Madcap affair leaves Galway with no points on the board

MEATH 3-18

GALWAY 4-11

 IN a way, it was a bit like an all-night madcap party where an awful lot of stuff happened but no one could remember too much about it in the morning, as Galway and Meath battered each other with score barrages in an incredible opening Division 2 National League tie in Navan on Sunday.

A total of 36 scores and a bagful of missed goal chances ensured that this match would top any entertainment rating both for Meath supporters and any neutrals present, but for Galway – when the excitement of the match had subsided – it all added up to a losing start to their league campaign.

If someone had predicted before this match that Galway would score 4-11 and still be beaten fairly decisively, it might have been time to call in the men in the white coats, but so it transpired after a frenetic 70 minutes of action.

On the balance of play, Meath were fully deserving of their victory, and with a bit more tidiness up front they could quite easily have ended with a far bigger scoring tally – the really worrying aspect of this game for Galway was their failure to win primary possession between the two 45s for nearly the entire second half.

There were some mitigating circumstances: Meath were very close to their championship line-up while Galway fielded without at least a quartet of probable first team players, but Alan Mulholland’s side still have serious gaps to fill around the half back and midfield sectors.

This match certainly wasn’t without its positives for Galway. They have a very lively sprinkling of fast moving forwards, who can finish as well as create, and they should shine even brighter under the summer sun while the black card system will be no burden on them.

Galway are also introducing a crop of under-21s, from the successful teams of recent years, who are not short of confidence, but the search still goes on for those few big players – in stature, character and mobility – who can win the dirty ball when the pressure comes on.

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune