Tuam Stadium a fitting host as Galway and Tyrone finishes in a wild draw
DRAMA::Shane Walsh of Galway makes his way from the 14 metre line to outside the arc where he kicked a two-point free to level the match against Tyrone. Pic Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
The drums were beating at the entrance to Tuam Stadium. This iconic north Galway venue hadn’t hosted the senior footballers since 2023. Since then, there has been a grand redevelopment. A new-look ground ready to host a new-look game.
A booming rattle bounced off the new Joe O’Toole Stand before throw-in as a band welcomed patrons in and a delighted roar reached its roof as the hooter sounded. Shane Walsh’s late two-point free rescued a draw for Pádraic Joyce’s undefeated side. It came in dramatic circumstances. Sunday was a day filled with theatre and wonder scores and outright confusion.
It started just before the hour mark. Referee Brendan Cawley awarded the second penalty of the tie after Sean Kelly was brought down by Peter Teague. Peter Harte had missed a first-half opportunity. Walsh made no mistake with his effort. That left it level and Tyrone were reduced to 14 men as Teague received a black card.
Mattie Donnelly swung over a point from outside the arc to push Tyrone to the brink of their second league victory under Malachy O’Rourke, but there was a final twist to come. Teague returned to the field to help hold out a late Galway push. They were awarded a free close to goal, before the officials realised Tyrone had failed to keep three-up in all the bedlam. It meant Walsh was presented with an opportunity to be the hero. He took it.
Two-pointers have been the story of Galway’s season and that continued here. From the moment captain Kelly won the toss and opted to play with the wind, a plan began to take shape. Galway management scurried back to relay the news; Joyce sidled up beside Walsh. It was clear they would kick from range whenever possible.
By the interval, it was 0-11 to 1-8. Galway attempted 12 two-pointers, successfully converting four. Walsh added another two into the wind in the second half. They started with reigning Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy at full forward. He was the focal point of several attacks, assisting an advanced mark for club-mate Jack O’Neill, laying off another for a Cillian McDaid point and winning a free for a Walsh two-pointer.
Tyrone matched them for all of that half. The missed penalty was the result of a short Michael McKernan shot claimed by Brian Kennedy, but they did kick plenty of leather too. Mark Bradley won an advanced mark. Peter Harte delivered a glorious pass to Darragh Canavan for a brilliant goal. Bradley had another goal opportunity well stopped by Conor Flaherty.
Before that final crescendo, Tyrone could have won it. Bradley missed a two-point free. Niall Morgan came forward to kick his third wide, adding to two missed 45s. Darragh Canavan had a go from a sideline and hooked it. That was a theme throughout. Cillian McDaid scored on the counter-attack from the missed penalty in the first half as well.
In every sense, it was wild. What a venue for it too. An old-school, real and raw stadium primed for nothing other than pure ball. At half-time, the U11s from Corofin and Tuam Stars played each other. Both squads were fully listed in the match programme too. This is a welcome home for anyone who holds Gaelic football close to their heart.
Both sidelines protested vehemently on several occasions. Galway protested after a robust Sean Kelly tackle was deemed a free and the ball was brought forward for a tap-over free. O’Rourke said afterwards he felt that some of their successful shots had actually been outside the arc. The stand lifted with every close call and big hit. It all contributed to the chaos.
There is an important point here. Passion still has a place in the game. It was on full display all afternoon. In some circles, there was a fear that some of the disciplinary rule changes would sanitise the game, particularly handing the ball back or restricting who can query a referee’s decision. That hasn’t been the case so far.
The Football Review Committee may have enforced a bit of shape and structure, but there is still plenty of space to go absolutely nuts as well.
S. Walsh 1-7 (1-0 pen, 3 tp frees); R. Finnerty 0-4 (2 tp frees); P. Conroy (1 tp), C. McDaid, J. O’Neill (1 mark) 0-2 each; C. D’Arcy 0-1.
D. Canavan 1-5 (2 frees); M. Bradley 0-7 (1 tpf, 1 mark, 1 f); M. Donnelly 0-3 ( 1 tp); C. Kilpatrick, K. McGeary, D. McCurry 0-1 each.
C. Flaherty; J. McGrath, D. O’Flaherty, J. Glynn; L. Silke, S. Mulkerrin, S. Kelly; C. Hernon, J. Maher; C. Sweeney, C. McDaid, J. O’Neill; R. Finnerty, P. Conroy, S. Walsh.
C. D’Arcy for Hernon, D. McHugh for Glynn (both half-time), M. Thompson for Sweeney (55), B. Mannion for Finnerty, F. Ó Laoi for O’Neill (Temp, both 58), K. Molloy for McDaid (69).
N. Morgan; A. Clarke, P. Teague, N. Devlin; M. McKernan, R. Brennan, A. Donaghy; B. Kennedy, C. Kilpatrick; M. McGeary, M. Donnelly, C. Daly; D. Canavan, P. Harte, M. Bradley.
J. Oguz for Donaghy (54), D. McCurry for Harte (57).
B. Cawley (Kildare).
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