Terrific win over Dubs not enough to save Galway’s league hopes

Dublin 1-14

Galway 4-12

POINTS difference is going to eliminate Galway from the upcoming Division One semi-finals, but Willie Ward’s young side can be take huge pride and lot of positives from their victory last Sunday.

Galway finished their round of seven normal League fixtures on 12 points, currently level with their opponents last weekend Dublin, Armagh, and Kerry. Despite much confusion, we will have to wait until the Cork vs Armagh match, which was called off on Sunday due to bad weather, is fulfilled before the actual make-up of the last four is known.

The management team have brought through a number of young players who have been very good this spring, with Megan Glynn and Shauna Hynes standing out. Roisin Leonard has taken to the role of chief scorer in her cousin Tracey’s absence. Winning four and losing three games, a lot can be taken from the League campaign overall.

Mistakes Galway made in Tuam were ironed out in Parnell Park. Against Cork they got caught out in defence numbers wise when possession was lost in attack, but that was corrected against Dublin. Patricia Gleeson and Nicola Burke replaced Deirdre Brennan and the injured Megan Heneghan respectively in the starting 15, and Gleeson was brilliant in the first half playing in a controlling role at midfield.

Herself and Lisa Gannon worked very well in tandem providing extra cover around the half-back line. Galway were also more direct and clinical in the forwards, and switching Megan Glynn to centre-half forward proved to be an excellent decision.

The Claregalway native had three different Dublin players put onto her, and she was particularly good in the first period playing a key role in both of Roisin Leonard’s first half goals. She also managed to score one herself to help Galway into a 3-6 to 1-7 half-time lead after they had played into the teeth of the wind.

To lead by five points at half-time, Galway had to recover from going five points down after 12 minutes. Dublin led 1-3 to 0-1, with star forward Sinead Aherne scoring two points and converting a second minute penalty after Niamh McEvoy had been pushed in the back by Lisa Gannon.

Glynn’s goal brought Galway back into it on the quarter hour mark, Louise Ward laying on the final pass. Two Roisin Leonard goals in two minutes then put Galway into a commanding position. Coming in the 23rd and 24th minutes, Glynn again made the scything incursions through the Dublin defence, and while all four Galway goals were well finished, Leonard’s second was memorable, going in after smashing the underside of the bar.

Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.