Bad day at the office as Galway hurlers and footballers lose crunch league games

Dara Bradley and  Francis Farragher

GALWAY’S flagship GAA teams will ply their trade in the second tier of their respective leagues next season after a disappointing Sunday for the county.

The hurlers dropped out of the top-flight for the first time in two and a half decades by losing to Cork in the relegation play-off at Pearse Stadium.

Cork were poor when they were beaten by six points in round one of the league in Salthill on St Valentine’s Day; but as Galway has discovered, it is hard beat the same team twice. A frustratingly slow start and the concession of two scrappy goals late in the game proved Galway’s downfall as Cork recorded their first league win of the campaign to avoid the drop. The final score was 2-22 to 0-25.

Meanwhile, the footballers remain in Division Two after their push for promotion fell short against Cavan at Kingspan/Breffni Park earlier in the day.

Galway started brightly to lead 1-4 to 1-1 after the first quarter, and held a three-point advantage at the break (1-8 to 1-5). However, the home side soon took control and dominated proceedings. Kevin Walsh’s charges had a goal opportunity late on to snatch victory but Cavan held on to triumph, 1-16 to 1-12, in this winner-takes-all clash. The Ulstermen are promoted to the top flight and will now contest the Division Two final with Tyrone at Croke Park in a fortnight’s time.

At Salthill, Galway senior hurling manager, Micheál Donoghue conceded he was disappointed to be relegated but said it won’t affect championship preparations. “This result isn’t going to define our year,” insisted the Clarinbridge man.

“We’re going to push on from this and history has shown that teams who have contested the relegation battle have still gone on and done well in the championship . . . obviously we’re bitterly disappointed going down to Division 1B, and we’re not going to hide that fact, but we just push on now for the championship and obviously when the league comes around again we try and get back to 1A.”

Donoghue said Galway recovered from a poor start and were in a “decent enough” position, three points up with eight minutes or so remaining before they were hit by killer goals. “That’s probably what hurt us most,” he said.

“We came back into it but before the game we didn’t want it to turn into a shoot-out and ultimately it did. When you play that way you’re going to live by the sword or die by the sword. They finished strong with the two goals.”

Galway was missing eight players through injury, and the defence on Sunday was lacking a few key heavyweights. “The game, of the magnitude it was, we probably could have done with players with more experience,” he conceded.

One of the positives Donoghue is taking from the campaign is he had a chance to look at 32 players since February, and that will strengthen options for the championship. On the downside, Donoghue confirmed afterwards that Jonathan Glynn will not be returning from America this summer. “We are bitterly disappointed but we just have to push on. Other teams have been here before and ended up having a good championship and hopefully that will happen,” added Donoghue.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.