Connacht Tribune
Cooneys cut loose against gallant Wexford
Galway 0-29
Wexford 1-17
HAS the time come to let the handbrake off and just accept at face value what we are seeing with our own eyes? So many false dawns and big-day championship failures over the past three decades have framed our thinking since the glory days of the eighties, but 2017 is already proving a milestone season for the Galway hurlers.
National League, and now Leinster champions, the Tribesmen stand just two matches away from a clean sweep of major titles, and trying to preach caution and attempting to qualify their achievements so far is only remaining a slave to the type of doubt and distrust which countless Galway teams admittedly left as their legacy.
Nothing happened at Croke Park last Sunday before a record-breaking crowd of over 60,000 for a Leinster Final to shake our belief that Galway remain in pole position to be crowned All-Ireland champions in September. Their consistent high-quality displays brook no argument and the ruthless manner in which they are going about their business is actually unnerving the other main contenders.
Galway are no longer playing in fits and starts, leaving opposition teams hanging on or showing any sign of mental frailties as they continue to blitz their way through the defining period of the year, winning the team’s last five ‘knock-out’ matches by an average of 13 points.
In successive games, Limerick, Tipperay, Dublin, Offaly and, now, Wexford have all been submerged by the maroon tidal wave as Galway’s impressive mix of innate skill, physicality, experience and hunger is proving almost impossible to counteract. Wexford were more competitive than any of the others, but we still knew the result ten minutes into the second half.
Another almost complete team performance saw Galway claim only their second Leinster title from nine years of participation in the province. They were hot favourites to do so and though it understandably took them some time to work around Wexford’s sweeper system, together with the energy of Davy Fitzgerald’s charges, there was no sense of on-field panic when they fell 0-9 to 0-7 behind after 22 minutes.
In fact, it was what Galway needed; to be asked questions of rather than almost coasting through the exchanges from start to finish. The response was heartening as the Westerners reeled off seven of the next nine points to lead by 0-14 to 0-11 at the break. Wexford were giving it their best shot, tearing into tackles, picking off some great points, but were still losing.
On a day when Joe Canning, David Burke and Conor Whelan were relatively subdued by their own high standards, the 2017 Leinster Final will be most remembered for the startling impact of the unrelated Cooneys, Conor and Joseph, up front.
Between them, they banged over 12 points from play with many of their scores coming at important stages. Conor Cooney, who was burying the ghosts of a couple of previously challenging days at Croke Park, was immediately into his stride – he had already raised three white flags by the 13th minute – and tormented the Wexford backs throughout the final.
Joseph Cooney also has his finest ‘hour’ in the maroon jersey. Like Conor, he is able to win his own ball and a couple of his points were simply brillliant in skill and execution. The Cooneys were Galway’s top two players, but wing back Padaraic Mannion was outstanding too in a defence where John Hanbury and Gearóid McInerney fairly silenced their doubters.
Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
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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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht 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.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
