Well done St.Thomases, great displaywell deserved winners in the end Bernard Burke was inspirational but it was a great team display.The same effort and more will be needed to seal the deal on Patricks day.
Hard luck Loughgiel, ye were great champs, ye will be back.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 16/02/2013 18:59:41    1334929

Omaghredhand

Another gripe might be that loughiel managed to score 1 point from play in the whole game, that is pathetic.

Only managed to watch the last 10 mins of normal time and all of extra time last week. St Thomas' looked the far better side and only had themselves to blame for the game going to a replay.

BigTom2050 (Tipperary) - Posts: 289 - 16/02/2013 19:28:14    1334949

Omaghredhand, it sounds like you have more than a 'small gripe' there. Unlike last week with Kelly, Owens reffed both teams. The real problem for Loughgiel was that they should have had 2 goals inside the first 10 minutes but didn't take them.

Ailteoir (Galway) - Posts: 921 - 16/02/2013 20:05:27    1334966

valid point Ailteoir but the fact remains that Thomas' should have been down to 14 men after 20mins and that man went on to score 3 points after the incident and set up 2 more scores. However barring that the better team won

omaghredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 3656 - 16/02/2013 21:46:31    1335044

Thought over the 2 games loughgiel looked a bit lethargic and off the pace. Not easy keeping going for as long as they have, definitely the bigger stronger fitter and faster team won and they've some excellent hurlers in there too. I don't think that Bernard Burke deserved a red, his booking was extremely soft as well. You can't expect to win at this level with so few scores from play, and midfield over 2 games was especially poor. I don't think that either ref favoured anyone over the 2 games, the frees were frees end of. Here's hoping for a good final, two big strong physical teams with plenty of hurling in them.

oso (Antrim) - Posts: 168 - 17/02/2013 13:03:03    1335142

St Thomas's were the better team over the 2 days hurling. Well done to Loughgiel for being such a force last year and this year. A few things did not go the way of Loughgiel as they had done last year. They were strong at the back but their forwards were not able to finish as they had done both last year and in the first game. St Thomas's were superb all through the field. Their first touch was superb and they had the forwards plus accuracy from frees to take them deservedly over the line.
It is great to see first time county champions in the All Ireland final. Its a tonic for the game as as someone said, an inspiration for other clubs. Fantastic for the clubs concerned and for the game.

I do feel however that the pitch condidtions need to be looked at. It is simply not good enough to see both Loughgiel and St Thomas struggle to hurl properly on such poor pitches in Parnell Park and Clones. I know people will counter that it was the same for both rteams but that is not hte point. The point is that our club hurlers playing at this level need to have proper access to better pitch condidtions than we saw them struggle with over the past 8 days. Surely with all the technology and knowledge we have now that some pitch has the base and grass to accomodate much better hurling condidtions ?

carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1881 - 17/02/2013 13:29:31    1335150

Looking forward to the final. Kilmormac seriously impressed against Thurles not just when they were well clear but when Thurles got a run on them they always managed to bounce back.

I'd have them as slight favourites but St. Thomas' are capable of getting the result. The Croke Park pitch should suit them. Lets hope for a dry day and I think we'll get the best final for the last few years.

Stuckinthepast (Galway) - Posts: 472 - 17/02/2013 16:43:24    1335225

Congrats to St Thomas'. I really hope they win the final.

WoodlawnPat (Galway) - Posts: 288 - 17/02/2013 20:18:49    1335334

Well done to st Thomas'.

Commiserations to Loughgiel.

Very hard to do it two years in a row.

Loughgiel are a wonderful club and a really sound bunch,they'll be back again.

Muilleann (Tipperary) - Posts: 114 - 18/02/2013 09:47:02    1335420

st thomas' sailed past Loughgiel on Saturday, Burke was excellent at corner forward with a couple of great scores. Loughiel's only player on Saturday was neil mcgarry at full back. Jonny campbell's endless striking of the ball as far and as high in the second half was Loughiel's down fall, 1st half balls where played into the inside forward line who continually got out in front of their St Thomas' markers . Conor Conney showed at times why he is an excellent player with some finely taken points.

Hurl.Force.One (Tyrone) - Posts: 106 - 18/02/2013 10:05:07    1335426

Might be a few purists on this forum ;)

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tyrone Dev (Tyrone) - Posts: 116 - 18/02/2013 10:11:00    1335428

Had a look at bits of the game. There were 2 vital scores for St T's directly from blatant fouls on Lough players which were not given, one in particular out on the sideline where an arm & hurley were wrapped around a guy's neck. Now its possible the ref may have missed blatant fouls the other way round but not that I noticed. Certainly St T's reaaly drove on after they got that second "vital£ score & won well.

Looking forward to the Final and of course hoping the double K's can do it.

Has the Final ever been between 2 first time county champs and /or between 2 who were only retatively recent amalgamations.

Massive lot of flags & bunting yesterday around Peterswell & Kilcreest as I drove that way. Its real hurling country but I will have to support the home county in the Final.

KELF (Kildare) - Posts: 775 - 18/02/2013 21:14:01    1335831

Loughgiel squandered three guilt-edged goals chances in 1st half. If they'd taken 1 of those it might've been different but the better team on the day won.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 18/02/2013 21:38:15    1335842

thought the refereeing was a disgrace,first red was only a yellow at most.Kilcormac were the better team and deserved another crack at it,some of the play acting by Thomas' would be best suited to the soccer field,that said Kilcormac needed to score more from play and were too reliant on Slevin frees,Thomas' won't be too worried tonight,they've got Tommy Moore for company...

turfcutter (Antrim) - Posts: 277 - 17/03/2013 15:32:41    1350918

have to agree with turfcutter refereeing cost k/k, hurling is the looser to-day

shamrockalways (Westmeath) - Posts: 10 - 17/03/2013 17:23:30    1351009

I agree turfcutter but lets stop this "he should be on a soccer field" rubbish.Modern Gaa players are just as bad as their soccer counterparts.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 17/03/2013 17:40:29    1351027

Keep chewing those lemons turfcutter. Kilcormac the better side? They had little to offer apart from Slevin's frees. The only thing that was a disgrace was the antics of Kilcormac-Killoughey, one of the dirtiest teams to get to a club hurling final. Play acting? You obviously missed the dirty swipe on Bernard Burke in the 1st half, followed by the writhing on the ground by the culprit trying to avoid a yellow card. Or the all too frequent grabbing of the front of the helmet of the Thomas' players.

Ailteoir (Galway) - Posts: 921 - 17/03/2013 17:44:52    1351036

Well done St. Thomas'. Great to see All-Irelands coming west.

mayoboy1 (Mayo) - Posts: 1654 - 17/03/2013 17:54:36    1351051

It was without doubt poor refereeing, but some of the players made it very easy for the ref, the game was ruined by the double sending off's. Some more serious dangerous play went unpunished, one in particular a faceguard pull nearly took the St Thomas's players head off. But well done to St Thomas's.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4956 - 17/03/2013 17:56:42    1351056

Ailteoir

It was a bad stroke but I was sitting close enough to see the blood coming from his face, he was not doing it to avoid a yellow card. I do think the ref cost KK the win as with 10 min to go, a draw match and you give a straight red for something that was a yellow at best.

That said, the result is what it is and congrats to St Thomas.

biffo123 (Offaly) - Posts: 1 - 19/03/2013 10:26:24    1351805