Sports
Wegians break the mould in a bad season for local rivals
IN a season packed full of worrying signs for the club game in the west of Ireland, Galwegians have produced a trend bucking story that will live long in the memories of rugby folk in the west. The Sky Blues completed a remarkable campaign in Division 1b of the Ulster Bank League on Saturday by toppling Garryowen 17-13 in the winner-takes-all final round match up at Crowley Park.
The success is a credit to Matt Brown and John Muldoon (and the previous coach Cory Brown too) but it is also a credit to a team that has gone through a remarkable few seasons. Slipping out of the second tier three years ago, in the most dramatic of circumstances on the final day, and stalling in the third tier for a season before an incredible 24 months of success,
Captained by one of the club game’s most effective loosehead prop forwards in Ja Naughton, backboned by club stalwarts such as Ross Fitzgerald, Doron McHugh, Brian McClearn and Anthony Ryan up front, Barry Lee, Brian Murphy and John Cleary in the backline and then infused with fresh enthusiasm by a new generation.
Take Jack Dineen and Joshua Pim in the back row, Paul Hackett and Matthew Towey too. The backline was brimful of talent. Irish under 21 international Ciaran Gaffney a star, Rory Parata a weapon at twelve, Matthew Dever and Aidan Moynihan keeping the likes of Gary O’Brien out of the side. Even Connacht’s hero in Bayonne and academy graduate Caolin Blade couldn’t get a place in the starting line up with Barry Lee playing so well.
As we said last week, they got the balance right in terms of the use of players from the provincial set up and they may well have paved the way for other clubs in the province to follow in forthcoming years. Some will say they will find the challenge of Division 1a too difficult, but they have been written off for quite some time now and keep proving doubters wrong. That should be the motivation.
Poor Results
While Galwegians have deservedly nabbed the headlines this month, the news across the board for club rugby in Connacht is far from good. Corinthians and Buccaneers have unravelled in recent months, with the former relegated and the latter having thrown in the towel on the season with two months to spare once safety was secured.
In just seven seasons, Corinthians went from a ranking of 41st out of 48 teams in All Ireland League rugby (at that time) by the end of the 2007-2008 Ulster Bank League season to a record high ranking of 14th last year when they finished fourth in Division 1b under the guidance of Phil Pretorius. That’s a jump of 27 places in a comparatively short time frame.
The run started with promotion under Leon Jordan and Richard Evans, continued under Bernie Kelly as they established themselves as one of the top five sides in Division 2a for three consecutive seasons. They were then taken on in Division 2a by Pretorius, who took them up to promotion and then drove them to the fringe of second promotion to Division 1a before injuries took their toll late in the campaign.
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
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.
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.
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
