Tooreen are walking on Eyre’

AIB Connacht Club IHC Final 

Tooreen 3-21 

Meelick-Eyrecourt 2-12 

Anthony Hennigan at King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon 

It’s stronger they’re getting. A sixth Connacht title in eighth seasons and this one won in the most impressive fashion yet. Previously, Tooreen’s biggest margin of victory in the provincial final had been five points, against Kinvara in 2019, but twelve points was a quite accurate reflection of how much better the Blue Devils were than Meelick-Eyrecourt at Dr Hyde Park.

It's arguable, in fact, that never before in the club’s long and illustrious history has a Tooreen team played with as much skill as on Saturday when they totally outclassed their Galway opponents, doing much of the heavy lifting in the first-half.

Two goals from man-of-the-match Liam Lavin and a bullet-like penalty by Sean Kenny helped the Mayo champions into a seven points half-time lead and Meelick-Eyrecourt never made real inroads into that margin in the second-half. Indeed their last score arrived as early as the 47th minute, after which Tooreen stretched out their lead and eased their way into next month’s All-Ireland semi-final. They’ll face the Ulster champions who will be determined next Sunday when Lisbellaw St Patrick’s (Fermanagh) and Éire Óg Charraig Mhór (Tyrone) face off in Clones. Assumptions are dangerous but Tooreen will be odds on favourites to reach their second All-Ireland Club intermediate hurling final in four seasons.

Still operating without their injured captain Daniel Huane, the only time that Tooreen trailed on Saturday was when Nathan Earner drilled a free between their posts inside the opening minute. Goalkeeper Bobby Douglas immediately negated that with a pointed free of his own before setting up Liam Lavin to score the game’s opening goal after just three minutes.

Meelick-Eyrecourt’s full-back line had failed to deal with Douglas’ booming delivery, with Lavin latching onto the break and rounding goalkeeper Enda Lawless.

David Kenny traded a point with Niall Fleming while Earner fired over his second free for Meelick-Eyrecourt but a brace of points by Lavin had Tooreen 1-4 to 0-3 ahead after nine minutes before their challengers struck back with intent two minutes later. John Fleming bombed forward and traded passes with his brother Niall and while his initial goal attempt was blocked by Michael Morley, he was able to gather the loose ball and hammer past Douglas at the second time of asking, reducing the arrears to one point.

Tooreen’s response was emphatic. Shane Boland, a free, and Brian Morley, after a well-worked move out of defence, raised white flags and while Jarlath McEvoy pulled a point back, Fergal Boland scored the first of his four points before another long puck by Bobby Douglas again caused consternation in the opposition’s defence who fouled Liam Lavin which gave Sean Kenny the chance to whip home a 16th minute goal from the penalty spot. He duly obliged, so when the unmarkable Lavin raised Tooreen’s third green flag after only 20 minutes, the signs already were beginning to look very ominous for Meelick-Eyrecourt.

The goal was a thing of beauty, as Lavin’s give-and-go with Brian Morley saw him accept the return pass with a stunning first touch that was followed by a bullet into the top left corner. He added a point to increase his haul to 2-3 and while a trio of points were supplied by Meelick-Eyrecourt full-forward Nathan Earner, including one from play, a free converted by Sean Kenny from inside his own half still had Tooreen eight points ahead, 3-9 to 1-7, after 29 minutes.

Centre-forward Niall Fleming had been carrying the fight to Tooreen and it was he who cut a path through to set-up James Lyons for a badly-needed goal, however, stoppage time points by Brian Morley and Fergal Boland were an excellent response by Tooreen who led 3-11 to 2-7 at the turnaround.

Each of the four times that Meelick-Eyrecourt scored points during the opening twelve minutes of the second-half, three of which came from the ever-reliable Earner and one from Jarlath McEvoy, Tooreen hit back with a replies, from wing-back Joe Boyle, Fergal Boland, twice, and Sean Kenny, a free, meaning that the gap between the teams never closed to more than six points.

Indeed when the latter added another free in the 46th minute, the reply by John Fleming sixty seconds later was Meelick-Eyrecourt’s last of the game, at which stage they trailed 3-16 to 2-12.

While Colin Downey’s tireless tracking of Liam Lavin in the second-half had helped to curb the corner-forward’s influence somewhat, there was no shortage of Tooreen men willing to share the scoring load whereas in the face of seriously uncompromising Tooreen defenders, Meelick-Eyrecourt managed just two points from play in the second-half.

Cathal Freeman, handed an appearance off the bench upon his visit from Australia, played his part in Tooreen tightening the squeeze on the Galwegians in the final quarter, as Brian Morley, Sean Kenny, two frees, Shane Boland and substitute Fionn Delaney, from his first touch, each hit points inside the final ten minutes. There might even have been a fourth goal but Eoin Delaney was denied by a stoppage-time save from Lawless.

Massively disappointed to lose last year’s Connacht final having led Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry by four points at half-time, Tooreen returned to the same venue bigger, better and stronger. Croke Park in 2023 feels like another itch they’re wanting to scratch.

Scorers – Tooreen: Liam Lavin 2-3, Sean Kenny 1-5 (1-0pen, 5f), Fergal Boland 0-4, Brian Morley 0-3, Shane Boland 0-2 (1f), Bobby Douglas (f), David Kenny, Joe Boyle and Fionn Delaney 0-1 each.

Meelick-Eyrecourt: Nathan Earner 0-8 (7f), John Fleming 1-1, James Lyons 1-0, Jarlath McEvoy 0-2, Niall Fleming 0-1.

Tooreen: Bobby Douglas; Conal Hession, Stephen Coyne, Michael Morley; Joe Boyle, Oisin Greally, David Kenny; Kenny Feeney, Sean Kenny; Eoin Delaney, Brian Morley, John Cassidy; Liam Lavin, Fergal Boland, Shane Boland. Subs: Ciaran Finn (for Cassidy ht), Cathal Freeman (for Coyne 35-38, blood), Freeman (for Finn 57), Fionn Delaney (for Feeney 58), David Harrison and David Delaney (for B Morley and E Delaney 60+3).

Meelick-Eyrecourt: Enda Lawless; James Burke, Martin Corcoran, Colin Downey; Tiernan Gohery, James Downey, Conor Treacy; John Fleming, Tommy Fleming; James Lyons, Niall Fleming, John Hynes; Jarlath McEvoy, Nathan Earner, Fionn Gohery. Subs: Liam Duane (for Hynes ht), Lee McDermott (for F Gohery 47), Shane McDermott (for McEvoy 56), Damien Burke (for T Fleming 57).

REF: James Owens (Wexford)