GALWAY RUN RIOT TO SET UP FAMILIAR FINAL
GALWAY manager Pádraic Joyce is looking forward to a Connacht SFC final against Roscommon in Salthill on May 29. The Tribesmen, who scored four second-half goals, were far too strong for Leitrim in the west. Andy Moran’s outfit started brightly and only trailed by 0-5 to 0-4 after 21 minutes, but Galway dominated the remainder of the match. Now Galway face Roscommon in a provincial decider for the fifth time since 2016. ‘It is a mammoth task,’ said Joyce. ‘Roscommon have come down here to win before – they won’t fear coming back. They have left with two Connacht titles in the last six or seven years so they are not going to be a bit afraid.’ There was plenty to admire about how Galway closed out the deal against Leitrim. Substitutes Patrick Kelly (2), Niall Daly, and Owen Gallagher all plundered goals during the emphatic win. ‘It is good, it is great, they will be looking to start the next day,’ Joyce added. ‘Paddy Kelly came in and got two goals, he is a great young talent. ‘Owen Gallagher took the last goal really well. It is great, we are delighted with the way it is going. Niall Daly took his goal – a good player, it is a good headache to have.’ Galway led 0-12 to 0-5 at the interval, but Kelly struck a 38thminute goal for Galway, and Leitrim couldn’t recover. Despite the significant margin, Leitrim manager Moran remains optimistic his panel can enjoy a productive spell in the Tailteann Cup. ‘I think you can see green shoots, and maybe I might have thought we could get there faster than what was realistic, but I still think we can get to where we want to get to,’ said Moran. ‘The great thing is we have an opportunity to play another game in three weeks’ time.’ Galway boss Joyce praised Cillian McDaid’s impressive contribution. ‘In fairness to Cillian, he has trained really hard and had a big impact in Castlebar,’ Joyce remarked. ‘He took his chance, he kicked three wonderful scores in the first half. He played really well but, in fairness to him, he has worked hard so I’m delighted for him.’ GALWAY: C Gleeson; J Glynn (J McGrath, 8-11 blood), S Kelly, L Silke; D McHugh (P Kelly, HT), J Daly, K Molloy; P Conroy (D Conneely, 60), M Tierney (N Daly, 51); F Ó Laoi (P Kelly, 28-HT blood), D Comer (T Culhane, 58), J Heaney (O Gallagher, 49); C McDaid, R Finnerty, S Walsh. SCORERS: P Kelly 2-1, S Walsh 0-6 (5fs), N Daly and O Gallagher 1-0 each, C McDaid and R Finnerty (1m) 0-3 each, P Conroy 0-2, J Daly, F Ó Laoi, M Tierney, J Heaney, and D Conneely 0-1 each. LEITRIM: B Flynn; C Reynolds, P Maguire, M Diffley; S Quinn (C McGloin, 47), D Casey, D Bruen; D Wrynn, P Dolan; C Dolan (D McGovern, 42), M Plunkett (E Sweeney, 58), C Cullen (T Prior, 33); R O’Rourke, S Moran (K Beirne, HT), R O’Rourke. SCORERS: K Beirne and R O’Rourke (1f) 0-2 each, D Wrynn, C Dolan, C Cullen, T Prior and R O’Rourke (m) 0-1 each. REFEREE: Paul Faloon (Down).