Sports
Galway come off second best against the Rebels
Cork 1-13
Galway 0-9
IT was heartbreak for Galway’s senior camogie team last Sunday as Cork emerged triumphant in the All-Ireland final to secure their 26th crown and successfully retain the title.
In a contest where the Tribeswomen just simply didn’t get going, Cork’s experienced players dictated throughout the 60 minutes before Briege Corkery’s goal six minutes from time ensured despair for Tony Ward’s charges.
From the opening exchanges, Galway were coming out second best in intensity and were chasing the contest. However, the maroon and white never reneged from their workrate but just couldn’t catch the necessary break to overturn the Rebels’ momentum.
After a season where Galway were league champions and went 11 games unbeaten, their inability to get to grips with this decider was puzzling and a failure to marshal tighter the consistent clearances from Cork centre back Gemma O’Connor couldn’t be ignored. But in their efforts to restore parity after falling behind in the second minute, some decision making, efforts on goal and link up play never matched the heights they’d achieved over the previous seven months.
An early miss from Siobhan Coen allowed Ashling Thompson open the scoring for Cork but the Ballinderreen wing back went on to have a quality performance in her first All-Ireland final. Already, Paudie Murray’s charges had a game plan they executed well. Thompson and Orla Cotter occupied midfield and took the game to their opponents finding team-mates quickly. Likewise, Julia White initiated the pressure on the resilient Galway defence while Corkery also got involved.
Cotter took Corkery’s pass in the fourth minute for the second score but Galway looked ready to settle when they opened their account two minutes later. Susan Earner played a short puck-out to Heather Cooney on the left before the St. Thomas’ player picked out Clodagh McGrath on that flank. The Sarsfields midfielder made the run before finding her sister Niamh (McGrath) who sent over a fine effort.
While McGrath would leave an impression with some excellent free taking and seven further points, Cotter was equally efficient and two Cork frees left it 0-4 to 0-1 on eight minutes.
Galway were trying to find their attack only to run into a Cork half-back line led by O’Connor that wasn’t in a generous mood. But a strange mix-up in officiating on nine minutes certainly robbed the Tribeswomen of a rallying score.
What actually prevailed was hard to judge after what looked like Molly Dunne offloading for a fine Ailish O’Reilly point. The linesman on the Hogan Stand side was waving indicating that the Eyrecourt full forward had stepped over the line before referee Ray Kelly signalled a free in. McGrath kept her cool to split the posts only for the Kildare official to blow again and decide to throw the ball in.
Kelly, who wasn’t helped by his linesman, attempted to be fair throughout the game but was guilty of some strange calls. Even though Galway shaded the free count (12-11), two harsh challenges on Aoife Donohue went unpunished while Dunne may have been impeded chasing a potential goal eight minutes from time. And his lateness in stopping play following a collision between Corkery and Lorraine Ryan in the second half was concerning.
Full match report in this week’s Connacht 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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