Blue Devils know revenge is on the minds of Galway champions

From preparing for a trip to London to not going at all, Tooreen’s preparation for the Connacht intermediate hurling final this Sunday has been strange to say the least.

Of course, this was all outside their control as an ongoing dispute between Robert Emmetts and beaten semi-finalists St Gabriel’s has yet to result in the final of the London senior hurling championship taking place. In the end, the Connacht Council, to the frustration of the other confirmed London finalists Brothers Pearse, awarded Tooreen a bye into the Connacht final.

Club chairperson Pat Freyne admitted it was frustrating having to wait for the decision but once it was made, not having to deal with the logistical challenge of booking flights and hotels at short notice was also a relief.

“It was probably frustrating for the London board, frustrating for Connacht Council and frustrating for the clubs involved,” said Pat. “I suppose the indecision was the thing, we didn’t get official word until the Monday before we were due to play on the Saturday that the game wasn't going ahead.

“In fairness, [Connacht Council] kind of had steered us in the direction on the Saturday that chances are it's not going to go ahead but they had to go through due process and so it was Monday before that was officially the announcement.

“Once it was announced we didn't have to go, it was kind of a relief because we didn't want to arrange flights and accommodation and all that at short notice.” All attention is now on their opponents Ballinderreen, who Tooreen famously beat in 2017 to become the first Mayo club to win the Connacht intermediate title. Freyne expects the Galway side to be fired up on this occasion.

“It'll add a bit of spice to the game. They're a very good side. We just about got over them in 2017 when we made the breakthrough and I suppose they maybe felt that they could have and should have won that game. They'll be certainly coming to the final this time with the sense that these guys got the better of us and they shouldn't have.

“On the other side of it, you know, we feel we're out to prove a point. We have to prove that it wasn't a fluke and that we're able to beat them again. It should be an interesting contest.” While the core of that winning team in 2017 remains, new stars such as Conal Hession have arrived on the scene. He was awarded man-of-the-match in the Mayo senior final and has kept the likes of Mayo star Gary Nolan out of the starting lineup.

“The team has been quite strong, quite settled the last number of years, and in a way that could be seen as a kind of disadvantage, that it's difficult for young guys to break onto the team. But this year the one good breakthrough we had is Conal Hession who has come in and nailed down his place.

“It's important that a couple of new guys come through every year. I think the team has evolved a bit, there's more younger guys coming through. The likes of Fergal Boland and David Kenny, these guys were only maybe 22 years of age back in 2017 and they've really matured now to become the core of the team.” Since Ray Larkin’s appointment as manager at the end of 2020, Tooreen have gone from strength to strength. His work has not gone unnoticed, being recently appointed joint manager of the Mayo senior team alongside Brian Finn.

“Ray’s a super guy, we were very lucky to get him,” admits Pat Freyne. “He moved to the area, started hurling with us over 10 years ago now. He was probably in the twilight of his career when he moved, so we only got maybe a year or two hurling out of him.

“He was very quick to put up his hand and get involved in coaching and management after that. He's been involved as a selector for a number of years and since he's come on as manager he's really developed the team and I think he's developed himself as well all-round. He's not just a manager, he does a lot of coaching. He's really upskilled himself to become a really top-notch coach. We're delighted to have him.” The bye to the final meant the Blue Devils having to find a challenge game between the Connacht quarter-final win over Four Roads and the final, which they did. Larkin himself would have preferred a championship match, especially given Tooreen’s recent record against London opposition, but it means both Tooreen and Ballinderreen will come into Sunday’s fixture not having played a competitive game since October Bank Holiday weekend.

“When we had the London game, it was an extra game for us and it used to be always a great game no matter who we played. It was kind of an extra step for us, an extra preparation for us and the game was always a good one, whether they came over to us or we went over to them.

“It was just a good game for us to build on and to see where we were. We were fortunate to win the last couple and it was giving us more game time as well, which is good. It’s hard to beat championship.” The break, however, has meant some players have had extra time to recuperate from injury. Fergal Boland and John Cassidy are both recovering from concussions, with Fergal now training. Aside from “one or two knocks”, the rest of the squad is fit while he also hopes Sean Regan will have come through last weekend’s Connacht football semi-final between Ballina Stephenites and Corofin unscathed.

Athleague is a ground that has become something of a second home for Tooreen having played the majority of their Connacht championship games at the venue, including last year’s provincial triumph. Despite the familiarity, Larkin is expecting a tough encounter with Ballinderreen, who defeated favourites Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry in the Galway final.

“We play more games in Athleague than we do in Tooreen! We're kind of getting so used to it now at this stage.

“Ballinderreen will have an axe to grind as they were the first team from Galway that lost (the Connacht intermediate final) in 2017 and they’ll be out to prove a point. They had a tough group in Galway and coming up against Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry, who were relegated last year and everyone was talking about them.

“(Ballinderreen) kind of slipped in there. We went up to watch them in the county final and they’re really good, well set up and a big team. We haven’t looked past them and that’s our aim. Every Galway team is a great test. They’ll be back in senior next year and they were up there for a couple of years so it’ll be a serious test.

“A lot of those lads will have played senior hurling and will be well used to that kind of standard. If we can get our game plan right and everyone's fit, we'll be there or thereabouts.”