Walsh holds his nerve as Galway prevail in classic against Armagh
Shane Walsh of Galway and Jarly Óg Burns of Armagh in action. Picture: James Lawlor/Inpho
When an entire season hangs in the balance, a game has a strange ability to distil into a handful of colossal moments. For Galway, that tension gripped long before Shane Walsh’s superb final free, the kick that secured a one-point triumph.
He was awesome here, finishing with nine points, six from play. He also missed five shots, including his first. This was after being taken off against Dublin and Derry in the previous two games. In the aftermath of that, he found solace in a group that set out to vocalise their belief in him. They put their faith in him to keep kicking and go again.
“I probably hadn’t that (confidence) in the last couple of weeks, but in fairness to the group, we had good conversations last Tuesday week,” he said afterwards as a passing Kieran McGeeney redirected his route to offer a congratulatory handshake.
“They were talking to me about backing myself more. ‘You might not score every shot. But we are backing you to take our shots.’ That stood to me in the first half. There were things that didn’t go well and there was shots that did go well. You just have to keep hammering away at it.”
That is what they did. In Kingspan Breffni, an already-qualified Armagh side brought it. By half-time they led 0-15 to 0-7 with Galway pushed to the end of the line. After a third stone-cold classic, they eked out a first win of Group 4 to survive.
It required everything they had. By the time Walsh stood over that late kick, they were technically safe as Derry’s defeat to Dublin would have been enough. This victory carried a weight no table can measure.
All over the pitch, they strived to find a way. Sean Fitzgerald was omitted from the team since coming off in the Connacht final but excelled early on here, stripping Andrew Murnin twice. He split his head and was replaced by club-mate Cian Hernon, who was taken off after a difficult day against Dublin and missed the Derry game due to his grandmother’s passing. Hernon’s first possession was to burst at full pace onto a sliding ball and flick it up, before kicking a pinpoint ball to Robert Finnerty. He cut inside Tomas McCormack and made the margin one.
With 20 minutes left and the sides level, John Maher made a lung-bursting run and full-length block on Ross McQuillan. That play finished with a fisted score by Finnerty, giving them the lead for the first time. The midfielder delivered their first goal with a palmed finish after a Dylan McHugh dart.
On the 56-minute mark Cathal Sweeney, who was taken off after coming on in the Connacht final, ran in to score, win a kickout over Stefan Campbell and tee up Finnerty for their second goal.
2024 Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy was dropped before throw-in yet replaced Matthew Tierney before the break. He claimed a mark that was subsequently advanced for a Walsh two-pointer, he scored, he won the final free that made all the difference.
Tierney had missed one of two inaccurate first-half points. His was saved by the outstanding Ethan Rafferty. The Armagh goalkeeper finished with seven points, two two-point frees, a two-pointer from play at the start and a point from play after a kickout he caught himself. As well as the spot-kick, he denied Matthew Thompson with an immense one-on-one save. Finnerty took the second penalty and blasted over.
Tierney returned in the second half to fist a point and dived on a crucial break in the final five minutes to steer the ball towards a team-mate. That scrappy and significant act paved the way for a curler from Cein D’Arcy.
For all of that, the reigning All-Ireland champions emerged with serious credit. They hit four first-half two points, Rafferty, Darragh McMullan and Niall Grimley all locked in a battle for best long-range beauty. When Galway hit the front for the first time, they swung back with five consecutive points to ensure a dramatic final quarter. Rory Grugan and Ben Crealey did not play. Oisin Conaty did not start. Great teams turn up regardless of the stakes. This was a show of strength.
All of that stems from their collective. Once more, Campbell came in to score. Shane McPartlan linked up with the super sub to slice in the endline and sneak over their last point. It was their first championship defeat in normal time since the Tyrone game of 2023 and that too was a one-score game.
Gaelic football is in a remarkable place now. That crystallised early in the afternoon, as a warm cheer rang out when news that a depleted Kerry were defeated in O’Connor Park was announced over the tannoy. The levels are rising, yet every team has lost at least one game. The only reliable way to prevail in such unforgiving circumstances is to do so as a unit.
In this grindhouse, nobody’s safe. Together is the only way through.
S Walsh 0-9 (1 tpf, 1f); R Finnerty 1-4 (0-1 pen); J Maher 1-0; P Cooke 0-3 (1 tp); C McDaid 0-2; C D’Arcy, M Tierney, C Sweeney, P Conroy 0-1 each.
E Rafferty 0-7 (2 tpf, 1tp); R McQuillan 0-3; N Grimley 0-3 (1 tp); C McConville 0-3; D McMullan 0-2; R O’Neill, J Burns, P McGrane, S Campbell, S McPartlan, C Turbitt, A Murnin, J Duffy 0-1 each.
C Flaherty; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, S Kelly, L Silke; P Cooke, J Maher; C McDaid, R Finnerty, C D’Arcy; M Tierney, S Walsh, M Thompson.
P Conroy for Tierney (33); D O’Flaherty for Silke (half-time); C Hernon for Fitzgerald (46 - Inj); C Sweeney for McHugh (54); M Tierney for Cooke (59); J Heaney for McDaid (68).
E Rafferty; P Burns, B McCambridge, P McGrane; R McQuillan, T Kelly, J Óg Burns; J Duffy, N Grimley; D McMullan, R O’Neill, J McElroy; C McConville, A Murnin, C Turbitt.
T McCormack for McCambridge (20 – Inj); G McCabe for Burns (half-time); S Campbell for Duffy (54); C Mackin for Grimley (59); O Conaty for McMullan (63); S McPartlan for McConville (65-Inj)
N. Mooney (Cavan).
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