Galway made to work hard in fending off eager Rebels

Galway 3-22

Cork 2-15

John McIntyre at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

THE match clock had reached 49 minutes and still we didn’t know whether Galway or Cork would win Saturday’s Division Two football league clash at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Within four minutes, all doubts about the outcome had been removed.

A timely two-goal burst from the in-form Tribesmen turned what had been a free-flowing and fluctuating encounter on its head. A Cork team low in confidence just couldn’t absorb those blows and the fight seeped out of the men in red jerseys.

Suddenly, Galway took over and they had impressively stretched 3-22 to 1-16 clear before Cork managed to take some of the sting off the final scoreline with an injury-time goal from substitute Daniel O’Connell, and Rory Maguire’s point.

Having won their opening two league matches against Meath and Down from the front in weather-marred contests, Saturday evening by the Lee threw up a completely different and more arduous challenge for Galway.

Finding themselves four points in arrears early on and only level at the break, Galway were forced to measure up against a young Cork team which was leaving their previous form behind – only gathering one point from three outings – and clearly determined to stop the rot.

With inside forwards Blake Murphy and Stephen Sherlock causing the Galway full-back line lots of problems; midfielder Ian Maguire proving an influential anchor; Colm O’Callaghan typifying their work ethic; and Kevin Flahive not giving Damien Comer a moment’s peace, Cork were something of a revelation in the opening half.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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