Sports
Hanbury, Mannion and Higgins to make league debuts against Clare
GALWAY’S senior hurlers commence their National League campaign against one of their nearest and fiercest rivals, Clare, at Pearse Stadium on Sunday (2pm) by handing three promising young players their debuts.
Defenders John Hanbury of Rahoon/Newcastle and Padraig Mannion of Ahascragh/Fohenagh have been named at corner-back and wing-back respectively while Castlegar attacker Dean Higgins has been listed at left-half forward.
Other than that, Colm Callanan retains his place in goal ahead of Aidan Ryan while the defensive sextet comprises of Hanbury, Fergal Moore, Ronan Burke, Gearoid McInerney, David Collins and Mannion. Iarla Tannian and the in-form Joseph Cooney form the midfield partnership.
Padraig Breheny, Jonathan Glynn and Higgins make up a sniping half-forward line while the inside threat will be provided by James Regan, Jason Flynn and Cathal Mannion. There is no room in the starting fifteen, on this occasion, for Portumna’s Andy Smith and Loughrea’s Johnny Coen.
Both Galway and Clare will be anxious to get their National League off to a winning start, particularly after the two counties went nowhere near fulfilling their championship expectations or potential last year – each knocked out of the All-Ireland series by early July.
Consequently, both Galway and Clare should be mad for road this Sunday. “Absolutely,” states Galway selector Damien Curley. “Also, looking at the way the league went last year the home games were massively important. I think in the first two or three rounds the results of those games went the way of home advantage. We have three home games this year so we would be hoping to build on those.”
Certainly, of the two teams, Galway, despite a litany of injuries, would seem to be in the best shape following their morale boosting Walsh Cup title win over Dublin last weekend. However, Curley warns that not too much can be read into those pre-season games.
“I don’t want to demean some of the opposition but the real tests start this weekend. The Walsh Cup is behind us and this is a big step up, match wise. Yes, we are missing some key players but you would still have to be optimistic and be ready to have a rattle at it,” continues Curley.
“You will be expecting Clare to be coming with all guns blazing and trying to get a good start to the year as well. Both teams are in the same boat and will be anxious to kick it off again. The win against Dublin [in the opening game of the League] last year gave us a bit of momentum and we would hope to start the same way again.”
In all, the Galway management used 26 players in the Walsh Cup, although Joe Canning and Kevin Hynes (both fingers) did sustain injuries along the way. They should return in the coming weeks.
They are among a plethora of Tribesmen on the treatment table at the moment, with Conor Cooney, Cyril Donnellan, Niall Healy, David Burke and Niall Burke all long term injuries. Also set to miss the league opener is Turloughmore centre-half back Daithí Burke, who is club-tied with Corofin.
For more, read this week’s Galway City 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.
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.
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