Sports
City clubs swing into action but Corofin look unstoppable
CAN anyone beat Corofin? A new championship structure may be coming into effect in Galway senior football this weekend, but the question on everyone’s lips seems to be the same as in any other year as 20 of the 21 senior clubs swing into action over the next three days.
Corofin are seeking their sixth county title in eight years and, given that they also won the county U-21 title last year, there is no sign of the juggernaut coming to a halt despite the recent retirements of Kieran Comer and Damien Burke, two of their longest-serving players.
Bookmaker John Mulholland took a hefty bet on the county champions to retain their Galway crown last week, reviving the odds from 11/10 to 4/5. It’s not often the championship favourites are odds-on to win the competition outright before a ball has even been thrown in.
So emphatic was their victory over Salthill-Knocknacarra in last year’s county final at Tuam Stadium that it left many observers praying that a new force, perhaps Cortoon Shamrocks, Milltown, or Tuam, could emerge as genuine contenders in 2014. To give an idea of how far the champions are perceived to be ahead of the chasing pack, second favourites Milltown are available for 6/1.
Tweaks to the structure will ensure that the ten losers this weekend will play off in five matches to see who can reach the third round, while the ten winners will also face each other in five games – the losing five will also emerge into the third round. NUI Galway will enter the competition in the preliminary quarter-finals (round four), along with the five third round winners – with the teams who win their first two championship games going straight through to the quarter-finals.
Full preview in this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 2-18
Antrim 1-10
John McIntyre in Darver
WE are little the wiser about the All-Ireland credentials of the Galway minor hurlers after their routine victory over a committed Antrim outfit at the Louth GAA Centre in Darver on Saturday.
Making their debut in the Leinster championship in the first of three round-robin group fixtures, Galway got the job done without setting off too many fireworks in a more competitive tussle than anticipated.
Though Fergal Healy’s charges didn’t look anything exceptional, there were mitigating factors, not least an extensive casualty list, the tiring long journey to the Louth venue, and it being their first outing of the championship.
Yet when Antrim full-forward Orrin O’Connor sent a low shot to the opposition net in the 49th minute, it left only six points between the teams (1-15 to 1-9). This wasn’t the expected script as Galway were not having things all their own way.
There was no sense of alarm, however, either on the field or on the sideline, as the Westerners quickly responded to that Antrim green flag with an unanswered 1-3 to leave them in good heart for this Saturday’s encounter with Laois at O’Moore Park.
For decades, Galway minors were accustomed to playing their first championship match in August and while their debut in the title-race has been brought forward in recent years with the introduction of All-Ireland quarter-finals, now having to start their campaign in late March does take a little bit of getting used to.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Kerry 3-11
Galway 0-17
Ivan Smyth at Tuam Stadium
GALWAY ladies footballers suffered their first defeat of 2023 as Kerry secured first blood with these sides set to meet again in the League final on April 15.
Despite both teams being assured of qualification for the decider at Croke Park before throw in, this was an entertaining affair with Kate Slevin’s eight point haul not enough to prevent Galway suffering their second successive defeat to Kerry after also losing out to to the Kingdom in the opening round of the championship last year.
Ultimately, Galway will be disappointed to lose this one. They led this game 0-7 to 0-2 but from the 22nd to the 48th minute, Kerry outscored their hosts 3-8 to 0-4 with the Tribeswomen falling eight points behind in the final quarter. Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh slotted 2-3 in the opening 30 minutes before being replaced at half time with the Kerry camp stating afterwards that the three time All-Star’s substitution was a pre-planned move.
With Galway shipping 2-3 and scoring just a point from the 22nd minute to half time, joint manager Fiona Wynne admits the side’s concentration in the moments before the break needs to improve: “We saw something similar when we played Cork in Pearse Stadium. We seem to be going very well and were well on top ,but towards the end of the first half in both scenarios we did get caught. Really happy with how we reacted to going behind against Cork. A little bit to do after today but it’s something we definitely have to look at.”
Chellene Trill, making her first start of the year, was given the arduous task of tracking the Corca Dhuibhne clubwoman. The Claregalway defender played well, storming out of defence twice with possession in the early stages but Ní Mhuircheartaigh at times was double teamed and still managed to kick scores that few others could.
For more, read this week’s Connacht 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.
Westport 21
Creggs 19
Kevin Egan at the Sportsground
SOMEWHERE around the West of Ireland right now, there’s probably a newspaper report that would describe the dramatic scenes at the end of last Sunday’s Connacht Junior Cup final as bearing resemblance to the plot of a Hollywood movie.
If you travelled to the Sportsground to support Westport in their bid to win a first Junior Cup since 2015, that description might feel apt this week. However if you travelled in hope of watching Creggs end their 30-year drought in this famous competition, the manner in which the Galway-Roscommon border club had their double dreams shattered felt almost Shakespearean; like a cruel tragedy where it wasn’t enough to simply plunge the knife into the tragic hero, but there also had to be a considerable element of irony, and of expectations being flipped on their head.
As newly-crowned league champions, Creggs went into this game as favourites, and that weight of expectation was only encumbered further by the firm astroturf surface and the relatively benign conditions (notwithstanding a first-half downpour, but 80 minutes of good weather in Galway is too much to expect in July, never mind March).
Their skill and craft, particularly in the back division, was expected to slice open the West Mayo side, who many expected to struggle in the latter stages of the contest. Instead, it fell to a hugely promising young back from Westport, 18-year-old full back Cormac Lyons, to strike in the fifth minute of stoppage time and cancel out what looked like a match-winning try and conversion from Shane Purcell just six minutes earlier.
That Creggs would have trouble coping with the sheer power of the Westport pack was no surprise, and for the opening 15 minutes, the club that has recently become known as “The Bulls” did everything they could to live up to that name.
For more, read this week’s Connacht 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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