Hughes inspires Killererin men to rousing semi-final triumph

Killererin 0-9Ballintubber 1-5

FRANK FARRAGHER AT TUAM STADIUM

MAYBE in years to come, some medical journal will present a paper on the essence of what constitutes the Killererin spirit and if they do, it will prove to be an invaluable aid in the world of sports psychology and motivation.

There were times during the first half of this Connacht club semi-final clash at Tuam Stadium on Sunday when it seemed that Killererin just couldn’t win this match, but once again they dipped into that legendary well of team spirit and personal resilience – after 101 late deep breaths, it was just about enough to see them through.

Without Padraic Joyce and wearing foreign looking maroon and red jerseys, Murphy’s Law seemed to strike Killererin with a vengeance in the opening quarter of this match as for a period Ballintubber threatened to completely over-run them.

During the height of their troubles, they conceded an eighth minute penalty which Padraic O’Connor blasted to the corner of Alan Keane’s net and as they faced into a strengthening Hurricane Thomas for the second half, trailing by a point, their prospects looked decidedly bleak.

Fortunately for Killererin they could call on their own version of Tornado Tom to challenge the elements and Ballintubber, in the shape of big midfielder Thomas Hughes who played a pivotal role in rescuing his side’s cause with a series of rousing ball wins and two inspirational points in either half.

On a day of gathering gloom with grey clouds swarming the heavens, this was probably one of Killererin’s most wholehearted team performances. The loss of Padraic Joyce was a major one . . . Nicky Joyce often found himself with two markers on tow . . . so it was down to the proletariat to produce the goods and how well they responded.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.