Galway 1-17

Mayo 1-15

By Pádraic Ó Ciardha at MacHale Park

AND to think that some people suggested that Galway might be better off losing this one?

Pádraic Joyce’s side have made it four Connacht titles in-a-row for the first time since the golden years of the mid-1960s after coming out the right side of another squeaker in Castlebar.

For all the logic of pre-match chat about the relative strengths of Derry and Cavan, matches between Galway and Mayo tend to feed more base instincts and so it was on Sunday as two teams and 27,137 supporters lost themselves in another epic contest.

As hordes of joyous Galway supporters descended on the MacHale Park pitch after the Tribesmen’s two-point win, you can be sure that few were worrying about a potential group of death and were instead basking in three of the greatest pleasures available to any Galway fan – sunshine, silverware and sticking it to Mayo.

Backed by a strong wind, Galway built up an eight-point lead by half-time but a third quarter surge from the home side saw them back on level terms with a little under 20 minutes to go. Mayo should have pushed on with the elements at their backs but some familiar failings came back to haunt them.

Galway were far from perfect but a potent combination of greater skill, greater composure and greater determination saw the Tribesmen get over the line in the end. There were a number of instances in the second half where those qualities were apparent but few showcased them better than Galway’s final score in the 69th minute.

The move began with Mayo in search of an equalising point with 90 seconds left and a great chance presented itself when Paul Towey broke onto a loose ball 25m out from goal. The Mayo attacker gathered possession and pulled the trigger but a desperate burst from Dylan McHugh saw him eat up the ground between himself and Towey and produce a stunning full-length diving block to deny the Mayo substitute.

Galway’s Peter Cooke reacted quickest to win the loose ball before bouncing off two Mayo tackles and while his fisted clearance could easily have been intercepted, Liam Silke did brilliantly to win the ball out in front of Aidan O’Shea. Silke got a pass away to Matthew Tierney before getting nailed by Jack Carney and Tierney quickly laid the ball off to Cillian McDaid, who somehow found the energy to tear through the middle on another surging run.

McDaid’s 50m gallop ended up with him juggling the ball one-handed as he held off Donnacha McHugh and a bit of improvisation directed possession to Robert Finnerty, who was equally quick-witted in getting a pass away in a flash to Liam Ó Conghaile in space.

With Seán Kelly covered to his left and the recovering McHugh quickly closing off the option to cut inside, Ó Conghaile steadied himself with a hop and steered a shot with his less-fancied left foot between the posts to extend Galway’s lead to a crucial two points.

It wasn’t the tidiest of moves and Galway came within millimeters of losing the ball a couple of times, but that 25-second passage of play involving seven players, including two substitutes, under the severest of pressure will give Pádraic Joyce more satisfaction than any other so far this year. The fact that they did it without Shane Walsh, Damien Comer and John Maher, who was forced off at half-time, will only add to that satisfaction.

Mayo still had time to work one final opportunity for a two-point score but some composed defending from Galway, coupled with a lack of options for the home side, saw Matthew Ruane eventually take it upon himself to shoot from out wide on the right-hand side but his effort spun away off the outside of his boot and confirmed Galway’s victory.

Pictured: Galway captain Seán Kelly shows determination against Mayo’s Diarmuid O’Connor during Sunday’s Connacht Senior Football Final at MacHale Park. Photos: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile