With a mammoth 67 games already played in this year’s Brooks Group Galway Senior Hurling Championship, two double headers this weekend will provide the final four teams.
St Thomas’ remain on course for a five-in-a-row, and unsurprisingly are the favourites to do just that, but they still have three matches to navigate and a host of clubs eager to knock them off their perch.
Their first hurdle is a clash with Cappataggle on Saturday afternoon in Kenny Park, and St Thomas’ will go into this game in good shape following a dramatic win over Clarinbridge despite a spate of injuries.
The last time these two sides met in the group stages last year, there was just a solitary point between them when St Thomas’ won by 0-17 to 1-13. The 2020 encounter had the same outcome as Cappataggle lost their fourth semi-final in a row by 1-15 to 0-17.
Liam Collins’ significant scoring tally of 1-49 (1-16 from play ) has been vital for Cappataggle’s attack, while Ja Mannion (2-14 ) will also pose a threat if the supply lines are of sufficient quality. Cappataggle’s defence will be key with Declan Cronin always leading by example.
That game is preceded by Clarinbridge’s game against Tommy Larkins at 1pm, in which Larkins will be looking to reverse last year's result when Clarinbridge were victorious by 1-17 to 1-12.
Clarinbridge only pulled away in the closing stages of their preliminary quarter-final win over Ardrahan two weeks ago, with Evan Niland as always a key contributor. Tommy Larkins will look to Jason Flynn, Ronan Murphy, and Kevin McHugo for inspiration as they try to reclaim the title for the first time since their only triumph in 1971.
On Sunday the action switches to Duggan Park in Ballinasloe, where Sarsfields and Portumna are first to lock horns at 12.15pm. Portumna have been surprisingly consistent this year and are always capable of conjuring up scores with Joe Canning in their line-up, but Sarsfields are a step-up in class from anything they have faced this year. Their slender one-point win over Turloughmore at the start of the month was the first time they had failed to hit the net in the group stages, with 11 goals bagged in their previous four games. Kevin Cooney netted six of those and alongside brothers Joseph and John forms a formidable spine of Dinny Cahill’s team.
The last game between Turloughmore and an unbeaten Loughrea side at 2pm appears the most likely to require extra time or penalties to decide a winner. The last time the clubs met was in the 2020 semi-finals when Turloughmore won by 2-17 to 1-17, but Loughrea now have a stronger blend of experience and youth, which could yet propel them to their first title since 2006.
