Tooreen look to stay clear of rocky Roads
The Tooreen squad celebrates with young supporters after their win against Ballyhaunis in the 2025 Connacht Gold Mayo SHC final in Ballyhaunis. Picture: Michael Donnelly
For over a decade, the Connacht intermediate club championship has become a familiar road for Tooreen – and in more ways than one.
Since 2013, they have faced no opponent more in the provincial stages than Roscommon’s dominant hurling club Four Roads, who won a record-extending 38th county title when they defeated Oran in the Roscommon senior final back in September, and the two will meet this Saturday afternoon for the fourth year in a row – and a fifth time in seven years – at the Connacht quarter-final stage.
While not as familiar an opponent as Ballyhaunis are, Tooreen have been enjoying a similar degree of success over Four Roads as they have over their neighbours. In fact, in their five meetings with Four Roads since 2013, Tooreen have won every single one of them and since 2019, are averaging just over 29 points in each of the victories compared to Four Roads’ average tally of over 17 points. The statistics understandably point to another comfortable Tooreen victory but Ray Larkin – in his dual role as Tooreen and Mayo manager – nor his players will not need reminding that comfortable wins in the past do not point to victories in the future.
You only have to go back to the Nicky Rackard Cup final in Croke Park earlier this year to see Roscommon buck that trend. Mayo played the Rossies on three occasions this year between the league and championship. They beat them 3-25 to 1-12 in Division 3A of the National League while the Green and Red won 1-21 to 1-14 in the Nicky Rackard group stage despite playing much of the game with fourteen men. But when these two sides met at GAA headquarters, Roscommon tore up the form book and beat an out-of-sorts Mayo to claim what was a shock Nicky Rackard Cup title.
Much of that Mayo side was made up from Tooreen, while Four Roads had ten players in the Roscommon panel this year. James Dillon, Jack Donnelly, Conor Mulry, Adam Donnelly, Brendan Mulry and Liam Óg Coyle were all involved in Roscommon’s Croke Park success, while Jimmy Hoey, Trevor Fallon, Conor Morris and Oisin Flynn were unused on the day.
Brendan Mulry, the hero for Roscommon in Croke Park with his late winning point, has since departed for Australia but should Tooreen be off colour this weekend, Four Roads certainly have the artillery at their disposal to send Tooreen packing.
Still, it remains a tall order for Four Roads as Tooreen have enjoyed their most glorious spell of success. Since winning their first Connacht intermediate title in 2017, they have only failed to win in the province twice since: 2018 and last year. After narrowly losing last year’s final to Tynagh Abbey-Duniry, there will be a renewed fire for Tooreen to not just reclaim the Connacht intermediate title, but to go on and win a first-ever All-Ireland intermediate championship after their heartbreaking final defeat in 2023.
Tooreen themselves had nine players involved with Mayo on this year’s Nicky Rackard Cup final – Bobby Douglas, Conal Hession, Oisin Greally, David Kenny, Daniel Huane, Liam Lavin, Shane Boland, Eoin Delaney and Sean Kenny – and none of them will need any extra motivation for this one.
Throw-in also experienced defenders Stephen Coyne, Michael Morley and Joe Boyle, as well as dual star Fergal Boland, and Tooreen have not just the defensive nous to shut down the Four Roads attack again but the firepower necessary to inflict more misery on the Roscommon champions.
Tooreen should get over the line once again, but they will not need reminding what a team from Roscommon can do if they are not on it.
Last five meetings:
2024 Connacht Quarter-Final: Tooreen 2-25 Four Roads 3-12
2023 Connacht Quarter-Final: Tooreen 2-23 Four Roads 2-14
2022 Connacht Quarter-Final: Tooreen 2-23 Four Roads 0-14
2019 Connacht Quarter-Final: Tooreen 2-23 Four Roads 0-19
2013 Connacht Semi-Final: Tooreen 0-16 Four Roads 2-9
