Sports
Galway pay the price for poor start to second half against title holders
GALWAY hopes of causing an upset in the Connacht senior football championship semi-final at Pearse Stadium on Sunday were wiped away in a helter-skelter opening to the second half.
Mayo’s intent was clear from the restart. They emerged from the dressing room several minutes before Galway and were warming up collectively with sprints between half-way and their ‘45.
Man-of-the-match Aidan O’Shea all too easily shouldered Fintan Ó Curraoin out of the way to win the throw-in. He fed inrushing colleague Diarmuid O’Connor, and wing-back Seán Denvir had no choice but to foul. Marksman Cillian O’Connor – who scored nine points in total, eight frees – converted.
Mayo meant business. Then came the howler goal. Mayo won the kick-out and Aidan O’Shea went bursting forward. The Breaffy man was dispossessed by a combination of Cathal Sweeney and Denvir tracking back, and the ball spilled free in front of the goalmouth.
A rush of blood to the head of goalkeeper Manus Breathnach led to him fly-hacking the ball rather than going down to gather it. The ball bounced back off full-back Finian Hanley and into the net for an own-goal.
It seemed to happen in slow-motion – one of those occasions when you’re simultaneously cursing and feeling huge sympathy for the ‘keeper.
Two minutes, two scores, and Galway were still mentally in the dressing room. The body language then suggested Galway was beaten. Mayo tagged on two more points and all of a sudden the mole-hill became a mountain – 1-11 to 1-5.
Shellshocked Galway were forced to chase the game. To their credit, Kevin Walsh’s men didn’t collapse. They were right back in the mix when Danny Cummins palmed to the net after the quick-thinking Damien Comer took a fast free to Cathal Sweeney who put Peadar Óg Ó Gríofa in the clear and his pass was expertly finished to the net by the Claregalway corner-forward.
And then Gary Sice – who scored an absolute screamer of a goal in the first half which gave the home fans hope – slotted over a free to reduce the deficit to just two points, 2-7 to 1-12, with 15 minutes remaining. The optimism was short-lived, however. Mayo, the auld dog for the hard road, immediately wrested control of the match with a brace of quick-fire points.
The jammy goal was critical but Mayo was still the better team. Galway failed to get to grips with one of the country’s finest footballers, Aidan O’Shea, whose physicality and athleticism had Hanley in trouble. Even though a couple of scoreable frees awarded against Galway were dubious, the home team required more discipline at the back.
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.
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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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