In the All-Ireland SFC Group 1 match that took place at Salthill on Saturday evening, Galway outplayed Derry with a score of 2-14 to 0-15. The match saw Galway continuing their recovery and winning streak after a nail-biting victory in the Connacht final. Their dominant display against the winners of Derry’s league, watched by a crowd of 7,602, was notable.
The undeniable victory margin was helped by the self-made errors of the visiting team in addition to the resurgent performance of the home team. The Galway manager, Pádraic Joyce, had to juggle the team dynamics due to injuries. Major players like Damien Comer, Seán Kelly and Rob Finnerty had to be pulled out, a decision that seemed mainly preventative. In particular, Joyce expressed his displeasure at the harsh foul on Comer that led to Derry’s Gareth McKinless being shown the red card.
Joyce stated, visibly upset, that the fate of the injured players remains unclear. He mentioned a severe knock to the ankle that Comer sustained, which eventually caused him to exit the game, and voiced his frustration at not being able to rectify the situation.
This event was costly for Derry, affecting not only their current game but also potentially their future performances. The team had already lost the half-back line responsible for their league win in March against Dublin, including the key players Conor Doherty and Eoin McEvoy. Pádraig McGrogan, another crucial player, had been sidelined already due to an ACL injury.
McKinless, who was featured in the second half against Dublin, was the final piece of the puzzle, but his careless dismissal in the 21st minute disrupted the team arrangement. They had to rely on the services of Brendan Rogers and Ciarán McFaul, originally positioned as a midfielder and half forward, to complete the half-back line.
Galway’s reaction was swift and effective. They responded with three consecutive points, creating some breathing space in what had initially been a well-matched game.
Earning a well-respected man of the match title, Paul Conroy impressed on the field with a thoughtful performance and contributed three points in play. Alongside him, Finnerty and John Daly propelled their team ahead with a score of 0-8 to 0-5. Even with Shane McGuigan’s extraordinary point score whilst falling, and leveraging an advantage, the 0-8 to 0-6 lead at half-time gave the impression that the leading margin was only going to widen post interval.
Despite the expectations, Derry portrayed a renewed vigour post mid-break. Right in position to foil any threat from Johnny McGrath, Shane McGuigan was placed aptly in front of the goal. Conor Glass and Lachlan Murray efficiently helped in bridging the point gap by the 40th minute, the latter earning three points during his commendable stint.
Post Finnerty’s free shot to reclaim Galway’s dominance, the hosting team delivered the initial two pivotal goals. The one to kick-start was Odhrán Lynch, Derry’s goalie. Following the loss to Donegal in Ulster, his off-target kick towards Matthew Tierney led to Shane Walsh and then ended up assisting captain Seán Kelly in scoring a goal; even an heroic block attempt by substitute Donncha Gilmore didn’t deter. Kelly closed it with a successful net rebound shot.
Now, with a clear lead of four points, Galway dominated the field. Notably, the game seemed a perfect fit for Walsh who managed to take advantage of gaps in the opponent’s guard created by turnovers. He also aided in securing the second goal, collaborating with Cein Darcy and Daniel O’Flaherty, after goalkeeper Connor Gleeson had prevented a surprise shot by McGuigan in the 65th minute.
Galway’s All-Ireland season launch was nothing less than impressive. Adding a cherry on top, Cillian McDaid, a contender for the 2022 Footballer of the Year award, made his first appearance this season as a substitute off the bench.
Last year cultivated the concept of group wins being crucial to escaping the initial quarter-finals. Coincidently, after a victorious start last season, the Connacht champions faced a heartbreaking defeat in the final match against Armagh, which negatively impacted their season. Hope for a Croke Park venue for the final game against this season’s Ulster finalists was expressed by Joyce.
Looking ahead regarding the football match, the preference is to conduct it in Croke Park if possible. However, the focus right now is on the match against Westmeath. The coming weeks show challenging times for Harte, as Derry has dipped from its previous success of league winners and All-Ireland contenders, now fighting for a preferable position in the playoffs. Uncertainties still linger regarding return of players Doherty and McEvoy, added to that the absence of pivotal bench players, Niall Loughlin and Cormac Murphy.
Harte disclosed some optimism about his team’s lay of the land and indirectly referred to his successful stint with Tyrone in the erstwhile qualifier system. He observed that sometimes destiny sends us down certain paths and he definitely had experience managing the same.
The team composition of Galway included C Gleeson, S Fitzgerald, J McGrath, J Glynn, D McHugh, L Silke with J Daly, M Tierney and others. The substitutes included C Darcy (for Comer), C McDaid (for Maher), and few others.
The Derry team comprised of O Lynch, C McKaigue, C McCluskey, D Baker, B Rogers, G McKinless, and more, with substitutes like D Gilmore (for D Cassidy) and a few others.
Official: B Cawley from Kildare.