Hungry Galway run riot against outclassed Exiles
AND so the provincial championships start in the onesided fashion that has so many questioning their status in this altered GAA landscape.
After a campaign in Division
1 of the league that raised more questions than answers, Galway ruthlessly took apart a Division 4 London side that were hopelessly outclassed in this Connacht senior football championship opener.
By the end, there was a whopping 27 points between the sides, Galway routing the hosts at Ruislip by 5-21 to 0-9.
It’s hard to know what manager Padraic Joyce will learn from this.
A four-goal blitz in the third quarter showed the gaping gulf in class. Paul Conroy’s fisted effort to the net started the landslide and that was followed soon after with substitute Tomo Culhane showing his sharp finishing instinct with a brace. Cein D’arcy added a fifth as the match lost any competitive edge.
A 15-point cushion at half-time was no more than Galway deserved after Cathal Sweeney’s first half goal allowed them to stretch ahead after an encouraging start from the home side.
The only negatives from Galway’s side came in terms of injuries
– Tom Culhane had to leave the field while Johnny Heaney was also withdrawn.
Next up for Galway is a Connacht championship semi-final against the winners of Leitrim versus Sligo in just under a fortnight’s time.
With Mayo and Roscommon on the other side of the draw, Joyce will be hoping to gain a bit of extra time to get the likes of star forwards Shane Walsh and Damien Comer back on the field after protracted lay-offs.