Sports
Football stalemate at the stadium in terrible conditions
GALWAY 0-13
ROSCOMMON 1-10
THERE’S a catchy American folk song about the old grey mare ‘not being what she used to be’, and after watching this Connacht final at Pearse Stadium on Sunday, the same kind of sentiment might apply to the game of Gaelic football.
True we had excitement, tension, ferocious effort and a lot of organisation but the game has now largely transformed into letting the opposition have the ball in their own half of the field with everyone else regressing back to fill up every available inch of space.
The tactical plots are still intriguing enough for the hard core followers of the game but as for more general entertainment the ‘old Gaelic’ certainly ain’t what it used to be . . . but its troubles won’t be solved overnight.
That’s all very far removed from the thoughts of Galway and Roscommon as they shape up to a Connacht final replay next Sunday in Castlebar (3.30) after a serious battle of wills in Salthill last Sunday.
The boost of a somewhat fortuitous first half goal seemed to have tilted the balance of power in favour of Roscommon but through the course of the second half, Galway looked the stronger team and when they went two points up with just a few minutes to go, the outcome seemed a done deal.
It was a fiercely competitive encounter with the defensive set-up of both teams, allied to the driving Atlantic wind and rain, ensuring that this would be a day for backs rather than forwards.
Cork referee Conor Lane did his best to keep the game flowing, not pulling for small contacts and generally penalising the player taking the ball into the tackle – thankfully too, he kept the black cards in his pocket until the final seconds when Patrick Sweeney picked up one.
Space inside the 45 metre line of the defending team was pretty much non-existent with attackers only getting a split second to shoot – in that context, Enda Smith’s goal strike in the 15th minute was huge.
Maybe, a bit naively, some of us expected an open display of attacking football given the decent sprinkling of class forwards on both sides, but right from the early minutes, the tone for this match was set – it was a case of safety first and farewell to adventure.
In general, short kick-outs were conceded to the opposition on the basis that the grid lock zone just outside the 45s would stop all traffic – and for the most part it did just that – a bit like the roads to the venue itself.
After Smith’s goal strike, and at half-time, Galway would probably have settled for the draw, but when Cortoon sub Adrian Varley sidefooted over a classic point in the 67th minute to put Galway into a 0-13 to 1-8 lead, they seemed poised to take the title.
Through that 32 minutes of the second half, the highly rated Roscommon attack had become badly unstuck unable to break free from the clutches of a Galway defence that reproduced the semi-final tenacity they showed against Mayo in McHale Park.
In that period, Roscommon managed only two points and it seemed unlikely that they could match that tally in the closing seven minutes [including four minutes of stoppage time], but credit must be given to Fergal O’Donnell’s and Kevin McStay’s charges – they battled to the last kick of the ball.
Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
