TG4 Connacht Senior Final Preview

Galway v Mayo Sunday 1st July 2007 Venue: Tuam Stadium Time:
3pm Referee: Liam McDonagh (Sligo)

By 4.30pm – barring Extra time – on Sunday evening, the destination
of the CBE Cup for 2007 will be known as those two heavyweights
of Connacht Football do battle for the 3rd time in 9 weeks. To
refer to them as heavyweights would be an understatement given
their track record. Between them they have won 5 of the last 8
All Ireland Senior Titles – Mayo four and Galway one -, going
into Sunday’s encounter things couldn’t be more evenly matched
with either having a reason for success-revenge. As things stand
its one all in terms of encounters this year.

In one corner you have Galway – seeking a 4th Connacht title in
a row, their victims in the past 3 years Mayo. Over in the other
corner Mayo – current National Football League Division 1 Champions
– their victims in that decider Galway. The first game of this
year’s Connacht Championship involved Sunday’s opponents, ironically
Tuam provided the Venue and the referee that day was none other
than Sligo Official Liam McDonagh. That day the home side and
current holders Galway recorded a 1 – 18 to 1 – 7 victory, but
a bigger fish was on offer a week later with the National Football
League Title up for grabs in Hyde Park, Roscommon with the same
two sides in action. Mayo claimed victory that day with a 1- 13
to 0 – 6 win. That day Niamh Fahy – Galway – was awarded the ECC
timber Player of the Match award.

Both sides go into Sunday’s final having won their last competitive
game – ironically in the same venue, Tourlestrane, Co Sligo –
Mayo were first to visit the South Sligo venue back on 12th May
and although they left with a 7 point victory, for a long period
they were pushed to the limit by Last Years All Ireland Junior
Champions. A day later Galway defeated Roscommon in Ballinlough
to record their second win in the Championship. The following
weekend Galway visited the Sligo venue and like Mayo escaped with
a 3 point victory over the Yeats County – on the same weekend
Mayo received a walkover from Roscommon -. It should not go a
miss that in both encounters in Tourlestrane, it was the Sligo
keeper – Katrina Connolly – that received the ECC Timber player
of the match award, hence the amount of pressure both sides applied.

For the winner on Sunday – not only is it a provincial crown,
bragging rites and what ever goes with it – they go into pot 1
of the new All Ireland Championship and thus avoid all other Provincial
winners – i.e. Cork/Waterford, Armagh/Tyrone or Laois//Kildare
– and Sunday’s beaten finalists. Both sides have the talent, ability
and a number of proven match winners to claim another provincial
crown. This year Mayo has introduced last years Connacht young
footballer of the year Lisa Cafferkey to their forward line and
it in itself has eased some of the over depends on Cora Staunton.
Galway too are not short of talent, Edel Concannon, Ann-Marie
McDonagh and if Niamh Fahy clicks then the Mayo defence could
be under pressure. In the Captain’s department both teams have
returned to previous All Ireland winning Captains with the experienced
and ever dependable Christine Heffernan leading Mayo and Annette
Clarke captaining Galway.

Having ended Cork’s unbeaten Football run in this years NFL semi
final, Mayo will be seen as one of the serious contenders for
both Provincial and National honours, however in the past few
seasons the Tribeswomen have had the upper hand over their rivals
in terms of the Connacht Championship and it just may go their
way again on Sunday but with a long summer of football still to
come, Mayo could very well be singing in September with the Brendan
Martin Cup. All in all it’s an encounter not to be missed. A new
addition will be witnessed to the Sunday’s Final, when up to 30
children from both counties will be taking part as part of the
Cumann na mBunscoil exhibition during the afternoon.

Results to date

Galway 1 – 18 Mayo 1 – 7 28th April Tuam Player of the game: Niamh
Fahy

Sligo 3 – 13 Roscommon 1 – 10 28th April Castlerea Player of the
game: Emer Casey

Mayo 2 – 17 Sligo 3 – 7 12th May Tourlestrane Player of the game:
Katrina Connolly

Galway 5 – 14 Roscommon 0 – 4 13th May Ballinlough Player of the
game: Aoibheann Daly

Galway 0 – 13 Sligo 1 – 7 19th May Tourlestrane Player of the
game: Katrina Connolly

Connacht PRO: Martin Seery – andrewmfreeman@yahoo.ie -.