Coolderry much too sharp for Gort

Prior to Saturday’s All-Ireland senior club hurling semi-finals, there were many who predicted a final between Gort and Na Piarsaigh, two clubs well known to all in Clare hurling. At the end of the day, neither made it through to the St Patrick’s Day final and there can be few complaints as, on the day, Coolderry and Lougheil were the better-balanced teams.

Coolderry, Offaly   3-16
Gort, Galway           0-17
Gort’s final dream ended at Limerick on Saturday when a sharper and livelier Coolderry side proved too strong.
The importance of goals was again highlighted as the Offaly champions got through for three, whereas Gort failed to find the net, despite creating a couple of goalscoring opportunities early in the game.
Indeed, the Gort forward line failed to break down a strong Coolderry defence and they relied on freetaker Gerry Quinn for the majority of their scores. The wing-forward contributed 0-10, all but a point of which came from placed balls.
Gort created the early chances and Ollie Fahy troubled the winners’ defence in the opening minutes.
The sides were level three times in the opening quarter and they again swapped points two minutes past the midpoint of the first half, at which time the score stood at 0-5 each. In the next four minutes, Coolderry hit 1-3 to open a six-point lead and from here on Gort were always fighting an uphill battle.
The goal came in the 22nd minute from corner-forward Eoin Ryan and it clearly rattled the Galway champions. A couple of minutes later they replaced full-back Michael McMahon, who was making his first start since the county final, having been out of action for most of the intervening period due to injury.
It was 1-10 to 0-9 at the break and five minutes into the second half Gort found themselves eight points adrift after Cathal Parlon scored the Offaly side’s second goal, finishing off a move involving eight players.
With the game slipping from their grasp, Gort stepped up a gear and four unanswered points saw them cut the deficit to four by the end of the third quarter.
Brian Carroll, who had a quiet first half for the winners, was now at midfield, where he was doing well and he had his first score of the afternoon at the start of the final quarter. A few minutes later, he pointed from inside his own half. The margin was still four with five minutes remaining but any hopes of a Gort recovery disappeared when their top scorer, Damian Murray, goaled with four minutes remaining.
Sylvie Óg Linnane, Michael Cummins, Ger O’Donoghue and Gerry Quinn tried hard for Gort throughout but, on the day, they failed to match the all-round balance and slicker stick work of their opponents, for whom Trevor Corcoran, Joe Brady, Barry Teehan, Cathal Parlon and Damian Murray stood out.
Coolderry: Stephen Corcoran; Brian Kelly, Trevor Corcoran, Alan Corcoran; David King, Joe Brady, Brendan O’Meara (capt); Kevin Teehan (0-1), Kevin Brady; Brian Carroll (0-2), Barry Teehan (0-2), Martin Corcoran (0-1); Eoin Ryan (1-0), Cathal Parlon (1-2), Damian Murray (1-8, 5f).
Sub: Kevin Connolly for K. Teehan;
Gort: Peter Cummins; Andy Coen, Mark McMahon, Michael Cummins; Sean Forde (0-1), Brian Regan (0-1), Sylvie Og Linnane; Jason Grealish, Greg Lally; Gerry Quinn (0-10, 7f, 2 65), Paul Killilea, Aidan Harte (0-1), Gerry O’Donoghue (0-2), Ollie Fahy (0-1), Richard Cummins (0-1).
Subs: Tadhg Linnane for McMahon; Michael Mullins for Regan and Martin Nestor for Harte.
Referee: John Sexton, Cork.

Lougheil, Antrim   0-27
Na Piarsaigh           2-13
When the Sean Stack-managed Na Piarsaigh snatched 1-1 in injury time to force extra time, most hurling followers felt any chance Antrim champions Lougheil Shamrocks had on winning through to the final had gone.
Rank outsiders, it’s interesting to note that of the four semi-finalists, the Ulster club was the only one to have won this title, their success coming back in 1983.
For much of Saturday’s game in Parnell Park they outplayed the Limerick side and despite being rattled by Na Piarsaigh’s injury-time rally to draw, they regained their composure to dominate extra time and run out worthy winners.
Liam Watson was outstanding for the northern outfit, scoring 0-16 of their tally, of which 0-6 came from play. The wing-forward was one of several Antrim players in their line-up.
The northern side led for most of the game and were four points clear as the game went into injury time.
However, a goal from substitute Rob Sheehan, followed by a Kevin Downes point levelled the game and led to extra-time, where the winners dominated to deserved progress to the final.