Tooreen raise the ‘bar as another final beckons
Martin Parsons makes a save from Tooreen's Fionn Delaney. Picture: Conor McKeown
Tooreen began this year by going to within a whisker of becoming All-Ireland champions. Of the 22 players who featured for the Blue Devils in that extra-time epic with Upperchurch-Drombane at Croke Park on January 10, 18 played in last Sunday’s demolition of Castlebar Mitchels. Safe to say Tooreen were taking no chances in their attempt to reach a 15th consecutive Mayo SHC final.
It’s also safe to say they could easily have managed without the quartet of dual players who started Sunday’s 25 points win and who next Saturday will try and help Aghamore earn the rarest of appearances in the semi-finals of the county senior football championship. But that’s not how they roll. And it’s not how they became the dominant powerhouse of intermediate hurling in Connacht.
Tooreen players actually make up a third of Aghamore’s starting team – Oisin Greally didn’t tog for the hurlers on Sunday – but all of Fergal Boland, David Kenny, Liam Lavin and Conal Hession were safely retired from action by the 48th minute. And such is the depth of the East Mayo side’s squad, substitutes accounted for 2-4, which was just one point short of Castlebar’s total score for the game.
The secret behind Tooreen’s continued excellence is no secret really. It’s all about replenishment. Young men like Fionn Delaney, Padraig Mooney and David Delaney, who were sprung from the bench in the All-Ireland final, are now starting and not looking an inch out of place. Jake Glavey and David Harrison also featured as substitutes in Croke Park and played those roles again against Mitchels with total effectiveness, with Glavey making a fine block to deny Castlebar a second goal and Harrison popping over a pair of points.
The teams had traded opening points, Shane Boland for the hosts and Corey Scahill for Castlebar Mitchels from a free. But by the time the visitors next scored, Tooreen already had both feet in the county final. An eighth minute Liam Lavin goal, expertly finished out left from 20 metres, was supplemented by three Shane Boland points, two from Lavin himself, two from Eoin Delaney and one apiece by goalkeeper Bobby Douglas, David Delaney and Danny Huane, to leave Tooreen 1-10 to 0-1 ahead inside 22 minutes. All put two of the points had come from play while Castlebar were only fortunate that their goalkeeper Martin Parsons was on his toes to prevent Fionn Delaney and Fergal Boland from adding to Tooreen’s goal tally.
Colm Enright, introduced in the 20th minute, made an early impact by scoring Castlebar’s second point, but Parsons was soon called upon again, producing saves from Eoin Delaney and Liam Lavin in between which Shane Boland struck the post from yet another goal chance.
Sean Kenny and Corey Scahill, a free, swapped singles before Tooreen opened up a 14 points half-time lead through a trio of points from Shane Boland, Eoin Delaney and Lavin. Despite switching Kevin Rowland from their attack to corner-back, the Castlebar defence just couldn’t lay a hand on their opponents – and nothing really was to change in the second-half.
David Kenny, part of a robust half-back line also including Joe Boyle and Stephen Coyne, drove over a mighty opening point of the second-half which was only five minutes old when Tooreen added their second goal. Castlebar had actually just gone close to raising green at the opposite end, with sub John Kennedy’s long delivery dropping to Corey Scahill whose one-handed swing sent the sliotar just wide to the right. Tooreen’s very next attack saw Eoin Delaney cut inside three defenders and fire past Parsons.
Shane Boland converted a ’65 a minute later and Tooreen were now 2-16 to 0-3 in front, with a goal by half-time substitute Brian Morley then extending the advantage to 21 points by the 39th minute.
Castlebar’s best period of the game came around the turn into the fourth quarter when they hit a goal and three points all from play. Enright and Scahill, two, fired over the ones while the 44th minute rocket by Barry Lane was created by Scahill’s quick free after a foul on Enright.
David Delaney and subs David Harrison and James Byrne hit back with a point apiece before back to back goals for Tooreen in the 55th and 57th minutes. The first, Brian Morley’s second, came when he reacted quickest to a block on Fionn Delaney’s initial effort, while the latter wasn’t to be denied two minutes later when he was superbly teed up by David Delaney’s delivery from 60 metres out.
A Scahill free wrapped up the scoring for Castlebar but there was still time for Harrison to add another point, likewise sub Oisin Casey who became Tooreen’s 13th scorer.
A seventh consecutive Tooreen v Ballyhaunis county final awaits in four weeks’ time, with the former aiming to win a sixth title in succession.
Scorers – Tooreen: Brian Morley 2-0, Eoin Delaney and Liam Lavin 1-3 each, Shane Boland 0-5 (1f, 1’ 65), Fionn Delaney 1-0 David Delaney and David Harrison 0-2 each, Bobby Douglas (’65), Danny Huane, Sean Kenny, David Kenny, James Byrne and Oisin Casey 0-1 each.
Castlebar: Corey Scahill 0-5 (3f), Barry Lane 1-0, Colm Enright 0-3.
Tooreen: Bobby Douglas; Padraig Mooney, Conal Hession, Michael Morley; Joe Boyle, Stephen Coyne, David Kenny; Danny Huane, Fergal Boland; David Delaney, Sean Kenny, Eoin Delaney; Fionn Delaney, Liam Lavin, Shane Boland. Subs: Brian Morley (for S Kenny ht), David Harrison and Oisin Casey (for F Boland and D Kenny 41), James Byrne (for Lavin 43), Jake Glavey (for Hession 48).
Castlebar Mitchels: Martin Parsons; Ciaran Treacy, James Lowe, Anthony Rowland; Eoin Enright, James Lyons, Conor Murray; Kevin Keena, Conor Donaldson; Corey Scahill, Ronan Treacy, Paul Mongey; Barry Lane, Pearce Murray, Kevin Rowland. Subs: Colm Enright (for C Treacy 20), John Kennedy (for R Treacy 29). Ronan Loftus (for P Murray 50).
REF: Mel Kenny (Westport)
