Cappataggle will face Loughrea in the final on Sunday.
Either Loughrea or Cappataggle will break new ground to officially mark the end of St Thomas’ run of dominance. And what a reign the Peterswell side has had: six consecutive county titles, and eight in total since 2012. A second All-Ireland titles from earlier this year, along with their 2013 success, further underpins the extent of their influence on club hurling over the last decade.
Advertisement Looking more closely at Loughrea, their poor records in finals must be the first order of business. They have the highest number of senior championship final defeats in Galway. After winning their first title in 1941, two losses followed in 1949 and 1951. But it’s the stretch between 2003 and 2013 that really makes for grim reading: one win from seven final appearances. Eight if you include their 2010 encounter with Clarinbridge that went to a replay and extra-time.
Loughrea met another dynasty in the 2022 final when they came up against a St Thomas’ side that was chasing a five-in-a-row. Galway forward Tiernan Kileen sent the game to a replay with an injury-time equaliser for Loughrea. The second act was another tense encounter but two late Conor Cooney frees and another score from Éanna Burke ultimately pushed St Thomas’ into the winner’s circle.
“This is Loughrea’s ninth final in 22 years so there’s an expectancy in Loughrea and a pressure in Loughrea to say, ‘We now need to get over the line,” says Walsh. Dethroning a team of that stature strengthens their claim for the title, but it brings a health warning too. Managing the emotion of that victory is a delicate challenge for Tommy Kelly’s management team. How they guide the players through the aftermath of that win will be a major factor in dictating how the final unravels. Being the team to defeat the champions before the final can sometimes be detrimental. There have been some high profile cases of such a downfall.
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