Laois man Tommy Fitzgerald was part of the backroom team with the St Thomas’s team that won the All Ireland club title in January – he was later appointed as the new Laois senior hurling manager in November.
Laois man Tommy Fitzgerald was a key member of the St Thomas’s backroom team as the Galway side claimed the All Ireland club hurling title in Croke Park yesterday in thrilling fashion.
Fitzgerald returned to a coaching role with the Galway side in November, having previously been with the club in 2021 and 2022 when they won county titles but had fallen short in All Ireland semi-finals in both season.
And while the Portlaoise native returned to manage his home club to Premier Intermediate success in Laois this year, he resumed his St Thomas’s role under manager Kenneth Burke after Portlaoise were knocked out of their Leinster club campaign.
St Thomas’s won an incredible sixth Galway title in a row last October but their big win was in the All Ireland semi-final when they beat reigning champions Ballygunner in an epic semi-final in O’Moore Park.
And yesterday, they got the better of Kilkenny side O’Loughlin Gaels in an equally gripping contest, one that was decided in injury time when Eanna Burke scored a wonderful point from the sideline to put his team back into the lead, 0-18 to 0-17.
The Kilkenny champions had just hit three points in a row to draw the game level prior to Burke’s heroic effort – and then O’Loughlin Gaels were unfortunate to see a late free go wide that would have forced extra time.
Sunday’s win was St Thomas’s first All Ireland final success since 2013.
And the involvement is the latest feather in Fitzgerald’s coaching/management career. As well as his role with St Thomas and with Portlaoise in 2023, he was also a selector/coach under Eddie Brennan during his two-year spell in Laois in 2019-2020.
Fitzgerald is again in charge of Portlaoise in 2024 as they return to the senior grade for the first time since 2019.
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