Tooreen trample on hopes of Exiles
Stephen Coyne shows all his grit to get by his man during Tooreen's highly impressive victory away to London champions St Gabriel's in Saturday's AIB Connacht Club IHC semi-final at McGovern Park, Ruislip. Picture: Sheila Fernandes
After a couple of unconvincing outings, where they were fortunate to win their county final clash with Ballyhaunis and allowed Four Roads mount an albeit unsuccessful comeback in the Connacht quarter-final, Tooreen were back to their old impressive ways on Saturday when they unceremoniously ended the hope of St Gabriel’s becoming the first London side to win the Connacht intermediate hurling championship.
The slick and well-drilled Mayo champions were just too good for Gabriel’s at McGovern Park, particularly in the first-half where this semi-final was won and lost.
Flying out of the blocks, the visitors led 1-5 to 0-2 after ten minutes and by the short whistle had widened that margin to 2-15 to 0-5. If there wasn’t already, there was definitely no way back for the London champions when Eoin Delaney added Tooreen’s third goal in the 35th minute.
While having no complaint, this defeat will hurt St Gabriel’s even more so perhaps than some of their previous near-misses against Tooreen. Played six, lost six, is now the record of London’s best in the Connacht IHC semi-final since they first ventured into the competition in 2018. All of those defeats have come at the hands of Mayo’s hurling kingpins, with St Gabriel’s on the receiving end of four of them. The other two came against Robert Emmetts.
No disgrace there, one might venture, as Tooreen have annexed five Connacht titles in the last seven years. But will be of concern to London is that the gap appears to be widening.
Tooreen prevailed by just two points over Gabriel’s at Ruislip in the sides’ inaugural Connacht fixture seven years ago. The following year, Tooreen left it late to force extra-time against Emmetts, with Emmetts having made the journey west just a week after two periods of extra-time in the London county final.
Fast forward and last year the margin of the Mayo team’s win against Gabriel’s was ten points. On Saturday, it was an 22 points.
But maybe this was just a bad day at the office for Gabriel’s? Indeed, it’s only a few months since London celebrated a first Christy Ring title since 2012 – and Gabriel’s provided eight members of that Exiles team, including its captain and Ring hurler of the year, Sean Glynn. On Saturday, though, a Tooreen side including several members of the Mayo side which lost out in the Nickey Rackard final for the second successive year were just a different level. The synergy and understanding that comes from years of playing together was there for all to see in Tooreen – and Ray Larkin’s charges rolled out of Ruislip with thoughts only of next Saturday’s Connacht IHC final clash with Galway’s Meelick-Eyrecourt.
Fergal Boland had opened the scoring at Ruislip inside the first minute – set up by David Kenny – with the excellent Shane Boland doubling the visitors’ lead. Tooreen had hit the ground running and Brian Morley added their third point. Instrumental to their second and third scores were Bobby Douglas’ quick and pinpoint puck-outs.
Rory Lodge opened Gabriel’s account, but the visitors had started very brightly indeed. Larkin’s side were quicker to the loose ball, and just sharper in thought and deed.
John Cassidy – into the side in place of injured captain Daniel Huane – set up Fergal Boland to goal in the fifth minute. Cassidy then went through on goal himself only for Padraig Collins to produce an excellent one-handed save, when he was already committed to diving the other way. Sean Kenny slotted over the resulting ’65, though, to keep the scoreboard moving.
Jack Morrissey teed up Danny Coyne for a brief sight of the Tooreen goal, only for the door to be firmly slammed shut by a horde of white jerseys. Morrissey made no mistake from the subsequent ’65 to make it 1-5 to 0-2.
St Gabriel’s were increasingly finding themselves on the wrong side of referee Shane Hynes’ decisions, with Tooreen’s players arguably a little bit cuter in that regard. They were also adept at finding space in attack, while hunting in packs in defence and applying considerable pressure to the Gabriel’s player in possession.
While Gabriel’s desperately tried to find their feet, they couldn’t stem the flow of Tooreen points. Shane Boland and Kenny Feeney made it 1-9 to 0-2 with 19 minutes gone – and it was already looking like a bridge too far for the home side.
Better play by Gabriel’s ended with Lodge claiming their third point, with Sean Glynn adding a fourth. Soon after, though, Morley turned provider for Feeney to raise Tooreen’s second green flag in the 28th minute and make it 2-12 to 0-4. To add insult to injury, it came from a Gabriel’s sideline in their own half, from which Tooreen gained possession and duly capitalised.
The visitors took a commanding 2-15 to 0-5 lead into the break at the end of a hugely disappointing first-half for the home side and their shellshocked supporters. Never in their worst nightmares would they have contemplated trailing Tooreen by a margin of 16 points.
Cassidy’s run led to Shane Boland opening the second half scoring with a free while Sean Glynn’s determination yielded a free from which Morrissey immediately replied for Gabriel’s. However, a minute later, Tooreen rubberstamped their place in next Saturday’s final when Feeney’s shot from distance came back off the post, and Delaney slotted the rebound past Collins.
St Gabriel’s could certainly count themselves unlucky on this occasion, as it was fortunate for Tooreen that the rebound fell so invitingly for Delaney. But it also rather aptly summed up proceedings from a Gabriel’s perspective; Tooreen were just quicker to the second ball.
Morrissey made it 3-17 to 0-7 with Ray Larkin now happy to ring the changes safe in knowledge that passage into Saturday’s final had been secured. It was otherwise a stuttering stop-start second-half. The only bright side for Gabriel’s being Morrissey’s superb score from beneath the McGovern Stand late on.
A defiant riposte and a hint at what might have been, but Tooreen grabbed this game by the scruff of the neck from the throw in and never let go until it was safe to do so.
The Mayo champions move on, but they leave Gabriel’s – and London hurling at large – wondering if the county will ever to see a side emulate Robert Emmetts’ achievement of winning an All-Ireland club intermediate title, as they did in 2012.
Scorers – Tooreen: Fergal Boland 1-4, Shane Boland 0-6 (3f), Kenny Feeney 1-1, Eoin Delaney 1-0, Joe Boyle 0-3 (1f), Sean Kenny (1 ’65, 1f) and Fionn Delaney (2f) 0-2 each, Brian Morley, Bobby Douglas (f) and Liam Lavin 0-1 each.
St Gabriel’s: Jack Morrissey 0-5 (1 ’65, 2f), Rory Lodge 0-2, Sean Glynn 0-1.
St Gabriel’s: Padraig Collins; Niall Eames, Niall Geoghegan, Rory Hickey; Fionn Whelan, Stevie Whelan, Callum Gardiner; Jack Gilsenan, Eoin Kelly; Rory Lodge, Conor O’Carroll, Jack Morrissey; Danny Coyne, Sean Glynn, Martin Glynn. Subs: Liam Murphy (for Kelly 23), Geoff Kingston (for Hickey ht), Colm Healy (for Gardiner 38), Paddy Naughton (for Gilsenan 46).
Tooreen: Bobby Douglas; Michael Morley, Oisin Greally, Conal Hession; Joe Boyle, Stephen Coyne, David Kenny; Liam Lavin, Eoin Delaney; Shane Boland, Fergal Boland, John Cassidy; Kenny Feeney, Brian Morley, Sean Kenny. Subs: Ciaran Finn (for Cassidy 36), Fionn Delaney and David Delaney (for S Boland and Feeney 48, Padraic Mooney (for Boyle 52), David Harrison (for B Morley 56).
REF: Shane Hynes (Galway)
