Sports
Caherlistrane come up trumps in tight affair
Caherlistrane 0-17
Moycullen 0-14
CAHERLISTRANE have been arguably the most exciting team to watch in this year’s senior football championship so far, and their victory over Moycullen didn’t disappoint those who were there last Sunday at a sun-soaked Pearse Stadium.
The winners had scored 1-14, 3-12 and 2-18 in their three championship games to date, and Moycullen had impressed when beating Kilconly and St. James’, so this encounter had the potential to be the most exciting of the weekend. When the dust has settled on the 2016 club title race, this preliminary quarter-final will surely be remembered as one of its finest games.
Of course, we are not privy to just how much of an influence Liam Sammon is having within the squad, but Caherlistrane manager Neil McHugh certainly seems to have made a shrewd call bringing the former Galway manager on board in an advisory role. Although they tend to lull as a team in phases of games, Caherlistrane will be very confident going into their quarter-final fixture with Salthill/Knocknacarra.
Moycullen managed to nullify Cormac Bane, Oisin O’Brien and Ronan Conneely in the first period, but the trio didn’t stay quiet in the second half, contributing all ten of Caherlistrane’s points in the half to overturn a 0-9 to 0-7 half-time deficit. While Caherlistrane’s ace forwards did the damage in the scoring stakes, it was the club’s county minor midfielder who shone brightest.
Cian Darcy scored two first half points, but didn’t start at midfield, and when he went to the middle before half-time, things started to turn Caherlistrane’s way. After his recent bout of glandular fever, it is good for Galway minor manager Steven Joyce to see Darcy get another game under his belt ahead of the All-Ireland final meeting with Kerry.
It was interesting to observe the contrast in the displays of the two county minors on show. The minor captain Dessie Conneely also started, and although he did strike over a peach of a point in the first period during a spell of dominance for Moycullen, Noel Judge and the Caherlistrane defence did well to keep him under wraps.
The five points Moycullen tacked on from the 20th to the 27th minutes came at a time when they played their best football of the match. They deservedly led at the break, and could have had a couple of goals to their name on the scoreboard. Moycullen missed three great goal opportunities, and ultimately that proved an important element in the final result, as did David Wynne’s sending off with 10 minutes to play.
Darcy’s move to midfield was in direct response to Peter Cooke’s performance in the opening half. Darcy’s second point drew the teams level 0-4 apiece in the 18th minute, but Cooke came up with two from play of his own straight after. It was the start of Moycullen’s purple patch, as their half-back line of Eoin Walsh, Wynne and Diarmuid Lee all made a couple of searing runs and points from Conneely, Wynne and Lee soon followed.
Full coverage 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.
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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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