Mayo 0-14; Galway 0-11
Both managers will be happy enough with the display of their teams in this Division 1 final at Croke Park on Sunday as they look forward to the squeaky bum time of the opening rounds of the Connacht championship, which begins this weekend with both New York and London taking on Leitrim and Sligo respectively.
The way the draw has tumbled means the so-called Big Three of the province, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon are lumped together in one side of the equation - a quirk of sporting fate that gives the likes of New York a rare opportunity of knowing that if they win two matches they will make a provincial final by only having had to beat the lesser lights of Leitrim or Sligo or London. So rock on New York this Sunday and give us a spring-summer to remember by becoming part of the mainstream GAA conversation over the coming weeks!
Mayo Manager Kevin McStay will get little or no time to savor this national title as he knows that Roscommon will arrive in Castlebar on Sunday only gagging to cut them down to size with a surprise victory. And with four wins out of seven in the National League, Davy Burke’s side are well capable of causing an upset, though it must be said that the McStay reign has seen a more formidable and less capricious Mayo play with only one defeat (a dead rubber against Monaghan the previous weekend) so far this season.
His goalkeeper Colm Reape was the one who rescued this march to league glory by making four fantastic saves in the course of the game, two coming at the death from Damien Comer and Peter Cooke when Galway went all out looking for an equalizer.
It meant that the green above the red led from start to finish in this second of the double header in a surprisingly big crowd of over 45,000, which shows that with good matches on display, fans will happily come to witness what they have to offer.
Mayo came out of the blocks quicker than their more pedestrian opponents and were full value for their 0-8 to 0-5 lead at the interval, mostly from placed balls by Ryan O’Donoghue, who nabbed seven points in the course of the 74 minutes, while Robert Finnerty was the liveliest of the Galway attack with Shane Walsh contributing mostly from placed balls.
You sensed that even as the second half began, Galway were in chasing mode and with Damien Comer introduced to the fray, their danger heightened every time the ball was played deep in the Mayo defense. However full marks to the winners’ full back line who were more than equal to the task.
Mayo too had the bonus of seeing Tommy Conroy come on and show what he can do for the inside line by winning dirty balls and slotting over vital scores.
He was fouled for two frees converted by O’Donoghue in the 63rd and 67th minutes which were the scores that meant only a goal could get Galway back in the game.
The league must now put this win aside in the countdown to Sunday’s against Roscommon. Galway meanwhile will be interested television spectators at that match as they await the winners in the semi-final, but have based themselves in Portugal this week for a training camp.
Mayo: C Reape (0-3, 0-2fs, 0-1 '45); J Coyne (0-1), D McBrien, S Callinan; S Coen, C Loftus, P Durcan (0-1); M Ruane, D O'Connor; F McDonagh, J Carney, J Flynn (0-1); A O’Shea, J Carr (0-1), R O’Donoghue (0-7, 0-5fs, 0-2m) Subs: E McLaughlin for McBrien (HT); T Conroy for Carr (55); D McHale for McDonagh (65); B Tuohy for Ruane (70); P O’Hora for Coyne (73).
Galway: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Kelly (0-1), S Fitzgerald; D McHugh, J Daly, C Hernon; P Conroy, J Maher (0-1); M Tierney, J Heaney, P Cooke (0-1); R Finnerty (0-2, 0-1m), S Walsh (0-5, 0-2fs, 0-1 ‘45), C Sweeney Subs: D Comer for Heaney (33, inj); J Glynn for Hernon (HT); T Culhane (0-1) for Finnerty (62); D O’Flaherty for Sweeney (65).
Ref: B Cawley (Kildare).
