Inside Track with John McIntyre

MAYO are already there: and the odds favour Galway joining their great Connacht foes in the National League Final at Croke Park on Sunday week. That’s the exciting scenario after the penultimate round of Division One fixtures over the weekend. It would also represent only the second time the counties have clashed in Gaelic football’s spring showpiece.

Given that the Tribesmen only managed a solitary win from their opening four league games – a situation which sparked loose talk about the threat of relegation – to now stand on the brink of reaching the league decider is a noteworthy turnaround following victories over Monaghan and Armagh.

It leaves Galway in control of their own destiny. A win or a draw in their final group game against Kerry at Pearse Stadium on Sunday will see them through to the decider and given what’s at stake, it should result in a bumper crowd gathering in Salthill for a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland Final. A victory for Jack O’Connor’s team might be enough to see them through, although both Roscommon and Tyrone remain in the mix.

Though some observers are already doubting the benefits of a potential league final between Galway and Mayo in such close proximity to the Connacht championship, I have no truck with such reservations. For starters, this is the GAA’s second most prestigious competition and given that Galway have only won four league titles in the county’s history, why wouldn’t they target a massive early-season boost.

Mind you, at half-time against Armagh in the Athletic Grounds on Sunday, it appeared the home team were going to take some catching after building up a four-point lead in a low-scoring and defensive orientated encounter. They were the beneficiaries of a fortunate goal from their roving custodian Ethan Raftery, but there was more than a suspicion of square ball in Connor Gleeson’s crowded goalmouth.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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