Galway 0-20

Westmeath 0-12

PROBABLY the most consistent Gaelic football team in the country have one foot in the All-Ireland quarter-finals after a storming closing 20 minutes wore down a gallant Westmeath outfit at a sun-splashed Cusack Park on Saturday evening.

In recording a ninth championship victory from their last 10 outings, Galway eventually lived up to their reputation as one of the top contenders to land the Sam Maguire Cup in 2023. A winning margin of eight points may have slightly flattered them, but when the need was greatest, they impressively lifted the tempo.

Sure, Galway wouldn’t win the All-Ireland title based on this evidence, but they didn’t have to in Mullingar. Instead, it was all about keeping the momentum going and departing the Midlands with the wind still in their sails.

This second round Group 2 clash proved no walk in the park as Galway were made to work hard in only the second-ever championship meeting between the counties. They didn’t help themselves by spurning a number of clear-cut goal chances, while several players fell short of their usual standards.

Down the stretch, however, Galway displayed the qualities which caried them all the way to last year’s All-Ireland final. It’s always a sign of a good team which can pull out that bit extra when involved in a dogfight. They were also composed, with their game-management improving all the time.

It would be an exaggeration to suggest that Galway were in a big hole when they trailed by 0-11 to 0-9 after 47 minutes, but they were in a battle and Westmeath were showing the kind of energy and purpose which took them to brink of a shock victory over Armagh the previous weekend.

The Tribesmen needed a positive surge from their substitutes to exert their superiority over the closing quarter, and neither Damien Comer nor John Maher were found wanting in giving their team badly-needed penetration when going forward. Furthermore, they picked off an invaluable four points between them.

That’s the big difference from Galway of 2022. Their bench is stronger, and it could be tested even more over the coming weeks as both Rob Finnerty and Shane Walsh hobbled off the field, while Matthew Tierney didn’t look entirely comfortable either with a dead leg.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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