Sports
Harte named at centre back as Galway aim for home win against the Cats
GORT captain Greg Lally has been named at centre-half back in the Galway team to face All-Ireland champions Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium on Sunday (2pm) – a NHL tie considered by boss Anthony Cunningham as hugely significant in their bid to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Lally, who was exceptional in Gort’s county championship run and again in their All-Ireland club semi-final joust against Ballyhale, comes into a reshuffled pack which sees David Collins move to wing-back, Iarla Tannian relocated to midfield, where he won an All-Star, and Andy Smith beefing up the half-forward line. Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry’s Padraig Breheny loses out on this occasion.
Cunningham says it is imperative Galway win their home games in the chase for a quarter-final berth and a fixture against the All-Ireland champions is no exception. “It is of huge significance and we would hope there will be a big Galway support there,” says the St. Thomas’ man.
“There is a good spirit there now and definitely there were a lot of positives from the Clare match and, indeed the match the last day, so we would be expecting a big, vocal support in Pearse Stadium, particularly against Kilkenny.”
Defender Fergal Moore, who missed the opening games against Clare and Tipperary due to a hamstring injury, is fit again but the management has kept faith in the full-back line of Johnny Coen, John Hanbury and Padraig Mannion.
For the most part, the trio were solid against Tipperary but they can ill afford the couple of lapses of concentration they had in the 2-18 to 0-20 defeat to Éamon O’Shea’s men. They must offer goalkeeper Colm Callanan more protection in this regard.
Midfielder Joseph Cooney, who has posted 1-3 from Galway’s opening two games, continues to be the in-form player. While his move to the inside line last day out might have given management pause for thought, it is recognised that his presence in the centre of the park in the early stages of this fixture will be crucial. It will be interesting to see both Cooney and Tannian working together in this sector.
Ardrahan’s Jonathan Glynn is growing into the centre-half forward role game by game but the notable lack of another physical presence on the flanks has been an issue. Both Breheny and Higgins are pacy stickmen but against a forceful team like the Cats, Galway had to add a warrior like Smith to their attack.
In the inside line, James Regan, Jason Flynn and Cathal Mannion have done enough in recent games to retain their positions and a substantial return will be required from them if the Tribesmen are going to do damage.
To date, the Cork and Dublin inside lines have posted 1-4 and seven points from play respectively against the Cats. That’s the target for Galway’s inside line. Also, when Galway score goals, they win games. Two against Clare; none against Tipperary.
Unfortunately, Joe Canning, Niall Burke and Conor Cooney all continue to be ruled out through injury. “It is unlikely Joe Canning will be back,” says Cunningham. “Of the rest of them – Conor Cooney, Niall Burke – it will be mid-March, so another couple of weeks.”
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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