Sports
Abbeyknockmoy on their guard for Antrim men
ABBEYKNOCKMOY will look to continue their fairytale adventure when they meet a fancied Creggan Kickhams of Antrim in an intriguing All-Ireland intermediate semi-final at Pairc Tailteann in Navan this Sunday (1pm).
Boasting a clean bill of health following the return from injury of quartet Brian Costello (knee), Paul Flaherty (knee), Danny Mullins (ankle) and Padraig O’Donnell (hamstring), Abbeyknockmoy, who make a long awaited return to senior hurling later this year, are also bidding to become the first Galway team to win this competition.
It has been some 12 months for the Brian Cooley/Gerry Farragher jointly managed side. The surprise package of the intermediate championship, they enhanced their credentials with a semi-final win over title favourites Kinvara before accounting for Moycullen in the county decider.
They subsequently squeezed past Four Roads of Roscommon – who had historically beaten them in the 1988 provincial senior showpiece – in the Connacht final and, somewhat against the odds, defeated London senior champions and former All-Ireland winners Robert Emmetts, 0-10 to 0-5, in their All-Ireland quarter-final in Ruislip in late November.
“That was a huge win, particularly with all the planning and travelling,” acknowledges joint manager Brian Cooley. “It was probably more comfortable than the scoreline suggested which was great given all the injuries we had, including the three on the day – Paul Flaherty, Danny Mullins and Padraig O’Donnell.
“We played very well and the support over there was brilliant. The lads got through it and were well focused. They were more focused on it than the Four Roads game in a way. The Four Roads game could have been a right banana skin with all the talk of ’88 but in London they were very focused.
“They realised they had a job to do over there before they could celebrate the county and Connacht wins. Again, they played very well out there and we were very proud of them. Hopefully they can bring that into the next game now. We definitely can move another step up.”
The return of Costello, in particular, is a major boost. The former Galway and London inter-county defender had missed out on the knockout stages with a knee injury but after keyhole surgery before Christmas he is back and rearing to go.
“Brian has played two games over the Christmas – one in Limerick on the Astro turf and another down in Milltown against Mayo and he came through them brilliantly. I suppose, when Brian was injured, Brian Flaherty moved to centre-back and he has been playing so well in it now it is hard to know what to do. It is a great position to be in though and a great headache to have.”
Full preview 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.
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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