Galway stick to gameplan as Derry pay heavy price

Galway’s Seán Kelly reacts after scoring their opening goal during the match against Derry. Pic: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile

All-Ireland SFC: Galway 2-14 Derry 0-15

Sometimes it really is so simple. Get the best players on the field, instill them with conviction and a clear gameplan, then watch them flourish. That is the story of the season for Galway. Derry now hope it won’t be the undoing of theirs.

The same factors that have defined Pádraic Joyce’s reign will continue to do so. Availability. 

On Saturday, Shane Walsh, Seán Kelly, and Damien Comer started a game together for the first time since the 2023 preliminary quarter-final. Cillian McDaid came on for his first Galway appearance since that fixture. 

They were full value for a five-point victory that saw them take a significant step towards an All-Ireland quarter-final.

For Derry, a similar story was their downfall. Conor Doherty, Eoin McEvoy, and Padraig McGrogan started as their half-back line in the league final win over Dublin. All three were ruled out, Doherty and McEvoy replaced by Emmet Bradley and Declan Cassidy just before throw-in. That duo had contributed 4-13 between them in 2024.

The next man up was All-Star Gareth McKinless. He was sent off after 20 minutes for a stamp on Damien Comer’s lower leg after he was deemed to have fouled the Galway full-forward.

Niall Loughlin and Cormac Murphy, two men who came on against Dublin last April, weren’t in the 26 either.

Conor Glass struggled with illness all week. Derry’s bench contributed a point. Galway’s hit 1- 1.

A wounded animal after the Donegal implosion last month, the worst blow Derry suffered was entirely self-inflicted. The contest was level before McKinless’ moment of madness. From the resulting free, Robert Finnerty kicked Galway in front. The chief concern for Joyce post-match was the wellbeing of Comer, who played on after being receiving treatment but broke down in the second half once again. Kelly and Robert Finnerty also limped off before the final whistle.

The sending off ignited the home support in the 7,602 crowd and crippled the away challenge. Paul Cassidy and Bradley kicked Derry into an early lead, but they proceeded to kick five short and another four wide before the turnaround. Shane McGuigan was well shackled by the outstanding Johnny McGrath, eventually finishing with two from play.

Galway were impressively clinical at the other end. With Christopher McKaigue tied up with Comer and Conor McCluskey on Walsh, Robert Finnerty made the most of his matchup with Diarmuid Baker to land four points from five shots. Walsh was superb. He scored two points, assisted 1-1, and played a crucial role in the breakaway for the game’s only goal.

Derry did well to claw back a two-point half-time deficit to draw level before Finnerty added another free. From the subsequent kickout, Matthew Tierney intercepted and fed Walsh who worked the ball to Kelly. His first shot was stopped on the goal-line by Diarmuid Baker. The second attempt found the net.

A similar swing produced the next green flag. A long ball found Shane McGuigan on the edge of the square who spun and smashed a shot right at Connor Gleeson. From the counter-attack, Walsh broke, Daniel O’Flaherty came in support and Cein Darcy palmed the finish.

Talk all you like about tactics and provincial preparation, but all of that is inconsequential when compared to the fact that Galway have grown stronger as the year goes on while Derry were weaker.

Man of the match was midfielder Paul Conroy. In the first half, he kicked two superb long-range scores with left and right. He added a third late on. He created John Daly’s second score. 17 years ago, he captained the county minors to an All-Ireland title against Derry. As it happens, he was marking McKaigue that day.

Longevity brings a level-headedness. His summation of their campaign so far and the game was straightforward.

“The last few months have been very strange. If any team lose a lot of their big players, they are going to struggle,” he said. “That is it in black and white.”

Scorers for Galway: R Finnerty (0-4, 2 free), S Kelly (1-0), C Darcy (1-0), P Conroy (0-3), S Walsh (0-2), J Daly (0-2), J Heaney, M Tierney, L Ó Conghaile (0-1 each).

Scorers for Derry: S McGuigan (0-4, 2 free), L Murray (0-3), C McFaul (0-2), P Cassidy, E Doherty, E Bradley, C Glass, B Rogers, D Gilmore (0-1 each).

GALWAY: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, J Daly, L Silke; P Conroy, J Maher; J Heaney, S Kelly, M Tierney; R Finnerty, D Comer, S Walsh.

Subs: C Darcy for Comer (46, inj), McDaid for Maher (58), D O’Flaherty for Kelly (61), C Ó Curraoin for Finnerty (62 - Inj), L Ó Conghaile for Heaney (65).

DERRY: O Lynch; C McCluskey, C McKaigue, D Baker; B Rogers, G McKinless, C McFaul; C Glass, E Bradley; E Doherty, D Cassidy, P Cassidy; N Toner, S McGuigan, L Murray.

Subs: D Gilmore for D Cassidy (half-time), E Mulholland for Toner (47), S Downey for McFaul (69), C McMonagle for Murray (70).

Referee: B Cawley (Kildare).