Page 16 - INTO THE WEST - March-April 2018

ALLIANZ NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIVISION 1 ROUND 1
FIRST: Galway defender Cathal Sweeney gets to the ball ahead of Peter Harte from Tyrone in their Allianz Football League Division 1 Round 1 clash at Tuam Stadium.
Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE
Page 16 – INTO THE WEST
Comer captain supremeAnd a tight finish was on the cards when
Galway ...............1-9 dTyrone ...............0-8
Harte cut the gap to a goal with a pointed free after he himself was fouled going through two minutes later.
By JOHN FALLON Media West Ireland
A pointed free from ronan O’neill had Galway fans worried five minutes from time, but Galway finished strongly with points from Comer and Walsh sealing a deserved win.
AMiEn Comer crowned his first game as new Galway skipper with 1-2 as the Tribesmen shocked Tyrone in a hotly-
SCORERS – Galway: D Comer 1-2, S Walsh 0-4 (3f), E Brannigan 0-2, P Sweeney 0-1.
Tyrone: C McAliskey 0-2 (0-1f), P Harte 0-2 (2f), T McCann 0-1, C McShane 0-1, M Donnelly 0-1, R O’Neill 0-1 (f).
GALWAY: R Lavelle; D Kyne, S A O Ceallaigh, E Kerin; S Kelly, G Bradshaw, C Sweeney; P Conroy, P Cooke; J Heaney, A Varley, E Brannigan; S Walsh, D Comer, P Sweeney. Subs: P Cunningham for Varley (52), T Flynn for P Sweeney (60), J Duane for Kelly (66), G O’Donnell for Brannigan (73), S Armstrong for Walsh (76).
TYRONE: N Morgan; M McKernan, R McNamee, H P McGeary; T McCann, P Hampsey, K McGeary; P McNulty, M Donnelly; C McCann, N Sludden, P Harte; C McAliskey, C McShane, D McCurry.
Subs: M Bradley for McNamee (20), R O’Neill for McAliskey (46), D McClure for McNulty (46), R McNabb for K McGeary (51), R Donnelly for C McCann (57), L Brennan for Sludden (68).
contested encounter at Tuam Stadium. Galway led by 1-3 to 0-3 at the interval
despite playing against the breeze in an action-packed opening half.
Comer gave Galway a dream start when he soloed through to drill a low ball to the net after just 16 seconds, on their return to the top flight for the first time since 2011.
Tyrone struggled to get into the game and found themselves 1-2 to 0-0 adrift after seven minutes when Shane Walsh pointed a free.
Tiernan McCann finally got Tyrone off the mark with a point after 15 minutes but by the interval they shot eight wides to Galway’s two.
Conor McAliskey reduced the margin after 24 minutes but then Tyrone lost their other corner-forward darren McCurry after an off the ball incident with Galway defender Eoghan Kerin.
McHugh h
REFEREE: Ciaran Brannigan (Down).
Cathal McShane cut the gap to a goal at the break when he scored an excel-
lent point from the left on the half hour.
McAliskey gave Tyrone a good start to the second-half when he
Galway ..............1-13 Mayo ................0-11
By JOHN FALLON Media West Ireland
GALWAY continued their perfect start to the league and inflicted a third defeat on arch rivals Mayo in a hotly contested affair in Salthill.
pointed three minutes after the restart.
But Galway refused to panic and took control
again with Eamon Branigan shooting two
points to lead by double scores, 1-5
to 0-4, after 46 minuts.
Patrick Sweeney and
Walsh extended Galway’s lead with good
Mayo finished the game with 13 men after the O’Connor brothers Cillian and Diarmuid were sent off, while Galway midfielder Paul Conroy also got his marching orders.
points before Matthew donnelly gave Tyrone hope when he pointed after 55 minutes to cut
The final quarter of a clash between these two who will meet in the championship in May was punctuated by a series of brawls as Wicklow referee Anthony Nolan struggled to maintain control of the game.
the gap to 1-7 to 0-5. A free from Peter
Harte left four between them nine minutes
Galway led by 1-4 to 0-5 at the end of the open- ing half in front of a crowd of 9,850 at the Salthill venue.
Galway captain Damien Comer laid down an early marker with two good points.
It took Mayo 13 minutes to register their first
from time as Tyrone rallied to save the
day.