St Thomas vs Ballygunner Preview
Galway champions St Thomas’ are through to the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Semi-Final. They will play the Munster champions Ballygunner in a showdown that will decide the All-Ireland Final this Saturday, December 16. The teams face off at Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, at 7.30 pm. The winner will play Sunday’s semi-final showdown between Leinster champions O’Loughlin Gaels and Ulster champions Ruairi Òg Cushendall at Páirc Tailteann, Navan in the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship.
St Thomas vs Ballygunner Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Ballygunner of Waterford enters the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Semi-Final after winning their third straight Munster Club Hurling championship. The Munster champions brushed aside Clonlara GAA of County Clare with a convincing 2-24 to 0-17 final score-line. A formidable expression of force saw the Waterford-based side win its fourth championship in six years, demonstrating Ballygunner’s dominance as one of the top hurling sides in the country.
While the scoreline against first-time finalists, Clonlara wasn’t as comprehensive as it should have been. The Gunners showed their quality on the pitch by dismantling the Clare County champions to win three Munster provincial hurling titles off the bounce. Gunners star Pauric Mahony excelled on a cold night in Thurles, and the Waterford champions booked their spot in the All-Ireland Semi-Final with a convincing display.
Not to be outdone, St Thomas’ won their ninth straight county final, including last year’s stalemate against Loughrea. Chasing a record-tying sixth consecutive Galway SHC title, St Thomas’ achieved the unthinkable. They saw off the only club to have pulled off the same feat in the past, Turloughmore, by a score of 2-12 to 1-13.
St Thomas started strongly at Pearse Stadium, not giving Turloughmore a chance to settle down as they put the game out of reach by the end of the opening quarter. The south Galway side became the first team since Turloughmore in the ’60s to achieve six-in-a-row. St Thomas’ captain Conor Cooney entered the record books as the first man to captain six winning teams. St Thomas’ has won all eight Galway finals since reaching their first final in 2012. Turloughmore came up short against its cross-county rivals for the second time in four seasons. The Galway champions are full of confidence as they face the odds-on favourites and defending champions Ballygunners.
St Thomas vs Ballygunner Predictions
All eyes are on the Gunners this December 16, ahead of the clash against the six-in-a-row Galway champions. Ballygunner star Dessie Hutchinson, formerly on the books at Brighton and Hove Albion, said they won’t take St Thomas’ lightly after losing to Kilkenny kingpins Ballyhale Shamrocks at the same stage last December 2022.
St Thomas will have their hands full with the Gunners’ rampant offence. It will be up to the Galway side to contain Ballygunner’s attacking prowess. They must stay well-organised and keep the Gunners from exploiting wide open spaces that enable them to run roughshod against their opponents. St Thomas faces the tall task of maintaining their shape amid the relentless attack of the Waterford champions. However, St Thomas’ defence has held up well in their past three games. They held Cork, Limerick, and Clare, hurling sides to an average of under 13 points per game.
Despite the impressive feat that St Thomas’ has achieved on its way to the semi-final, they enter the betting markets as massive underdogs at the sportsbooks. Ballygunner will display their dominance and dictate the rules of engagement in a match. Few expect the Galway champions to win despite the latter’s stout defence. St Thomas’ will close down spaces, but any defensive lapse, or a free-flowing game, can see the Gunners run up the score on the Galwegians. More spaces will give Ballygunner all the room they need to score.
St Thomas will be hard-pressed to repeat their performance against the odds-on favourites to win the Tommy Moore Cup 2024. The Gunners are expected to steamroll their way to the All-Ireland Final and, ultimately, the championship.
St Thomas vs Ballygunner Betting Tips
St Thomas’ isn’t the only team riding a wave of momentum entering the crunch semi-final matchup. Ballygunner has overcome the cream of Cork and Limerick hurling as they beat Sarsfields and Na Piarsaigh. The Waterford champions will give St Thomas a spanking in the betting odds on the All-Ireland SHC Hurling Semi-Finals.
Currently, Ballygunner is a 1/6 favourite to win. Any punters looking to wager on a massive upset by St Thomas’ face long odds of 5/1 for the Galway champions to emerge victorious. For prospective bettors interested in betting on the GAA Hurling Semi-Finals, Novibet is offering a welcome bonus to new users that might interest those who wish to take a flutter.
All-Ireland Semi-Final Betting Prediction: Ballygunner ML @ 1/6
St Thomas Team News & Lineups
St Thomas will rely on the expert guidance of skipper Conor Cooney. Cooney has captained the club throughout its exceptional, unbroken run of provincial dominance. Likewise, the Galway champions need full-back Fintan Burke to marshall the robust defence. Especially as the men of Peterswell-Kilchreest-Castledaly attempt to contain a burgeoning Ballygunner offence.
Likewise, Shane Cooney, Darragh Burke, and Éanna Burke must shore up the Galway side’s attack. St Thomas’ boss Kenneth Burke needs the trio to cause problems for the Ballygunners’ back line. 2017 All-Ireland winning captain David Burke is also expected to play a crucial role off the bench as he did in the closing stages of the last game.
St. Thomas’: Gerald Kelly, Cian Mahony, Fintan Burke, David Sherry, John Headd, Shane Cooney, Cathal Burke, James Regan, Damien Finnerty, Evan Duggan, Conor Cooney, Darragh Burke, Victor Manso, Éanna Burke, Oisín Flannery.
Ballygunner Team News & Lineups
Former Brighton and Hove Albion footballer Dessie Hutchinson will spearhead the Gunners’ vaunted attack. The men of Waterford boast one of the most potent offences in the GAA Hurling world. With brothers Pauric, Kevin Mahony, and Peter Hogan teaming up with Hutchinson to give opposing defences headaches throughout the competition.
The ruthless attacking formation of Hutchinson, Peter Hogan, and the brothers Mahony are the tip of the spear to test the stout St Thomas’ defence. The group has worked relentlessly to spoil the quality of opposing teams’ balls thanks to the Gunners’ equally exceptional defence marshalled by Phillip Mahony and Stephen O’Keeffe.
Ballygunner gaffer Darragh O’Sullivan will have many attacking options, with danger man Hutchinson, Hogan, and Kevin Mahony hitting prime form entering the semi-final tiff. The team is firing on all cylinders and peaking at the right time as the ten-in-a-row Gunners go for the gold. O’Sullivan will look to impose a free-flowing style of play that his prolific marksmen will only be all too happy to exploit. Will the Gunners be able to continue their blistering run of form at Portlaoise? The odds seem to suggest so.
Ballygunner: Stephen O’Keeffe, Ian Kenny, Barry Coughlan, Tadhg Foley, Shane O’Sullivan, Phillip Mahony, Ronan Power, Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey, Peter Hogan, Mikey Mahony, Pauric Mahony, Patrick Fitzgerald, Dessie Hutchinson, Kevin Mahony.
St Thomas vs Ballygunner Match Information
- Contest Name: AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship
- Date: Saturday, December 16th
- Time: 7.30 pm
- Teams: St. Thomas (Galway) v Ballygunner (Waterford)
- Round: Semi-Final
- Venue: Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise
- Referee: Johnny Murphy
- Notes: Extra Time, if Necessary
