Injury-ravaged Galway stay up but plenty of work to do

Galway 1-10

NOBODY connected with the Galway senior footballers will have had the wool pulled over their eyes by the final scoreline at Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday.

Only an ‘out of the blue’ unanswered 1-2 from the Tribesmen in the dying minutes prevented this final round Division One league tie from accurately reflecting the flow of the exchanges.

But that is almost immaterial in the context of an injury-ravaged Galway managing to survive in the top-flight of league football despite losing their three home matches, including a first-round trimming from arch western rivals Mayo.

Given that Galway had to soldier without major influences Damien Comer, Shane Walsh, Matthew Tierney, Cillian McDaid and Seán Kelly for much – and in some cases all – of the campaign, that is an achievement not to be undervalued.

To be honest, it’s the only thing that matters after a Spring which must have tested the patience of Padraic Joyce and his mentors to the limit. When you throw in that Jack Glynn, Liam Silke, Rob Finnerty, and Paul Conroy also had their appearances limited by injury, Galway were forced to dig deep into their reserve pool.

It was a reality which wasn’t without its plusses. Even though young corner forwards Cillian Ó Curraoin and Rory Cunningham were replaced against Kerry, both have enjoyed some good moments in the league; while Daniel O’Flaherty is also a work in progress.

With Roscommon flattering to deceive up in Celtic Park against Derry on the same afternoon, it meant Galway’s two-point loss to Kerry wasn’t fatal in a largely tame affair which rarely animated the approximately 5,000 crowd.

The worrying thing for Galway, however, is with their championship campaign starting against London in Ruislip on Sunday week, only Kelly of the team’s missing spine is likely to be recovered in time for that fixture.

Pictured: Galway's Seán Fitzgerald who impressed again at full-back against Kerry on Sunday. And Galway goalkeeper Connor Gleeson who kept a clean sheet at Fitzgerald Stadium.