Tuam Stars recovered all their old sparkle

By BILLY COSS Tuam Stars .1-13 Cortoon Shamrocks .1-2 WHAT PROMISED to be one of the weekendâ€â„¢s most competitive and closely-contested matches turned into one of its most lop-sided as Tuam Stars comfortably advanced to the last 16 of the S.F.C. at the expense of Cortoon Shamrocks at Tuam Stadium on Sunday evening. This group of Tuam players has been schooled in hard knocks in recent years but any questions about their desire or ability to bounce back from successive County final defeats were emphatically answered as they announced themselves as serious Championship contenders with one of the best performances of the first round. As impressive as the winners undoubtedly were, the manner of Cortoonâ€â„¢s 11-point defeat â€â€ yielding a mere three scores over the hour and only a Derek Savage penalty when wind-assisted n the second half â€â€ was just as much of a talking-point. Too few of their players reached the level of their opponents and an inability to win primary possession or break Tuam down must be a source of concern ahead of a qualifier meeting with Killererin next month. Nowhere was Tuamâ€â„¢s dominance more clear-cut than at midfield where David Connern pulled off some spectacular fetches and his team-mates mopped up the vast majority of breaking ball. Tuamâ€â„¢s defensive system, so impressive in recent years, was again watertight with Gary Oâ€â„¢Donnell and Noel Henry, in particular, outstanding. There was far greater fluidity in their attacking play as they drove hard at Cortoon and mixed their game up with longer, direct ball to John Lawless, returning to the club after a year away, and their scorer-in-chief John Ross Bodkin who finished with seven points, including five from placed balls, as well as having a hand in a couple of more scores. Niall Quinn and Noel Henry chipped in with two points apiece and Conor Doherty put aside the disappointment of Galwayâ€â„¢s defeat a week earlier to finish with 1-1, including a last-minute goal that put the gloss on a powerful all-round team performance. There was little during the first quarter to suggest this match wouldnâ€â„¢t live up to its billing. Backed by the wind, Tuam Stars struck the opening two points into the town goal while Derek Savage linked up with David Warde for Cortoonâ€â„¢s first score at the other end and they also had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Muiris Mac Gearailt after Adrian Varley was challenged as he wound up to shoot inside the square. For the remainder of the half it was one-way traffic and the expected challenge from Cortoon never materialised as Tuam were in command and moved into a 0-8 to 0-2 interval lead that could have been even greater. Cortoon needed quick scores to ignite their challenge in the second half but Tuam picked up where they left off with four without reply to put the result beyond doubt. Derek Savageâ€â„¢s penalty in the 52nd minute gave the scoreline a degree of respectability and another Cortoon goal almost followed soon after but Gary Oâ€â„¢Donnell cleared Donal Oâ€â„¢Neillâ€â„¢s goal-bound effort off the line. It was all too little, too late from Tom Newellâ€â„¢s team in a half they hit eight wides before Tuam had the final say when Conor Doherty put the seal on an emphatic win in the gameâ€â„¢s final action. Tuam Stars: J. Trayers; I. McGough, A. Tierney, D. Oâ€â„¢Rourke; N. Henry (0-2), T. Costello, D. Marley; D. Connern, P. Collins; N. Quinn (0-2), J. R. Bodkin (0-7, five frees), C. Doherty (1-1); G. Oâ€â„¢Donnell, J. Lawless (0-1), J. Murphy. Cortoon Shamrocks: A. Ansbro; B. Roache, M. Concannon, C. Mulryan; D. Oâ€â„¢Neill, B. Gilmore, P. Varley; D. Finnegan, A. Varley; N. Connolly, D. Savage (1-0, penalty), A. McDonnell; M. Connell, D. Warde (0-1), J. Donnellan (0-1). Subs: M. Costello, for Connell, 33 mins; A. Boyle, for McDonnell, 37 mins; R. Rooney, for Donnellan, 44 mins. Referee: Muiris Mac Gearailt. Herald Sport Man of the Match: John Ross Bodkin (Tuam Stars).