CONNACHT LEAGUE FINAL/Galway 2-15 Roscommon 1-14 (Aet: 2-9 to 1-12 after 70 mins):GALWAY DEFEATED Roscommon by 16 points when they met in the championship last June, but they were pushed all the way by Fergal O'Donnell's men in an entertaining final at Tuam Stadium yesterday. Roscommon were given a lesson in how to close out a game as the more experienced Galway side retained their title.
Roscommon had enough chances in normal time to win but they did not take their scores and paid the price as Michael Meehan masterminded a Galway success.
For long periods Roscommon had the Connacht champions on the back foot but Meehan struck a telling blow just before the interval when he fielded a delivery from Padraic Joyce, beat Paul Gleeson, and drilled the ball low into the net. That put Galway 2-4 to 0-7 ahead at the break after Jonathan Ryan had finished to the net at the end of the first quarter.
The game was always keenly contested with eight black books being awarded – four each – but only Roscommon wing forward Gary Cox got a yellow card from referee Eamon O’Grady who had to be replaced at the start of extra-time by standby official Michael Duffy after picking up an injury.
Five of Roscommon’s seven first-half points came from frees with only Karol Mannion and Seanie McDermott scoring from play.
They enjoyed a great start to the second half when Mannion landed his second point before Senan Kilbride got his fourth pointed free. But they shot four bad wides and then Barry Cullinane and Joe Bergin got on top in midfield and suddenly Galway pulled away.
Meehan landed two as Bergin and wing back Darren Mullahy tacked on another as Galway pulled 2-8 to 0-9 in front with 11 minutes remaining. But Roscommon hit back with Damien Keenehan kicking a fine point before Derek Connellan and Séamus O’Neill set up Kilbride for a goal to leave just one between them. Padraic Joyce pushed Galway two in front with five minutes left. But Seanie McDermott reduced the deficit and as the game slipped into stoppage time Kilbride held his nerve to steer an equalising free between the posts.
Galway took control in extra-time and hit four points without reply in the first period, two of them superb efforts from Meehan and they continued to dominate in the second period.
GALWAY: P Doherty; N Coyne, F Hanley, D Reilly; G O’Donnell, D Blake, D Mullahy (0-3); B Cullinane (0-1), J Bergin (0-1); C Bane (0-2), P Joyce (0-3), N Joyce (0-1); J Ryan (1-0), M Meehan (1-4, two frees, one 45’), M Coady. Subs: F Breathnach for Coady (35 mins), S Armstrong for Ryan (57 mins), M Lydon for Breathnach (60 mins).
ROSCOMMON: G Claffey; P O’Connor, P Gleeson (0-1), P Duignan; S Purcell, D Casey, J Nolan; K Mannion (0-2), S O’Neill; G Cox, D Keenehan (0-1), S McDermott (0-5, two frees); R Gaynor, S Kilbride (1-5, five frees), F Cregg. Subs: K Higgins for O’Connor (half-time), D Connellan for Gaynor (42 mins), K Waldron for Cox (yellow, 55 mins), D Flynn for Duignan (70 mins), P Garvey for O’Neill (72 mins), P Kelly for Purcell (76 mins).
Referee: E O’Grady (Leitrim).
