Galway Footballers play New York

Christy Burke supported the Galway footballers in New York.
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By JIM CARNEY Tuam Herald

Galway ................................ 3-14
New York ............................. 0-6

THE famous Big Apple was ripe fruit — but far from golden delicious — for the start of Galway footballers' Championship adventure, at Gaelic Park, New York on Sunday.

For although a 17-point win is enough to be going on with, there was nothing to suggest Peter Ford's new senior team has what it'll take to emulate the brilliant achievement of his U-21 team, who were crowned All-Ireland champions a week earlier.

The cold reality of the hunt for “Sam” is that success at minor or under-21 level is no guarantee of being good enough to win at the highest level. And all the evidence of a disappointing National League campaign combined with what we saw in New York leads only to the conclusion that the glory days of the early O'Mahony era are long over.

I deliberately say the early days (1998 to 2001), for the three successive Championship exits of 2002, 2003 and 2004 showed a team in decline, and naturally a considerable amount of quality has gone with the retirement of many players who fashioned the two All-Ireland victories.

That's not to say there isn't a Connacht championship in Peter Ford's team, for undoubtedly they have the forwards to greatly trouble any defence in the province, but even against feeble opposition in New York the rest of the team struggled to play the really quick, strong, decisive game being played over the past three years by the Armaghs, Tyrones and Kerrys of the Gaelic football world.

Galway's trans-Atlantic mission was to win the game and return home injury-free. Happily, they succeeded on both counts.

Now they await the winners of next Sunday's Leitrim-Sligo clash at Carrick-on-Shannon. If it's Leitrim, they'll be coming to a Galway venue. Sligo vs Galway would be at Markievicz Park. The date is fixed: Sunday, June 12.

The trip to the United States was a huge attraction for Galway fans; they were in great form and in great voice in the 5,000 crowd — it was estimated that at least half the attendance came from home, which does of course show that the team still has an enthusiastic following. Indeed, all weekend I was very impressed by the pride Galway people have in the Maroon and White colours; it's their badge of identity, at home and abroad, but especially abroad.

New York G.A.A. people have great pride too, but it's the heart pining for home and the football and hurling of their childhood. Because times have changed, with talented players no longer having to emigrate to make a living, the American player base has weakened to the point where their major teams are no longer good enough to compete with Irish county teams. And I saw up close on Sunday, from watching the game on the sideline, that the experience of playing a bad second fiddle to their Galway opponents was demoralising for them, even in the first half when it was already apparent that the visitors would win by a margin of their choosing.

It was an eye-opener to me that New York football followers don't actually have much interest in their own team, which is probably why it changes so much from year to year. What they're interested in — and they are passionate about it — is the G.A.A. itself, the unbreakable link with Ireland, with home, and the nerve-tingling excitement they still feel when, as the late Michael O'Hehir used to say, “the ball is in and the game is on.”

Although, personally, long cynical about the participation of New York and London in the Connacht championship, I can see now that it matters to many, many people living abroad. I could even see that it was right for them to be playing in the Connacht championship rather than in any one of the other three provinces; everywhere we went in New York last weekend, there was West of Ireland feeling in the air. For the discovery of all that, my trip to the Big Apple was worthwhile.

The match does not warrant analysis: Michael Meehan hit two first-half goals to set up a half-time lead of 2-8 to 0-3, and Paul Clancy, one of Galway's better performers, shot the third goal, early in the second half.

Michael Donnellan and Padraic Joyce won a lot of quality possession in the Galway attack and always looked to give good passes. Although out of the game since last year's Championship, Donnellan is in great shape, very strong and as sharp as ever in reading the breaking ball. The Galway fans were thrilled to see him back, and cheered his every move.

Alan Keane, Kieran Fitzgerald, Damien Burke, Mike Comer and Joe Bergin also played particularly well, with full-back Fitzy deservedly getting the Man of the Match award as he superbly cut out ball after ball when the game was at its most competitive, in the first half.

Overall though, this Galway team are simply not in the class of their 1998 and 2001 predecessors. Like the U-21s, they have very good spirit but that won't be enough to bring back the good times.

That's not Peter Ford's, or anybody else's, fault. All the new manager can do from here on is management of existing resources; he will not be found wanting in commitment or dedication to his job — how far he can bring this team, however, is something else entirely.

Galway: A. Keane; R. Fahey, K. Fitzgerald, V. Feeney; D. Meehan, D. Burke, M. Comer; J. Bergin (0-2), N. Coleman; P. Clancy (1-2), M. Donnellan (0-2), J. Devane; M. Meehan (2-2), P. Joyce (0-2), M. Clancy (0-3). Subs used: C. Monahan, S. de Paor, S. Walsh (0-1), T. Giblin and B. Cullinane.

New York: E. Byrne (J. K. Brackens, Tipperary); P. Murphy, captain (Glenbeigh, Kerry), J. Mitchell (Clara, Offaly), N. Corbett (Firies, Kerry); N. Smith (Mullahoran, Cavan), P. O'Connor (Kilmurry-Ibrickane, Clare), S Campbell (Dungloe, Donegal); C. Loughnane (St Finian's, Dublin), S. Lordan (Dohenys, Cork; R. Garvey (Kilkee, Clare), R. Moran (Moy Davitts, Mayo), M. Dobbin (Saval, Down); P. J. Ward (Kilbeggan, Westmeath, 0-4, three frees), B. Newman (Dunderry, Meath), P. Smith (Crosserlough, Cavan). Subs., T. Healy (Buttevant, Cork), Ml. Keaveney (Glinsk, Galway, 0-1), M. Mitchell (Clara, Offaly, 0-1), M. Donaghy (Burt, Donegal) and S. Flynn (Firies, Kerry).

Referee: Jimmy White (Donegal).

Man of the Match: Kieran Fitzgerald (Galway).

May 2005
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