Oct 27,2024
Cappataggle 1-15 St Thomas' 0-15
All-Ireland champions St Thomas’ have been knocked out of the Galway SHC title race as Cappataggle came with a late surge to dramatically reach their first ever final.
St Thomas’, bidding for a record seventh Galway title in a row, seemed poised to advance to another final when they opened up a 0-14 to 0-11 lead with 13 minutes remaining and the wind behind them at Athenry.
But Cappataggle, beaten in four semi-finals in a row up to 2020, responded brilliantly to the challenge and outscored the champions by 1-04 to 0-01 in the closing stages.
St Thomas’ went down fighting. Victor Manso had a goal disallowed two minutes from the end and in the fourth minute of additional time, Eanna Burke’s shot came back off the butt of an upright in front of a huge crowd.
Cappataggle led by double scores approaching half-time having played with the breeze but the champions got three of the last four points before the break to cut the gap to two points, the side trailing 0-09 to 0-07 at the interval.
Cappataggle made a great start, racing into a 0-03 to 0-00 lead after 12 minutes thanks to a couple of points from Niall Collins and one from distance from centre-back Michael Garvey.
Conor Cooney was off target with a couple of early frees while former Galway goalkeeper James Skehill produced a superb save for Cappataggle to deny Burke.
But St Thomas’ settled and points from centre-back Shane Cooney, Burke and Manso cut the gap to one at the end of the opening quarter.
Ja Mannion and Collins extended Cappataggle’s lead and after Cooney pointed from play, Garvey and Collins both got their third points of the half to help their side lead 0-08 to 0-04 after 27 minutes.
The champions finished the half strongly, Cooney and Darragh Dolan exchanged points but efforts from Burke and another Cooney pointed free left just two between them at the interval.
St Thomas’ hit four points in as many minutes after the restart but just when it seemed they were about to pull away, Cappataggle hit back and after getting within a point, Oisin Finn hit the key score when he blasted to the net after being set up by Liam Collins.
St Thomas’, who won 41 championship games during their six years on top in Galway, piled on the pressure in the dying moments but Cappataggle were not to be denied on this occasion.
Scorers:
Cappataggle: N Collins (0-07, 0-06fs, 0-01 ’65), M Garvey (0-4, 0-02fs), O Finn (1-00), J Mannion (0-01), L Collins (0-01), D Dolan (0-01), D Cronin (0-01).
St Thomas’: C Cooney (0-06, 0-03fs), E Burke (0-04), V Manso (0-02), S Cooney (0-01), C Burke (0-01), O Flannery (0-01).
