Kevin Reidy's Galway senior ladies football team head to Portlaoise this Saturday evening hoping to go one step better than last weekend and beat Cork in the division one league final (7.30pm ).
Last weekend's game, which was an absorbing affair of high quality football, ended in a draw on a scoreline of 1-14 to 3-8.
Thankfully Galway have no injury worries and the mood in the camp is positive ahead of this Saturday's replay, which is live on TG4.
Reidy was proud of his team's efforts last weekend and he believes they have the belief and talent to finish off the job in two days.
"We had our chances to win the last day, but Cork had opportunities too, so all in all we are happy to have another crack at winning a first division one league title. The mood is very positive in our camp. We had training on Wednesday night in the Claregalway pitch and we have a team meeting tomorrow night [Friday] to finalise our plans. Then it is all systems go for the game on Saturday.
"We proved last weekend there is not much between the sides, so it will come down to which team performs to the best of their ability in the replay and hopefully that will be us. We were two points behind going into the last few minutes and we came back to draw which is a good sign of the team's character and belief. We expect to see both those traits in full flow again in the replay."
It took a late point from Clonbur's Lorna Joyce, a substitute, to rescue a draw for Reidy's team six days ago at Parnell Park.
Galway had led by four points in the second half when they were awarded a penalty after team captain Geraldine Conneally was fouled. Annette Clarke, who scored two penalties in last year’s division two decider, was not as accurate on this occasion and the ball spun wide. Cork took some momentum from that let off and they hit another goal to go two points up, 3-8 to 1-12. However, to their credit, Galway did not throw in the towel and Tracey Leonard kicked her sixth from play, and then Joyce hit the equaliser to set up this weekend's replay.
Galway were runners-up in the division one league final in 2010, 2007, 2005 and 1979, and hopefully they will break that duck this Saturday in O'Moore Park to crown what has been an impressive league campaign in the top flight for the panel.
Galway: J Connolly, S Gormally, E Flaherty, Á Seoighe; N Connolly, N Ward, S Burke; A Clark 0-1, G Conneally; B Hannon 0-1, P Gleeson 0-1, L Ward 1-1, O Divilly, T Leonard 0-8 (2f ), E Concannon 0-1. Subs: C Cormican for N Connolly (38 ), A Daly for Divilly (51 ), L Joyce 0-1 for Concannon (57 ).
