Tooreen cut loose to show locals the road
Young Tooreen fans on the pitch on the pitch enjoying their side's win last Saturday. Picture: Bernie O'Farrell
Tooreen’s ‘Drive for Five’ remains on course after a stunning second-half performance saw them outgun Roscommon champions Four Roads in Hyde Park last Saturday afternoon to advance to the Connacht intermediate club hurling semi-final.
It was not without a bump or two along the way. Trailing 2-8 to 0-8 at half-time, Four Roads were certainly the better side in the first-half as they capitalised on an error-strewn display by the reigning Mayo and Connacht champions.
The sending off of corner-forward Conor Morris on 23 minutes was a crucial moment, although had Four Roads their full contingent they would have struggled to deal with the trio of Liam Lavin and Boland brothers Shane and Fergal, who accounted for a combined 2-15.
Those were pivotal in the second-half as the Blue Devils struck 2-17 to inflict a third straight defeat on Four Roads at this stage of the competition, having beaten them last year and in 2022, both times on their way to Connacht success.
In an electric start to the game, Tooreen hit three points in the opening minute through Shane Boland, Joe Boyle and Oisin Greally but Four Roads countered with the perfect response. They struck 1-2, the goal coming as complacent play was punished by Conor Mulry who blasted into the net past Bobby Douglas.
Shane Boland got his second shortly after but Four Roads continued their good start through Conor Mulry and a Conor Morris free to lead 1-4 to 0-4 after six minutes.
The frantic pace slowed somewhat and Tooreen got back to within one through two Shane Boland points, one free, and Liam Lavin’s first, only for 18-year-old Conor Morris to continue his bright start with another pair of points. However, the young man’s game would come to a premature end after he was shown a straight red card for catching Oisin Greally’s face guard.
Shane Boland struck his third point on 25 minutes but Four Roads, who had the aid of the breeze, responded brilliantly with their second goal of the half. Noel Mallon’s booming restart broke to Tommy Morris and he ran through to bury his strike into the net, which was followed by two efforts from Cathal Dolan to give the Roscommon outfit a six-point lead going into the break.
Daniel Huane and Cathal Dolan traded the first scores of the second-half, the latter’s a delightful line ball, but Tooreen began to dominate from here. The Blue Devils would score the next three through Shane Boland, a Bobby Douglas free and Eoin Delaney, while Dolan’s next score for Four Roads would be their last for almost 15 minutes as Tooreen struck another 1-6 without reply.
Douglas started it with a monster score from his own 20 metre line, with other points coming from Lavin, two, Fionnan Burke, Shane Boland and Eoin Delaney. The goal arrived on 41 minutes as the Boland brothers combined and Fergal emphatically finished it past Fallon.
Four Roads responded with their third goal coming from a 20-metre free by Adam Donnelly, but Tooreen’s devastating attack was too much to handle at this stage. Two further strikes from Dolan was all Four Roads could muster as Fergal Boland, Liam Lavin, Eoin Delaney, Shane Boland and Ciaran Finn all pointed in the final quarter, the pick of the scores coming in added time as Fergal Boland struck a thunderous shot into the top corner to set up an encounter with the London champions in two weeks’ time.
Scorers – Tooreen: Fergal Boland 2-2, Shane Boland 0-8 (3f), Liam Lavin 0-5, Eoin Delaney 0-3, Bobby Douglas 0-2 (1f), Joe Boyle, Oisin Greally, Daniel Huane, Fionnan Burke and Ciarán Finn 0-1 each.
Four Roads: Cathal Dolan 0-6 (2f, 1 s/l), Conor Mulry 1-1, Adam Donnelly (f) and Tommy Morris 1-0 each, Conor Morris 0-3, Liam Óg Coyle and Eamon Mulry 0-1 each.
Four Roads: Noel Fallon; Eamon Mulry, James Dillon, Conor Coyle; Rory Coyle, Jack Donnelly, Tommy Morris; Trevor Fallon, Mikey Lohan; Liam Óg Coyle, Conor Mulry, Adam Donnelly; Conor Morris, Brendan Mulry, Cathal Dolan. Subs: Jamie Kelly (for Óg Coyle 55).
Tooreen: Bobby Douglas; Jack Trench, Eoin Delaney, Oisin Greally; Joe Boyle, Stephen Coyne, David Kenny; Daniel Huane, Sean Kenny; Liam Lavin, Fergal Boland, Shane Crinnigan; Shane Boland, Kenny Feeney, James Byrne. Subs: Brian Morley (for Byrne ht), Fionnan Burke (for Trench 38), Ciarán Finn (for Crinnigan 58), Oisin Casey (for Lavin 60).
REF: Brian Keon (Galway)
