Sports
From the terraces to centre of action in space of a year
EDDIE Hoare watched from the terraces as Galway were walloped by Mayo in the Connacht senior football semi-final at Pearse Stadium last May.
Like all other Galway fans in Salthill, the city man was saddened by the scale of the 4-16 to 0-11 record defeat. But unlike most supporters, Hoare could truly empathise with how the Galway players and management were aching.
After all, the St Michael’s clubman from Circular Road, Bushypark, had soldiered with many of them during stints with the county set-up at senior and underage. He felt the hurt, too.
“Having been team-mates with a lot of the lads, I understood the hurt that was going through them . . . how I felt as a Galway supporter was it was a sad day leaving Pearse Stadium, seeing former team-mates of mine beaten like that, but all we can do now is try and put that right on Sunday,” says Hoare.
Sunday is Connacht final day and while the Galway camp all week has focused mostly on tactics and preparing to get the best out of themselves in Castlebar, Hoare says of last year’s display: “It’s definitely used as a motivational factor . . .”
That Hoare will be lining out at all this weekend, appearing in his first senior provincial decider, rather than watching from the terraces again is a testament to his positive attitude, where giving up was never an option.
Plagued by injuries for years, Hoare’s journey to where he is now – one of Galway’s top forwards – is a tale of gritty persistence. Of long days and nights, alone, in the Ardilaun Hotel gym. Of boring, repetitive recovery exercise. It’s one of failed rehab and exploring all avenues to recuperate. But mostly it’s a story of that ‘never-say-die’ quality that has epitomised his football career on and off the field.
Hoare, who captained Galway to a Connacht minor title in 2005, was first drafted into the senior squad almost seven years ago, in November 2007, by Liam Sammon.
He made his league debut against Tyrone the following Spring; and was among the Galway panel of 26 – though never played – who won the Connacht senior title against Mayo in 2008, the county’s last. His breakthrough onto the starting xv appeared to be imminent. It wasn’t.
After guiding his club to an All-Ireland intermediate club final at Croke Park in February 2009, Hoare was forced to leave the county squad months later with a career threatening back injury – bulging discs.
Rehab wasn’t working until NUI Galway physiotherapist, James O’Toole, recommended a specialist in Harvard Medical, who eventually got him back playing for St Michael’s in March, 2010. The back was fine but then another setback – he dislocated his shoulder, regressing him another six months.
True to form, Hoare never gave up on the prospect of playing for Galway. He rehabbed, worked hard, impressed with St Michael’s and caught the eye of incoming manager, Tomás Ó Fátharta.
Hoare did well in trials in November 2010 and started five or six early season games under Ó Fátharta. But, again, more regression as the same shoulder was dislocated at training and only surgery would do. At that point in 2011, the prospect of him ever playing championship for Galway was slim.
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.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
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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.
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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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