Mellows fall apart in second-half as city men are left to rue poor effort

Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry 1-12Liam Mellows 0-11

STEPHEN GLENNON AT KENNY PARK

THEY must have some holy wells in Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry, for whatever is in the water out there is certainly working a treat. In any event, the 2009 intermediate hurling champions continue to perform miracles in the senior grade.

Fair enough, it would be some stretch of the imagination to expect the Vatican to send word of the beatification of lead mentor Mattie Kenny, any of his management team, or their squad of players, but if Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry keep going the way they are going, then great things await.

As for favourites, Liam Mellows, they did not heed the lessons dished out by their opponents to Gort and Castlegar and, ultimately, it was their failure to match the work-rate and intensity of Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry that cost them a quarter-final victory at Kenny Park on Sunday evening.

No doubt, the victors golden spell came the 17 minutes after the interval, at which time they trailed Liam Mellows 0-5 to 0-8. In that productive third-quarter, though, Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry hit six points without reply, Ronan Madden (3), the outstanding Padraic Breheny and centre-back Karl Kavanagh – a massive effort from deep inside his own half – raising white flags.

It reflected just how dominant Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry were. Their defence – and, in particular, their half-back line of Paul Gordon, Kavanagh and John Shiel – stifled the Mellows attack, while, at full-back, Liam Hodgins was an absolute colossus.

Around the middle of the park, John Breheny and Ger Burke totally over-ran their Mellows opponents, while inside Galway minor Padraic Breheny finally broke free from the shackles of senior star, David Collins and clipped over those two wonderful third-quarter points.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.