Sports
Galway are second-best in U-21 Connacht quarter-final
Roscommon 1-16
Galway 2-10
In many ways it’s a mystery Roscommon didn’t win by more. Maybe it was Galway stubbornness. Maybe Roscommon were too tentative; lacking a killer instinct.
They certainly left the door ajar for a Galway comeback when in truth, they should have been home and hosed long before the final whistle sounded.
Galway must be given credit for that, too. Gerry Fahy’s men never gave up. They battled and battled and battled.
That fighting spirit meant that just one kick of the ball separated these two teams in the Connacht U-21 quarter-final under floodlights at Kiltoom on Friday evening.
It made for a jittery final few moments for the winners, who should really have been out of sight long before the finish.
There was no doubting Roscommon were the better team. In almost every facet of play the home side was superior, and yet they couldn’t shake off Galway, who despite suffering setbacks, quite simply refused to lie-down.
Galway played with 14 men for a little over half of the match; they were reduced to 13 men with about 10 minutes remaining; and their full-forward line failed to register one score between them.
Added to that, Roscommon had the upper-hand at midfield and dominated the restarts. And still Galway were oh so close.
A combination of Roscommon’s inability to drive home their advantage, and Galway’s knack for netting timely, opportunistic goals meant the margin was minimal.
Galway looked to be in deep trouble at half-time, trailing by five points, 1-7 to 0-5, and facing the second half without their talisman, Michael Daly who was shown the line for a second yellow card offence.
But immediately after the re-start substitute Jospeh Donnellan, with his first act, buried to the net to give the visitors hope.
Roscommon regained composure, and were looking fairly comfortable with a seven points cushion, 1-15 to 1-8, with four minutes remaining. That’s when raiding corner-back Rory Green hit a rasping shot to the net, which set-up a grandstand finish.
Alas, the audacious smash and grab wasn’t to be. Roscommon deservedly held on and face Sligo in the semi-final this weekend. The Tribesmen are out.
Though they had some fine individual performers, Galway just failed to click as a unit. St Michael’s Eamonn Brannigan led the fight from centre-forward, but he was the only starting forward that scored from play. They were far too reliant on frees and 45s from Moycullen midfielder Peter Cooke, who is a fine striker of the ball off the ground.
Others like Enda Tierney and Oisin Canney had their moments, but too often over the hour Roscommon men had the beating of their markers.
For more, read this week’s Galway City 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.
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.
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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