Sports
Gort prove their mettle again in explosive finish to county final
THERE was a collective gasp of ‘uh oh, we’re in trouble’ from the Gort contingent at Kenny Park on Sunday when Portumna drew level with a goal three minutes from full time. The sense of impending doom was palpable.
Gort, who had done most of the hurling up to that point, had surrendered the momentum. Portumna, like true champions, had recovered and looked like they’d power on to retain their crown.
Gort players were momentarily warped by shivers down their spines; a sinking feeling of dread – ‘have we let this slip? – when Kevin ‘Chunky’ Hayes bagged the Portumna goal. The fear was only fleeting.
At that stage, with the winning post in sight, you’d have put your house on the experienced heads of Portumna to guide them home, grind it out. Instead, it was Gort who finished strongest. The South Galway men’s response was instant. And it was decisive.
Substitute Wayne Walsh’s crucial scrappy goal immediately from the next puck-out killed all momentum and impetus Hayes’ goal had given Portumna. Gort were back in the driving seat; there was no stopping them now. A second goal minutes later sealed the deal. Albert Mullins hooked full-back Conor O’Hare, whose clearance only went as far as Gerard Quinn. The dead-ball specialist fed it back to the unmarked Mullins who found the net. The score board read 2-13 to 1-10. Game over.
It was a rip-roaring end to a surprisingly entertaining encounter, given the time of year and heavy underfoot conditions. It was fitting that the insurance score stemmed from persistence and hard work, because it was those characteristics that carried Gort over the line.
Dogged work-rate was a feature throughout. Remember early on, a quick turn of pace from full-forward Richie Cummins, kept the ball from going wide over the end-line. From the next play, captain Greg Lally scored an inspirational point to put Gort 4-3 up midway through the first half. It was easier for Cummins to let it go but Gort are different animals this year, defined by perseverance, teamwork and a strong work ethic.
It was the same for two of their next four scores – Jason Grealish hooked Ollie Canning in the lead-up to a converted free from Gerard Quinn; and Gerard O’Donoghue hooked Gareth Heagney, which again led to a free that was converted by Quinn.
That left it double scores, 0-8 to 0-4. Both sides scored a point apiece before half-time and though Gort would have been pleased to be leading by four, it should have been more.
It just took too long for Portumna to get into a rhythm; they weren’t allowed the space to play.
For more, read 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.
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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.
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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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