Sports
Man with the nice touches leads Connacht to history
A little over an hour before the PRO 12 final in Edinburgh, both squads were out on the field going through their warm-up drills.
Connacht head coach Pat Lam, probably tied-up with pre-match media duties, was one of the last from either camp to emerge onto the Murrayfield grass.
As he walked out from the tunnel, the Samoan went straight over to the Leinster half of the pitch.
Before engaging in a brief chat with his Leinster counterpart, Leo Cullen, on the half-way line, Lam first made a bee-line for Ica Nacewa. He shook the New Zealander’s hand and exchanged a few words.
Only they know what exactly was said but it’s probably safe to assume Lam was sympathising with the Leinster full-back, who had been ruled out of the final after sustaining an arm injury against Ulster in the semi-final. It was a nice touch.
Fast-forward to the Sportsground for Sunday’s homecoming, after an incredible historic victory. Lam was the last of the Connacht squad to leave the ground. Long after most of the madding-crowd had departed for home or town, to continue the celebrations, Lam lingered on.
For over an hour, he stayed out on the field and signed autographs and posed for selfies with the hundreds of children who lined-up to meet their newest hero. Everyone who wanted a signature or photograph was obliged. It was another nice touch.
These aren’t isolated incidents. And this wasn’t just for ‘show’.
Remember this is a guy, who, in the early hours of the morning of one of the biggest games in his Connacht coaching career, against Glasgow, was out walking the prom in Salthill for charity.
It was four o’clock on the morning of a crunch tie that would determine whether his side enjoyed home advantage in the league semi-finals, and yet instead of getting some shut-eye, Lam was out supporting suicide charity, Pieta House, and its Darkness into Light event. Again, it was a nice touch . . . and a measure of the man.
In 2009, former Ireland coach Declan Kidney was interviewed on live TV after Ireland captured its first Six Nations Grand Slam in donkeys’ years.
The Munster man was credited with masterminding the success but, humble and modest, Kidney instead dedicated the win to the underage coaches and ‘unsung heroes’ of the game in the clubs across the country. He said he was just happy to get a ticket to the game!
Lam was not unlike Kidney in his unassuming post-match interviews. He spoke of how it was a “privilege” to be part of this success, almost as if he’d nothing to do with it.
He credited his coaching and management team and all the backroom staff. He heaped praise on the players; never before has he been involved with a group that works as hard as they do, he said.
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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