Ó Fathata’s young charges book place in Connacht final thanks to easy win

Galway 5-25

Leitrim 1-4

BEST not to dwell too long on this one; deep analysis unnecessary when the gulf in class between the two sides was so vast.

Galway cruised to a facile victory at Tuam Stadium in round five of the Connacht minor football championship on Friday evening, and qualified directly into the provincial final on Friday week, thanks to results elsewhere going their way.

This 33-points hammering of lowly Leitrim ensures Galway face the winner of the semi-final between Sligo and Mayo. And regardless of the result in the decider, Donal Ó Fátharta’s charges have also secured a place in the last eight of the All-Ireland series. Mission accomplished.

It meant Leitrim took the wooden spoon, having lost all four of their championship fixtures. They needed everything to go their way to cause an upset but during the opening 15 minutes, Leitrim struck two wides and hit a shot short into goalkeeper Donie Halleran’s hands. It drained the visitors’ confidence.

Those misses were even more demoralising when the home team brought their scoring boots and had established a six-point advantage during that opening quarter, through the accuracy of lively forwards Tomo Culhane, Nathan Grainger and Daniel Cox.

That trio played puck throughout, and struck 2-16 between them, albeit against a defence that was standoffish, and afforded them far too much space.

Leitrim salvaged two points in injury time in the first half, but by then the match already had all the hallmarks of a massacre, as Galway accumulated 1-12 before the visitors replied. Grainger was the goal scorer in the 23rd minute, bagging his first of two green flags, while Evan Nolan, Daniel McNulty, Conall Gallagher, Cox, and Culhane all picked off points.

There was no respite for Leitrim after the break, and despite putting up some early resistance, they were outscored by six points to two in the third quarter.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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