Sligo SFC Final/Tourlestrane 1-9 Eastern Harps 0-10:Tourlestrane won their fourth championship in 10 years yesterday and the experience they accumulated over that decade guided them home in the end. As expected, they had to survive without the inspiration of Eamon O'Hara, but they played sensible, steady football throughout this unspectacular Sligo showpiece.
Harps will have plenty of reason to regret their sleepy opening because they pressed the favourites right through to injury time, when Ray Hannon belted a fantastic point to leave the scores at 1-8 to 0-10 at full-time.
But if Harps played with instinct and optimism, Tourlestrane played a cool and methodical game. Winning possession back after the kick-out, they worked the ball forward, Gerry McGowan eventually winning a free. McGowan was in fabulous form in his free-taking duties and he made light of an awkwardly angled shot in this instance to extinguish Harps' hopes of claiming a late draw.
Tourlestrane have the solid look of those teams that can travel well in the midwinter grind of the provincial championship. They are solid down the middle.
Brendan Egan is an accomplished playmaker at number eight; John Haran was formidable at number three; and with years of county experience under his belt, McGowan is a jewel for any club side.
But they are perhaps too reliant on McGowan's prolific scoring habits. If they can get O'Hara back, though, they should give the best of Connacht a run.
"The amount of work these guys have done has been astronomical," said Eamon O'Hara afterwards. "Last year we let ourselves down, but from February, we worked so hard. When you are not playing and watching on the sideline, it is so much more difficult."
From the throw-in, Tourlestrane had more muscle and more ideas and had posted 1-2 after six minutes. Their goal came after Brendan Egan sent a long ball in towards Gerry McGowan and his swift transfer put the hard-running Thomas Henry through. Henry did well to connect first time.
Two minutes later, he was clean through again, Egan playing a long, precise pass to John Marren, who hand-passed into Henry's path. Henry was coming through like a steam train and had no option but to strike first time, and mercifully for Harps, his half-volley tailed wide.
When John Marren took off on a turbo-charged run past All-Star contender Ross Donovan to strike a point, it was looking like one-way traffic. That score, though, would prove to be Tourlestrane's only point from play in the first half. After that, they had to rely on McGowan's dead-ball expertise.
Once Eastern Harps began to read the midfield breaks, they had the opportunity to showcase their game. Their original ploy of lamping long, direct ball down on full forward Ray Hannon was nullified by the Tourlestrane full back Haran. But Harps adapted and by playing smart, short ball, they began to expose Tourlestrane for speed.
They might have had a goal on 28 minutes when Danny O'Grady and Paul McGovern transferred the ball at speed to Keith Carty, who dropped a perfect ball in to John Rafferty. Tourlestrane's Stephen King dived on the first shot but when Rafferty followed up, the ball rolled across the face of the goal and wide.
Tourlestrane moved upfield and McGowan landed a free.
Harps threatened to eclipse that goal lead but Tourlestrane always had a response, Eamon Walsh coming in to thump an important point on 40 minutes.
Afterwards, O'Hara and David Durkin raised the cup and when one of the handles came off, nobody minded. Tourlestrane will play Leitrim champions St Mary's in Carrick-on-Shannon next Sunday.
TOURLESTRANE: S Gildea; S King, R Haran, C Neary; E Kelly, B Kennedy, D Durkin; B Egan, A McIntyre; G Gaughan, S Henry, T Henry (1-0); S Dunne, G McGowan (0-7, frees), J Marren (0-1). Subs: M Walsh (0-1) for S Henry (38), J Leonard for S King (39 mins), N Egan for T Henry (46 mins), S Henry for A McIntyre (53 mins), M Henry for S Dunne (57 mins).
EASTERN HARPS: P Walsh; K Cryan, R Donovan, P Rafferty; P McGovern, B Phillips, K Gallagher; T Cryan (0-1, free), K Phillips (0-1); S King, K Carty, D O'Grady (0-1); J Rafferty, R Hannon (0-6, five frees), M Duddy (0-1). Subs: S Dorrian for S King (39 mins), M Cosgrove for K Phillips (55 mins), S Gallagher for K Carty (half-time).
Referee: D Mullaney.
