Galway aim to get back on track in knock-out showdown

THE Galway ladies will bring the curtain down on a bumper Bank Holiday weekend of football action for the county’s footballers across both codes when they come up against Donegal in the All-Ireland Qualifiers on Monday.

The game will be shown live on TG4 from Glennon Brothers Pearse Park in Longford at 3pm with the winner set to play Dublin in the last eight, and will precede the All-Ireland minor final between Cork and Dublin at the same venue.

Galway were able to match Mayo in the first half of the Connacht final in Castlebar, and were within a point of them five minutes into the second half. From the 40th to the 44th minute, Cora Staunton banged in two goals to help put Mayo ten points in front and Sarah Gormally was lost to a sin bin as Galway eventually succumbed to a 13-point loss.

Only six of the starting 15 had been in from the off for the 2015 provincial final, and a number of players were starting their first Connacht decider. One of those, midfielder Lisa Gannon, is set to miss out against Donegal, as is Tracy Leonard of course, but Annaghdown defender Nicola Burke has returned from America.

“We had a hard look at what we all did wrong in that game and while the players were disappointed, they quickly decided amongst themselves to move on and look forward to the next challenge,” said Galway manager Willie Ward.

“We have to realise that Mayo are probably two years ahead of us experience wise. Their central players are in the 22-23 age bracket, leaving out Cora Staunton, Fiona McHale and Martha Carter. Whereas with us, when you take out Edel Concannon, Johanna Connolly and Patricia Gleeson, the rest are mostly in the 19-20 age bracket. It is a big difference for players at senior level, and they have to go and learn from these things.”

The most significant meeting between Galway and Donegal in a championship format came when they contested the All-Ireland Junior final in 2002. Galway won that match 2-17 to 2-7 in Croke Park, and went on to claim the senior title two years later. Johanna Connolly and Patricia Gleeson are the surviving members of that panel still present 14 years on.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.