Facile win for Galway over Westmeath but plenty for Shefflin to ponder

The Tribesmen will take on Tipperary next time out. 

Grace Flynn, age 4, from Ballinakill, greets her uncle Galway hurler Jason Flynn at Pearse Stadium . Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Galway 4-31 Westmeath 0-12 

Galway may have run out 31-point winners in this one-sided Allianz League Division 1B clash at Pearse Stadium but Henry Shefflin and his management will probably spend the week dissecting the scores they didn’t get as they prepare to head for Tipperary next weekend.

Westmeath’s superb goalkeeper Noel Conaty produced an exhibition of shot-stopping to prevent an even more one-sided outcome as Galway, after beefing up the side with 11 changes to that beaten in the Walsh Cup final by Wexford, hit the groove in fits and starts.

Galway led by 0-15 to 0-6 at the break having played against the wind and took complete control after the restart as the challenge of an understrength Westmeath side wilted.

The Tribesmen eventually got the better of Conaty to shoot to the net four times, but the Westmeath net-minder was superb.

The Lough Lene Gaels clubman produced four point blank saves in the opening half, twice denying Declan McLoughlin and also saving from Daithi Burke. And then just before the break he saved a penalty from Jason Flynn after the Tommy Larkins clubman had been fouled.

But Galway did enough in front of a crowd of less than 1,000 to lead by nine at the break, with Evan Niland hitting 0-06, two of them from play.

Seven Galway players found the target in the opening half but they didn’t have it all their own way and Westmeath trailed by just 0-7 to 0-4 at the end of the opening quarter with David Williams shooting three for the midlanders and Niall Mitchell also landing an excellent score.

Conaty’s heroics kept Westmeath in contention to the break despite Galway hitting seven in a row without reply before Darragh Clinton and Williams struck efforts for Joe Fortune’s side.

Conaty denied interval substitute Jamie Ryan just after the break but two more from Niland and a second from Gavin Lee pushed Galway 0-18 to 0-6 clear before they finally got a goal when Donal O’Shea floated in a high ball and Flynn flicked it to the net.

Both sides started emptying their benches after that with Galway drafting in their only All Star from last year Conor Whelan for his first action of the year as they continued to pull away.

Flynn bore down on goal and had an effort parried but wing-back Cianan Fahy had come forward and finished low to the net to make it 2-23 to 0-7 after 55 minutes.

Flynn got his second goal ten minutes from time after being set up by Whelan as Galway turned the screw.

The rout was completed two minutes from time when Whelan raced in and blasted a trademark shot to the top right corner to get their campaign off to a flying start and they will now turn their attention to their trip to Thurles next weekend.

Scorers: Galway: E Niland 0-11 (0-6f, 0-1 ’65), J Flynn 2-2 (0-1f), T Monaghan 0-5, C Fahy 1-1, G Lee 0-4, C Whelan 1-0, D O’Shea 0-2, D McLoughlin 0-2, J Cooney 0-1, D Morrissey 0-1, J Ryan 0-1, R Glennon 0-1.

Scorers for Westmeath: D Williams 0-7 (0-6f), D O’Reilly 0-2, D Clinton 0-1, N Mitchell 0-1, M Cunningham 0-1.

Galway: D Fahy; J Grealish, TJ Brennan, E Lawless; C Fahy, P Mannion, D Burke; D O’Shea, G Lee; S Linnane, J Flynn, J Cooney; E Niland, T Monaghan, D McLoughlin. Subs (rotated): J Ryan for McLoughlin (half-time), R Glennon for Linnane (49), D Morrissey for Burke (50), C Whelan for Cooney (54), I McGlynn for Niland (60), D Loftus for Lawless (63).

Westmeath: N Conaty; C Gaffney, J Bermingham, D Egerton; J Gillen, K Regan, C Boyle; S McGovern, M Daly; O McCabe, D Clinton, N Mitchell; D Williams, E Keyes, P Clarke. Subs (rotated): D O’Reilly for Keyes (46), M Cunningham for Daly (53), J Boyle for Bermingham (60), O Loughlin for McGovern (66), C Doyle for Clarke (66).

Referee: Sean Stack (Dublin).