By Pádraic Ó Ciardha

YOU have to go back a long way for the last time the Galway footballers entered a Connacht final against Mayo as heavily fancied as they are for this Sunday’s set piece (MacHale Park, 4pm), especially when you consider that the game is in Castlebar, but the bookies’ odds are merely a reflection of where both teams stand at the minute.

Having spent so long in Mayo’s shadow in the early 2010s, Galway have got some of their own back in the last few years and Pádraic Joyce’s side will be going for a fourth Connacht title-in-a-row this weekend, a feat not achieved by the Tribesmen since 1966 when that great Galway team went on to win a remarkable third consecutive All-Ireland crown.

This Galway side are still waiting to bridge the 24-year gap since the Sam Maguire cup last resided in the county but their chances of doing just that look as good as they have at any point since.

A disappointing end to the league that saw Galway fail to win any of their last three games and miss out on a place in the final as a result took a little of the gloss off of what was a more than solid campaign, and the their two championship outings since have done little to dissuade supporters that this might be the year Galway get over the line after the All-Ireland defeats in 2022 and 2024.

While New York kept the Tribesmen honest in the first half over in the Bronx, Joyce’s side eased home in the second half and it was the imperious performance against Roscommon last time out that was the more impressive indication of the form Galway are in at the minute.

The Rossies have often made things uncomfortable for Galway in Pearse Stadium, including Connacht final wins in both 2017 and 2019, but the visitors barely laid a glove on their opponents on Easter Sunday as the home side ran out 1-24 to 0-18 victors.

Such was the level of performance from 1 to 15 that Joyce said afterwards that there was no reason to make any substitutions until late on. Rob Finnerty top-scored with a clinical 0-8, including six points from play, but the work of Céin D’Arcy in the air and John Maher on the ground was just as important in cementing Galway’s superiority.

That Galway were so far ahead of Roscommon without Shane Walsh and with Damien Comer only making a cameo appearance will bring further confidence to supporters. Galway will most likely be without Walsh once again for the trip to Castlebar with Joyce offering a pessimistic prognosis directly after the semi-final win, stating that the All-Star forward was managing two separate muscle injuries.

Joyce opted to draft an extra defender into the side for the Roscommon game, detailing Seán Mulkerrin a man-marking job on Enda Smith – which he carried out to a tee –but we’ll have to wait and see whether he opts to do similar against Mayo. Seán Kelly, who was pushed upfield slightly as a result of that change, picked up a knock to his leg in the win but his substitution was hopefully just a precaution.

Pictured: Galway’s Céin D’Arcy on the attack against Mayo’s Sam Callinan in last year’s Connacht Final at Pearse Stadium. The teams renew rivalry in Castlebar on Sunday.