Sports
Champs show no mercy in pursuit of the four-in-a-row
COROFIN 3-12
MOUNTBELLEW-MOYLOUGH 1-11
THE worrying aspect of this county senior football semi-final for all zones outside of Corofin was that Mountbellew played quite well for extended periods and yet found themselves decisively beaten in the end.
Corofin continue to be the slickest operation in town by a fair distance. For a good chunk of the first half on Sunday, Mountbellew matched them point for point and yet by the interval, they were four behind while 10 minutes into the second half, the game was virtually over as a contest.
Pace in two guises is at the heart of the Corofin success story. There’s a mobility right through the team that’s hugely difficult to stymie and secondly they move the ball at rapid pace – more often than not, the opposition just don’t get the chance to deliver any physical hits.
While the match might have been drained of its competitive sap going into the last quarter, it still provided many quality passages of football, with some exceptional scores from play delivered by both sides.
The flow of the match was also helped by the fact that referee Gearóid Ó Conámha didn’t blow for every trivial physical contact – a little bit of reasonable restraint on the whistle can add immeasurably to the entertainment rating of a footballing contest.
There was a marked similarity in both the content and the scoreline of this match to last year’s county final meeting between the sides that ended in a 3-13 to 0-12 victory for Corofin.
This time around, Mountbellew-Moylough again adopted a sensibly cautious first half approach with Colm Colleran dropping back into defence as the extra man but in the third quarter, when the losers had to chase the game, Corofin destroyed them.
Seven minutes into the second half, Mike Farragher and Ian Burke had the most seamless of build-ups to set up Gary Sice for a close range goal that effectively sealed the outcome of the match, putting the county champions into a 1-10 to 0-7 lead.
Another razor sharp Corofin attacking move just after the midway point of the half ended with Sice hand-passing the ball into the path of Ian Burke who had the simplest of palmed finishes to administer.
Just over a minute later, when Justin Leonard fired home Corofin’s third goal, to put them 3-11 to 0-7 ahead, one feared that Mountbellew-Moylough could be about to endure a serious beating.
However full credit to the side managed by James Foran and Martin Boyle, as against all the odds, they put in the most spirited of finishes highlighted by a classic goal strike from Stephen Boyle in the 49th minute.
Barry McHugh – a constant threat at full forward over the hour – kicked a few good points while full back David Hogan also stormed upfield to find the target, ensuring that the club lost no pride or honour in the defeat.
Along the way though – like so many other teams across the county – they had fallen victim to the slickness of a Corofin footballing machine that shows no signs of losing power.
For more, read 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.
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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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