Galway senior footballers successfully defended the Connacht championship crown for the first time in 20 years on Sunday in Castlebar.
The Tribesmen easily dispatched an improving, but still limited Sligo team, which had been unbeaten in nine league and championship games. However, they really struggled to be anything other than a passenger against Galway, regarded as one of the top sides in the country.
Galway’s 2-20 to 0-12 victory ensures they advance as a top seed in the new championship group phase in which they will play Tyrone, Westmeath, and the loser of Armagh v Derry - a game that will be played on a Sunday afternoon.
First up is Tyrone in Pearse Stadium on May 20 at 5.15pm, followed by Westmeath away, while the final round versus Armagh/Derry will be at a neutral venue.
Matthew Tierney stood up and delivered most of the scoring for his side while an under-the-weather Shane Walsh departing the game soon after half-time. Tierney did most of the damage with two first-half goals in a clinical display from the Oughterard player. Most impressive in those two goals was to see the man in possession doing the right thing with the ball. Damien Comer won the ball, looked up, saw Tierney in a better position, and gave the pass. Tierney contributed 2-7 of Galway’s 2-20 with 2-5 of that from play.
On a day when Galway’s Connacht and All-Ireland winning team from 1998 was presented to the crowd before the game, it is great to see the influence of Padraic Joyce and John Divilly bringing through the next crop of Galway footballers. Twenty-five years since Joyce’s breakthrough year, his squad depth looks increasingly likely to mount a charge with high hopes of going one step further than last year.
With Conroy rested, Joyce was also able to give Walsh, Finnerty, McDaid, Comer, and Maher a day off also, with the Tyrone game in mind. In turn, this allowed Sweeney, Conneely, Hernon, Culhane, and Paul Kelly to get valuable game experience, and all are likely to be involved again this championship campaign.
Galway, in the first half especially, were as clinical in attack as they have been mean in defence all year. Scoring 2-7 from 10 attempts on goal shows how far this ever-improving and evolving Galway side has come on since Cian O’Neill’s appointment as coach. Patient in possession, they have become more clinical in attack. There is a set approach to how Galway plays and this blueprint has allowed Galway to develop from a team with lots of ability to a one capable of challenging for All-Ireland success.
Ian Burke’s return has been talked about to a great extent, and understandably so. Not many players have the vision and speed of thought of the Corofin man. His teammates know if they make the run, he will give them the ball. There are games where he appears to do little, but he is constantly moving and making space for everyone around him. He is a player who is very exciting to watch live, and when it clicks for him, Comer and Walsh, Galway will be extremely hard to stop as an attacking outfit, especially with the considerable amount of talent.
