Sunday will be a thrilling day in the Connacht Senior Football Championship (SFC) final where Galway will take on Mayo at Pearse Stadium, broadcast live on RTÉ2 at 4pm. Historically, this event has seen closely matched competitions where neither team could afford a poor performance particularly if their rivals are in good form. Nevertheless, the indicators hint at a Mayo victory, assuming the law of averages holds true.
Despite a challenging league, Galway’s Pádraig Joyce managed to secure their place in Division One in spite of numerous injuries. This was a silver lining from the league, although Galway has not demonstrated stellar form thus far. Damien Comer’s return should be a boost to Galway’s morale as he performed well when substituting against Sligo. The ongoing struggle for Shane Walsh to regain his 2022 form continues while Cillian McDaid, third of the trio, is yet to make his return due to injury.
Whilst Mayo hasn’t had a standout year, they managed to sidestep New York and navigate a potentially difficult visit to Roscommon. Mayo have held the upper hand over Galway since Kevin McStay’s takeover, marking their territory with a decisive league victory in January against the neighbouring team. This will be Mayo’s third journey to Salthill. Sean Kelly’s return to fitness and subsequent influence over games could prove significant.
The main concern for Galway is their ongoing struggle to counter Mayo’s athletic, powerful strikes – a recurring theme in their recent losses. This issue might be exacerbated by dubious fitness levels of their captain, Patrick Durcan. Both teams have demonstrated their competence in marking rival forwards, with Jack McGrath on Ryan O’Donoghue, David McBrien on Comer, and Sam Callinan on Walsh. Nevertheless, Galway will need a marked improvement in form to overturn current predictions. Taking into account Colm Reape’s diverse kicking style, along with what appears to be a stronger bench, it seems that Mayo might be victorious against the current champions. The predicted winners are Mayo.
Also on Sunday, the Munster SFC final will see Clare play against Kerry in Ennis, at 1.45pm. This match will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2.
Even after stepping down from his role as Clare’s manager, Colm Collins has continued to show his unwavering support for the team. During an interview with Des Cahill on RTÉ, he firmly stated that only a victory would signify a “good result”. Collins, who has long been vested in protecting the honour of his county, has faced serious antagonism from Kerry in Munster draws and even an All-Ireland quarter-final.
Kerry had their hands full against Cork in the provincial semi-final, until Cork lost momentum. Mark Fitzgerald, Collins’s successor, has worked remarkably well, in spite of the controversial decision to withhold immediate promotion back to Division Two. Now, he has home advantage in the provincial final, cleverly manipulated when he tricked Kerry into drawing lots for home advantage.
Fitzgerald and his team have been asked if they think they will win. However, first and foremost, they need to ensure that their performance doesn’t decline due to mistakes and lapses in focus, issues that have plagued Clare previously. Currently, there is a distinct feeling of positivity surrounding them, though the task posed by Kerry remains as formidable as ever. Jason Foley is being reinstated to the champions’ team by Jack O’Connor, following an injury, and Shane Murphy now guards the goalpost. Danny Walsh, renowned for his vibrancy, is making a comeback post-injury for Clare. Predicted winner: Kerry.