Sarsfields defeat St. Thomas' to top Group of Death

Bullaun-New Inn club advance to Galway SHC last eight

Sarsfields 3-15

St. Thomas’ 1-17

By David Connors

At Duggan Park

DESPITE racking up a scarcely believable 23 wides, Sarsfields overcame St Thomas’ to top the much-touted ‘Group of Death’ and secure direct passage to the Galway Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals. A first half goal from Diarmuid Mac Cárthaigh and a second half brace from John Cooney proved the match-winning scores for Brian Hanley’s side.

Prior to the weekend, Sarsfields had not beaten St Thomas’ in championship hurling in a decade, with the Peterswell-Kilchreest men winning their six subsequent meetings. That sequence included semi-final defeats in 2018, '22 and '23, so Sunday’s victory also allowed Sarsfields to shed plenty of psychological baggage.

Admittedly, this was a depleted Thomas’ side, shorn of frontline players including Shane Cooney, David Burke, Darren Farrell and Victor Manso. Their problems were compounded when Oisín Flannery suffered another worrying-looking knee injury just minutes after scoring the opening goal little more than 20 seconds after throw-in. That said, Sarsfields had injury concerns of their own, with John Cosgrove and Darren Murphy absent after sustaining injuries in the opening round draw with Castlegar.

Despite falling five points behind around the 20-minute mark and their remarkable profligacy in front of the posts, Sarsfields were full value for their victory. In truth, they should have been out of sight long before the final whistle in a contest that often lacked championship vigour.

Cathal Daly’s men moved 1-6 to 0-4 clear when Mark Caulfield pointed from distance in the 19th minute, with a pair of superb long-range efforts from Fintan Burke — again operating at midfield — the pick of their early scores. Yet, within two minutes, Sarsfields were level. Paddy Mác Carthaigh and Niall Quinn bisected the posts before Diarmuid Mac Cárthaigh punished an error from marker John Headd to fire home the equalising goal.

Eanna Burke and Conor Headd responded with points inside a minute, but Sarsfields finished the half stronger. They landed four of the next five scores, with the outstanding Darragh Donohue and the Mac Cárthaigh brothers among those on target, to lead 1-10 to 1-9 at the interval.

Thomas’ restored parity early in the second half through Eanna and Darragh Burke after Donohue had opened the scoring from a free. But two John Cooney goals in three minutes — the first a delightful flick from Niall Quinn’s delivery — propelled Sarsfields into a lead they never looked likely to relinquish.

By then, the rain had arrived and scores became increasingly scarce as the contest developed into a scrappier, more attritional affair that would suit a team in front. Thomas’, despite being well below their best, continued to hang around and a Conor Cooney point in the 57th minute reduced the deficit to a single score, with a couple of nervy moments late on in front of Cian Warde’s goal.

However, as he has done so often down through the years, Joseph Cooney stepped forward in injury-time to launch over a monster score from distance and put the result beyond doubt. It sealed Sarsfields’ place in the last eight and consigned Thomas’ to a preliminary quarter-final meeting with neighbours Gort in two weeks’ time.

SARSFIELDS: C. Warde; C. O’Regan, D. Morrissey (captain), P. McGuirk; N. Quinn (0-1), Joseph Cooney (0-2), P. Mac Cárthaigh (0-2); O. Keane, D. Donohue (0-4, 0-2 frees); I. Fox (0-1), A. Connaire (0-1), John Cooney (2-0); E. Cooney (0-1, free), K. Cooney, D. Mac Cárthaigh (1-2). Subs: A. Donohue (0-1), for K. Cooney, 45 mins; L. Connaire, for D. Mac Cárthaigh, 56 mins; C. Cooney, for P. Mac Cárthaigh (temporary), 60+5 mins.

ST. THOMAS’: G. Kelly; J. Headd, E. Duggan, P. O’Donnell; M. Caulfield (0-1), C. Headd (0-1), C. Burke; F. Burke (0-2), D. Finnerty; Darragh Burke (0-2), C. Cooney (0-5, 0-3 frees), E. Burke (captain, 0-4); O. Flannery (1-0), E. Brady (0-1), D. McGlynn (0-1). Subs: S. Kelly, for Flannery inj., 4 mins; S. Fallon, for Finnerty (temporary), 45-46 mins; S. Fallon, for S. Kelly, 52 mins.

REFEREE: Christy Browne.

HERALD SPORT MAN OF THE MATCH:

Darragh Donohue (Sarsfields).