Galway up against it on home patch

Date Published: 22-May-2007

IT’S A bit like having the main course of a wedding feast before the first of the starters, but logistics determine that the biggest match of the Connacht championship now takes place long before mid- Summer’s Day.

Most followers of the game would like to see this weekend’s preliminary round clash between Galway and Mayo at Pearse Stadium (4.0) held back for a July Connacht final showdown, but by the time the Angelus bell strikes on Sunday evening, in all probability, one of the province’s ‘big guns’ will have been silenced.

Of course the possibility of the draw is there, and the scenic backdoor route is guaranteed to sustain some kind of consoling interest for the losers, but make no mistake about it Sunday’s outcome will lay down a clear championship marker.

If either team wants to send out a serious message in relation to their 2007 championship pedigree, then nothing less than a victory will suffice on Sunday. The losers face a long and demoralising wait for the qualifiers.