Galway teams fail to deliver on a disappointing weekend

Inside Track with John McIntyre

IT was a forgettable weekend for the county’s four flagship sporting teams. Galway hurlers were relegated for the first time in 25 years; the Galway footballers failed to deliver in their promotion battle with Cavan; Galway United’s early season gallop was halted at Tallaght Stadium; while Connacht’s desperate record in Ravenhill continues.

Starting with the hurlers, and though it has to be acknowledged that a system where a team which is only beaten twice in their group campaign ends up fighting for survival in Division One in a play-off with a team which has won no match is fundamentally flawed, their defeat to Cork at Pearse Stadium was still a major disappointment.

There were some mitigating circumstances for Galway’s eclipse, notably a defensive injury crisis which was compounded when Aidan Hate was forced to retire approaching half-time, while Cork did have a motivational edge having lost to the Tribesmen in the opening round of the league at the same venue last February.

For all that and given the Rebels’ struggles of late, this was a game Galway ought to have been winning and they looked like doing so when they led by 0-23 to 0-20 heading down the home stretch, only to concede match-winning goals to Seamus Harnedy and the influential Pat Horgan. Conor Lehane was another thorn in the home team’s side, finishing the game with six points from play to his credit.

In contrast, 13 of Galway’s 25 points came from placed balls, all from Joe Canning, who didn’t manage to find the target from play on a day Cathal Mannion and Niall Burke bagged a half dozen between them. Given the high stakes, it was discouraging that the men in maroon struggled so badly early on, falling nine points to four down after only 12 minutes. To Galway’s credit, heads didn’t drop but just when they appeared to have turned the tide late in the match, they were unable to close the deal as Cork pulled off the great escape.

Though relegation is not a disaster in itself, given the backdrop to the appointment of Micheal Donoghue as new team manager last winter, it’s still probably the last thing Galway needed. The pressure was already on the players after their heave against Anthony Cunningham, but the strain has now increased sharply. Losing Division One status was not the kind of statement they intended to make to back up their off-field actions, and it can’t help morale in the camp either ahead of the championship.

Neither will the Galway footballers be heading towards the summer with a spring in their step. Though failing to win any of their home matches in Division Two, they still had picked up sufficient points to have their promotion destiny in the team’s own hands when facing resurgent Cavan at Breffni Park last Sunday. It was looking good for the visitors too when they led by 1-4 to 1-1 during the opening quarter, with the goal an opportunist effort from Patrick Sweeney after he reacted quickest when a fisted point attempt from Eamon Brannigan came back off the post.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.