Record holders Turloughmore stand in way of St Thomas' bid for six in a row

BATTLE OF THE BIG GUNS: St Thomas players, from left, Fintan Burke, Shane Cooney and Evan Duggan celebrate after beating Turloughmore in the 2020 decider. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Turloughmore, the only team to win six Galway SHC titles in a row, will take on a St Thomas’ side who will be hoping to equal that record in two weeks when they meet in the final.

Both of them had a goal to spare in the Galway semi-finals at Pearse Stadium, with champions St Thomas’ edging out Sarsfields by 1-20 to 1-17, while Daithi Burke’s Turloughmore defeated a fancied Loughrea side by 2-22 to 1-22.

It’s an eighth county final appearance for St Thomas’ since they reached their first decider in 2012 and having won all seven to date they will fancy their chances of equalling the record set by Turloughmore from 1961 to 1966.

And they received another big boost when Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland winning captain David Burke, who suffered a cruciate injury in March which ruled him out of Henry Shefflin’s plans for Galway in the championship, came on as a substitute late in the game.

His county colleague Conor Cooney led the way with a superb haul of 1-14 from 15 strikes at the posts, with his goal from a penalty pushing the holders 1-19 to 0-15 in front with nine minutes remaining.

Sarsfields rallied and a goal from a penalty by Kevin Cooney, maintaining his record of at least one goal in each of Sarsfields’ games in this year’s championship, gave them hope and it took two superb saves from Gerard Kelly to deny Joseph Cooney and Ian Fox sending the tie to extra-time in the closing stagea.

Turloughmore, who have lost three county finals since their only success in 1985 after the glory years of the 1960s, booked their place in the final when they edged out last year’s runners-up Loughrea in a good contest at Pearse Stadium.

A goal from Matthew Tarpey, after Brian Keary had found the net for Loughrea, helped Turloughmore lead by 1-11 to 1-9 at half-time.

Tom Quirke fired home Turloughmore’s second goal in the third quarter for the key score of the game with Jamie Holland, usually a centre-back, outstanding at centre-forward as they opened up a six points lead.

But Loughrea, Shane Morgan and Keary landing good scores, hauled the deficit back and got level with a minute of regular time left.

But Turloughmore pushed for home and after Sean O’Hanlon edged them in front, Conor Walsh took his haul to 12 points from free with two late efforts to secure their place in the final when they will hope to deny St Thomas’ equalling their superb six-in-a-row record.