The first Connacht final not impacted by Covid in ten years took place in Salthill this past Sunday. The Galway vs Mayo finals welcomed its spectators under the sunshine on a public holiday weekend, aligning comfortably with the turn of the season’s calendar. The two counties are no strangers to May championships, a notion epitomised by the unprecedented Connacht defeat of Galway by Mayo led by Alan Mulholland eleven years ago in Pearse Stadium.
Despite his willingness to cooperate, Mulholland expressed a mounting sense of unease throughout the press gathering following the match, indicating an acknowledge of the impending aftermath rather than making attempts to clarify the stunning loss. Galway had experienced a crushing defeat of 0-11 to 4-16 that day, marking the worst downfall since 1907 and a statistic surprise Mulholland graciously welcomed under a cover of dark humour.
Galway and Mayo have since wrestled in a championship every year for 12 years, demonstrating their apparent relationship, with a close split of seven victories for Mayo and five for Galway. Their rivalry, distinct in its certainty of competitiveness from the alternate dominance that defines other rivalries such as Dublin-Meath or Cork-Kerry, has undoubtedly influenced both teams. Mayo peaked in thrashing in 2013 and as they charged towards top place in All-Ireland in 2016 and 2017, they lost Galway’s provincial dominance.
The preview on Saturday encapsulated the enduring dynamism of the Galway-Mayo rivalry with the words, “The edge of this fixture has been honed over years of closely contested matches, where no favourites have been positioned far enough ahead to rest on their laurels in the face of a potent opposition”.
On Sunday, Mayo, the team with concrete historical evidence as the stronger side, couldn’t finish off a game they were anticipated to win. As a result, Galway, despite their sparse resources, managed to seize an unexpected victory. Adding to the unusualness of last week were the controversial All-Ireland draws and the ensuing debates about whether it led to certain advantages or disadvantages in the Connacht final.
A similar dismissal occurred during the Munster final, causing irritation amongst three managers. The main reason was the perceived undermining of the provincial finals due to these speculations. Pádraic Joyce, however, wasn’t bothered, owing to his already overloaded list of grievances.
Kerry’s Jack O’Connor, is one of the disgruntled managers, expressed his annoyance over why the draw took place prior to the games. According to him, it could have been held in the evening of the game day, leaving ample time to promote the event, and abstaining from causing distraction.
Simultaneously, Clare’s Mark Fitzgerald was upset at the presumption that they might replace a ‘superior’ team in the Sam Maguire due to their Munster final appearance. He found it disrespectful, particularly bringing up the fact how they were beaten by Down by 11 points. However, he countered this argument by pointing out how they narrowly missed promotion due to a referee’s call against Westmeath.
In response to a question regarding whether the Connacht final was devalued, Mayo manager Kevin McStay expressed sympathy for John Prenty, the provincial CEO, but assured they would proceed through the next best available route. He concluded that their dedication to the championship remained unchanged and that they viewed it as their most effective path into the round-robin stage.
Ciarán Murphy, last week critically examined and dismissed the theory that it could ever be a beneficial course of action to purposefully lose in Salthill.
Despite neither team having a substantial track record this year, achieving a significant victory is a necessity. Ultimately, they need something to spark their passion and desire for the game, and this is where the Connacht final plays its role.
Yet, it’s ironic how quickly focus shifted towards upcoming events as soon as the match concluded. On the horizon for Galway is an exciting championship. They have secured a third consecutive provincial title for the first time in four decades, and their top performers are gradually re-joining the action.
A notable announcement before the game was that Cillian McDaid, a standout player in the journey to the 2022 All-Ireland finals yet was speculated to miss this season, was amicably back on the bench. Although he wasn’t prepared for this Sunday’s action, there’s positive speculation that he’ll be ready for the Derry game.
While the form of Captain Seán Kelly and Liam Silke was underwhelming, both are expected to bounce back. Damien Comer returned in prime form and immensely influenced the offence, with Rob Finnerty flourishing amidst the created chaos. Furthermore, Shane Walsh seems to be rediscovering his form, and when all these elements align, few teams would dare to oppose them.
Contrarily, Mayo, who initially seemed on track for a victory, experienced the disappointment of an unnecessary defeat. Their sluggish and possessive offensive strategies took excessively long to formulate and were frequently derailed by inaccuracies and often resulting in the wrong player in possession at critical moments.
While pressing forward required identifying weaker one-on-one situations and taking a shot at the first opportunity, there was a significant discrepancy in attempts at goal between the teams, which was somewhat significant to the outcome of the game.
However, the victory of Galway and defeat of Mayo was determined by a mildly disputed free kick, smashed in during the final moments by Connor Gleeson. In another situation, he would have had to deal with the repercussions of his prior misplacement on the field.
Joyce genuinely felt joy for his goalie, whom he considers to have been unjustly slandered in the past. However, due to such a minor irregularity on the tripwire, both squads are propelled on completely different paths.