Loughrea 3-13

Clarinbridge 0-16

Pádraic Ó Ciardha at Pearse Stadium

LOUGHREA are through to their first Galway senior hurling final in nine years after they simply had too much for Clarinbridge in the second of last weekend’s semi-finals.

While no one in a Loughrea jersey could match the 0-14 total tallied by Evan Niland, The Town had far more options in attack and made it count. Loughrea created six clear goal-scoring chances over the course of the hour and while they should have bagged more than the three that they ended up with, that was still enough to earn a place alongside St Thomas’ in the county final.

There was still a strong wind blowing in Salthill and, having won the toss and opted to play into the teeth of it from the start, the work that Loughrea did during the opening half went a long way towards their eventual victory.

Martin McManus’ goal in the 27th minute was crucial in keeping just two points between the sides at the break and preventing Clarinbridge from building the sort of lead that they would have wanted. Loughrea dominated the third quarter and while they suffered a little wobble heading for home, McManus’ second goal in the 51st minute made sure of the win.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Tommy Kelly’s side, however. Defender Shane Morgan was one of the standout players last Sunday, keeping Clarinbridge’s Mark Kennedy to just a single point, but Morgan was carried off the field in the 54th minute with what looked like a serious muscle injury and would now appear to be a massive doubt for the final. Paul Hoban was equally impressive in the full-back line and also looked to be struggling with a knock at times, but the former Galway player played the full game and would seem a much surer bet to start the week after next.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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