Ruthless Gort show little mercy in group thrashing of outclassed Moycullen

Gort 9-15Moycullen 0-6

STEPHEN GLENNON AT KENNY PARK

AFTER a lacklustre display in their last outing, county champions Gort bounced back in devastating fashion when tearing apart intermediate holders Moycullen in this one-sided Group A championship tie at Kenny Park, Athenry on Saturday.

From a Gort perspective, it was a case of order restored. Serious questions had been asked of the All-Ireland club semi-finalists following a laboured showing against Pearses in their group opener and, no doubt, they played like a side stung by the criticism that tailed them in the wake of that clash.

Once Gort opened their account through a Richie Cummins goal on nine minutes, they never looked back. Indeed, by half-time, they were an impressive 4-9 to 0-3 to the good and this game was all but over as a contest.

As for Moycullen, this heavy defeat has done little for their senior credentials and it was interesting to hear the views of neutral hurling supporters as they left the ground. One queried the merit of having a side who won the All-Ireland club championship less than 18 months ago – Clarinbridge – fighting relegation when Moycullen were given a free pass to the group stages, while another simply said that the mismatch brought this aspect of the new format into question.

To some extent, these are valid views, but, on the other hand, Clarinbridge are in relegation because they lost their two opening games in the championship – that is the reality of it – while Moycullen’s senior credentials, in fairness, should not be judged on this game alone.

As noted many times previously, Gort’s failure to make an impact on the All-Ireland club series and the resulting recriminations that ensued among Galway’s hurling populace has given them a definitive cause in 2012. This was just another pit stop on the road to retribution.

While it is not always the case, the scoreline on this occasion does tell the entire story. Gort were by far the superior outfit and this was reflected in the spread of scorers in their forward division. All six starters found the target with three – Greg Lally, Gerard O’Donoghue and Cummins – chasing hat-tricks.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.