Loughrea 2-22

Slaughtneil 0-15

ALL the warnings about how dangerous a fixture Sunday’s All-Ireland Club senior hurling semi-final at Parnell Park would turn out for Loughrea proved unfounded.

At least, that pre-match narrative ensured the Galway champions were on high alert for the challenge presented by the Derry outfit who were seeking to crack the semi-final code at the sixth time of asking over the past nine years.

As it transpired, Slaughtneil were left floundering by the quality and cohesion of an impressive Loughrea team which arrived in the capital locked and fully loaded – a scenario also attributable to last year’s heart aching loss to Na Fianna.

Steeled by that experience, Loughrea were in no mood for compromise on Sunday and though Tommy Kelly’s charges only led by two points at the interval, some inaccurate shooting was keeping the scoring closer than it should have been on the balance of play.

Over the closing 30 minutes, however, Loughrea powered away despite finishing with a tally of 14 wides. In that context, winning by 13 points took a fair bit of doing but it also underlined the gulf in class between the teams.

Overall, this was arguably the best we have ever seen from this Loughrea team, ensuring the chorus of boos which rang out from their supporters at the final whistle was not the usual response to a victory of this magnitude.

Limerick referee Johnny Murphy, who let blatant pushes into the backs of rival players go unpunished and yet branded a series of yellow cards, was in the eye of the storm when dismissing Cullen Killeen in stoppage time.

The Loughrea midfielder got entangled with dual player Brendan Rogers and used his hurley injudiciously in trying to break free. Perhaps, a yellow card was merited but it was a harsh call by Murphy, especially as the semi-final was virtually over. Loughrea immediately confirmed they will be appealing Killeen’s sending off.

That decision left a sour note, but it could work to their advantage ahead of next month’s final clash with Ballygunner as it will ensure a circling of the wagons in trying to have Killeen, who again delivered another all-action display, exonerated.

On a day when all six of Loughrea’s forwards scored twice from play and they reeled off nine unanswered points in the second half, Ian Hanrahan and company made light of their seven-week lay-off since the county final and Parnell Park’s gluey surface.

Loughrea’s precise and rapid off-loading of possession, together with their ability to create space for a lively attacking unit, resulted in a battling Sluaghtneil outfit being regularly taken out of their comfort zone despite the gallantry of Conor McAllister, Ruairí Ó Mianáin, sweeper Cormac O’Doherty, Shane McGuigan, Chrissy McKaigue and the accurate Shéa Cassidy.

It was clear from the off that there was no complacency in the Loughrea ranks. They had established a 0-4 to 0-1 lead within six minutes after Caimin Killeen, Martin McManus and two frees from Tiernan Killeen, who was quick to make an impression, split the posts.

Pictured: Loughrea’s Anthony Burns shields the sliotar from Conor McAllister of Slaughtneil during the All-Ireland Club Senior Hurling semi-final at Parnell Park on Sunday. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.