Damien Comer’s goal helps to steady ship for Galway
There was very little in it, but the Tribesmen were looking comfortable after Damien Comer’s fisted goal in the 42nd minute.
They led by seven points after 49 minutes before a triple substitution by Kieran McGeeney in the 50th minute ignited Armagh, with Mark Shields, Aidan Forker and Tony Kernan among the point scorers.
The losers always have regrets, and Armagh will know they should have thrown the shackles off a bit sooner because they didn’t really express themselves until it was too late.
Jamie Clarke could easily have been awarded a penalty in the 59th minute when appearing to be tripped in the square, and afterwards the game became messy with referee David Gough losing the run of things.
He failed to show Clarke a black card for a rugby tackle on Cathal Sweeney, one of a number of contentious calls in the final 10 minutes, but then correctly sent Gary Sice off when he ‘took one for the team’ and hauled Clarke down when he was on the hunt for an equalising goal.
Armagh led only once in the game, briefly at 0-3 to 0-2, and Galway were more efficient up front, strong in midfield and conceded very few sloppy frees in the scoring zone.
They led 0-9 to 0-7 at half-time and Comer’s goal, after Paul Conroy’s free had dropped short, was fisted into the net for the killer score.
Galway sat back and tried to defend their lead but Kevin Walsh argued that Armagh were so defensive that they had no need to go probing for scores.
“It’s normal for a young team and going so far up that you might go a bit defensive yourself and get caught in two minds, but we could have played the ball back and forth across the centre circle because Armagh weren’t coming out,” Walsh said.
“But a one-point win and we’d have been happy.
“There were a few balls given away at the end that I wouldn’t be happy with, but my players were more than happy to put their tongues out, sprint back, so the spirit is there.”
Kieran McGeeney had flagged up during the week that any team with aspirations of going anywhere needed to be hitting 15 or 16 points per game. His words rang true yesterday as Armagh’s 12-point haul was never going to get the job done.
“They played well for most of the game and it’s very disappointing, I can’t say much more than that,” said McGeeney
“It was a soft goal but what has been killing us for most of the year is we’re not getting more than 12 or 13 scores on the board and it is hurting us. We have to be more clinical in front of nets.”
When asked if the controversy surrounding their challenge match against Dublin, which left Dub Davy Byrne hospitalised for two days, had been a distraction in the build-up to the game, McGeeney replied: “There is always a lot said and written when people don’t know anything. Nothing has changed there.”
The sides were level four times in a really good first half. Paul Conroy punished some Armagh ill-discipline with four frees from four attempts, but he was wasteful later on.
Three points from play in a seven-minute spell from Ethan Rafferty, Michael McKenna and James Morgan put Armagh ahead early on and while Jamie Clarke was well enough contained, he managed to produce one moment of brilliance.
From the 14-yard line on the wrong side of the field for a left-footed kicker, he somehow managed to direct the ball between the posts.
Galway scored three of the last four points in the final five minutes before the interval.
Comer showed great strength to hold off two men and sling the ball over with his left foot before Gary Sice landed a screamer from 50 yards out wide.
Conroy’s free, which was generously brought in way more than the 10m allowed, dropped short and Comer rose highest, with his back to goal, to fist the ball into the net to put Galway 1-10 to 0-8 ahead.
Armagh were rattled and started giving possession away cheaply.
Conroy missed two chances to stretch Galway’s lead but Danny Cummins kicked a score from an acute angle, and a long-range Sice free put Galway 1-12 to 0-8 ahead.
Faced with a seven-point deficit, the Armagh manager responded with a triple substitution and it immediately lifted the home side.
One of the newcomers, Mark Shields, kicked a point with his first touch and Aiden Forker closed the gap to five points midway through the second half.
The fightback was on, and it was all one-way traffic in the last 15 minutes as Armagh tried to claw back the deficit.
They got to within three thanks to a superb free from Aiden Forker and a good score from Tony Kernan in the 67th minute, but it was too little too late.
E Rafferty (0-3 2 frees); A Forker (0-2, 1 free); M McKenna (0-2); J Morgan, A Murnin, J Clarke, T Kernan, M Shields (0-1 each)
D Comer (1-2); P Conroy (0-4, 4 frees); G Sice (0-3, 2 frees); L Silke, P O Griofa, D Cummins (0-1 each)
M McNeice, A Mallon, C Vernon, J Morgan, M Murray, B Donaghy, S Connell, A Findon, E Rafferty, S Campbell, A Former, C Rafferty, M McKenna, A Murnin, J Clarke.
D McKenna for E Rafferty (50), T Kernan for McKenna (50), M Shields for Connell (50), S Harold for Findon (58).
B O’Donoghue, J Duane, F Hanley, C Sweeney, L Silke, G O’Donnell, G Bradshaw, F O Curraoin, T Flynn, G Sice, P Conroy, S Denvir, P Og O Griofa, D Comer, M Lundy.
D Cummins for Denvir (HT), A Varley for O Griofa (65), P Sweeney for Sice (BC, 70), P Varley for Sweeney (BC, 70)
David Gough (Meath)
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