Sports
Late heroics will count for nothing unless job finished – Cunningham
GALWAY boss Anthony Cunningham has insisted his charges stirring comeback from a 10-point deficit late on will mean nothing if they do not defeat Kilkenny in the Leinster SHC semi-final replay in Tullamore this Saturday evening.
With only minutes left on the clock, and trailing 3-20 to 2-13, it seemed the Tribesmen were destined for the qualifiers. A scoring burst though, which saw them out-shoot their rivals by 3-3 to 0-2 in an epic conclusion to the contest, secured them another opportunity to claim a place in the provincial decider.
Despite this, Cunningham has urged caution. “We did [finish strong] but Kilkenny had already done the damage and that is something we will look long and hard at this week. The draw means nothing to us, being honest, until we beat these guys in a replay. That is what is there for us to fight for on Saturday.
“So, what we will be telling the players is very clear and it is a simple message – and it is a simple message to the supporters as well – we have got to keep our feet on the ground. It was a tremendous comeback but it means nothing unless we are ahead at the final whistle on Saturday.”
Still, there could be no getting away from what Galway achieved. Few teams overcome a 10-point deficit with time almost up – and certainly not against a top quality outfit like Kilkenny. “It was a tremendous finish,” acknowledged Cunningham.
“I suppose, when we got the first goal you were hoping you might get one more. Then when it went to three points with the second there was two minutes left and it was a case of getting the ball up there once more! They were in trouble really when we got it into Johnny Glynn, Joe Canning and Niall Burke.
“We spoke about it at half-time that there were goals there. We would be disappointed that halfway through the second half they scored 1-2 or 1-3 in a couple of minutes and they put the game really out of our reach for a period. That is what Kilkenny do though.”
Indeed, when Kilkenny blitzed Galway with an unanswered 1-8 between the 54th and 63rd minutes, it appeared all of the Westerners’ fine work up to this point – the sides were on level terms after the first quarter, half-time and third quarter – had been undone.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
Four teams are vying for promotion to the Premier Division, and with University of Galway, Loughrea, Dynamo Blues, and Colemanstown United all having played each another twice, there is no room for error as they play out the last few games of the campaign.
Loughrea are in pole position, but the chasing pack all have games in hand as they try and reel in the table toppers. All four were winners over the weekend, with three of the games decided by just a single goal.
Elsewhere, the draw for the last eight of the Connacht Junior Cup took place as four Galway League teams remain in the competition. Athenry will be pleased to have drawn a Cois Fharraige side who caused a huge upset when defeating West United in the last round, but it would be an even bigger shock if the Division One outfit were to prevail on this occasion.
Two Galway sides head to Mayo for their ties and Mervue United will fancy their chances against a Westport United B side who defeated Colga B 4-2 at the weekend. It will not be as comfortable for University of Galway who will meet Castlebar Celtic; while Cloonfad and Strand Celtic meet in the remaining tie. The games are scheduled to be played on April 9.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Knocknacarra 0
University of Galway 1
Just a month ago these two sides played out a scoreless draw in Dangan and in the reverse fixture at Cappagh park on Sunday, little separated the sides once more, before a Stephen Gilmore goal on the hour mark settled a contest played in dreadful conditions.
With every point crucial to the Students in their quest to remain in the promotion shake up, they were mainly the better side, but also had to endure some anxious moments as the home side always offered the potential of a breakthrough.
However, their opportunities were more limited than the College side, with just a Marc Lucero effort that struck the woodwork the closest they went to a breakthrough.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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Galway 1-14
Dublin 0-9
Eanna O’Reilly at Duggan Park
THE Galway senior camogie team recorded their third victory of the National League campaign, with a straightforward success over a limited Dublin side on Saturday in Ballinasloe. This expected win puts Galway in with a chance of qualifying for the league final. To do so, the Tribeswomen must overcome Cork on Saturday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Galway lined out against Dublin without injured duo Siobhán Gardiner and Niamh Hanniffy, while Niamh Niland (Clarinbridge) and Laura Kelly (Salthill-Knocknacara) made their first starts for the senior team. The Tribeswomen made good use of the wind in the opening quarter and raced into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead.
Carrie Dolan pointed an early free, followed by a ’45 to get the scoreboard ticking. Laura Kelly then sent over an impressive score from the left wing. Two minutes later, Dublin had a goal chance, but Aishling O’Neill was superbly hooked by Shauna Healy. Galway quickly worked the ball forward to Ailish O’Reilly, who added a neat point.
Carnmore midfielder Jennifer Hughes soon fired over another score for the home side, after a strong run. Dublin were already chasing a five point lead but opened their account in the tenth minute with a point from Gaby Couch.
Two minutes later, Aisling Maher sent over Dublin’s second score, before Dolan replied with an excellent point at the other end, after a good pass from Hughes. Maher pointed a free to make it 0-6 to 0-3, but the home side soon struck for 1-2.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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.
THE frankly bizarre nature of the URC schedule came into focus again this week as the league is set to resume after a two-week break for the Six Nations championship with Connacht welcoming Edinburgh to the Sportsground on Saturday (3pm).
The league might be entering the business end of the campaign, but the last few weeks has felt like more like pre-season preparation than a final push for glory, with Saturday’s game set to be only the third game in eight weeks for Connacht.
“After the Christmas period, it is kind of stop-start. Yeah, you probably do get a bit bored with training, you are looking forward to playing a game, and now we have back-to-back games which lets you get a bit of momentum,” Connacht centre, Tom Farrell, said in the media briefing this week ahead of this Saturday’s tie.
Connacht go into the game on the back of three consecutive wins – 22-20 away to Dragons, 57-34 away to Zebre, and 43-24 at home to the Lions – but it is hard to take any momentum from those games considering they were three, five, and eight weeks ago respectively.
Any momentum they might have had from that winning run will have been hit with the injury list issued this week that is nearly as long as the list of those players who are available. Grand Slam heroes Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen have yet to return to the province, while Finlay Bealham is out for at least a month with a knee injury.
He’ll have plenty of company in the treatment room as Denis Buckley (ankle) and Jack Carty (hamstring) have both been ruled out for this weekend; Josh Murphy (head) is following concussion GRTP protocols and is unavailable for selection this week; and Conor Fitzgerald has had surgery on his ankle and is out for the remainder of the season.
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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