Sports
Flaherty brothers inspire Abbeyknockmoy to intermediate glory
Abbeyknockmoy 1-16
Moycullen 0-13
A tour de force from brothers’ Brian and Paul Flaherty inspired Abbeyknockmoy to the county intermediate title – their third in all – at the expense of Moycullen in a decider that, for the most part, failed to live up to expectation at Kenny Park, Athenry on Saturday.
For that, Abbeyknockmoy could not be faulted and the passages of play that did catch the imagination were mainly conjured up by the men in red and blue. In this respect, the two Flahertys once again underlined their class as men apart with towering displays in the central diamond.
Added to this, Abbey’s overall work-rate in the middle third was considerably higher than their opponents who, despite winning a great deal of primary possession, continually got over-turned by a hungrier Abbeyknockmoy side.
Moycullen – out for the seventh consecutive weekend and, perhaps, mentally tired because of this – came into this fixture as pre-match favourites yet they looked a pale shadow of the side that took out Ahascragh/Fohenagh a week previous.
That is what will disappoint them the most – that they didn’t translate their earlier championship form or, indeed, the form which secured them the 2011 intermediate title into a more compact display in this one. For want of a better word, they were ‘flat’.
That said, huge credit to Abbeyknockmoy in the manner in which they went about their business. They led 0-7 to 0-5 after a cagey first half and this was after dropping no less than five efforts short into Moycullen ‘keeper Eric Fox’s hands in the opening 10 minutes.
It was representative of the fare in the opening period with Abbey also hitting a further five wides while Moycullen too were also extremely wasteful, tallying eight wides and spurning another six scoring chances in the opening 30 minutes.
The most agonising of those Moycullen misses was Seamus Conneely’s shot at goal on 23 minutes which Abbey’ keeper Declan Molloy proved equal to. To add insult to injury, Philip Lydon missed the follow-up for a point. It summed up John Faherty’s side woes. They failed to score from play in the first half, with full-forward Niall Mannion tallying all of their points from frees.
In contrast, Abbeyknockmoy were more fluent in their endeavours. Coleman Maher, Eoin Blade and Brian Flaherty all found the target from play in the first period while freetaker Paul Flaherty also chipped in with four points from placed balls, three frees and a 65.
Two points ahead, the Brian Cooley/Gerry Farragher jointly managed outfit rocked on after the break, netting the all-important goal on 37 minutes. It was a fantastic move with Maher and Brian O’Donnell combining early on before semi-final man of the match Damien Rooney set up Padraig O’Donnell for what, effectively, was the clincher.
Full report 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.
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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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