Mixed weekend for county’s senior GAA sides
The Galway hurlers ended a seven year stretch without a win over Tipperary to put themselves firmly in the mix for the National Hurling League title; but the county’s senior footballer look in real danger of relegation from Division 2 after failing to beat bottom-side Louth.
The hurlers ran out 3-16 to 1-19 winners over Tipperary in Pearse Stadium on Sunday, with Conor Cooney, Niall Healy and Jonathon Glynn scoring the Galway goals in a game in which eight Galway players registered a score.
The win leaves them second in the table in Division 1a, two points behind All-Ireland champions Clare, who they meet in Ennis this coming weekend, but a measure of how tight things are is that while a win will book their place in the knockout stages, a defeat could see them dragged into the relegation mire.
That is a fate that looks certain to befall the county’s footballers after their 0-15 to 2-9 draw with Louth in Drogheda.
Galway gave a poor first-half performance but turned it around in the second-half, only to concede late scores, and it required a last-gasp point from Sean Armstrong to rescue a draw.
Armagh are up next and in truth no one really knows what to expect from Galway that day. What we do know is that two wins — against the Orchard County on the last Sunday of this month and away to Monaghan a week later — will be needed to stay in Division 2. Not impossible, but improbable might be the right word.