Tooreen taking nothing for granted ahead of semi-final
Tooreen’s Fergal Boland and Four Roads Rory Coyle contest the sliothar at midfield during the AIB Connacht Club IHC quarter final at King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon, last Saturday. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Even after recording a 37-point victory in a Connacht quarter-final, manager Shane Morley and head coach Stephen Leneghan will dissect last Saturday’s victory over Four Roads and find room for improvement.
That might sound hard to believe but when chasing an elusive All-Ireland title, no stone will be left unturned as Tooreen continue their relentless pursuit of their Holy Grail.
“There's always something to work on,” said defender David Kenny. “Shane and Leno will be looking back on that clip, and you'll be surprised. They’ll be picking out loads. But we'll definitely sit down, have a look at it and we'll go again Wednesday night hammer and tongs.”
A total of 12 different scorers contributed to their tally of 5-31, as Tooreen effectively continued where they left off from their big county final win over Ballyhaunis.
The game was effectively over well before half-time, but Tooreen showed no mercy in the second half either, scoring four goals in the third quarter.
“Efficiency is something we're definitely working on, something we looked at from last year, taking the right shots and we get the right players on the right ball at the time and if the shot is on we have the license to shoot it. It's great to see as well the spread of scores across the panel like that,” said Kenny.
With rising stars David and Fionn Delaney adding another dimension to the Tooreen attack as well as the return of Cathal Freeman, competition for places is hugely competitive.
“We're delighted with how we performed there, especially into that second half. Lots of times games can lose shape but we managed to maintain our principles and stick to what we're good at.
“It's kind of a testament to the panel. There's lads trying to break into that team so we're never going to ease up with strong players coming off the bench and a really strong panel. So delighted with that aspect, constantly building for the future games.”
Kenny added: “We love to see [David and Fionn] on the ball. They've great energy, great impact around the camp and two very honest lads, so they give their all every time they go out and they really are a joy to play with and a joy to have on the panel.
“Cathal is a player we all looked up to growing up and a player we love to have around. His wisdom, his knowledge, he’s just a great buzz around camp as well. He'll work just as hard as everyone else to try and get his spot back and he knows all about that, just brilliant to have him around and amongst players again.”
Up next is London champions Brothers Pearse, who defeated Sean Teeacy’s to win their first title since 2023. That year however, saw Tooreen get a walkover over the London champions as the final had been delayed following a disputed semi-final between Robert Emmets and St Gabriel’s.
Tooreen are unbeaten against opposition from across the Irish Sea since London entered the intermediate grade in 2018 and they will be heavy favourites again, but Kenny is taking nothing for granted.
“Every time a London team has come over here, they've been very strong and they've had their own handfuls to deal with. We'll do a bit of work on them, and we'll work on ourselves as well.
“We're definitely going to pick out a few things from [Four Roads game], you'll be surprised. There'll be loads to talk about after, but we'll give them the full respect coming over here as we always do.”
