Gulf is much Too’ big for junior collaboration

Mayo SHC Semi-Final 

Tooreen 5-30 

St Ciaran’s 0-07 

Anthony Hennigan in Adrian Freeman Memorial Park, Tooreen 

It’s unfortunate that the only uncertainty about these games is how much the underdog is going to lose by but with Tooreen hellbent on winning a fifth consecutive county senior hurling title for the first time since completing a seven-in-a-row in 1995, they were never going to show any mercy to the visiting St Ciaran’s amalgamation in Sunday’s semi-final.

It's not 30 years since the five-in-a-row was achieved in Mayo, as Ballyhaunis managed it between 2008 and 2012, but armed now with the knowledge that the Mayo champions can be so competitive at Connacht and All-Ireland intermediate level, the want of Tooreen and Ballyhaunis to continually challenge themselves outside the county has over the past decade added several more levels of intrigue to an already fascinating rivalry.

With Ballyhaunis also advancing to the final by virtue of their own straightforward win against Castlebar Mitchels last Sunday, albeit by less than a third of the margin that Tooreen won by, yet another derby of the fiercest yet respectful nature is in store.

For their part, Tooreen look in fine fettle. Missing players of the pedigree of Liam Lavin, Oisin Greally and Sean Regan impacted them none as they tore apart the minnows by 38 points in the dreariest of conditions.

St Ciaran’s is a union of Mayo’s junior hurling clubs, Ballina, Westport, Claremorris, Moytura, Ballyvary and Caiseal Gaels, and while they were also at less than full strength, with John and Evan Heraty, Kealan Gallagher, Brian Peoples and Luke Hurley among their notable absentees, the gulf that exists between them and the single entity that is Tooreen remains strikingly stark. To think it took them an entire match to score four points from play when Tooreen had that on the board inside three minutes, tells its own story. It doesn’t help, either, when your opponent knows nothing other than to play in top gear from first whistle until last.

The Boland brothers, Fergal and Shane, contributed 3-15 between them on a day when Tooreen learnt nothing about themselves that they didn’t already know, however, the second-half did offer manager Ray Larkin an opportunity to provide some championship game-time to up and coming players such as David Delaney, Fionn Delaney, Matthew Delaney and Oisin Casey, with the first-named scoring their fifth and final goal – and unfortunate not to finish with two to his name.

The game’s first goal had come inside the opening minute when Eoin Delaney drew out the defence before popping the sliotar inside to Fergal Boland who drilled low past experienced St Ciaran’s goalkeeper Kevin Duffy.

Brendan Sheridan, from play and a free, had a couple of early points on the board for the underdogs but by the time he scored their third, in the 21st minute, St Ciaran’s were already twenty points in arrears. Fergal Boland had added another goal and five points to his collection, the major arriving after a quick-free caught the away side’s defence totally unawares, while his brother Shane had also found the net and reeled off three points, while Daniel Huane, Eoin Delaney, three, and Fionan Burke picked off points from play as well.

When Brian Morley and Sean Kenny fired over singles, the entire Tooreen forward line had scored from play by the 25th minute, and while Paddy Dozio and Killian Gallagher pared back a point apiece, Fergal Boland negated those with another brace that increased his haul to 2-7 from play, leaving Tooreen 3-17 to 0-5 in front at the halfway stage.

The result might have been long since without doubt but you wouldn’t have known it from the way Tooreen launched into the second-half. Brian Morley and Eoin Delaney shared four points inside six minutes before Fionan Burke popped over his second of the game and Delaney his third of the half, all by the 40th minute.

Paddy Dozio doubled his tally with St Ciaran’s opening point of the second period but the depth of Tooreen’s squad was exemplified when David and Fionn Delaney both appeared off the bench and within minutes, forced excellent saves from netminder Duffy. Fergal Boland, too, almost completed his hat-trick of goals, but all the while his brother Shane, with three points from frees and one from play, and Sean Kenny, a free, kept the scoreboard ticking over, to move the home side into a 3-28 to 0-6 lead after 55 minutes.

A converted free by Brendan Sheridan was only St Ciaran’s second score of the half, but also their last of the match, as further points by Shane Boland, a free, and Brian Morley preceded quickfire goals on the stroke of full-time by Daniel Huane and David Delaney, with only the defiance of Duffy between the sticks preventing Tooreen from adding at least four more goals during the game.

Whether Ballyhaunis were choosing to keep something hidden in their more modest 0-19 to 0-7 win against Castlebar Mitchels in the other semi-final remains to be seen. But they too racked up thirty points on St Ciaran’s in the previous round except adding just the one goal compared to Tooreen’s five.

Scorers – Tooreen: Fergal Boland 2-7, Shane Boland 1-8 (5f), Eoin Delaney 0-6, Daniel Huane 1-1, Brian Morley 0-4, David Delaney 1-0, Fionan Burke and Sean Kenny (1f) 0-2 each.

St Ciaran’s: Brendan Sheridan 0-4 (3f), Paddy Dozio 0-2, Killian Gallagher 0-1.

Tooreen: Bobby Douglas; Michael Morley, Stephen Coyne, Padraig Mooney; Joe Boyle, David Kenny, Jack Trench; Daniel Huane, Conal Hession; Eoin Delaney, Brian Morley, Sean Kenny; Shane Boland, Fergal Boland, Fionan Burke. Subs: David Delaney (for Trench 38), Fionn Delaney (for Burke 41), Oisin Casey (for Mooney 47), David Harrison (for F Boland 51), James Byrne (for Harrison 52-53, blood), Matthew Delaney (for D Kenny 56).

St Ciaran’s: Kevin Duffy; Gerard Murphy, James Carroll, Bradley Murphy; Sean McGhee, Michael Gallagher, Cathal Guilfoyle; Eoghan Roe, Keith Downey; Paddy Dozio, Brendan Sheridan, Liam Lavin; Darren Williams, Killian Gallagher, Ronan Fallon. Subs: Johnny Granahan (for Downey 43), Downey (for Lavin ht), Lavin (for Williams 41), Brendan Geraghty (for M Gallagher 58).

REF: Eadhmonn Macsuibhne