Galway hit rock bottom

MAYO 4-16

GALWAY 0-11

FRANCIS FARRAGHER AT PEARSE STADIUM

ANY romantic notion that the magic of the Connacht championship could somehow bridge the gap between a county with serious All-Ireland ambitions and a team close to the bottom rung of the national football ladder proved to be completely illusory at Pearse Stadium on Sunday as Mayo rocket launched their 2013 campaign.

This was more than a defeat for Galway – it was an utter humiliation – as a stronger, faster and more purposeful Mayo side turned this into a contest between men and boys that was effectively over five minutes before Marty Duffy sounded his interval whistle.

It was a slaughter of the innocents as Galway played with a shocking naivety . . . often short-passing their way into trouble, missing crucial tackles in defence and frequently punting long balls into the bellies of red and green clad defenders.

Nostalgia, history, tradition and Galway’s recent under-21 successes were cited as reasons why this might be a close contest but Mayo were in no mood for any sentimental drivel as they out-muscled and out-thought their opponents from start to finish.

Mayo are a serious side that came mightily close to winning an All-Ireland last year and currently at the peak of their cycle while Galway are at the very basic stages of rebuilding from scratch – the coincidence of this peak and trough graph made for a remarkably uncompetitive Connacht first round clash.

At the very simplest of levels, Galway do not have the players to compete with Mayo at present and it will take a few years before that gap closes, but there is still a nagging feeling among fans of the maroon that the county should be a measure or two better than what we have experienced over the past couple of seasons.