Sports
Talented Salthill minors hit the goal trail again
Salthill-Knocknacarra 5-11
Mountbellew/Moylough 1-11
TWENTY goals in five championship games this year is a telling statistic of just how good the 2015 Salthill-Knocknacarra minor team is.
Four of those matches came in the West Board A championship. They shot five, two, three and five against An Spidéal, Barna twice and Moycullen respectively, and in the County Final at Tuam Stadium last Saturday evening, they hit Mountbellew/Moylough for five again.
The spine of their team is very strong. From Ryan Hunt and William Finnerty in the key central defensive areas, to John Maher and Eamon Conroy at midfield, up to captain Paul Butler at centre-forward, and Robert Finnerty, Marcus Mac Donnacha and Evan Murphy in the inside line, it’s a classy selection playing a brand of football very easy on the eye.
Mountbellew/Moylough had beaten Sathill/Knocknacarra in the reverse fixture 12 months previous in Tuam, 1-9 to 0-6. That Mountbellew selection contained the likes of Michael Daly, Colm Mannion and Eoin Finnerty, and was an excellent team. But the Salthill version of 2015 may have been the best the county has seen for some time.
And it wasn’t that Mountbellew played badly either last Saturday, they just had no answer to the size and pace of their opponents. Mountbellew/Moylough disposed of Corofin with relative ease on their way to a second North Board A title in succession a couple of weeks ago. They had two county minors in their ranks in Colin Ryan and John Daly, but Ryan often ploughed a lone furrow in the forwards, scoring 0-7.
Not a particularly tall player, his ability to win long balls was a standout feature, and it was usually John Daly firing the passes his way with that cultured left boot he possesses. The Galway minors did achieve a first Connacht title success in eight years by beating Sligo in July, but how only Eamon Conroy was the only member of the Salthill-Knocknacarra side to make the panel is difficult to ascertain.
Butler, Robert Finnerty, Mac Donnacha and Maher had all seen senior championship action with the club this year. Butler, Finnerty and Mac Donnacha started the semi-final loss to Mountbellew/Moylough less than a month ago, with Maher being introduced from the bench. Ironically, Val Daly was the man who gave them their chance.
After leading the Salthill seniors out to play his native club, the tables had turned, and it was Daly and Mattie Giblin pitting their wits against Anthony Finnerty on the sideline at the same venue last weekend.
Daly and Finnerty would have faced each other for Galway and Mayo in days gone by, and it was interesting to observe the respective duo’s mannerisms on the touchline. William and Robert are both sons of Anthony, while Paul Butler is a son of another former Mayo footballer in Mark Butler.
Full match report in this week’s Connacht 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.
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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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