Sarsfields strike late as Cooney comes up with dramatic winner

Oranmore-Maree 1-18

BY the end of the 2024 Galway senior hurling championship there’s bound to be a series of hard luck stories, but surely none will match the agony Oranmore-Maree suffered at Duggan Park on Saturday evening.

This was sport at its cruellest. Oranmore-Maree were seconds away from claiming a knock-out place in the title race only to end up in the relegation tangle after a stoppage time John Cooney goal broke their hearts.

The fact that the Ronan Heffernan managed outfit were even in contention to advance from their group after a first-round pummelling from Castlegar reflected well on the camp’s, but that will be little consolation now after exiting the championship in such agonising circumstances.

A heroic second-half display had left Oranmore-Maree on the brink of a stirring success over a flattering Sarsfields team which had hammered them in last year’s quarter-finals. With their season on the line, they were hunting in packs; chasing everything.

Sarsfields were on the ropes but how many times have we seen the New Inn/Bullaun outfit snatch victory in tight matches, especially in their spiritual home of Ballinasloe – but there was more than a whiff of controversy about the lead up to Cooney’s dramatic winner.

The four minutes of injury time were nearly up when Sarsfields were awarded a sideline cut on the stand side of the field. The tension was rising and then referee Sean Byrne made a decision to penalise Oranmore-Maree for reportedly verbal dissent. It proved a game changer.

Niall Quinn drove the resulting free towards the opposition’s 14-yards line where Cooney made a wonderful connection in steering the sliotar low into the left corner of Jack Grealish’s net, the goal sparking a radical shift in rival emotions.

For much of the opening half, however, it was difficult to imagine such late drama. Sarsfields were largely dictating the exchanges with their crisp hurling, intelligent movement and instinctive lay-offs having Oranmore-Maree in big trouble as they surged into a 0-11 to 1-2 lead after 22 minutes.

Pictured: Michael Hanlon of Sarsfields tussling for possession with Oranmore-Maree's Thomas Blake at Duggan Park. Photo: David Cunniffe.