It’s another rollercoaster but Galway shade verdict again

Galway 2-13

Monaghan 3-9

GALWAY LGFA will have to set up their own coronary unit if this continues.

For the second consecutive All-Ireland championship Group 2 game, Galway senior ladies’ footballers, having earlier built up a commanding eight-point lead, were left hanging on at the final whistle to a one-point victory.

As championship fixtures go, this absorbing encounter at Pairc Sean MacDiarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday was all-action. For the most part, Galway, despite being reduced to 14 players, controlled proceedings, but in a nervy final quarter they inexplicably conceded three goals to a game Monaghan outfit.

It has been a recurring theme of Galway’s All-Ireland campaign. In their opening tie, they were also coasting for long stages, only to allow Tipperary back into the contest with a late Aishling Moloney goal. The final whistle couldn’t come quick enough in that one, either.

It would be easy to focus on the negatives of those late fade-outs against Tipperary and Monaghan – and, no doubt, Tim Rabbitt and his squad must address this ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final against Cork in early December – but their early endeavours of those contests should also not be dismissed.

When Galway were up and at it in those periods of ascendancy, they looked a class apart and it is these epochs they have to extend and sustain from the opening whistle to the last.

As it was, Galway did start the brighter against a Monaghan side that also defeated Tipperary in their opening game to set up this top of the table clash – or, what was in essence, an All-Ireland quarter-final.

Tracey Leonard (free), Olivia Divilly and Louise Ward helped their side into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead, but Monaghan soon settled as the outstanding Ellen McCarron, who tallied 2-7, and Cora Courtney levelled up the match by the 10th minute.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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