Tooreen unlikely to be spooked at the Hyde
Tooreen’s Brian Morley in action against Four Roads’ James Cunniffe during last season's clash in the AIB Connacht Intermediate Hurling Championship. Picture: David Farrell Photography
In what has become a near-annual event, the meeting of Mayo and Roscommon’s most successful hurling clubs promises to be as intriguing an affair as ever.
The interest is heightened when you consider that reigning Mayo and Connacht champions Tooreen are coming into the provincial stage on the back of one of their most dominant Mayo senior final wins in their history.
The meeting of Tooreen and Ballyhaunis is normally a tight and tense affair, but their 2-29 to 0-20 hammering of their local rivals was as devastating a display as they have ever produced since their Connacht dominance began in 2017.
Any notion that there would be a period of transition under the new management of Shane Morley and Stephen Leneghan, who took over the reins earlier this year after Mayo senior manager Ray Larkin stepped aside, was dismissed in emphatic fashion as the Blue Devils effectively ended the game as a contest by half-time to ensure the TJ Tyrell Cup remained in Adrian Freeman Park for another year.
Since that breakthrough triumph against Ballinameen, Tooreen have only lost twice in the province, falling to Galway duo Oranmore-Maree and Tynagh Abbey-Duniry in the 2018 and 2023 deciders. In addition, they have never lost to a Roscommon team since the Connacht junior and intermediate grades were established in 2005, with the Connacht senior semi-final defeat to Athleague in 2003 their last loss against a Rossies opponent.
All that taken into consideration, Tooreen are heavy favourites as they look to retain their Connacht title and chase a seventh in nine years. Their team is filled with the men who have defined the club’s most glorious era.
Bobby Douglas, Conal Hession, Oisin Greally, David Kenny, Stephen Coyne, Daniel Huane, Liam Lavin, and Shane and Fergal Boland remain core members while they continue to add exciting young talents, with David and Fionn Delaney now key men in the attack.
It is quite fitting that the game will be played on Halloween as Four Roads have suffered the horrors more than most at the hands of Tooreen. Although their five-point defeat last year – their smallest losing margin against Tooreen at this level – suggests the gap is narrowing, Tooreen never hit top gear either to win.
The Roscommon side have failed to beat Tooreen in any of their last six meetings dating back to 2013. Indeed, in that period, their semi-final win over Ballyhaunis in 2015 is the only time Four Roads have defeated a Mayo side – so history is not kind to them.
Their dominance of Roscommon hurling remains impressive, nonetheless. In addition to winning the county junior and league titles, Four Roads claimed a fifth senior title in a row – and 39th overall – earlier this month, but it was their tightest winning margin in a decade, as they narrowly beat St Dominic’s by a single point, with rising young stars Jimmy Hoey and Conor Morris continuing to enhance their reputations.
It looked like St Dominic’s were going to end the drive for five by Four Roads but late points by Brian Mannion and Oisín Finneran ensured victory. The performance by Four Roads was not overly convincing on the day, but winning while not playing well is a good habit and Tooreen will have to be wary of a side that can cause them problems if they click into gear.
But even if they cause a fright on the scariest day of the year, Tooreen should overcome their fears with a bit to spare.
Verdict: Tooreen
