Connacht Tribune
Tribesmen below their best in a physical showdown
Galway 0-18
Kilkenny 0-18
THERE are a number of ways to look at the outcome of this game – and, indeed, Galway’s below-par performance – but when it really comes down to it, the Tribesmen did exceptionally well not to lose a game that, in years gone by against Kilkenny, they most certainly would have.
For not one among the 40,703 people in attendance – or hundreds of thousands watching on TV – could say that Micheal Donoghue’s men played well or delivered a display befitting their stature as both reigning provincial and All-Ireland champions in a cagey yet uncompromising Leinster senior hurling final at Croke Park on Sunday.
Yes, Galway toiled and laboured honestly. They tackled hard and ferociously. They even conjured up some fine scores. Yet, for all that, there were just too many mistakes, poor touches, questionable decision-making in possession and a general malaise in their play that Galway supporters have not seen in quite a while.
The thing is, it is rare to see a Galway team play badly and still get a result – indeed, how often have they played well and come out the wrong side of it? – and if there is one over-riding positive from last Sunday’s Leinster final draw against Kilkenny it is that. A lesser team would have been beaten by the Cats. The Tribesmen weren’t.
Whatever way Micheal Donoghue and his management team approach the replay at Semple Stadium, Thurles this Sunday though is crucial. They have a great deal to work on but three key areas they will most definitely focus on will be their use and retention of possession; their decision-making, especially at seminal moments; and closing out the game when it is there for them.
From the early stages, however, it was clear this was not a Galway side on song. In the forwards, in particular, they were constantly getting turned over – that was when they could manage to get their hands on ball ahead of an extremely combative Kilkenny defence.
In this regard, full-back Padraig Walsh was heroic while the Cats half-back line of Joey Holden, the impressive Cillian Buckley and Enda Morrissey robbed enough of Galway’s puckouts throughout to put the Westerners’ attack on the backfoot and under pressure.
The Galway forwards were not helped also that the distribution from deep was not clean or concise as it could have been – but, again, when the management and players run through their analysis this week they will be alarmed with both the nature of the turnovers against them and the high volume of unforced errors they committed.
That should be the starting point for a discussion that should also throw the microscope on a number of players in terms of their decision-making and, again, the forwards will be questioned in this respect.
Both Conor Whelan and Cathal Mannion scoffed goal chances midway through the first half with ambitious first time pulls when they might have taken the ball in hand and executed the shot from there. Maybe they felt the time and opportunity wasn’t there to do so but, either way, both should have done better.
Whelan, who always looks a threat in fairness, should also have laid off left or right when Galway had conjured up a goal chance on 45 minutes while, six minutes later, you then had Joe Canning endeavouring to prise open the Kilkenny defence – only for his pass to be intercepted – when, you could argue, that it may have been more prudent to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
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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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht 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.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
