Galway football in a good place after storming start to the year

Inside Track with John McIntyre

Has there been a better ten days for Galway Gaelic football over the past decade? In little more than a week, Corofin and Oughterard claimed All-Ireland club titles, while the county seniors won the FBD final before making a successful start to their Division One National League campaign.

It’s still only January, but no county has hit the ground running in 2020 like Galway. Corofin’s record-breaking three-in-a-row was a massive moment in the history of the club championship, and now Oughterard have given the sport locally another massive boost with their terrific All-Ireland triumph at Croke Park last Saturday.

Having overcome title favourites Templenoe of Kerry in the semi-final, the Galway champions’ cover was well and truly blown ahead of their final collision with Magheracloone of Monaghan, leading some observers to wonder would Tommy Finnerty’s charges be able to deal with the hype and the increased level of expectation?

If anything, however, Oughterard thrived in their new-found status and the increased spotlight. The team’s improvement over the past few months has been staggering and though they had a rocky start against Magheracloone, by the finish they were in total control, pulling off a comprehensive 2-16 to 0-12 victory.

In joining Moycullen (2008) as the only Galway club to capture the All-Ireland intermediate title, Oughterard’s success augments the feelgood factor about football in the county since Padraic Joyce’s appointment as new senior manager last winter. Outside of Corofin’s remarkable feats, Galway haven’t really lived up to their tradition in the game for a long time.

But the mood music is currently very positive and Oughterard’s exploits help to increase the prospects of Galway breaking free from the mediocrity which has stalked them at county level for more years than we care to remember. Last Saturday evening, Eddie O’Sullivan and his colleagues were a credit to the parish and their supporters.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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.