Liam Mellows 3-22

Pádraig Pearses 1-13

Pádraic Ó Ciardha in Loughrea

AN absolute rocket of a goal from Adrian Morrissey is probably the only thing from this Senior B Galway hurling championship quarter-final that will live long in the memory as Liam Mellows romped to an easy victory over Pádraig Pearses last weekend.

Morrissey’s first half goal was part of a run during which Mellows outscored their opponents 3-9 to 0-3, an onslaught that left the city side pretty much out of sight even before the short whistle.

As much as the contest showcased the gap between the sides, credit should still go to Mellows for the impressive fashion in which they went about dismantling their opponents. The likes of Liam O’Donovan, Seán Morrissey and Mark Hughes were imperious in defence for the 2017 county champions, with Morrissey and Hughes in particular seeming to hoover up any ball that went near them.

At the other end, the six starting forwards shared the scoring load in remarkably even fashion. All six contributed at least three points to the scoreboard with Morrissey top-scoring with 1-5. Tadhg Haran (0-4) and Conor Kavanagh and Eoin Finnerty (both 1-1) were clinical too when their chances arose while Conor Elwood and Conor Hynes were in super form, with Hynes picking up 0-3 while also providing the final pass for two of Mellows’ goals.

As dominant as Mellows would prove to be, it looked early on as if they would have their work cut out for them as Pearses started the contest in bright fashion. Midfielder Luke Mitchell flashed over the opening score after just 30 seconds and Dean Reilly soon added another to get the east Galway side off to a good start.

Pictured: Conor Fahey of Pearses on the attack against Liam Mellows’ Stephen Barrett during Sunday’s Senior Hurling B Championship quarter-final in Loughrea on Sunday. Photo: David Cunniffe.