Tribesmen turn the tables on Mayo
Mayo's Jordan Flynn and John Daly of Galway. Picture: INPHO/Bryan Keane
Galway completed a three-in-a-row of Connacht senior football titles with a dramatic one-point win over Mayo at Pearse Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors, who had won eight of the last nine competitive games between the counties, had looked on course to hand Kevin McStay his first Nestor Cup win as Mayo boss when they took a two points lead into second-half stoppage time, however, three unanswered points, including goalkeeper Connor Gleeson’s 48-metre free in the 76th minute, saw the Tribesmen get the better of Mayo in a Salthill Connacht final for the first time since 2005.
Despite looking in pole position to claim the win, Mayo can have few complaints; their goal lived a charmed existence at times with both Damien Comer, on two occasions, and John Maher going incredibly close to raising the green flag while at the other end, Gleeson hadn’t a single save to make.
Mayo had dominated the first-half possession stakes yet were arguably fortunate to hold a two-point lead given Comer’s unconverted goal chances. the first ending in the side-netting, the other superbly kept out by a strong one-handed save by Mayo goalkeeper Colm Reape. But with Padraic Joyce replacing Kieran Molloy and Cathal Sweeney before the half-time whistle, introducing the two players he had dropped in their favour, John Maher and Shane Walsh, both the anxiousness and bravery of the Galway boss was evident in equal measure.
Rob Finnerty’s four points had kept the hosts on Mayo’s coattails and when Comer, Johnny Heaney and Finnerty landed the opening points of the second-half, Galway led for the first time, 0-8 to 0-7, after 43 minutes.
But Mayo hit back with three of their own, with Ryan O’Donoghue also unlucky in his attempt to lob a backtracking Gleeson from almost 45-metres.
O’Donoghue had scored six points and Matthew Ruane three, as Mayo led 0-15 to 0-13 at the 71-minute mark. But in a helter-skelter finish, Finnerty, Walsh and Gleeson turned Galway’s fortunes around to spark wild celebrations beside the sea.
The irony is that Mayo’s fate is an arguably easier group in the All-Ireland Series with a home opener against Cavan to come followed by a rematch with Connacht rivals Roscommon and a renewal of rivalries with Dublin, presuming they win next weekend’s Leinster SFC final.
