Galway 2-14 Leitrim 1-13: Galway will contest the Connacht Football final with either Sligo or Mayo after a lacklustre win over Leitrim at Pearse Stadium.
The display was just about good enough to see off a Leitrim side that had Emlyn Mulligan to thank for keeping them in the game with 10 frees on his second championship appearance.
Galway manager Liam Sammon said afterwards the performance "wouldn't be good enough to win a Connacht final".
"We struggled for big periods in that game and, okay, we got scores at the end but they were always a threat and they played very well. They put us under the hammer a lot of times in that game," said Sammon.
Galway were quick off the mark with Michael Meehan and captain Padraig Joyce leading the way and when the latter hit the net in the 12th minute the Tribesmen threatened to open up a healthy lead.
Fiachra Breathnach was the then denied a goal of his own when he drilled his shot straight at Leitrim goalkeeper Enda Lyons.
Mulligan was keeping this side in touch but it was a 26th minute goal from Declan Maxwell that knocked Galway's momentum.
Maxwell fielded brilliantly before feeding Philip McGuinness who returned to the big attacker as he bore down on goal before firing low past Doherty.
Mulligan kept the scoreboard ticking over with two more frees to bring his tally for the half to five and send Leitrim in at the break trailing by just two points.
Meehan was on the mark early in the second half but as much as Galway tried to step up pace they were continuously let down by the concession of frees within Mulligan's range.
Maxwell too was proving a handful but Leitrim were punished moments after a Mulligan free brought them within one point, when Meehan's hand pass found Cormac Bane in acres of space and the substitute fired past Lyons for a four point lead.
Meehan and Joyce pointed one each moments later for a lead of six and Leitrim looked beaten side with 12 minutes remaining.
Mulligan added three more frees to bring his tally to 10, capping a hugely impressive an assured display from the new man, but they were dying kicks from Leitrim as Galway progressed to the final with further points from Bane and Meehan.