Familiar slip-ups land Galway back in a hole
TAKE HIM ON: Galway's Dylan McHugh tries to stop Joe McElroy of Armagh. Pic ©INPHO/Ben Brady
Here we go again. Armagh and Galway thundering down the tracks in a season-defining contest. A dramatic flick of the railroad switch sent the Connacht champions into a preliminary quarter-final while Armagh progress after topping the group.
When Galway rest at their final destination for 2024, they will look back and once again see their own fingerprints all over the lever. In the 2022 quarter-final, they looked comfortable until the late concession of avoidable goals. In the 2023 group tie, they failed to take crucial chances including a penalty and a late free. Here was a combination of both.
They were five points up midway through the second half only to concede 1-3 in the space of five minutes. It started with a Conor Gleeson wayward short kickout that the terrific Conor Turbitt picked off. He carried and teed up Tiernan Kelly for a simple finish. The same player was handed a suspension for the infamous eye-gouging incident in this fixture two years ago. He inflicted more punishment shortly after the green flag by intercepting another Gleeson restart and returning the favour to Turbitt for a tap-over point.
For Galway, it was a wreck completely of their own making.
They led 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time thanks to an exceptionally well-executed gameplan. Against the breeze, they were controlled and clinical, with only three missed shots. Two of them were at the start as Gleeson missed a pair of long-range frees.
Dylan McHugh was awesome at wing-back, kicking a point and creating another when he was fouled for a free. He set the tone for an immense defensive unit that conceded one scoreable free all day. It is likely to make it worse that their championship clean sheet record came to an end in an infuriating fashion.
“That’s the first short kickout goal that we’ve conceded in my five years as manager,” said Pádraic Joyce post-match. “It was a killer blow.”
They conceded the Armagh kickout to allow them retain all 20. Armagh scored 1-2 from Galway kickouts. Add to that the collapse in Galway’s conversion and it explains how they’ve found themselves in a familiar hole.
Recovering now is as big an ask as it was last season. Robert Finnerty played with significant strapping on his knee. Sean Kelly and Cillian McDaid were both taken off. Shane Walsh departed the dressing room with ankle heavily wrapped. Damien Comer was not fit enough to tog. The prize on offer was a significant two-week break.
Substitute Tom Culhane did have a late chance to make the margin two but hooked it wide. Cathal Sweeney came on and clipped a shot off the post just before that. Finnerty and Paul Conroy tried and failed to fist over points in the final quarter.
Armagh, meanwhile, did enough. Conor Turbitt kicked four points from six shots and created 1-1. Rian O’Neill kicked three superb points, the best of which came at the start of the second half. Rory Grugan produced his third assist of the day when he popped to an oncoming O’Neill and the first-time shot edged past a diving John Maher.
The Crossmaglen man then floated over a boomer during that crucial spell after collecting a pass from replacement Stefan Campbell. He linked up with fellow substitute Aidan Nugent in extra-time to deliver the equaliser. It means they advance directly to the final eight. The same as 2023, but different too.
“I think there is more of a bounce in the fellas,” said McGeeney afterwards.
“I think some of our key players are a lot fitter this year and stronger. There is definitely more of a bounce with the players than there was last year. I think we were playing well last year, we pushed Derry the whole way, we were poor in the first half against Monaghan but had a decent second half. I think we’re in a good place but, you know yourself, it is another two weeks.”
S. Walsh (0-5, 3 free); R. Finnerty (0-3, 2 free); P. Conroy (0-2), M. Tierney, D. McHugh, J. Maher, L. Silke, C. McDaid (0-1 each).
C. Turbitt (0-4, 1 free); T. Kelly (1-1); A. Murnin (0-2); R. O’Neill (0-3); B. Crealey, S. Campbell (0-1 each).
C. Gleeson; J. McGrath, S. Fitzgerald, J. Glynn; S. Mulkerrin, L. Silke, D McHugh; P. Conroy, J. Maher; C. McDaid, S. Kelly, C. D’Arcy; R. Finnerty, S. Walsh, M. Tierney.
: J. Daly for Mulkerrin (47); C. Sweeney for McDaid (53); J. Heaney for Kelly (62); D. O’Flaherty for Darcy (68); T. Culhane for Finnerty (70).
B. Hughes; B. McCambridge, A. McKay, C. Higgins; A. Forker, N. Grimley, J. McElroy; R. O’Neill, B. Crealey; P. McGrane, T Kelly, O Conaty; R. Grugan, A. Murnin, C. Turbitt.
S. Campbell for Higgins (half-time); R McQuillan for Conaty (47); A Nugent for Forker (54); O. O’Neill for McGrane (65).
S Hurson (Tyrone).
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