Winning culture to nourish Four Roads
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: Tommy and Conor Morris will be hoping to lead Four Roads to five-in-a-row against St. Dominic's at King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday next. Pictures: Gerard O'Loughlin
Four Roads and St. Dominic’s enter this final with a huge difference in plotlines surrounding their respective teams and clubs.
In the red corner, Four Roads have won four county titles on the bounce. Meanwhile, in the blue corner, St. Dominic’s are aiming to claim just a fourth county senior hurling title.
History and tradition count for much, while a look at the numbers alone would make an uneducated observer wonder why Four Roads are not just handed the title now. But sport doesn’t work like that, and St. Dominic’s have every right to feel that this is the time for them to claim a first county title this century.
After all, St. Dominic’s emerged 3-14 to 2-12 winners when these sides met in the opening round of the championship. Four Roads were missing Adam Donnelly and Conor Mulry among others, but St. Dominic’s, who were themselves without Jack Lohan on that occasion, were full value for that triumph.
Their last county final success came back in 1999 as Mike Lyons became the last St. Dominic’s captain to lift the Conlon Cup, as it was known back then. Naos Connaughton — aged eight at the time — was the mascot for that victorious team 27 years ago.
It lit a fire within him to try and help St. Dominic’s achieve their dream. If he is to claim that elusive winners’ medal, he will have to help his side overcome a Four Roads team that contains his cousins Adam and Jack Donnelly, not to mention Andy and Jamie Lawlor who are on the line for the Tisrara-based side.
There was a time in the not too distant past where it appeared that hurling was in deep trouble down Dominic’s way. Struggling to field teams was a real issue but the players fought hard to save their hurling team and when Martin ‘Thady’ Beirne arrived at the helm, he provided a spark that could truly ignite on Sunday next.
On the opposite side, Four Roads carry an enormous tradition, one that is recognised the length and breadth of the county, province and beyond. Although this was believed to be a period of transition for the club with a huge overhaul in playing personnel in the past two seasons in particular, their winning culture remains.
Micheál Kelly embodies that winning mentality. A man who secured county medals in 2005 and 2018, with ten more arriving in between, he has adapted to being the club’s senior manager seamlessly.
Kelly guided Four Roads to the club’s 38th county title in his inaugural year (in 2025) at the helm and he is correct in his assertion that this St. Dominic’s team have been on the rise for the past few years.
The obvious starting point for this current chapter of the rivalry between these proud clubs is the 2024 county final. Perhaps, it is best to go back a step further and start with both sides’ opening game of that campaign, a 4-8 to 0-20 draw.
It was an early warning sign that St. Dominic’s were back on the rise but a Conor Morris equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time was another example of Four Roads’ renowned grit. From there, it felt inevitable that the two sides would meet again.
In St. Dominic’s’ first county final appearance in 23 years, they certainly weren’t overawed by the occasion. By now, everyone down Knockcroghery way knows the story of that game. St. Dominic’s led by ten points late in the first half, but a wind-assisted Four Roads fought back, outscoring their foes 2-6 to 0-2 in the final quarter as Adam Donnelly netted the game-winning goal in the second minute of injury time.
If St. Dominic’s find themselves in a similar position this time around, can they manage to withstand the ferocity of the inevitable Four Roads fightback? If they are to do so, then they will need a slice of lady luck on their side, something that deserted them two years ago when Naos Connaughton and Micheál Byrne, who are joint captains this year, were both forced off prematurely through injury.
Fast forward to the present and St. Dominic’s have beaten Four Roads in senior league and championship this year. But Four Roads gave a timely reminder of the grit and resolve that emanates through the club as they won the revived junior hurling championship last month, beating St. Dominic’s by a point in the final.
St. Dominic’s have found form at the right time, but Four Roads possess the ability to find a solution when the pressure and the need are greatest. For that reason, the reigning champions get the nod to complete their drive for five.
