The Galway Ladies senior footballers host their first home game of this season’s Bord Gais Energy Ladies National League on Sunday.
Monaghan are the visitors to Mountbellew at 2pm, and Galway are expecting a difficult challenge against the current table toppers.
Monaghan are the only unbeaten team after four rounds, boasting 12 points - some three ahead of Donegal and Cork who have nine points. However Galway, with five points, will be in confident form having notched their first win at Ballindine on Sunday after two hard-fought draws without regulars Patricia Gleeson, Caitriona Cormican, Una Carroll, Sinead Burke, Niamh Duggan, Geraldine Conneally, Mairead Coyne and Sarah Noone.
Galway now need a good run in the next three games to claim a top-four place, and these fixtures are all against rivals for the play-offs.
They will hope the scoring form of Tracey Leonard continues this weekend after she potted 10 pointed frees to give her side the edge over neighbours Mayo on Sunday.
In an open first quarter Mayo were led by stalwart Cora Staunton who notched all of their four opening points, but three Leonard frees sandwiched by scores from Sarah Murphy and Lucy Hannon kept Galway in touch.
Ten minutes before the interval the first goal of the game fell Galway’s way when good passing saw a curling ball launched forward and midfielder Aoibheann Daly fisted home to give them a lead they would never surrender.
Leonard dispatched four more frees before the break, while a Staunton free was answered with another Leonard score to give the visitors a commanding 1-10 to 0-6 lead at half time.
Galway went off the boil after the break and it took 13 minutes to register their first point. Staunton had added two more to her tally, and she threw Mayo a life-line with a goal that cut the gap to two, 1-11 to 1-9.
Leonard hit three more frees without reply, but Staunton’s eighth free and a Cafferkey score kept their hopes alive. Staunton, however, was denied an equalising goal in the dying moments by advancing Galway goalkeeper Tina Hughes.
Mayo: Y Byrne; A Bell, A Loftus, L Ryder; K Sullivan (C McManamon 55mins ), N Tierney (E Duffy 60mins ), M Naughton (G Kelly 23mins ); M Carter (0-1 ), F McHale; C Hanahoe, A Gilroy, L Cafferkey (0-2 ); N Cuffe (M Corbett 25mins ), C Staunton (1-8 ), T McNicholas.
Galway: T Hughes; B Walsh, E Flaherty, N Lohan; N Ward, R McPhilbin, AM McDonagh; A Daly (1-0 ), D Lawless; L Joyce, D Gorman, E Concannon; L Hannon (0-1 ) (B Hannon 45mins ), T Leonard (0-10, 10 frees ), S Murphy (0-3 ) (L Leonard 45mins ).
Referee: L McDonagh (Sligo ).
