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No complaints from Clonbur as Kerry champs too strong

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Clonbur's Karen Keane secures possession ahead of Castleisland Desmonds' Leanne Mangan during the TESCO All-Ireland Club intermediate ladies football final in Corofin on Saturday. Photos: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile.

Castleisland Desmonds 2-11

Clonbur 1-6

ALTHOUGH the scoreboard gave a false sense of one-sidedness to this All-Ireland Club intermediate ladies football final, there can be no denying that the better side won on the day. Castleisland Desmonds took the lead against Clonbur in the first minute and did not relinquish for the next hour.

Heading into the game, Clonbur manager Martin Joyce acknowledged that his players would have to hit top form to overcome the Kerry champions, and while his side may be slightly disappointed with their overall performance, they showed plenty of determination to fight their way back into a contest that threatened to slip away from them.

Trailing by eight points early in the second half, Clonbur rallied to reduce that gap to three heading into the final quarter but they could not push on and 1-1 from Desmonds in injury time put an unfair slant on the final score. A feverish intensity in the tackle was the cornerstone of the Castleisland team and when coupled with some clinical finishing, the Kerry side formed formidable opposition.

As mentioned, it was Castleisland who started the better, 0-3 to no score ahead after seven minutes. The playing conditions played a prominent part in the early exchanges. While the playing surface was in good condition for the penultimate day of November, it must be said that the grass was far too long for an All-Ireland final which is the pinnacle of these players’ year.

On multiple occasions, players from both sides attempted to hop the ball only for it to fail to return to their possession and while those in the stand offered plenty of ‘advice’ on the issue, acting on such counsel under severe pressure is a different matter.

Clonbur’s Aisling Doherty was one such player who had a half-chance for a goal snuffed out by the turf rather than the opposition defenders but her side were on the scoreboard soon after when Mairéad Joyce skillfully converted a 40m free.

Castleisland, however, were in no mood to let their opponent’s build up a head of steam. Lorna Joyce, who was operating far deeper than the number 14 position on her back, was surrounded and dispossed by a pack of Castleisland players before the Kerry side patiently worked the ball into position for Leanne Mangan to fire over from long-range. It was a superb score that demonstrated Castleisland’s intensity, composure and clinical edge.

Desmonds were in full-flow at this stage and three frees from full-forward Mangan put them six points to the good, 0-7 to 0-1, after 20 minutes. The Kerry side may have thought the job was close to finished at this stage as they kicked one or two uncharacteristic wides in the following minutes.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune

Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents

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Galway's Aaron Niland is chased by Cillian O'Callaghan of Cork during Saturday's All-Ireland Minor Hurling semi-final at Semple Stadium. Photo: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile.

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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CITY TRIBUNE

United wary of the threat from Treaty

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Galway United’s goal scorer Stephen Walsh gets to grips with Wexford’s Hugh Douglas during Friday's First Division tie at Eamonn Deacy Park. Photos: Joe O'Shaughnessy,

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

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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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CITY TRIBUNE

Devon crowned Women’s Connacht Cup champions

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Luke Byrnes (centre) ceebrates with Paddy Gannon (left) and Sam Omokua afetr scoring his second goal aganist St Bernard's. Photos: Joe O'Shaughnessy.

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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