THOMAS’ TRIUMPH
Galway champions overcome sending-off to blow out Gaels
AFTER a brace of senior club hurling semi-finals that had anyone watching wondering where to place them in the pantheon of truly great games, here was another epic final that was right up there.
A goal that never was for O’Loughlin Gaels, a straight red card that perhaps should never have been for St Thomas’, all culminating in a thrilling endgame that went down to the last ball.
It was cruel for team captain Mark Bergin that his chance of an equaliser for the Kilkenny champions slipped wide but given the distance — a free from over half-way into swirling wind and rain — the odds were stacked against him.
That meant that 14-man St Thomas’ were left standing as victors at the final whistle after producing a second-half performance under pressure that matched the heroics of that semi-final against competition favourites Ballygunner.
David Burke was selected as the official TG4 man of the match and his contribution was immense. For
“David Burke’s
contribution was immense”
a player to come back from a cruciate injury and reach this level of play was remarkable.
He was everywhere, roaming between the two 45s to brilliant effect, stepping up when his team needed him.
Conor Cooney was another to stand tall in the pressure moments after his team went down a man — James Regan picking up what looked like a harsh straight red from referee Seán Stack soon after half-time — but Éanna Burke’s winner from the Hogan Stand sideline was top class.
It rounded off a frantic period of added time during which David Fogarty popped up to hit a screamer of a point to equalise.
Burke’s last score though was deserving of winning an All-Ireland final, a superb snapshot on the turn from the Hogan Stand flank.
And so St Thomas’ lift the Tommy Moore Cup for the second time, 11 years after their breakthrough first. They become the first Galway team to win since Portumna in 2014 and it means that Galway clubs now join Kilkenny at the top of the roll of honour with 14 titles apiece.
And yet the eventual champions
Ghost goal: Screen grab shows how Owen Wall’s strike looks to have crossed the line
were only hanging on in there at half-time, trailing 0-10 to 0-8 after giving Paddy Deegan the freedom of the park at centre-back. It was hard to understand the logic behind that as a rampant O’Loughlins half-back line scored five from play in that first period. Jordan Molloy was outstanding on the wing and his two were matched by Deegan with David Fogarty grabbing one of his own.
Now it did facilitate David Burke dropping to sweep from midfield for St Thomas’, just as he has made a career out of with club and county.
But the six-in-a-row Galway champions should really have been another goal down at half-time when a shot from Owen Wall looked to have crossed the line — only for the goal not to be given.
Full-back Fintan Burke caught the sliotar and held it between his legs as he fell back over the line. Television replays seemed to conclusively show that the sliotar had crossed the line.
It was a big swing, especially when Éanna Burke got a score down the other end.
With the rain now sweeping across Croke Park, the conditions became tougher for the players. And then came the sending off just minutes after the interval.
Midfielder Jack Nolan won possession and sidestepped the approaching challenge of Regan. The St Thomas’ player just caught him on the faceguard with a part of his arm — it didn’t look deliberate and it didn’t look bad enough to warrant a red card. When Stack flashed a straight red, the player’s dismay spoke volumes. Manager Kenneth Burke, too, was irate but his team lifted it all over the field, hunting in packs with David Burke and Cooney showing the way on the scoreboard.
Gerald Kelly made a quality reaction stop from Luke Hogan but O’Loughlin Gaels just couldn’t utilise their extra man to best effect.
Instead, David Burke was making his presence felt and Victor Manso floated over two big points as the match thundered towards a climax.
Mark Bergin showed his leadership with an important point to close the gap after St Thomas’ had surged two clear but Éanna Burke replied with a cracker on the turn.
There was one manic passage right near the end where Fintan Burke made an inspirational catch before the ball was turned over – only for O’Loughlins to turn it back over to St Thomas’.
When Fogarty hit that leveller from distance in injury time it looked like extra time was looming only for Eanna Burke to hit that incredible winner. ST THOMAS’: G Kelly; C Mahony, F Burke, D Sherry (E Duggan 20); J Headd, S Cooney, C Burke; D Finnerty, David Burke; Darragh Burke, C Cooney, V Manso (B Burke 50); J Regan, E Burke, O Flannery (D McGlynn 58). SCORERS: C Cooney 0-6 (4fs), David Burke, E Burke 0-3 each, J Regan, V Manso 0-2 each, C Burke, G Kelly 0-1 (f) each YELLOW CARD: David Burke 6, E Burke 39, S Cooney 52 RED CARD: J Regan 33 WIDES: 6 (4) O’LOUGHLIN GAELS: S Murphy; T Forristal, H Lawlor, M Butler; D Fogarty, P Deegan, J Molloy; J Nolan (J Ryan 50), C Loy (P Butler 58); C Heary, M Bergin, E O’Shea (C Kelly 47); O Wall, L Hogan, S Bolger. SCORERS: M Bergin 0-4 (2fs), P Deegan, J Molloy, D Fogarty, S Bolger 0-2 each, M Butler, L Hogan, C Heary, S Murphy 0-1 (f), C Kelly 0-1 each YELLOW CARD: C Heary 6, S Bolger 51, P Deegan 59 WIDES: 3 (4) REFEREE: S Stack (Dublin)