AIB Connacht Club IHC Final:
Four Roads (Roscommon) v Killimordaly (Galway) on Sunday in Athleague at 2 pm
Seamus Duke
Four Roads will attempt to build on their good display in the semi-final against Ballyhaunis when they meet Galway intermediate champions Killimordaly in Sunday’s Connacht final at Athleague. It will be a tall order though as Killimordaly are a very strong side who were defeated in the 2011 IHC final in Galway, and who justified favouritism in this year’s championship when beating Ahascragh/Fohenagh in the final by three points.
Four Roads played their best hurling of the year when
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AIB Connacht Club IHC Final:
Four Roads (Roscommon) v Killimordaly (Galway) on Sunday in Athleague at 2 pm
Seamus Duke
Four Roads will attempt to build on their good display in the semi-final against Ballyhaunis when they meet Galway intermediate champions Killimordaly in Sunday’s Connacht final at Athleague. It will be a tall order though as Killimordaly are a very strong side who were defeated in the 2011 IHC final in Galway, and who justified favouritism in this year’s championship when beating Ahascragh/Fohenagh in the final by three points.
Four Roads played their best hurling of the year when beating Ballyhaunis in the Connacht semi-final and they will be hoping that they can improve even further for this final. Their team manager Simon Coyle is under no illusions as to what lies ahead on Sunday.
“Preparations are going well but it’s getting very late in the year and pitches are getting wet and there are plenty of other distractions like lads back in college and other things going on, but you have to get on with it.
“We have no major injuries except that Mark McLoughlin is coming back after an operation and he is doubtful. But we were very happy with the way we played against Ballyhaunis and we seem to be improving as the year goes on and we will need further improvement if we want to win on Sunday, we know that.
“But there are no certainties in sport, as we all know. If we can improve again for Sunday and if they have any sort of an off-day then you never know what might happen. We have a good spirit among our lads and we will give this a hell of a go.
“Killimordaly are a very good side. We played Ahascragh/Fohenagh earlier in the year and we got on well that day and they were not far away in the Galway final, so that gives us great hope too. We are not going to Athleague on Sunday to make up the numbers and we will give it a real lash and you never know what might happen on the day” he concluded.
Killimordaly beat Ahascragh/Fohenagh by 0-17 to 0-14 in the Galway county final in a game that was described on the Galway GAA website as “the finest game of club hurling played in the county this year.”
Tom Monaghan manages the Galway side and they have several very accomplished players like Niall Earls (who scored 0-8 in the county final), Eanna Ryan and Clement Earls up front. Tomas Madden and Nigel Daly will start at midfield while further back watch out for Iomar Creavin, Keith Kennedy and David Concannon.
Four Roads will have all their usual stars on show and Shane Curley, Micheal Kelly, Brian Donnelly, Padraig Kelly, Johnny Coyne, Enda Rogerson and David Dolan will all be hoping to make an impression in what will be a very tough examination for Simon Coyle’s men.
If Killimordaly underestimate Four Roads they could be in for a rude awakening – however it would be realistic to expect that the Galway champions will win by a few points and advance to the All-Ireland semi-final.
Prediction: Killimordaly
Roscommon People
Issue: 16th November 2012
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