Senior Football: Galway Dismiss Mayo

Mayo 0-7 Galway 2-12

Galway ended up comfortable winners against Mayo in the first senior football match of the day on Sunday.  Mayo did well to stay in the game and had Stevie McHale taken advantage of a golden first half goal chance, Galway would have been on the ropes.  Just before the break Paddy O’Rourke took advantage of his first real opening and netted to take the steam out of Mayo’s challenge and the Galwaymen went on to win in comfortable fashion.

The Galway Senior Footballers

Mayo started the game with Barry McShea deployed at corner back to mark Paddy O’Rourke, Galway’s dangerman.  The Swinford man executed his duties well and kept the Skryne youngster quiet until just before half time when O’Rourke netted.  Mayo were very much in the game though they would have been considered the underdog.  Donal McCarthy in the middle of the field, Sean Clifford at corner back, and Sean Boylan at corner forward all did well, while Galway’s triangle of Ollie Doherty and Eoghan Kavanagh in midfield, with Tommy Walsh at center forward didn’t move out of second gear.  Mayo managed only the one point from Boylan, but could have had a goal after Rob Murphy played Steve McHale through, but McHale shot badly wide.  Galway pointed through an O’Rourke free, Kevin O’Grady (3) and Ollie Doherty before O’Rourke’s goal.  McShea came off his man to intercept an inbound pass to Tommy Walsh, but having failed to win the ball ended up stranded and O’Rourke took full advantage from the edge of the square to bury the ball from close range.  Galway followed with two points from O’Grady and O’Rourke.

The scores came easier for Galway in the second half and the tribesmen put the game away in the first 15 minutes after the restart.  After outscoring Mayo to the tune of four points to two, O’Grady and O’Rourke shares the scoring for Galway, substitute Rob Vickers netted a second goal for the tribesmen.  That was all she wrote as a contest  Mayo gamely attacked the Galway goal, and converted four points on the trot in the latter stages of the game from Kevin McAllister and Patrick Hickey.  O’Rourke finished the game with a tally of a goal and five points and had the final say with a pointed 45 meter kick.  Galway are still on track for a playoff shot and have a big game ahead of them in two weeks time against Cork, with both teams hoping for a shot should they win.

Referee:  Tadhg Lucey (Corcaigh)

Man of the Match:  Paddy O’Rourke (Galway)

Mayo:  B. Cassidy, B. McShea, S. Clifford, L. Monaghan, R. Murphy, C. Clifford, D. McGowan, D. McCarthy, S. McHale, P. Hickey, T. Rooney, S. Boylon, K. McAllister.  Galway:  P. McComiskey, J. O’Callaghan, D. Wynne, S. Gallagher, E. Whelan, S. O’Donnell, E. Kavanagh, O. Doherty, J. Kehoe, T. Walsh, D. Reddin, K. O’Grady, P. O’Rourke.

By Rory O'Donnell