Sports
Galway U21s fail to close the deal in Thurles
Wexford 1-21
Galway 1-19
THERE is little consolation to be taken from coming out on the losing side of a thriller, as the Galway U-21 hurlers discovered when their challenge faded alarmingly in the closing stages of the All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford on Saturday evening.
Once again, the unequal nature of this championship was called into question as the Tribesmen ran out of steam against a team who had been battle-hardened by wins over Kilkenny, Offaly, and Dublin in their provincial campaign.
Johnny Kelly’s Galway side looked to be up to the task for three-quarters of this tie after coming in ‘cold’ to the semi-final, but they seemed to lack conviction in the closing stretch after momentum swung in favour of the Leinster champions.
The disillusion which seems to have swept through the Galway hurling heartlands in 2014 was reflected in a tiny following for the maroon and white in the 6,853 attendance at Thurles, in stark contrast to the joyous scenes as the Wexford fans staged a pitch invasion to celebrate their passage to the final.
At least Galway were not annihilated, as they had been by Clare at this stage last year. But a team which looked good on paper, boasting a promising half-forward line, failed to come up with the goods when the game was there for the taking in the second half.
Without looking for excuses, perhaps they would have benefitted from some more game time. And perhaps they might have risen to the challenge if they had some backing from the stands in the closing stretch.
The turning point came eight minutes into the second half, when big Jonathan Glynn managed to squeeze the sliotar through to Jason Flynn. Wexford goalie Oliver O’Leary advanced off his line to make a brilliant point blank save to deny a clear goal chance for the corner forward and the Leinster men whisked the ball up-field for Jack Guiney to fire over a close-range free.
It was a four point turnaround in the space of seconds, at a stage when the Tribesmen held a three point advantage (1-17 to 1-14). Had Flynn’s shot hit the net, one sensed there might be no way back for Wexford. Instead, they outscored the Tribesmen 6-2 from there to the final whistle.
How to deploy Glynn was one of the dilemmas faced by the Galway management, an issue which also might have been addressed by more game time. The giant full-forward spent much of the game out at wing-forward, when he could have caused more damage closer to the Wexford goals.
And yet there was much to be enthusiastic about in the opening half, with both Padraic Brehony and Shane Maloney finding the target in response to the opening score from Wexford’s Conor Devitt.
For more, read this week’s Connacht 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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