Football
Footballers turn the corner
Galway 1-11 Armagh 0-9
TWO months of soul-searching, two months of despair, finally gave away to a wondrous awakening as the new generation of Galway footballers produced the shock of Round Three of the All-Ireland senior football qualifiers to put Armagh to the sword in the splendid sunshine at Salthill on Saturday evening.
A team which had been humbled and humiliated by old foes Mayo, before labouring to get past Tipperary and Waterford at the same venue, finally came of age with the kind of performance their supporters could only have dreamed of through those three troubling fixtures.
There has been a good deal of luck about the Tribesmen’s run through the qualifiers, and there was an element of good fortune about Danny Cummins’ decisive 24th minute goal, but nobody in the attendance of 5,628 could dispute that the better, more focused team won this battle.
The Tribesmen made four changes for this fixture, and were forced into a fifth when corner back Keith Kelly picked up an injury in the warm-up, and there was a clear sense of purpose about the men in maroon from the minute they took to the field.
They stormed into an early three point lead and never once fell behind to an Armagh side which had perhaps fallen into a false sense of security after dishing out hammerings to Leitrim and Wicklow, in which they had scored an incredible 10-34, in their previous two games.
Huge credit must go to the Galway defence for limiting the much-vaunted visiting attack to just nine points here – the Armagh men were constantly harried and closed down, and never once got a chance to launch a serious assault on Manus Breathnach’s goal.
It was a tactical masterclass by Alan Mulholland and his selectors, who deployed Johnny Duane in a sweeper role in front of rival danger man Jamie Clarke. Once Duane and direct opponent Donal O’Neill snuffed Clarke’s threat out, the Armagh attack looked far less menacing.
Forwards Conor Doherty and the recalled Micheal Martin put in unbelievable shifts in the sweltering conditions. Time and again, they tracked back to help their defensive colleagues while All-Ireland U-21 winner Thomas Flynn dominated the midfield exchanges alongside the superbly consistent Paul Conroy.
In short, firm defensive foundations were put in place right from the start for this memorable victory. It did not seem to matter that there were just three Galway players in the opposing half at times, given the wonderful mobility demonstrated by the men in maroon when shifting focus from defence to attack.
Armagh must have been shell-shocked to find themselves four points down at the break and, even though they did try to mount a fightback, Galway just upped the pace again to register the most impressive 70 minute performance of the Mulholland era.
All of the changes paid off in one way or another for the management team, while full credit must go to Sean Denvir for doing such a solid job after being called into the starting XV at literally the last minute.
Once again, the experience of Finian Hanley and Gary Sice was vital to the cause when Armagh tried to rally, but this was a day when some of Galway’s talented youngsters finally looked the part at senior level.
The Tribesmen made light of low expectations from the outset and Duane, on a rare venture upfield, opened their account with a fisted point after good work by Flynn, a rejuvenated Sean Armstrong at centre forward, and Conroy.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
CHAMPIONS Moycullen will open the defence of their title against an emerging Claregalway outfit when the sides meet in the first round of the 2021 county senior football championship on the weekend of September 5th.
In addition to Claregalway, Moycullen have also been pooled with An Cheathrú Rua and Annaghdown and, while Don Connellan’s charges will be favourites heading into all three SFC fixtures, the former Roscommon footballer will be acutely aware that each of their Group 3 opponents have the capacity to spring a surprise.
Indeed, this proved to be Moycullen’s forte in 2020 as they claimed the Frank Fox Cup for the very first time. It was even more impressive given they did so without Galway star Peter Cooke, who was working in the United States last year. Cooke has since returned and his availability significantly boasts their chances of retaining their title.
From the outset in 2020, though, Moycullen looked like men on a mission. In their group games, they saw off Micheál Breathnach (3-12 to 1-6), Annaghdown (4-9 to 2-14) and Mountbellew/Moylough (4-14 to 1-9) before accounting for St. James’ (1-17 to 2-9) and 2019 finalists Tuam Stars (3-14 to 1-15) in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.
The two biggest threats to Moycullen’s crown are Corofin – still the reigning All-Ireland club champions – and Mountbellew/Moylough while Tuam Stars and Salthill/Knocknacarra will also fancy their chances.
Corofin, unbeaten for almost eight years in Galway SFC football until their demise last year, have been drawn in Group 4A, alongside Oughterard and Salthill/Knocknacarra. However, those three teams will not play each other, but rather they cross-play the teams pooled in Group 4B, namely Monivea/Abbey, Barna and Caherlistrane.
This unusual format gives each of these teams three SFC fixtures – same as the four-team groups – with the top two sides in each of these sections – 4A and 4B – advancing to the knockout stages.
See full coverage of the draw in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie
Roscommon 1-16
Galway 2-12
IT would be a tad simplistic to dub what was a hugely entertaining Connacht minor football semi-final as a game of two halves, given that Galway led by 11 points at one stage before Roscommon stormed back to eventually claim a remarkable victory at Tuam Stadium last Saturday.
The reality is a little more nuanced, in that Galway, on their first outing of the year, impressively carved Roscommon’s defence apart with an array of stylish attacking play for a 20-minute spell while playing with the wind at their backs. Outside of that period, though, Galway would just manage to register a solitary point from play.
Roscommon also let four decent goal chances slip through their fingers before they eventually did raise a green flag, drawing two saves while also hitting the post. Critically they hit the last three points of the half to leave a slightly more manageable eight between the sides.
During Galway’s purple patch, pacy corner forwards Eanna Monaghan and Niall Mannion both left their markers chasing shadows, as Galway reeled off nine scores without reply having understandably started quite sluggishly. Goals by Sean Bermingham and Monaghan looked to have Alan Flynn’s side in the box seat, but Roscommon showed remarkable character to claw their way back despite a second half black card that threatened to stall their comeback.
However, when Robert Heneghan’s thunderous 47th minute shot hit the roof of the net while Roscommon were still a body short, the large travelling support rose the decibel levels another notch and their team responded magnificently.
Read full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie
COROFIN 4-18
MONIVEA/ABBEY 0-7
WHILE it goes without saying that everyone is hugely thankful that sporting action has resumed and we still appear on course to complete a season, it is such a pity for the time being that only a handful of supporters are allowed the privilege to watch a team of Corofin’s class in full flight as they look destined to create history on their march to an eighth senior title in a row.
On a glorious day for football last Sunday, Corofin dismantled Monivea/Abbey in emphatic fashion, playing an electric brand of football that repeatedly cut holes in their opponent’s defensive alignment. Seven goals last time out against Oughterard, there could have been more again in Tuam Stadium but for some uncharacteristically sloppy finishing to rapier-like first half moves that left Brian Mulry’s side exposed.
It didn’t help that Cillian McDaid, Monivea/Abbey’s star turn, was an absentee, or that St. Bernard’s Connacht Junior Cup quarter final was scheduled for the same time, but Monivea/Abbey should still take a small shred of comfort from the fact that they competed well at times, created 19 scoring chances, and never dropped their heads despite the lost cause.
With no Connacht or All-Ireland club championship to have to try and peak for later in the year, Corofin look poised to lay down a serious marker on how far ahead of the pack they really are. New faces like Matthew Cooley and replacement Colin Kelly, who confidently netted two second-half goals on his debut, are being given their chance, while Ronan Steede, Martin Farragher, Bernard Power, and Daithí Burke were not required on this occasion.
Throw in the fact that Kevin O’Brien chose to keep Kieran Molloy and Gary Sice in reserve until deep into the second half and you start to seriously question whether any side in the county will be able to lay a glove on them this term. Ian Burke is motoring along nicely, Micheál Lundy appears revived back in a more attacking role, while veterans like Ciarán McGrath are haring around the pitch as if they have a point to prove.
Monivea/Abbey were lively all over the pitch early on and actually created one more scoring opportunity in the opening twelve minutes (5-4) but were unfortunately wasteful when it mattered and somehow found themselves trailing by 1-2 to 0-1.
Corofin’s movement and accuracy were already sublime, with Lundy, Burke, and Cooley lining up in an I formation down the middle of the attack and Darragh Silke offering himself as a highly effective link man in transition. Jason Leonard and Dylan Canney provided width when needed while the defensive Dylan’s, Wall and McHugh, tore forward when the chances arose.
Ian Burke’s sharp turn on eight minutes left Caelom Mulry in his wake, but when a goal looked likely Burke drove just over the bar. Three minutes later the dam broke when Lundy curled a pass into Cooley in space, and he picked out McHugh on the burst who slotted to the net at his ease.
A Brian Moran free registered Monivea/Abbey’s first score shortly after, but the die had already been cast. Jason Leonard drove over a ’45 after Burke had been denied by some last gasp defending before Canney clipped over a classy score where Lundy and Burke were involved again.
Extended report will appear in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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