County’s rising stars make up for heartbreak at minor level

Galway   1-11

Dublin   0-13

Pádraic Ó Ciardha at Croke Park

THE Galway U20 footballers got an early Christmas present to cherish last weekend when they claimed the All-Ireland championship after a thrilling victory over Dublin. While the final moments were nervy from a Galway perspective as they clung to a one point lead, there was little doubt that Dónal Ó Fátharta’s side were deserving victors.

The relief was clear at the final whistle. Many of the players and management were part of minor sides that suffered defeat on All-Ireland day the last two years. The 2019 loss to Cork was particularly painful and there was a real fear as Dublin reeled Galway in that a similar fate was in store on Saturday.

The gap between the sides dropped from six points, after Tomo Culhane’s 37th minute goal, to just a single point with four minutes of normal time to go. Galway had been held scoreless for 13 minutes by that stage but Matthew Tierney stepped up to win and convert a superb long-range free to give Galway a much-needed cushion. Dublin cut the deficit again but while Galway rode their luck at times, they managed to hold out.

The Tribesmen were out on their feet for those closing minutes having put in a massive shift for the previous 60. Galway dominated much of the first half but Dublin were still well in the game at the break, trailing 0-8 to 0-5. After a bright start to the second half, Galway began to fade as Dublin took over but, spurred on by the hurt of recent years, Galway came through.

Tomo Culhane, who was involved in last year’s defeat to Cork, was again superb on All-Ireland final day. Culhane kicked 0-10 in last year’s minor decider and followed it up with 1-6 on Saturday. The forward’s strength and accuracy make him unmarkable at times and while he was guilty of a couple of poor decisions as he tired late in the game, Galway would not have won without him.

It goes to show some of the outstanding performances in the Galway ranks that Culhane could kick 1-6 in an All-Ireland final and still not be a certainty for man of the match. Captain Jack Glynn was TG4’s choice and there is no doubt that the defender was deserving of the recognition. Glynn kept Dublin’s dangerman, Ciarán Archer, to just a solitary point, and always seemed to on the spot to cut out any danger.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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