Galway can’t allow league exploits to disarm them for big Mayo clash

The widespread reaction to Galway’s gritty display in Sunday’s National Football League Final has been positive – and so it should be – and while the Tribesmen have made significant strides so far in 2018, they still have some fine tuning to do ahead of what will be a championship defining clash with Mayo in Castlebar next month.

Against a background, however, of under-achievement and around 15 years being stuck in mediocrity, to push the sport’s dominant force nearly all the way in Croke Park represents a major step forward for this Galway team who were obviously neither intimidated by the occasion nor Dublin’s reputation in a hard-fought decider.

This was Galway’s acid test of the league and of their new defensive alignment which sees players flooding behind the ball when on the retreat. They certainly made it difficult for the Dubs to break them down and for the eighth match of the campaign kept their net intact even if they were bailed out on several occasions by Ruairí Lavelle, who made three vital saves, two of which were magnificent.

With Damien Comer galloping hard at the other end and causing the opposition defence no end of trouble, Galway went a long way towards banishing the memory of their last two championship exits at the hands of Tipperary and Kerry. There was no wilting of effort or soft centre this time and with 59 minutes gone on the clock, the teams were still level.

All over the field, Galway worked hard. The much-improved Declan Kyne, Seán Andy Ó Ceallaigh and Eoghan Kerin, who inspirationally won a couple of high balls despite his stature, were uncompromising in the full-back line while outside them Gareth Bradshaw and Cathal Sweeney, who really typified the team’s commitment, also helped to prevent the Dublin attack building up a serious head of steam.

Paul Conroy, Ciarán Duggan, Johnny Heaney, first half, Shane Walsh and the teak-tough Comer were making an impression further up the field while Barry McHugh, who also nailed one skyscraper from play, was holding his nerve from the placed ball. Dublin were being made work for everything while the overall spirit in Galway’s ranks was heartening.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.