Inside Track
Footballers must get bitter for big test against Mayo
THERE was no hope a month ago, but there is some hope now – and, ironically, the change of mood among the local football fraternity has nothing to do with the Galway senior team itself. Instead, the shift in morale is the direct product of the county U21’s great deeds over the past few weeks when they made a mockery of pre-match opinion in overcoming the formidable challenges posed by both Kildare and Cork in do or die championship collisions.
Galway’s rising stars were a breath of fresh air; showing scant regard for the reputations of supposedly better equipped opposition on their way to All-Ireland glory. Apart from the team’s natural footballing expertise, they were willing to lay their bodies on the line to get the job done. Talent alone is rarely enough to achieve championship glory, but the young Tribesmen backed it up with a tremendous work ethic which proved too much of a combination for Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Kildare and Cork in turn.
Only four of that successful squad, team captain Fintán Ó Curraoin, Tomas Flynn, Shane Walsh and goalkeeper Thomas Healy are involved with the Galway seniors, but the feel-good factor around the county’s footballing heartlands ahead of Sunday’s big Connacht championship showdown at Pearse Stadium shouldn’t be under-estimated. Title holders Mayo are understandably strong favourites, reached last year’s All-Ireland final and have a largely settled line up, but it’s still difficult to entirely trust them.
They suffered an honourable defeat (2-16 to 0-16) to Dublin in the recent National League semi-final and have plenty of experienced performers in the likes of goalkeeper David Clarke, the O’Shea brothers, Donal Vaughan, Kevin McLoughlin, Cillian O’Connor, Alan Dillon, poised to return after several months out with a groin injury, but the Connacht semi-final is likely to come too soon for Andy Moran and his absence would leave them somewhat more predictable in front of the opposition posts.
Undoubtedly, a Mayo outfit which is chasing a third consecutive provincial title represents a major obstacle for Galway to overcome on recent form alone, particularly as the home team continue to have well chronicled problems in bringing some stability to its central spine. The midfield sector largely remains a disaster zone and Galway’s chronic inability to secure primary possession is proving a killer at this level.
Nobody can accuse Alan Mulholland and his management team of not scanning through enough options during the Division Two league campaign, but some square pegs didn’t fit into round holes, leaving a lot of uncertainty around about what will be the formation of the Galway line up. Juggling around the same players hasn’t been serving the Tribesmen well of late and will hardly do so on Sunday either. The team also needs to stop playing in fits and starts.
The Galway players, at this stage, must be fed up of having their bottle and resilience repeatedly questioned. They are also regularly told that their confidence must be brittle and that they tend to go hiding when the going gets tough. That level of negative commentary makes it a difficult environment for players in which to progress, but it’s about time that the squad finally stood up inside the four white lines to defend their own reputations.
I have seen this group of Galway footballers train in the past and there is no shortage of commitment or ambition among them. They are proud young men too who respect the county’s tradition and the responsibility it places on their shoulders. What Michael Meehan, for instance, has gone through to be even playing at this level is nothing short of extraordinary. He has bucked medical opinion that his badly damaged ankle would end his football career prematurely and has slavishly worked to overcome an injury which must be, privately, soul-destroying.
Now don’t tell me that Meehan doesn’t care about Galway’s standing in Gaelic football. All it would take is one big win in a knock out match to change the overall dynamic, but for that to happen Galway are going to have to empty the energy locker, be prepared to be hurt for the maroon jersey on Sunday, and draw some inspiration from the deeds of the county U21s. Get angry and bitter, too, lads and, in the process, you might give the critics an overdue stuffing.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Inside Track with John McIntyre
SOMETHING very odd happened to Tyrone in the Ulster championship in early April. On their home turf of Healy Park, they were doing nearly everything expected of them when leading Monaghan by five points at half-time. You couldn’t say for definite that the match was done and dusted, but the 2021 All-Ireland champions were in pole position.
You would have expected them to drive on against an honest if limited Monaghan outfit. Instead, Tyrone didn’t score for the opening 16 minutes of the second-half and in an enthralling finale, were left stunned by defender Ryan’s Toole’s stoppage-time goal snatching the honours for the Farney men on a 2-17 to 1-18 scoreline.
A couple of weeks later, Monaghan themselves had exited the Ulster title race when Derry comfortably got the better of them (1-21 to 2-10), leaving us more puzzled than ever by Tyrone’s dramatic decline since overcoming Mayo to claim Sam barely 20 months previously. Last year, they crashed out of Ulster by 11 points to Derry and subsequently came up six short against Armagh in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
Against that background, their recent loss to Monaghan shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. Tyrone may have made a shambolic defence of the All-Ireland title, but there is still a lot of quality in their ranks. They have an adventurous ‘keeper in Niall Morgan, while the long-serving Peter Harte, Darragh Canavan, Darren McCurry, Cathal McShane, Conor Meyler, Mattie Donnelly, and Conn Kilpatrick are all top-class performers when in the mood.
There’s hardly been a word about them for the past six weeks. Tyrone are lying low, desperately trying to rediscover the verve and cohesion which took them all the way in 2021. Their pride is on the line. It makes them dangerous opponents for Galway in the opening round of All-Ireland group matches at Pearse Stadium on Saturday.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Inside Track with John McIntyre
GALWAY footballers won’t get much credit for their easy victory over Sligo in Sunday’s Connacht Final in Castlebar, but when a team achieves something that hasn’t been done for 20 years, perhaps we should be a little more appreciative of the Tribesmen retaining the JJ Nestor Cup for the first time in two decades.
To be honest, if Galway were to live up to their standing as serious All-Ireland contenders, they needed to be doing a number on Sligo. In this year’s National League, the counties were three divisions apart and though Tony McEntee’s team achieved promotion and were on a nine-match unbeaten run, a serious rise in class faced them at MacHale Park.
Granted, Sligo made a bright start with three points in the opening five minutes from Pat Spillane, Sean Carrabine and the accurate Darragh Cummins, but they would only manage two more by the break despite having the wind behind them. Though wing back Luke Towey was catching the eye with his runs up-field, Galway rarely looked under pressure.
Sligo were bravely committing numbers to the middle third, which meant they were a little light in numbers around their own posts. They couldn’t afford to lose possession coming out of their own half, but that’s what happened in the build up to Galway’s second goal. Damien Comer overturned Cian Lally and from his counter-attack, Matthew Tierney expertly finished to the net at the near post.
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.
Inside Track with John McIntyre
IS the Leinster hurling championship something of a sham compared to its Munster counterpart? Everybody knows who will end up in the provincial final in the east, but nobody knows the two teams who will feature in the ultimate battle for supremacy down south.
All-Ireland champions Limerick aren’t guaranteed to even make it out of the province, never mind reach the Munster final, after their narrow loss to Clare in Saturday evening’s epic at the Gaelic Grounds. Everything is still on the line for the five counties involved, although Waterford are again under serious pressure after losing their opening two matches.
In Leinster, there is little of that drama. Galway and Kilkenny are miles ahead of the rest; the only thing at stake is whether Dublin or Wexford – they meet in Croke Park on Saturday – will be the third team to emerge for the All-Ireland series. It’s a game which is hard to call. Wexford are going backwards while Dublin look callow as Micheál Donoghue is trying to build the nucleus of a new team.
Though Antrim are improving – they held the Dubs to a draw and only lost to Wexford by four points – the men from the Glens would be out of their depth in Munster; while Westmeath are proving cannon-fodder for everyone else. Since Galway headed east in 2009, they have clashed with Kilkenny in seven Leinster finals and another showdown is inevitable next month.
In contrast, every match in Munster is virtually do-or die. When Clare rolled into Limerick last Saturday, they knew another defeat after losing to Tipperary in the opening round would leave them on the precipice of exiting the championship. There’s a real dog-eat-dog appeal about all the games. In Leinster, there are two big hounds, and the rest are chihuahuas.
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.
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