. Duggan, S. Cooney, C. Burke; David Burke, B. Burke; J. Regan, C. Cooney (c), Darragh Burke; D. McGlynn, É. Burke, O. Flannery.
V. Manso for B. Burke (50); B. Farrell for D. McGlynn (51); D. Finnerty for É. Burke (inj 60+1).
A. Bindon; C. Bannon, I. O’Brien, O. Salmon; S. Kilduff, T.J. Brennan, S. Ryan; S. Bannon (c), P. Foley; M. Daly, E. Niland, M. Kennedy; G. Lee, C. Salmon, N. Armstrong.
L. Leen for N. Armstrong (44).
L. Gordon (Killimor).
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