Galway hammer Dublin to book final with Cork

Dublin 3-4

Galway routed Dublin in the Midlands on Sunday to qualify for the Division 1 Ladies National Football League decider against Cork on May 9 at Parnell Park.

The losers took advantage of lapses in concentration and scored two second-half goals that helped to put a smidgeon of respectability on the final scoreline but in reality, Galway dominated the Dubs from start to finish.

So superior were Kevin Reidy’s outfit during the hour plus 11 minutes added-on, you’d struggle to pick out a Dublin player who out-performed their marker – the 2014 All-Ireland runners-up were second best in every position.

The Galway ladies were simply a class apart: their support-play was superb and they moved the ball at pace and with purpose, which proved difficult for Dublin to contend with. They were hungrier for possession, too, and first to most 50/50 contests.

The best player on show, Emer Flaherty, set an uncompromising tone from full-back early-on and quietened Dublin’s star forward and captain Lyndsey Davey, who unusually was held scoreless.

Flanked by solid corner-backs Sarah Gormelly and Áine Seoighe, the Tuam Cortoon defender was a rock in the Galway rearguard; almost for fun, she stifled Dublin attacks with timely interceptions and challenges, often turning defence into attack and setting the Tribeswomen on their way to scores down the other end. None more so than for Galway’s opening goal after just 12 minutes.

Flaherty dispossessed a Dublin forward, and set in motion a chain of neat passes involving Patricia Gleeson, Geraldine Conneally and Barbara Hannon that culminated in a sweetly-timed reverse pass from Louise Ward that sent Tracey Leonard clean through to raise the first of the day’s seven green flags.

A complete team effort, it epitomised the attitude of the Galway players and set down a marker. They didn’t relent.

That made it 1-2 to 0-1, as earlier Sarah McCaffrey had opened the scoring for Dublin which were cancelled out by points from Leonard and Edel Concannon.

Dublin won the toss and opted to play with a fairly strong wind and rain advantage but it was Galway who made all the early running.

And despite the wicked weather, it was a fast-flowing game helped by the sensible refereeing of Maggie Farrelly.

By the 20th minute, Galway were lording it. A fisted effort from midfielder Annette Clarke – her first of four points – extended the lead, before an opportunistic pop-shot from distance by Noelle Connolly, after Galway had won the re-start, deceived everybody, including ‘keeper Ciara Trant, and somehow ended up in the net.

Amy Connolly (free) stemmed the flow for Dublin but then Leonard got on the end of a pin-point pass from Clarke to bag her second goal of the day to leave it 3-3 to 0-2 heading towards the break.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.