Steady Eddie wins with Westport

SHARING THE MOMENT Westport coach Eddie Walsh is pictured with Leah, Sam and Eileen celebrating the win. Pic: Conor McKeown


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Michael Gallagher

WESTPORT coach Eddie Walsh wore a smile as broad as Clew Bay when he spoke to The Mayo News in the moments following Sunday’s epic Junior Cup Final win in Galway.
He has been immersed in the club since he toddled into Carrowholly when little more than a baby, and on Sunday he coached his men to the most dramatic cup win in living memory.
He had witnessed many great days for the Carrowholly-based club, but Sunday’s dramatic finish almost took his breath away.
“I never saw a day like this. Our men were outstanding. “Creggs are a better team and we knew if they ran it wide we’d be in trouble, but we kept closing them down.
“We played some great rugby in the first half and got a fine try at the start of the second half. We almost got one or two more but we were still winning going into the closing minutes and then they got one move, scored from it and we were five down.
“It was over then – job done – but we scored with the last play of the day. It’s the best ever. I’m absolutely thrilled. “I’m over the moon. The last time Westport won it [in 2015] I was with Connemara at the time so this is very sweet today,” he said with great joy.
The dramatic finish saw Westport come from five points down to win the game in deepest injury-time, thanks to a try from teenage full-back Conor Lyons.
“He’s only 18 and a half and came into the senior team this year. He played in a school’s final (for Sancta Maria, Louisburgh) on Wednesday and got a bang.
“He had to be taken off but we got him back to fitness for today and he won’t forget it for a long time,” the coach explained before speaking about the club he loves so well.
“We have a fantastic club. It’s very family-orientated and everyone gets involved. It’s a community club where we just love our sport. We’re the smallest club in the town numbers wise, but we’re a might group of people and these days make it special.
“You cannot win anything bigger in Connacht junior rugby and we will definitely enjoy this,” Walsh added before talking about the mindset of his team coming into the game.
“I told the lads Creggs were under a lot more pressure than we were. They were going for the (league and cup) double and hadn’t won the cup in 30 years.
“We knew if we could rattle them and get under their skin and knock them out of their kilter we’d have a chance because if you let them play they’re a very good side.”
Finally, the winning coach had a special word for one of his players, Conor Hastings, who produced a magnificent display despite the fact that his father, Michael, had passed away just eight days before the game.
“It’s hard to put into words what Conor did for us this week. He father died on the Saturday and he was at training with us on Sunday morning. He trained with us all week and his performance today was something else. “His father will be buried on Tuesday, yet he played his absolute heart out today.
“I didn’t want the lads getting too emotional before the game, but I said to them beforehand if they couldn’t win it for a man who did so much for every one of us, like Conor did, what was the point.
:Conor was magnificent today. He left absolutely everything out there on the pitch. He was done at the end and I had to take him off, but if I hadn’t he’d have just kept playing until he dropped.
“That’s the type of man he is.”