Turloughmore cruise past Oranmore Maree to claim Division One Hurling title
Turloughmore retained their Galway Division One Hurling League crown in impressive fashion, cruising to a comprehensive 4-23 to 0-20 win over Oranmore Maree at Duggan Park on Sunday evening.
Eoin Brislane is in his first season in charge of Turloughmore after replacing Brian Holland and Darren O'Shaughnessy as manager of the club. The former Monaleen manager has quickly made his mark, with last year's county semi-finalists looking well organised and sharp during their league campaign.
Turloughmore's victory was rarely in doubt as they proved a level above Oranmore Maree on Sunday evening. Oranmore Maree were without Thomas Blake and Niall Burke, and both players absences proved significant over the course of the contest.
The winners produced standout performances all over the field. Man of the Match Dara Whelan covered huge ground in the middle third, while Conor Walsh, Sean O'Hanlon, Matthew Tarpey and Barry Callanan led the way in attack, combining for an impressive 3-14. Oranmore Maree relied heavily on the accuracy of Colm Burke from placed balls to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Turloughmore made the ideal start when Barry Callanan offloaded possession to Matthew Tarpey, who rifled a shot past Oranmore Maree goalkeeper Jack Grealish. Points from Conor Walsh, Dara Whelan and Daniel Madden helped Brislane's side establish a 1-3 to 0-2 lead after seven minutes.
Oranmore Maree responded through Anthony Keady and Ruben Davitt, while long-range efforts from goalkeeper Jack Grealish, former Galway hurler Gearóid McInerney and Colm Burke narrowed the deficit to just a point.
Although Turloughmore traditionally wear white and black as their primary colours, they lined out in their black strip and struck again in the 10th minute. Corner-forward Barry Callanan cut inside from a tight angle before firing his shot past Grealish to make it 2-3 to 0-5.
Brian O'Connell's side regrouped and made good use of the breeze. Grealish converted another impressive long-range point from inside his own half, while Colm Burke and Cillian Costello reduced the margin to the minimum for the second time during the first half.
However, Turloughmore took complete control during the second quarter, outscoring Oranmore Maree by 2-9 to 0-4 over the final 15 minutes of the half. Goals from Dara Whelan and Conor Walsh left the north Galway outfit firmly in the driving seat with a commanding 4-12 to 0-12 advantage at half-time.
Ruben Davitt and Colm Burke attempted to spark a comeback after the restart, but Turloughmore always had the answers. Three converted frees from Conor Walsh maintained their healthy cushion, while Barry Callanan and Patrick O'Kane continued to threaten in attack. Burke's dead-ball accuracy ensured the margin did not grow even larger, but Oranmore Maree were unable to make any meaningful inroads.
Turloughmore finished strongly with points from Conor Walsh, Sean O'Hanlon, Dara Whelan, Darragh Walsh and Gearóid Fahy sealing a comfortable 15-point victory. At the other end, Oranmore Maree could only manage two points from Conor Hannify and one from Ronan Hannify during the closing stages.
Brislane will be encouraged by both the performance and the manner of the victory as Turloughmore continue their preparations for the Galway Senior Hurling Championship, which gets underway on August 8/9.
For Oranmore Maree, there were positives in patches, but O'Connell's side will know a significant improvement will be required if they are to challenge when championship action begins next month.
TURLOUGHMORE: Darragh Walsh (0-1, 0-1f); Luke Williams, Brion Connolly, Michael Morris; Gearoid Fahy (0-1), Jamie Holland, Kevin Hussey; Dara Whelan (1-3), Tom Quirke (0-1); Conor Walsh (1-6, 0-4f), Sean O’Hanlon (0-4), Matthew Tarpey (1-2); Barry Callanan (1-2), Sean Loftus (0-1), Daniel Madden (0-1).
SUBS: Matthew Burke for Morris (28), Patrick O’Kane (0-1) for Callanan (40), Vincent Doyle for Hussey (50), Aaron O’Shaughnessy for Holland (50), Sean Lyons for Tarpey (52)
ORANMORE MAREE: Jack Grealish (0-2); Gerry Carr, Patrick Burke, Ciaran Whelan; Diarmuid Hannify, Gearoid McInerney (0-1), Tiernan Grealish; Colm Burke (0-7, 0-7f), Ross Malone; Ryan O’Donnell (0-1), Anthony Keady (0-2), Ruben Davitt (0-3); Cillian Costello (0-1), Conor Hannify (0-2), Niall Geoghegan.
SUBS: Jake Keady for Grealish (Half-time), Matthew Furey for Jake Keady (38, injury), Brendan Commins for McInerney (45), Sean Bannon for Patrick Burke (56), Ronan Hannify (0-1) for Costello (56)