Tribesmen fail to have a real cut at Kerry in poor display

KERRY 1-18

GALWAY 0-13

IN the end, a disappointment and a crushing one too. There had been hopes that Galway might send out a message of a new force emerging in Gaelic football but they succumbed all too easily to a Kerry team operating only on half-steam in a game that lacked a real competitive edge.

Galway did have their chances in this All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park on Sunday but once Kieran Donaghy wreaked absolute havoc in the losers’ defence during the first quarter, there was a real sense of inevitability about the outcome.

Maybe Galway do need to keep up the search for a few more quality players – the county desperately needs a commanding full-back, and a midfielder with real leadership qualities, but even allowing for those personnel issues, the supporters of the maroon were probably entitled to expect a bit more than what they got on Sunday.

Galway’s demise can be attributed to three core issues: the failure to deal with the entirely predictable aerial threat of Donaghy; the inability to win ball around the midfield area and the spurning of at least three clear-cut goal chances.

Management opted to throw Killanin’s David Walsh in at the deep end on a straight one-to-one marking role on Donaghy but the Austin Stacks clubman – admittedly a handful for any full back in the country – just won too many high balls unchallenged and unhindered.

Probably a far more radical plan of action was needed to curb Donaghy like assigning one of our big men – whether it be Paul Conroy, Tom Flynn of Fiontán Ó Curraoin – to shadow him and to contest the high balls. As it was, Donaghy took ball at will during the opening 20 minutes, lashed in 1-1, and also won a tap-over free.

Galway did try hard, and in fairness they did stay within four or five points of Kerry for threequarters of the match, but the gnawing feeling remained all through this encounter that there was only ever going to be one winner.

Kerry are Kerry, with the National League title under their belt and a satchel full of All-Ireland titles stored away – if their cage was to be rattled on Sunday, Galway needed to score goals, and maybe on another day, they just might have.

Ian Burke in the 4th minute had a powerful drive durned over the bar by outstanding Kerry keeper Brian Kelly; just before half-time a low effort from Damien Comer was cleared off the line by corner back Fionn Fitzgerald; six minutes into the second half Seán Armstrong was denied by Kelly; while later on, Comer and sub Michael Farragher also had half chances.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.