Inside Track with John McIntyre

MAYBE 2021 was St Thomas’ big chance of capturing a coveted second All-Ireland Club title after all. They had gone toe-to-toe in a gripping semi-final with Ballyhale Shamrocks in Thurles last January only to have the rug pulled from under their feet in devastating fashion by two late TJ Reid specials.

Fast forward 11 months and St Thomas’ are back in another All-Ireland semi-final – this time at Croke Park. On paper, it looks a relatively routine assignment for the Galway champions despite their Dunloy opponents having a history of upsetting the odds at this stage of the title race. Ask Athenry, Portumna, Glenmore, and Mount Sion for confirmation.

But the Antrim men were a little fortunate to turn the tables on Slaughtneil in the Ulster final and this was their first appearance in an All-Ireland semi-final since 2009. And while they may represent dangerous foes in provincial grounds, surely the open expanses of Croke Park would expose their limitations last Sunday.

With St Thomas’ coming into the game in good form and momentum, they were expected to get the job done in some comfort despite the injuries still stalking the team. But their woes on that front only got worse when Darragh Burke sustained a calf injury in the warm-up and had to be replaced.

The players and management also had to contend with the disruption caused by the postponement of Darragh’s wedding to Shauna Healy due to a clash with the All-Ireland club semi-final. You might think that a team as long on the road and experienced as St Thomas’ wouldn’t be distracted in such a scenario, but it must have been a challenging backdrop to the game.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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