Galway in better shape for must-win qualifier against Tipperary rivals

THINGS are hotting up now: The Galway senior footballers face Tipperary in an intriguing, novel knockout qualifier clash this Saturday between two sides on the rise.

Win and the prize is a glamour quarter-final against Munster champions, Kerry, at Croke Park . . . it’s what every Gaelic footballer would want.

Lose, and well, there’s no safety net and it’s another championship exit before the start of Race Week . . . it’s what every Galway inter-county footballer strives to avoid.

Regardless of the outcome, Galway can point to progress this season, with two Connacht championship wins over London and Sligo and a decent showing against Mayo in the provincial decider. But really, in order to prove they are an up and coming force again, and to emphasise that quantifiable improvements have been made with this young outfit, Galway simply has to record a win against the Premier County at Tullamore (throw-in 7pm).

They certainly have the fire-power and pace up front to achieve their target of making the last eight. It’ll be far from easy, however. The bookmakers install Galway as slight favourites, 10/11 versus 11/10, and it should be every bit as close as those odds suggest.

In over 100 years of championship, Galway and Tipperary met just once – the Premier County won back in 1900 on a 2-17 to 0-1 scoreline. But Saturday’s game at O’Connor Park is the second meeting between the two sides in as many seasons.

Galway won last year in Pearse Stadium by four points in the end albeit making seriously hard work of it, struggling to breakdown the visitors’ blanket defence. Galway entered that game with confidence at an all time low following a 17-points hiding to Mayo; Tipperary were off the back of a 17-point mauling by Kerry.

It’s a much different scenario this year. Just five of the Galway players that started against Tipperary last June featured in Castlebar on Connacht final day a fortnight ago. Their heads are in a far better place, too.

Okay, Galway lost by seven to Mayo but they’re a top two or three team and that defeat won’t have disheartened Alan Mulholland’s men too much . . . they travel to O’Connor Park with confidence that they have the fire-power to out-gun Tipperary, if they can take chances and keep it tighter at the back.

Worryingly, Galway failed to hit the net against Mayo – or Sligo for that matter – despite creating bucket loads of goal chances. You feel they really need to raise a green flag to emerge on top here.

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