Minors' hard graft pays

IT was never flashy and for a lot of the time the pull was against the hill, but Galway minor footballers stuck doggedly to their task and eventually secured a 25th provincial crown for the county thanks to a lot of hard graft.Roscommon came into this game as Connacht and All-Ireland champions and for the opening nine minutes they had all the shapes of side which was going to keep on winning.They looked a big and powerful side . . . the home following in Hyde Park gave a rousing cheer to their every move . . . and two early points from Alan O’Hara and midfielder Kevin Higgins gave them the perfect start.Galway were struggling to stay in touch at this point with Roscommon looking very commanding in the air at midfield while the home backs were never more than a shadow away from their men.Goals though are powerful tonics in football and the first major sea change in this match occurred in the 10th minute.