Sports
Elwood holds his nerve to force a replay in U-21 A final
Liam Mellows 0-15
Turloughmore 0-15
TURLOUGHMORE and Liam Mellows will have to do it all again as a last gasp free from Ronan Elwood was enough to seal a well deserved draw for the city side in an entertaining U-21 A hurling final in Pearse Stadium on Saturday.
Mellows were six points down heading into the final quarter but battled back gallantly to earn a replay, the third time this has happened, with the sides already having gone to replays when they met in the 2013 Minor final, along with their meeting in the U16 decider two years earlier.
It was Mellows who opened the scoring through a Ronan Elwood free, and Stephen Barrett doubled the lead almost immediately after winning the puck out before splitting the posts with a delightful strike from the left wing. Subsequently, Sean Linnane registered Turloughmore’s first score, but that was quickly cancelled out by another Elwood free as the city side settled the quicker.
Turloughmore needed a lift and that came in the form of a super score from left half back Daniel Burke, who brilliantly stopped the menacing run of Barrett with a superb block and without hesitation, the young defender then turned and blasted over a superb score from well inside his own half.
Joe Hession’s side were nearly gifted an early goal when county U21 star Sean Loftus tried his luck with a free from long range. His delivery almost landed in the Mellows net as keeper Jack Forde missed the ball, allowing Padraig Kearney to try but ultimately fail to sweep it into the net.
The game was tight at this stage, both teams struggling to take a foothold in what was an evenly matched contest across the field, although Mellows were relying heavily on the free taking of sharpshooter Ronan Elwood, while Turloughmore had five different scorers in the opening half, rising to eight by the final whistle.
The sides traded scores in a tight ten minute period to leave it level at five points apiece when Turloughmore hit a purple patch which saw them land four points without reply. Frees from Jamie Holland added to the lead secured by points from play through Loftus and Linnane as they went in ahead by 0-9 to 0-6 at the break.
Throughout the final, the midfield exchanges proved the key to the success of any attack as the game saw very few short puck outs. With Richard Doyle and Shane Burke commanding this area, Turloughmore looked to kill off the Mellows challenge with a flurry of scores to put them seven points clear.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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