Clarinbridge to finish the job in replay

Date Published: 11-Nov-2010

John McIntyreWE have been here before. It feels like Groundhog Day – with the same four teams in action; playing in the same stadium; and with the same prizes up for grabs.You see, nothing was settled in Pearse Stadium less than a fortnight ago. A lot of endeavour, a lot of intensity, but all we got in the end was deadlock.That’s what brings the senior hurlers of Loughrea and Clarinbridge, together with the minors of Athenry and Gort, back to Salthill on Sunday. All four clubs could have won the last day, but none of them did.Mind you, nobody is quibbling despite the county finals now dragging into nearly mid-November in a year in which the Hurling Board have never been more on top of their fixtures programme in the modern era.Of course, the weather threatens to be a spoilsport after the benign conditions of last Sunday week, but you take your chances at this time of the year. That’s what draws tend to do – seriously disrupting the best laid plans of the fixture makers.Most neutrals thought Loughrea would win the first day. Tougher and battle-hardened after their two semi-final struggles with Portumna, the 2006 champions ought to have that bit sharper in the drawn game. They weren’t, and only for a desperate Johnny Coen inspired late revival, Loughrea would have lost another final – their fourth in the club’s last five appearances.Disaster was just about avoided and, make no mistake, that’s what it would have been. They hadn’t toppled the champions for anyone’s benefit only their own, but they struggled to reach the same levels of commitment against Clarinbridge and almost paid the penalty.