Mayo 1-10

Galway 0-12

ALMOST before we realised what was happening, it’s all over for the Galway footballers. A campaign which up to less than a fortnight ago had the Tribesmen being genuinely talked up as the ‘form team’ of the championship has come to a calamitous and deflating end.

Compounding Galway’s despair will be the fact that they have been sent tumbling out of the race for Sam Maguire by arch-rivals Mayo in their own backyard in Sunday’s wind-marred All-Ireland senior football preliminary quarter-final at Pearse Stadium.

Having been slightly unlucky losers to Kerry in last year’s decider, this season was all about Galway going one step further and until their surprise defeat by Armagh last Sunday week, they appeared well equipped to have at least a major say in the destination of the All-Ireland title.

Unfortunately, a growing casualty list did Padraic Joyce’s team few favours. Against Mayo, it haunted them. Team captain Seán Kelly was sent into battle clearly not fully fit; Damien Comer only lasted until half-time, while Dylan McHugh didn’t even make the starting line-up.

With Rob Finnerty also hampered by injury for much of the campaign and one of last year’s regulars Patrick Kelly still sidelined by a back injury, it meant Galway’s hand was compromised and though much has been of a perceived stronger panel, the fringe players weren’t able to compensate.

For all that, Galway still had the winning of their last two championship matches – both ending in disappointing one-point defeats – in their own hands. Critically, however, their conversion rate has fallen off a cliff and what a heavy price they have been made to pay for it.

It was unimaginable a few weeks ago that when eight counties were left in the championship, Galway wouldn’t be one of them. Two teams they last beat last year – Derry and Armagh – are still in contention, as are Tyrone who the Tribesmen defeated comfortably in their All-Ireland Group 2 encounter in May. Cork and Monaghan remain in the title race too. It will only add salt to Galway’s wounds.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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