Inside Track
Galway are getting house in order at the right time
Inside Track with John McIntyre
GALWAY footballers may have finished up in No Man’s Land at the end of their fluctuating National League Division Two campaign, but they will at least head into the Connacht championship on the front foot after a relatively routine victory over Kildare in a pressure contest at Tuam Stadium last Sunday.
Having ended a three-game losing sequence by overcoming Roscommon at Hyde Park the previous weekend, Galway needed to follow through on that notable result, especially as defeat to the Lilywhites would have consigned them to Division Three football next Spring. That scenario would have been a disaster but Kevin Walsh’s squad may be coming good at the right time
By half time, they were in the driving seat against Kildare. Leading by 1-10 to 0-7, Galway had given themselves a sufficient cushion to carry the day even against the backdrop of having let comfortable leads slip through their fingers in their matches against Down, Cavan and Laois. Those were admittedly sobering experiences, but sometimes a developing team has to learn the hard way and the bottom line is that Paul Conroy and company were able to tough it out in Tuam this time.
Though the team management understandably rested Damien Comer and Liam Silke after they had been involved in a high tempo Connacht Under 21 final at the same venue the previous evening, Galway began a lively contest in purposeful fashion although it took a close range goal from the recalled Shane Walsh in the 24th minute to really back up their efforts on the scoreboard.
Both Sean Denvir and Patrick Sweeney might have raised green flags before that, but at least Galway were starting to punch holes in the Kildare defence. They built on Walsh’s goal too as Peadar Ó Griofa (2), Paul Conroy and Gary Sice all subsequently pointed to leave the hosts six clear at the break. There was also a bit of swagger about their play at times even if for much of the third quarter, they lost momentum, causing some unease on the Tuam terraces.
Kildare lofted over the opening three points of the second half from Eoghan O’Flaherty, Alan Smith and Daniel Flynn to cut the deficit to three and, in the process, asked questions of Galway’s mental fortitude. But the men in maroon weren’t found wanting as goals from midfielder Fiontán Ó Curraoin and Walsh made the game safe as well as proving a timely boost ahead of the championship.
Having come through a mini-crisis half way through their league campaign, you’d expect that Galway will draw some encouragement from achieving results in those vital games against Roscommon and Kildare. They remain somewhat inconsistent but the potential is there for a serious cut at halting Mayo’s drive for five in the province this summer.
Comer, who had to retire with a facial injury shortly after coming on last Sunday, looks like becoming their ‘go to man’ up front, while the emergence of Liam Silke should help to increase their defensive options. The return of midfielder Tom Flynn from injury will also be a priority and though Galway know they still have to improve in order to dethrone the Connacht champions, the gap is undoubtedly closing as the Tribesmen seek to end a seven year provincial title famine.
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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