Salthill-Knocknacarra 1-18                

Annaghdown 1-8

Kevin Egan at Tuam Stadium

A new challenger has stepped forward out of the chasing pack.

On a weekend when Tuam Stars, Milltown and Claregalway all picked up eye-catching victories, while Corofin and Mountbellew-Moylough didn’t exactly do their credentials any harm with comprehensive wins, it was still hard to avoid the feeling walking out of Tuam Stadium on Saturday evening that Salthill-Knocknacarra are the club that made a real statement of intent and potential over the weekend.

It wasn’t just that they took on an opponent of real quality, and made them look ordinary – though that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t even that they produced a performance that was laden with devastating pace and attacking intent, though they did that too.

By putting Annaghdown to the sword in such a comprehensive fashion, Salthill-Knocknacarra made the crowd in attendance stop and think about the ingredients that they bring to the mix, and how John O’Mahony’s initial assertions of how a long-term project is underway on Dr. Mannix Road don’t necessarily contradict the idea that they’ve come a long way already.

In a team where the vast majority of players have played intercounty football at some level, the city club have one of the best forwards in the county in Rob Finnerty, and a very decent supporting cast of players, bolstered by a very useful recruit in the shape of Kerry native and NUIG student Donal Hunt.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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