Tooreen success bringing new eyes to hurling
Upperchurch-Drombane's Mikey Griffin in action against Tooreen duo Oisín Greally (wearing 6) and Stephen Coyne of Tooreen during the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship hurling final match between Tooreen and Upperchurch-Drombane at Croke Park earlier this year. Tooreen may have tasted defeat but their run to the final put hurling firmly in the eyes of a football-mad county. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Tooreen continued their dominance of Mayo hurling, as they defeated rivals Ballyhaunis to claim a sixth TJ Tyrell Cup in a row.
A team that has reached All-Ireland finals in 2023 and this year, the club has put hurling on the map in a county where football has dominated.
In a golden era for the club, Oisin Greally has been crucial to their success. Alongside close friends in the team, he has enjoyed every second of the club’s success.
“There is numerous things you could put the success down to. First of all, the unity in the squad. I think we have had the same block of players for the last seven or eight years.
“Off the pitch, we are all very close with each other. We are best friends. We would be with each other outside of the hurling scene as well. “We know each other very well, we know each other’s game, and when we are at training and matchday, we wll know we will give 100 per cent for each other. There is great people behind the scenes. It is going well so far, so hopefully it continues.”
People in Mayo of all counties know how difficult it is to bounce back from an All-Ireland final defeat, as Tooreen pushed Tipperary's Upperchurch-Drombane all the way to extra-time in Croke Park, losing out by just two points in a thrilling intermediate final.
Under a new management team, and the addition of some younger players, the club have picked up where they left off, and Greally says the club is determined to go one step further.
“It is tough a few weeks after the All-Ireland. We all felt it; we were bitterly disappointed. We were so close, but afterwards we were so far away.
“Once the months and weeks go by and the closer it gets to championship time, you need to get yourself up for it again because there is so much at stake.
“This group of players is a special group. We feel that if we push each other hard enough, good things will happen again. When you have good people around you, it makes it easier.”
Attention now turns to the Connacht championship, where Tooreen will take on Roscommon champions Four Roads in the quarter-final next Saturday at Dr Hyde Park.
A side they have had previous battles with, Greally says they must take encouragement from previous success in the provincial championship.
“We have to take great confidence. We have been fairly successful apart from a few years where we lost finals narrowly.
“You kind of know the route we have to go, but at the same time, there is new challenges. Four Roads will be gunning to play us, we beat them in the last few years, we know each other pretty well.” The future of how to grow hurling has been a topic of conversation since the summer, with debates ongoing on how to expand the game in counties like Mayo.
The success of Tooreen has brought new eyes on Mayo from hurling fans outside the county. While this is welcomed, the Mayo hurler says more must be done to grow the game.
“I know a lot of lads from college, they would have mates in big hurling areas, they would all know Tooreen now. A lot of them would have been watching the county final.
“It has definitely brought eyes to the hurling teams in Mayo, but there is still a lot of work to be done in that sense.
“We are happy to play our part in doing that, but there is still a lot of work to be done. It is hard to put your finger on one thing really, but there is great people doing great work, so hopefully that continues and more people roll in behind.”
