On a day when the all-conquering Dubs overpowered Galway despite a promising start by the Tribesmen, Damien Comer produced a moment of magic out on the sideline by the Cusack Stand.
Having already scored an early goal, Comer had been Galway’s main threat up front and evidently struck fear into the Dublin defence. In the 65th minute, the ball broke off the foot off Kevin McManaman into the path of Comer. The big man from Annaghdown surged past Jack McCaffrey, shrugged Jonny Cooper onto the deck, and then unleashed a shot from the outside of the right foot and on an outrageous angle which sailed between the posts.
Patrick Sweeney v Kerry –
All-Ireland quarter-final 2018.
This goal is included more for significance than sheer quality. Shane Walsh collected the ball on the ’65 metre line and cut right through the Kerry defence with his blistering pace as far as the ’21. He laid it off to Sweeney, who buried the ball with aplomb at the second attempt. It was a goal which ended Galway’s terrible run of form in Croke Park and also secured victory over Kerry in championship football for the first time in 53 years, two significant monkeys off the back.
Shane Walsh v Tipperary –
Round 4 Qualifier 2014
On this occasion a youthful Shane Walsh produced a magnificent piece of skill - as he has done so many times since. This time it was against Tipperary in 2014. A ’45 was scuffed by Paul Conroy and the ball careered into the path of Walsh at a vicious pace. Using his instinct and impeccable technique, Walsh controlled the ball soccer-style with his right foot and then lost his marker with a shimmy to turn onto his left foot and tap the ball over the bar. It was a truly jaw-dropping score by the Kilkerrin-Clonberne man.
Gary Sice v Mayo – Connacht Championship semi-final 2015.
In Kevin Walsh’s first year in charge Galway welcomed Mayo at a very sunny Pearse Stadium. Expectations were low against a Mayo team at the peak of their powers.
Momentarily, wing-forward Gary Sice gave all Galway supporters a glimmer of hope with a piece of genius. Sice received a simple hand pass just inside the ’45. As he ran at the Mayo defence, he sidestepped Tom Parsons leaving him on his backside. This created the space Sice needed to blast a rasper into the top-right corner of the net from 20 metres out. It was a breathtaking goal from a great servant to Galway football.
Michael Meehan v Cork –
All-Ireland quarter-final 2013
Galway came into this game as massive underdogs, but had the Rebels at the pin of their collar for a large stretch of the game. The Tribesmen were trailing by four points deep into added time when Shane Walsh lofted a high ball which Meehan won brilliantly in the air, only to be dragged to the ground just outside the ’14. Only a goal was of use to Galway. Meehan laid the ball on the deck as no fewer than 10 Cork players lined the goal. What followed was a missile from the left foot of Meehan which flew into the net off the underside of the crossbar. It was the only possible place Meehan could have put the ball to score, and he did so with ferocious power.
