Men's Senior Football - Galway v Donegal

 

By Alana Loftus

Galway and Donegal put on a fantastic show in their first meeting of the season.

Donegal started off strong, bagging three points before Galway had a chance to catch them. Hearing the wakeup call, the Galway forwards sprung to action with two points from number 13, Nathan Grainger, and number 7, Jordan Muldoon. Donegal secured the next point and Galway followed with a point from a free taken by Grainger.

Eoin Morissey and Thomas Galligan under the Hop Ball

Galway put themselves back in the race when the ball was carried by Grainger and punched into the net by number 12, Reece Burke. Donegal number 2, Anthony Diver, attempted a goal to match but the ball went wide.

Finally settling into the game, Galway made two substitutions sending Michael Moylan on for number 9, Conor Flanagan and Niall Costello in for number 10, Conor Flaherty.

A number of missed scores followed from both sides, and the first half came to a close with a score of 1-7 for Galway and 0-7 for Donegal.

The second half kicked off with a point from play, from Galway number 5, Kieran O’Dwyer. Donegal number 5, Jack O’Brien attempted a point but sent it wide. However, a free saw number 2, Anthony Driver, secure a point for Donegal, boosting their spirits once again.

Galway’s top scorer of the match, Grainger (13) bagged another point from a free and then another from play immediately after.

Donegal number 11, Shane Carthy, took a free, which was met with a remarkable save from Galway’s Eoin Morrissey (8). However, Cian O’Grady (13) kept possession down their end of the pitch and secured another point for Donegal.

Wasting no time, Donegal was determined to make their comeback and did so with vigor. Stealing the ball from a Galway defender, O’Grady (13) continued his streak with two consecutive points for Donegal. Shane Carthy (11) followed with what many assumed would be the last score of the game.

With less than two minutes to go, a foul in the box resulted in a penalty for Donegal. Happy to complete his scoring streak for the day, the penalty was taken by Grainger (13) who buried the ball in the net with ease. This score put Donegal in the lead by one point but with seconds to go, Galway was not giving up. Play continued for less than a minute and the referee blew the whistle signaling the win for Donegal.

The final score was Donegal 1-14 to Galway 2-10.

By Alana Loftus

Donegal:

1.      Hugh Boyle

2.      Anthony Diver

3.      Aiden Sullivan

4.      Neil Mc Enany

5.      Jack O’Brien

6.      Sean Doherty

7.      Thomas Galligan

8.      Cory Gallagher

9.      Sean Winston

10.  Shane O’Donnell

11.  Shane Carthy

12.  Ciaran Mc Devitt

13.  Cian O’Grady

 

Galway:

1.      Jamie Kelly

2.      Dara Whelan

3.      Anthony Keating

4.      Stephen White

5.      Kieran O’ Dwyer

6.      Aidan Flanagan

7.      Jordan Muldoon

8.      Eoin Morrissey

9.      Conor Flanagan

10.  Conor Flaherty

11.  Conall Dempsey

12.  Reece Burke

13.  Nathan Grainger