Galway women stumble at the semi-final hurdle

Monaghan 0-16 Galway 0-11

Galway’s ladies fell at the penultimate stage for the second year running as they lost out to Monaghan in a captivating All-Ireland semi-final in Clones last Saturday evening. The Farney County were well-fancied going into the match and they showed their class by pulling away from Galway in the closing stages.

The Tribeswomen stayed with Monaghan for most of the game but were unable to find the extra gear needed to overcome their opponents. The Ulster champions’ fitness and clinical finishing were major strengths which helped push them over the finishing line.

With the two sides having racked up a combined score of 6-41 in their quarter final victories, many were expecting this to be a high-scoring contest. However, a mixture of strong defences and a high foul count meant that the game, especially in the first half, struggled to get going.

Galway got off to a good start when a nicely taken point from Aoibheann Daly opened the scoring in the 4^th minute. Monaghan responded with two points of their own, including one which saw corner back Gráinne McNally make a 50m solo run upfield to set up the score. The willingness of the Monaghan defenders to join in the attack was to be a potent weapon for the Northern side throughout the 60 minutes.

Midway through the first half, Monaghan went on a run of four unanswered points, including three from Cathriona McConnell, to put some distance between the two sides. Crucial scores from Geraldine Conneally and Barbara Hannon towards the end of the half ensured that Galway maintained contact and were well in the game, despite trailing 0-4 to 0-6 at the interval.

 Things could have been even better for Galway when, after 26 minutes, Gillian O’Connor had a goal chance but Gráinne McNally pulled off an inspirational block to clear the ball off the line. Barry Downey’s side hit six wides in the first 30 minutes and, in such a low-scoring tie, their wastefulness was costing them. At the other end, the Monaghan forwards were making the most of their chances and Cathriona McConnell was proving deadly from free kicks. Full match report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.