Galway minor footballers defy the odds with terrific victory over Dublin

Galway 0-10

Dublin 0-7

THERE were no titles or trophies up for grabs at O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Sunday, but this shock All-Ireland minor quarter-final triumph surely represents one of the greatest-ever victories by a Galway under-age Gaelic football team.

Having suffered three defeats in the provincial championship and with only six days to recover from a deflating final loss, Galway looked on a hiding to nothing heading to Offaly for a clash with a talented Dublin outfit which had pulverised all in its path in Leinster.

And when the Dubs established an early 0-4 to no score lead, the pre-match fears for Alan Glynn’s young charges only increased. Already carrying significant scars from a difficult Connacht campaign which saw them fall twice to Mayo, such a poor start was the last thing that Galway needed.

The minor grade may now have player development at its core, but asking a group of teenagers to endure potential ly more hardship hardly appeared in their medium-term interest. This had all the makings of a fixture from hell.

But the Galway players and their management had different ideas. They saw this quarter-final as an opportunity to reflect their quality in a better light, and how they rose to that challenge in magnificent style.

There was no fluke about their success either on a weekend when three of the four provincial minor champions fell by the wayside – significantly, Mayo were the only ones to survive.

Galway were not unnerved by falling behind in the opening quarter, or by spurning a couple of clear-cut goal-scoring chances. Despite facing the strong wind, they rallied to lead by 0-5 to 0-4 at the break, and their hard-running style was causing the Dubs all sorts of trouble.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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