Minor magic as Mayo maroon the Tribesmen
Oran Murphy celebrates after scoring Mayo’s first goal against Galway during Friday evening's Connacht GAA Electric Ireland MFC semi-final at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park. Picture: David Farrell Photography
A scintillating second-half performance by Mayo saw them book their ticket to the Connacht Minor Football Championship decider, after they beat Galway by nine points in sun-kissed Castlebar on Friday evening. A terrific display of two-point shooting by Conor Hession allied with goals by Tony Carey and substitute Rhys Neary helped the Green and Red outscore the visitors 2-11 to 0-7 after half-time.
Galway held a one point advantage at half-time but it’s an advantage that will have disappointed them given they had played with a stiff breeze. A trio of two pointers from play by Cian Hynes, Andrew Kehoe and Barry Keating had helped the Tribesmen into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead but while Mayo had been wasteful thus far, a 26th minute goal by Oran Murphy – the only one of four goal chances converted by Mayo in the opening half – papered over some of those cracks.
With the wind at their backs, Mayo were transformed after the restart and a pair of two point frees by Hession had them in front for the first time after 42 minutes, with Galway overly reliant on the accuracy of free-taker Cian Hynes from thereon.
Mayo’s goals by Carey and Neary, on 53 and 57 minutes, came either side of a black card to wing-back Dara Flanagan, but the Tribesmen were unable to make their numerical advantage count, with Barry Keating’s late fisted point one of only two scored from play by the visitors in the second-half.
Mayo will entertain Roscommon at MacHale Park next Friday in the Connacht final.
Scorers – Mayo: Conor Hession 0-4-2 (3tpf, 2f) Tony Carey 1-0-3, Oran Murphy and Rhys Neary 1-0-0 each, Conor Coghill and Ben Joyce (f) 0-0-1 each.
Galway: Barry Keating (2f) and Cian Hynes (3f) 0-1-4 each, Andrew Kehoe 0-1-0, Gavin Curran 0-0-1.
Mayo: Thomas Williams; Conor Coghill, Barry Langan, Cahair Tighe; Ryan O’Donnell, Declan Duffy, Dara Flanagan; Adam Kelly, Cian May; Patrick Garvey, Ben Holmes, Conor Jordan; Tony Carey, Conor Hession, Oran Murphy. Subs: Fionn Ó Cinnseala (for Murphy 38), Rhys Neary (for Garvey 42), Fiachra Ó Cinnseala (for Jordan 48), Ben Joyce (for Holmes 58), Eoghan Dever (for Duffy 60).
Galway: Evan Burke; Aaron Hyatt, Evan Cunningham, Conor Winston; Jeremiah J Oifoh, Cormac Forde, Cillian O’Toole; Andrew Kehoe, Ciaran O’Donnell; Gavin Curran, Cian Hynes, Eoin Gacquin; Oisin Ó Neachtain, Darragh Costello, Barry Keating. Subs: Eoin Newell and Tim Madden (for Curran and Gacquin ht), Ryan Connolly (for Forde 42), Cillian McPhillips and Joey Cullinane (for Costello and Oifoh 58).
REF: Barry Judge (Sligo)
