Sports
Club hurling matches disrupted after Galway’s draw with Dublin
HURLING Committee Chairman Michael Larkin insists there will be club championship games played over the summer months, although he concedes that when these will be played is very much dependent on Galway’s involvement in the Leinster and All-Ireland championships.
Following last Sunday’s Leinster quarter-final draw between the Tribesmen and Dublin at Croke Park, the Hurling Committee has been left scrambling to re-work the senior and, to a lesser extent, the intermediate club championship fixtures.
With Galway’s game re-fixed for O’Connor Park, Tullamore this Saturday, the majority of this weekend’s senior championship games have been postponed, with only the Clarinbridge v Kiltormer clash and Craughwell’s SHC tie against Carnmore standing.
Larkin admits the championship has been left a bit up in the air. “That is the position. A lot of it depends on Galway’s performances really going forward. If they win on Saturday, at the moment, we would be looking at July 12th. However, for example, if they were to win and then lose to Offaly or Laois, you are looking at qualifiers kicking in.
“To my knowledge, the first qualifier is July 4th – that weekend – and the next is on the weekend of July 11th. If Galway was in that position, it would add a further complication to the club championship because then the round of July 12th would be in trouble.”
At any rate, the implications of last Sunday’s draw have meant that eight SHC games will have to be rescheduled and, again, when these outstanding matches will take place is dependent on the fortunes of Anthony Cunningham’s charges in the replay this Saturday.
Should Galway defeat Dublin, the likelihood is that the outstanding club fixtures will not be played until the weekend of July 12th – as pencilled in by the fixtures booklet – but if they lose on Saturday, then the remaining third round SHC and IHC games will be played the following Friday and Saturday.
“As long as Galway keep going, you have to be mindful of what is going on. Obviously, once Galway exits the championship – and we hope that will be September – the club championship will kick in. However, we will have to look at the long delays for minors and U-21s.”
The worst case scenario for the club championship would be for Galway to win next Saturday and then subsequently lose the Leinster semi-final as this would take a number of weekends out of the equation and leave, possibly, August 16 as the only viable date. Again, that would depend on Galway’s results.
“It is a tricky situation but the first hurdle is Saturday evening – to get over that – and basically we will have to see what happens after that,” concludes Hurling Committee Chairman Larkin.
In addition to the two SHC games, there are a number of intermediate fixtures going ahead this weekend. See fixtures.
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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