Cooney makes history as first to captain a side to six Galway SHC titles in a row

WINNING CAPTAIN: St Thomas captain Conor Cooney lifts the cup after the Galway County Senior Club Hurling Championship final match. Pic: Ray Ryan/Sportsfile

The remarkable way in which St Thomas’, operating along a narrow stretch of south Galway between Loughrea and Gort with only around 200 houses, have managed to keep regenerating themselves to become the dominant force in the county in the past decade, was summed up by their inspirational captain Conor Cooney when he pointed out that lads he taught in national school were now on the squad.

The 32-year old created his own bit of history when he became the first to captain a side to six Galway SHC titles in a row as they maintained their unbeaten run in eight county finals since reaching their first one in 2012.

Since then they have constantly kept refreshing their side despite the limited resources of their catchment area but success has bred success and there has been no shortage of young hurlers coming through.

“Oisin Flannery’s father Justin was with us when we won the first time in 2012,” said Cooney. “I taught Oisin in national school when I came out of college and there he is now blocking down a fella and driving the ball over the bar when we badly needed a score.

“We’ve a few more lads coming through there, the likes of Darren Farrell and Evan Brady coming onto the scene this year. I would have taught them as well when I was coming out of college, but it just goes to show I’m probably shoving on the years a small bit!

“It just shows that the interest is there, it doesn’t just happen, you have players there driving lads on, encouraging lads and there are great structures there at underage. Lads are all getting involved and we even have a few of the lads there training the younger teams, it all feeds in.” 

He knew they would have to dig deep against a Turloughmore side who also lost by only two points to them in 2020 and who were fired-up to preserve their record as the only club to win six on the spin.

“It is an unbelievable achievement, I’m absolutely delighted. We knew it was going to be tight in fairness, we played them during the covid year when there was nobody allowed into Athenry at all and we came out on top that day.

“They gave us a bit of a lesson in a group game a few years ago and again this year there were only a few points in it again. We knew it would be tight, we knew that there would be very little in it and that’s how it transpired. They’re a brilliant team, they’ve been so resistant for the last few years and I’ve no doubt that they’ll be back.

“They’ve a number of younger guys coming in again to add to it and I know they do savage work at underage and behind the scenes as well.” 

Cooney said they have inspirational figures throughout their own club and said the manner in which Galway 2017 All-Ireland winning captain David Burke battled back from a cruciate operation in April to come on and close out the win set the standard for everyone else.

“The way he has worked to get back has been an inspiration to everyone,” said Cooney as he prepared to bring the Tom Callanan Cup back to the Castledaly, Kilchreest and Peterswell area of south Galway for the eighth time since 2012.