Galway finish strongly to edge out Offaly

Galway 1-14

Offaly    1-13

AT the outset of a campaign, every manager looks to plant the seed in the hope that come championship, they have a strong oak tree. Some seeds will take to the soil; some will wither on barren ground. At the very least, Galway furrowed the landscape with an impressive final quarter last Sunday.

Seven points down – 1-11 to 0-7 – with less than a quarter of the contest remaining in this entertaining Walsh Cup quarter-final in Tullamore, a Galway win looked unlikely until a 56th minute Niall Healy penalty, following a foul on the handful that was Jonathan Glynn, hauled them back into the fixture.

Granted, that the Tribesmen outscored the home side by 1-7 to 0-3 in the final 14 minutes was impressive but – while they no doubt need another game under their belt ahead of the National League on the evidence of this display – the most important moment perhaps occurred after the final whistle.

That was the sight of the Galway players greeting each other in the post match huddle. It was by no means an unbridled celebration – nor should it have been – but it portrayed a sense of togetherness and that, arguably, was something sadly lacking in 2013.

The final quarter had ploughed the furrow but this may just have been the seed that Galway needs – and, if so, that deserves nurturing. It just remains to be seen if it takes to the soil and develops into the strong oak tree all Galway supporters hope it will become this Summer. Time will tell.

In all, eight Galway players made their debuts on Sunday and, certainly, this may have been a factor in a disjointed first half showing, after which they trailed 0-7 to 0-5. Given the amount of possession Offaly had – and that their play was of a higher quality – the Tribesmen’s deficit could have been greater.

Still, there were glimpses and a number of players were showing well in this time, such as defenders Ronan Burke, Johnny Coen, Darragh Burke – in the rucks – and midfielder Aidan Harte, but they were lacking a significant return from a forward unit that was struggling to finish.

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.