Burke goes the extra as Tribe take back title

Galway 1-17 Roscommon 2-11 AET

The home side did everything but make their possession count on the scoreboard and paid dearly for those misses when a late Galway rally, inspired by Shane Walsh, yielded a spectacular equaliser from the talented corner forward.

Galway, with the momentum now behind them, kicked on in extra time and man of the match Ian Burke added three points to his impressive personal tally of 0-6 to wrestle back the provincial title for the Tribesmen.

Both sides had a man sent off in the second half. After the dismissal of Eoin Walsh in the 40th minute, Roscommon were the dominant force but they missed a host of chances. Then the home side’s marksman Donie Smith followed Walsh to the line for a second bookable offence seven minutes from time.

“After the sending off, we had Conor Daly as a free man and everything seemed to be going according to plan. The chances we missed, what can you do? They were unforgivable. Then when Donie [Smith] was sent off, we were under serious pressure.

“We still thought we had a chance going into extra-time. It was always there for us, maybe we’d get a lucky break or something like that if we kept plugging away. But they ran us off our feet in the end and we couldn’t cope with it.

“The forwards missed the chances but we missed a few frees too that we’d normally get on another day. Look, that’s the way football goes. Some days it goes for you and some days it doesn’t,” lamented Dineen.

The game’s tone was set by an explosive opening. Galway found the net inside the opening minute when Cathal Mulryan’s shot was carried over the line by Roscommon goalkeeper Tadhg Lowe. But Roscommon’s response was instant as Smith found the net after he latched on to a brilliant pass by Conor Daly.

Smith set up Roscommon’s second goal in the 19th minute when he won back possession and sent a delightful pass into the path of Finbar Cregg. The Western Gaels forward’s unstoppable shot gave Thomas Healy no chance in the Galway goal.

Roscommon led by 2-4 to 1-6 at the break but they couldn’t make their superiority count in the second half. Maughan saved Galway with a brace of late scores and the Tribesmen made the most of their newly-found momentum in extra time.

Scorers for Galway: S Walsh 0-7 (5f), I Burke 0-6, C Mulryan 1-0, S Moran, P Varley, G Kelly, S Maughan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Roscommon: D Smith 1-2 (2fs), C Murtagh 0-4 (2fs), F Cregg 1-0, C Compton 0-2, E Smith, T Corcoran (1f), M Holland 0-1 each.

GALWAY: T Healy; L Silke, J Shaughnessy, E Walsh; M Loughnane, G Canavan, P Varley; F Ó Curraoin, D Comer; C Mulryan, S Moran, S Maughan; S Walsh, A Varley, I Burke.

Subs: T Flynn for Silke (27), C Rabbitte for Maughan (44), PCunningham for Moran (45), P Ezergailis for Canavan (48), G Kelly for Comer (58), D Cunnane for Walsh (ft), D Comer for Mulryan (73), S Maughan for A Varley (75), M Heskin for Cunningham (80).

ROSCOMMON: T Lowe; D Murray, R Timothy, C Cafferky; M Connaughton, J McManus, C Daly; F Kelly, T Corcoran; F Cregg, C Connolly, E Smith; D Smith, C Compton, C Murtagh.

Subs: S Killoran for Cregg (52), C Kilcline for E Smith (60), M Nally for D Smith (ft), M Holland for Kelly (f-t), P Corbett for Killoran (65), C Cox for Connaughton (65), E Smith for Connolly (72).

Referee: E O’Grady (Leitrim).