Down 0-4 Galway 1-12: The players of Galway and Down joined their comrades in quiet protest at Newcastle yesterday and a godsend it was for latecomers. The spirit of protest carried over into the game with both sides waiting a further 15 minutes before either scored.
By the end of a poor game, Down were fortunate not to be met outside by their supporters carrying placards. Seldom have so many stood like sodden herons to see so little.
It is hard to believe Down won the first three games of this campaign and thus presented their credentials as contenders. Embarrassing to recall that, as Galway slumped to one point from their own first three games, we were inclined to store away nice things to say in their obituary in early summer.
Both teams came out into yesterday's downpour with a chance of making the league semi-final. Down missed a few early chances and after that Galway looked like the only team interested.
It should have been the other way around. Galway, beaten in the Connacht under-21 final on Saturday, travelled to Newry after that match and stayed overnight.
The younger squad players were geed by the greybeards and Niall Coleman and Seán Armstrong were inserted from the start in Newcastle. They left Saturday's disappointment behind them. Coleman was superb and he and another returning favourite, Michael Donnellan, epitomised the difference between the two sides.
Coleman was the dominant figure in a midfield in which Down sorely missed Dan Gordan, while Donnellan's promptings from left half forward were redolent of his heyday. He was closely marked by Adrian Scullion, so much so that Scullion picked up a couple of loose balls which he converted into points while following Donnellan. That was enough to make him Down's only scorer from play.
Down will point to the absence of Gordan and also of Benny Coulter (who scored 2-3 when the sides met in the league last year) but that the subtraction of two quality players could weaken them so critically is a discouraging sign for the summer.
For Galway, the air is full of happy auguries. The forward line they picked in midweek with Pádraic Joyce, Seán Armstrong, Derek Savage and Micheál Meehan in it is the match of any in the country. Add in Matthew Clancy's good form and the huge influence of Donnellan and all you can do is sit back and smile as the ground gets harder.
Inevitably perhaps, Peter Ford was inclined to point to the performance of his defence and midfield. That his forwards should have looked so snappish even while playing in a deluge seems almost taken for granted at this stage.
Galway dominated midfield as well though, and it was a timely reminder of their wealth that having taken off Niall Coleman close to the end they were able to draw gasps and resigned sighs from the remaining few Down supporters by sticking the giant Barry Cullinane into the game.
On a better day, Galway might have won by twice the margin. They had 12 wides and dropped a lot of ball short, setting up a series of goalmouth scrambles which Down defended bravely.
They got the first score of the game after 18 minutes, or that point when we'd just about given up hope. Joyce clipped a free and a couple of minutes later Armstrong scored a neat one from play. Galway were now playing into a stiff breeze, but already Down seemed spent. Either morale was low or they have been training heavily enough to leave their best elsewhere.
On 24 minutes, Galway conjured the game's only goal. Paul Clancy's sideline kick flew over a clump of players and found Derek Savage. The Cortoon man is in the form of his life, and his astute handpass to Micheál Meehan made the latter's goal a formality. Galway were five up.
A few minutes later they tore through again and Matthew Clancy might have had a goal, but sent the ball screaming over the crossbar.
There was some brave talk that if results went right elsewhere Down only needed a draw to get through to the semi-finals. We knew though it was foolishness. Down's league campaign was over and done with.
The second half was a formality. Down having scored a point from play and a point from a free in the first half, contented themselves with repeating the trick. Galway looked hungry throughout and their reward is a semi-final meeting with their friends Mayo.
"We'd prefer to play each other only once, I suppose, but it'll be exciting," said Ford. "Mayo have made a huge amount of progress this year. We hadn't a lot of interest in the league this year, but as we've progressed we'd like to win it. We played well today and we have won four on the trot. That's a good habit to get into."
DOWN: B McVeigh; M Cole, B Grant, D Rafferty; A Scullion (0-2), J Clarke, M Doran; A Rogers, A Molloy; R Sexton, L Doyle, D Hughes (0-1f); M Walsh (0-1f), R Murtagh, E McCartan. Subs: D McCartan for D Rafferty (29 mins), A Rice for J Clarke, P Murphy for D Hughes (both 55 mins).
GALWAY: B O'Donoghue; D Meehan, K Fitzgerald, D Burke; A Burke, D Blake, M Comer; N Coleman, P Clancy; M Clancy (0-2), D Savage (0-1), M Donnellan (0-1); M Meehan (1-0), P Joyce (0-6, 5f), S Armstrong (0-2). Subs: C Bane for Armstrong (65 mins), B Cullinane for Coleman (67 mins), F Hanley for K Fitzgerald (69 mins), V Feeney for D Burke (70 mins).
Referee: E Murtagh (Longford).
