Sunday will see the second most important competition decided between two of the province’s leading teams.īehind them in third place in Division One sit Roscommon, who in a week’s time will play Mayo in the opening round of the provincial championship.Ī fortnight on and the winners of that will face Galway in a semi-final. “We have had a lot of injuries as well, missing Damien, Shane – I was out for a good while and that probably added to it but now with the weather drying out, we would be confident that we can put up a big score.”Ĭonnacht football is embarking on an extraordinarily intense few weeks. We have probably been the best, or the second best defensive team in the top two divisions and I think weather has a part to play in that as well. We have been defending well as well as the other things. “I don’t think it is a concern at all, to be honest. Small wonder that the team hasn’t been posting outsized scores, as he points out when challenged on the underwhelming average of 0-13 per match.
Finnerty’s injury, another picked up by Damien Comer and Shane Walsh getting some down time after a club season with Kilmacud in Dublin meant the county’s entire All-Ireland full-forward line was not available. This season’s league began in Castlebar with an entertaining draw between the sides. Galway though are building on last year’s eye-catching run to the All-Ireland final.Īfter a couple of disappointing championships, Pádraic Joyce steered the team all the way to the final day when they were level pegging with Kerry in the 65th minute before coming second in the run for the tape. Further problems arose on his return: twisting his knee and enduring a back spasm, which have necessitated careful management. He healed quite quickly but the injury was enough to derail his final tilt at Sigerson, with DCU, and he ruefully confirms that his college football days are done. “Hopefully I’ll be back there this weekend for longer than 20 minutes!” I think I was gone after 10-15 minutes in the Connacht final the first time, and then about 20 minutes in the first round of the league. “They were going for the ball or whatever, but it was disappointing. There wasn’t any malice in them now or anything like that. I did my ankle in the Connacht final against Mayo, and then again in the first round of the league against Mayo. “That’s my second one ” he says, “both were actually against Mayo. In the very first match of this season’s league, he had to leave injured after 25 minutes, having damaged ankle ligaments after being tackled in the act of scoring. There’s another reason why mention of Mayo might provoke mixed feelings. He’s actually been a senior for the past four years, having come on as a replacement in a couple of 2019 championship matches before he’d even played league.
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