A late Turloughmore goal denied Athenry a place in the County Under 21 Final in a thrill-a-minute semi-final at Ballindereen. The Connacht Tribune stated "This thrilling and tremendous encounter between two well drilled sides was dominated by Athenry until the final quarter."
It all went wrong for Athenry in the closing stages, first Hugh Higgins received a facial injury but bravely battled on, then a 'freak' goal put Turloughmore back into a game they appeared to be losing. Further misfortune struck when the referee ordered Billy Caulfield off for a minor offence and in the dying seconds he gave Turloughmore an innocuous free that ended up in the Athenry net for a 3-7 to 2-8 victory.