Sports
Youthful Salthill side collect the spoils after big struggle
Salthill-Knocknacarra 1-17
Leitir Móir 1-13
Pádraic Ó Ciardha in Indreabhán
A major shock looked on the cards at halt-time in this Round 2 contest of the Senior Football Championship as Leitir Móir led Salthill-Knocknacarra by four points. The Connemara side had been by far the better outfit in the opening 30 minutes and, in truth, should have been six or seven points clear.
A young Salthill-Knocknacarra side will take heart, however, from the resilience they showed in the second half to fight their way back into contention before blowing away their opponents in the final quarter of the match.
Val Daly’s team struggled to get to grips with Leitir Móir’s direct style for much of the game but the city side’s superior fitness began to show during the second period as they clinically took advantage of the space that was beginning to appear.
The game got off to a slow start with only four points scored in the first 15 minutes. Those scores were shared equally by the sides, Robert Finnerty and Sean Armstrong scoring for Salthill-Knocknacarra and Aonghus Ó Fátharta and Éamonn Ó Loinsigh replying for Leitir Móir.
Peadar Ó Suillebháin’s men began to take hold of the contest midway through the half and had built up a three point lead, 0-5 to 0-2, by the 20th minute with Ferdia Breathnach and Éamonn Ó Loinsigh particularly instrumental. Evan Ó Flatharta was set-up by Breathnach to score in the 16th minute before the centre-forward converted a free won by Ó Loinsigh, who in turn added another point moments later.
A neat pass from Salthill-Knocknacarra’s Ruaidhrí McTiernan allowed Marcus Mac Donnacha to reduce the gap to two points but Leitir Móir grabbed what looked to be a massive goal in the 25th minute. Ferdia Breathnach picked Aonghus Ó Fátharta out with a free, the corner-forward turned 45m out from goal before racing in and slamming the ball past Evan Duffy in the Salthill-Knocknacarra goal.
A third point of the half from Éamonn Ó Loinsigh put Leitir Móir six points to the good, 1-6 to 0-3, with three minutes remaining of the half and they were more than deserving of the cushion. Disappointingly for them, however, they cheaply allowed Salthill-Knocknacarra to reduce the deficit as two close-range frees from Robert Finnerty in first half stoppage-time meant just four points separated the sides at the break, 1-6 to 0-5
While the first half had struggled to getting going, the contest was played at a relentless pace just after the restart with 1-6 being scored in the opening six minutes of the second period. The half was just 30 seconds old when Matthew Heskin got the first point and, though Aonghus Ó Fátharta struck back for Leitir Móir, Salthill-Knocknacarra continued to eat into their opponents’ lead.
For more, read this week’s Connacht 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.
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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.
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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.
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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