Ray Silke
CAVAN supporters out-numbered their Galway counterparts at least 7 to 1 on Sunday in Croke Park.
I saw hopeful Breffni fathers and mothers with three or four offspring decked out in the county colours before the game. Over 13,500 tickets were sold by Cavan clubs last week and there were tailbacks in Virginia trying to head for Croke Park on Sunday morning.
Unfortunately all the hype and expectation seemed to get to their players and once Galway got a grip on the game, the team which had defeated Tyrone and Wexford en-route to the final simply imploded.
A critical factor to the Cavan collapse were three or four woeful kicks in a row that should have been points when the sides were level.
Those poor efforts landed neatly into Galway goalkeeper Manus Breathnach’s hands allowing swift counter-attacks and added to a few bad wides, they sucked the confidence from the Cavan players.
Galway smelt that weakness and with the two new great midfield hopes of Galway football, Tomás Flynn and Fiontáin Ó Curraoin lording the airspace, the Connacht champions went into over drive.
They crushed Cavan in the second quarter and outscored them 2-7 to 0-2.
From 0-3 to 0-3 after ten minutes, the game was gone from Terry Hyland’s men by half time.
That fifteen minutes was champagne football by Mulholland’s side.
Danny Cummins at corner forward who played under Joe Kernan in the league in 2010 and man-of-the-match Mark Hehir at centre-forward scored at will. Hehir in particular shot some stunning efforts.
Two goals by Patrick Sweeney and Eric Monahan finished the game as a contest and saw the Tribesmen on the way to collecting the county’s fourth U-21 title and Cavan still waiting their first, with only three defeats in finals to show for their struggles.
Cavan were a major disappointment on Sunday and the panel must be sickened by their inept performance. The tiny glimmer of hope that they received early in the second half when a soft penalty was awarded by Eddie Kinsella was doused immediately when Barry O’Reilly’s tame effort was saved by Breathnach. O’Reilly’s subsequent substitution summed up his and Cavan’s day.
At least their first Ulster title since 1996 at this grade is some consolation.
Players like captain Gearóid McKiernan at midfield and the robust Niall McDermott at full forward should see action at senior level this summer and full back Oisín Minagh kept the flag flying despite his team-mates being over run.
For Galway the biggest positive to take from the victory and the performances of the team all season is that Flynn and Ó Curraoin have been magnificent in the middle of the park. Both men are tall, rangy, good fielders, hard grafters with plenty of mobility and hugely committed. They were immense against Cork and again on Sunday.
They are two players with phenomenal potential. It was Mick Dwyer who pointed out once, that football is a simple game; The goalkeeper kicks out the ball and then you have to get it and try to score. With the two 19-year-olds tremendous at midfield all season, Galway have won the vast majority of kick-outs and with Hehir, Cummins, Michael Boyle and Conor Doherty good up-front they have been well able to score too.
Summer 2011 is probably too soon for Flynn and Ó Curraoin to make a real impact at inter-county senior level.
Flynn is only doing his Leaving Cert next month and Galway play Mayo in the Connacht championship at the end of June, so to expect him to be available so soon would be unfair.
However Ó Curraoin would probably be able to join the senior panel immediately if asked – he did play some FBD in January and February — and he would be a good option if Joe Bergin or converted full-back Finian Hanley were not working out.
U21 team captain Colin Forde is already the number one choice for Tomás Ó Flathárta at full-back on the senior side and Johnny Duane played the last few league games at corner back. Galway supporters have learnt that All-Ireland U21 success does not guarantee the same at senior level, we only have to look to our gains, or should that read demises, since the 2002 and 2005 U21 titles. However this time is slightly different.
The success was built on the collective being very cohesive and hard working. We have two young midfielders who if minded, coached and developed properly can be major players for the county in the coming years.
After a dismal spring, Sunday’s success provides hope for the future. And with Alan Mulholland after leading the county to All-Ireland minor success in 2007 and U21 in 2011, his name is already on the ticket to become the next Galway senior manager. Watch this space.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/cs1Fj9CRGF4/post.aspx
Luis Moreno-Ocampo Norway Coronation Street Russell Brand Christina Aguilera Restaurants
No comments:
Post a Comment