Galway v Donegal talking points: Has it become the most dangerous shot in Gaelic football?

DANGER HERE: Galway's Matthew Tierney attempts to play the ball in front of Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton, after a pass from teammate Paul Conroy, not pictured, resulting in his side's goal. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

DONEGAL'S LATE LAG

All season long, Donegal have finished with an outstanding conversion rate. Against Louth in the quarter-final, it was a sensational 81%. In Croke Park, they started with two early wides yet quickly found their range. By half-time, their conversion was an impressive 76%.

The tie continued in that fashion, point for point. By the 48th minute, Donegal had 14 points on the board. They only mustered one more after that.

Ciaran Thompson attempted a handpass and dropped it under the bar. They forced a superb turnover in the same play, only for Thompson to drop another shot short. Oisín Gallen put one into Connor Gleeson's hands. Later he missed a routine free. Ciaran Moore sent an effort wide. As they were chasing Galway’s two-point lead late on, Michael Langan and Peadar Mogan both missed. Their second-half conversion ended up at 36%.

“The summary will be we converted five of 14 in the second half,” said a disappointed Jim McGuinness, while admitting they ran out of stream.

“I think Galway looked a bit more battle-hardened than us, maybe that experience of a couple of years ago was beneficial to them.” 

GALWAY HOLD FIRM

Nine championship games and one goal conceded. It is a stunning record for Galway. Tiernan Kelly’s goal after a kickout malfunction is the only time Connor Gleeson has been beaten. They have scored nine goals at the other end.

Johnny McGrath is a cert All-Star; Dylan McHugh is now the leading contender for Player of the Year. The wing-back was named Man of the Match after racking up 38 possessions and two points. Liam Silke clipped a pair as well. Sean Fitzgerald was moved from full-back to six and didn’t look out of place.

For Pádraic Joyce, that record is a source of pride.

“It is something I was probably a bit naïve when I came into the job,” he explained, “saying we were playing fancy football, we did for a long time but obviously we had to shore up our defence. And that is down to the work Cian O’Neill and John Divilly are doing with the lads, they are well structured.”

THE GOAL

The most dangerous shot in Gaelic football now is the one that drops short. There were three goals across this weekend, all of them came in a similar way.

Paul Conroy had four shots across Sunday. Three were inaccurate and he still finished with 1-1. The first-half goal wasn’t exactly a ball dropping from the sky but Matthew Tierney’s move across the square evidently distracted Shaun Patton and the outcome was the only green flag of the semi-final.

It was a huge moment in the fixture. Donegal bested much of the opening exchanges, but it was still all level at the turnaround. That fact shouldn’t be forgotten. Kerry and Donegal weren’t flawless but a monumental factor in both of their defeats was one chaotic incident compounded by a goalkeeper mistake.

Patton was excellent otherwise. He finished with 95% retention. So did Gleeson it should be said, with Pádraic Joyce keen to laud the platform that provided for his side. He too had to deal with several dropping O’Neills and did so impressively.

On Sunday the air was thin. Galway and Donegal could see the summit. At that extreme level, one slip is costly.