Sports
Injury-hit Connacht head into defining period
REWIND the clock back a couple of weeks to the half time whistle during Connacht’s Pro 12 tussle with Cardiff and all was looking bright in the world of the westerners. They led, although they should have led by more, injuries were clearing up and a top six finish seemed well within their grasp.
Since then, the negatives have far outweighed the positives with a trip to Thomond Park next up for Connacht on Saturday evening (5:15pm) to face a play-off chasing Munster side. The chances of another performance on par with the season’s best effort at Christmas in the (27-16 win) seem slim for Pat Lam’s men, but it has been a season of many surprises.
The list of things that have gone wrong since half time at the Arms Park is substantial. Jake Heenan’s season has come to an end due to a shoulder injury, the Blues scored a try nine minutes beyond the 80 minute mark to steal a win from Connacht’s hands, highly influential forwards coach Dan McFarland has confirmed his departure in the summer and Lam has received an €8000 fine from the Pro 12 for his post game comments about officials after that loss.
The three week lay off might just have added to the frustration and it is reasonable to expect a fired up performance from Connacht in the early stages in Limerick on Saturday, on a par with what we have seen for most of the season. Despite the Cardiff loss, Connacht remain in sixth place holding a three point advantage over the Scarlets but, realistically, to keep the Llanelli side at arms length, Lam’s men will need at least three wins from five to close out the campaign.
The injury news was not good for Connacht this week on multiple fronts. To start with, Jake Heenan sustained a rotator cuff tear in his right shoulder and that is set to keep him out for the rest of the campaign. The one silver lining is that he doesn’t need an operation and Connacht expect him back for the start of next season.
The 22-year-old former New Zealand Under 20 captain missed 12 matches last season with a shoulder injury and 15 of the 23 games so far this season with a recurrence of that injury. Connacht’s other natural openside, Willie Faloon is also out for the remainder of the season after dislocating his shoulder again. He returns to Ulster in the off season and so, has played his last game in green.
Back in January, the best case scenario for Bundee Aki’s injury, sustained in the defeat to Edinburgh, was ten weeks but that will stretch to at least 11 now as the talented centre is not available for the Munster match. He has missed six games so far.
Equally as worrying is Nathan White’s ongoing lumbar spine issue affecting his leg. The tight head prop is being closely monitored and is due for a specialist review in the coming days. A knee injury to Dave McSharry was the other key bit of bad news. Full prognosis on that is expected next week.
The good news is that Kieran Marmion is back fit and fully available at scrum half while Eoin McKeon also make a timely recovery as he is the likely replacement for Heenan at number seven. While the 24-year-old Galwegian is regarded more as a six or and eight in the back row positions, he has made six starts this season in the number seven role and will be a likely regular in the coming weeks.
The drama around Saturday’s fixture can only be heightened by the fact that the referee for the game, Leighton Hodges from Wales, was the target of Pat Lam’s ire in the aforementioned post game press conference. Unfairly or not, the spotlight will be on the referee, that’s a certainty.
Three of Connacht’s remaining five pro 12 games are at home to play off chasing sides, Ulster, Glasgow and Ospreys. The other is an away trip to Parma to face Zebre in early May. The challenge is tough, so ending a winless run in Munster stretching back to 1986 could be necessary. It’s a tall order all things considered.
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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