Galway rally from poor first half to reclaim Connacht title

ROSCOMMON 2-6

IT wasn’t easy for Galway on Sunday and it probably never was going to be a voyage of comfort against a county of Roscommon’s competitiveness, but in their hour of greatest need, Kevin Walsh’s side tapped into a reserve of resilience and character that saw them through an enthralling encounter.

A classic Connacht final of beauty and flow this might not have been, but for all that, it was a gripping showdown between the provincial title holders of the past two seasons, as initially Roscommon looked set to topple Galway, before eventually being reeled in over the course of a titanic second half.

Roscommon certainly didn’t fear Galway, and similar to a year ago in Pearse Stadium, they seized the initiative in the first half, winning a lot of ball around the middle of the field and unsettling the winners’ defence with some direct running.

Over the course of the first half hour, Galway really struggled to win kick-outs while their attacks had a nervy edge to them, with moves often breaking down due to a mis-placed pass or a handling error. The travelling fans in ‘The Hyde’ were often silent during the opening half hour.

With just 22 minutes gone on the clock, Galway – after playing with the stiff diagonal wind – found themselves trailing by 1-4 to 0-2 following a Ciaráin Murtagh goal that sent the home fans into delirium as they contemplated a two-in-arow of Connacht titles.

Galway though will be far from happy with their defensive shield that allowed Murtagh a free run at Ruairí Lavelle’s goal – the wing forward just sped away from Barry McHugh before lashing the ball to the net from close range without a finger in anger being laid upon him.

Prior to that, Diarmuid Murtagh (3) and Donie Smith had landed four Roscommon points with Galway’s main thread of resistance being provided by Shane Walsh who kicked three splendid first-half points. But all over the pitch, Galway were struggling and Roscommon were on a roll.

It was a case of Galway hanging on in there during a bad time on the ropes and that’s just what they did. Their second most influential attacker, in Ian Burke, also played a critical role in that ‘holding’ exercise, kicking two invaluable first-half points before Walsh’s final score of the half left his side trailing by 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval.

Full match report in this week's Connacht Tribune.