Sports
Galway footballers have nothing to lose
FEW if any Galway supporters leaving Pearse Stadium on May 19 of last year could have imagined that, just over one year on, they would be facing into a Connacht Final clash with Mayo in 2014 with anything less than trepidation.
Followers of the maroon and white had just seen the Tribesmen lose by 4-16 to 0-11 to their biggest rivals on home soil and it was hard to imagine any time in history when there was a bigger gulf between the West of Ireland’s biggest footballing rivals.
But time heals, teams evolve, and at least now there is some hope that Alan Mulholland’s men can do their county some justice, and restore pride in Castlebar, rather than capitulate as they did so drastically 14 months ago.
Galway redeemed themselves in last year’s qualifiers, provided a bit of hope in the second half of this year’s Allianz Football League, and there was a lot to enthuse about in the comfortable victories over London and Sligo in their two championship games so far.
Since the axing of both Johnny Duane and Eoin Concannon from the panel due to “internal reasons” just a week before the Sligo game, there has been a real unity of purpose and togetherness about the panel even if they are rated as 7/2 outsiders for Sunday’s clash with their greatest rivals.
This young Galway team has had to put up with a lot of stick in recent years, but they mean business, and they really have nothing to lose against a team with far higher expectations after reaching back-to-back All-Ireland finals.
A Galway win would be a shock, an honourable defeat would still leave them in decent fettle for the qualifiers, and they are surely unlikely to fall apart as alarmingly as 14 months ago when Mayo’s attackers ran through their defence with such ease that their followers ended up feeling sorry for the home fans in the end.
The 3-17 to 0-7 demolition of London in Ruislip may have been something of an anti-climax, but it showed that Mulholland’s men had the right attitude at a venue where other teams from the province have struggled in recent years.
There was no shouting from the rooftops after the five point win over Sligo, either, but there was an admirable work-rate throughout that five point win which suggested that the days of the men in maroon having a soft underbelly – so ruthlessly exposed by Mayo last year – might just have come to an end.
The new midfield partnership of Fiontan O Curraoin and Thomas Flynn, comrades in arms in two All-Ireland U-21 victories in three years, appeared to be coming of age nicely on that glorious midsummer evening at Markievicz Park.
Their match-up with the Mayo midfielders, two from the O’Shea brothers and Jason Gibbons, promises to be one of the most mouth-watering tussles of Sunday’s provincial final – in a sector where Eddie Hoare should have a key role to play.
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.
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.
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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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