Pressure on Galway senior camogie side to deliver in Wexford

STEPHEN GLENNON

 GALWAY’S senior camogie team may be anxious to get their All-Ireland championship campaign back on track, but to do so they must defeat reigning holders Wexford in the kingpins’ own back yard of Wexford Park on Saturday (3pm).

In many respects, this game could not come at a worse time for Tony Ward’s largely young and inexperienced outfit following their disappointing two-point defeat, 1-10 to 1-8, against Kilkenny at Kenny Park, Athenry in the opening round.

Indeed, a loss in this one will put the Tribeswomen under tremendous pressure heading into their final two games and the significance of their away game against Clare, having already picked up points after a facile win over promoted Derry, will become even greater the following week.

Quite simply, with only three advancing to the knockout stages, it will mean Galway will have to win their last two games should they fail to secure some sort of result against the All-Ireland champions this weekend.

In any event, having received a makeover for the Kilkenny game, a new-look Galway were slow out of the blocks and failed to raise a single flag, albeit against the wind, in their championship opener.

Indeed, it was only after they conceded a goal to Denise Gaule after the break, when the game looked as if it might have well and truly slipped away from them, that they began to play with any fluency or purpose.

That said, there were positives and some of the performances of note came from Heather Cooney and Siobhan Coen in defence, Therese Maher in midfield, and Emer Haverty, Ailish O’Reilly and Ann Marie Hayes, who netted the Galway goal, in attack.

Consequently, manager Tony Ward is torn between sticking with the same team – after all, it was the team’s first competitive game in 12 weeks – or making changes when he announces his starting fifteen later in the week.

He was unable to do so earlier as a round of club fixtures took place on Tuesday evening and he was waiting for his players to report in after those. He will be delighted, though, that Sinead Cahalan, who missed the tie against the Cats due to a virus, featured in Mullagh’s win over Sarsfields. Pearses’ Orla Kilkenny, however, is still out with a broken finger.

For their part, Wexford got their four-in-a-row bid underway with a 2-12 to 1-5 win over Derry at O’Toole Park, Crumlin last weekend. The victors led by six points at half-time, 1-7 to 0-4, by and large courtesy of a string of points from Ursula Jacob and a third minute goal from Brid Gordon. Also on the scoresheet in the opening period were Kate Kelly and Katrina Parrock.

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