Galway blitz Leitrim to set up Connacht final showdown with Mayo

A RUTHLESSLY EFFICIENT first ten minutes delivered 1-8 without reply and laid the foundations for an emphatic Galway victory over Leitrim in Round 2 of the TG4 Connacht Senior Football Championship.

Daniel Moynihan’s side started the defence of their provincial crown at Avant Money Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada with a tempo and intent that put the game beyond the hosts from an early juncture.

Corner forward Andrea Trill was the last member of the Galway attack on the scoresheet when finishing their opening goal on 10 minutes. By then Leanne Coen, Lynsey Noone, Eva Noone, Olivia Divilly and Róisín Leonard had all raised white flags. Such was Galway’s early accuracy, they didn’t register their first wide until the 12th minute.

Leitrim stemmed the tide with points from Aoife Gilmartin, Leah Fox and goalkeeper Michelle Guckian.

It stood at 1-13 to 0-3 at the break after Galway’s scoring rate understandably dipped and Divilly, Trill, Leonard and Coen tagged on second-quarter points.

The Tribeswomen would accelerate further clear after the break with their defence staying resolute and further scores coming from Divilly and Leonard, whose eight points arrived from play and placed balls.

Eva Noone tucked away the winners’ second goal on 53 minutes, while Leanne Coen took her return to five points and Kate Slevin and Hannah Noone also found the range for Galway late on.

Their place in the Connacht final against Mayo is now assured, while it’s on to the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship for a Leitrim side that had second-half points from Guckian and Muireann Devaney.

Scorers for Galway: R Leonard 0-8 (5f), L Coen 0-5, E Noone 1-2 (1f), A Trill 1-1, O Divilly 0-3, L Noone, H Noone and K Slevin 0-1 each.

Scorers for Leitrim: M Guckian 0-2 (2f), A Gilmartin, L Fox and M Devaney 0-1 each.

Galway: L O’Halloran; A Ní Cheallaigh, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty (capt.); H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; L Noone, O Divilly, L Coen; E Noone, R Leonard, A Trill. Subs: A Eilian for C Trill (ht), A Molloy for Ní Cheallaigh (44), A O’Rourke for O Divilly (47), K Slevin for Leonard (50), M Glynn for N Ward (53)

Leitrim: M Guckian (capt.); E Shanley, C Tyrrell, E Quigley; S Reynolds, C Owens, R McIntyre; N Tighe, V Egan; L O’Dowd, A Clancy, A Quinn; A Gilmartin, L Fox, S. Quinn. Subs: M Devaney for A Quinn (ht), S Ward for S Quinn (48), A Devaney for Egan (55), L McKeon for Shanley (55), L Tivnan for McIntyre (55).

Referee: Gerard Canny (Mayo).