Galway remain a consistently engaging force to observe in 2026. That owes much to the grit they are displaying. They may find themselves in ominous looking situations due to sluggish starts but stirring revivals make for compelling viewing.
They trailed by 2-15 to 0-11 in the 50th minute of that first game against Mayo, yet fought back to only lose by three at the finish. They hung in during spells of Armagh’s control in round two and grabbed a priceless victory. Last night surpassed all that, when you’re trailing by 12 points in the second half, facing the reigning Sam Maguire holders in their backyard, the prospect of getting something from the game appear remote.
Remarkably from the 54th minute on, Galway outscored Kerry 2-6 to 0-2. The wind at their backs only partially explains what spurred them on.
Matthew Tierney after the game ended in a draw. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“Sometimes you’re kind of wondering what are you looking at?,” stated Padraic Joyce afterwards.
“The amount of ball we dropped short and someone told me there we’d 23 misses. We probably gifted Kerry 2-4, 2-5 in the first half.
“But look, I can’t fault the lads. I’m saying it all the time in Galway for heart and character and the way they play, it’s just superb.”
Galway boss Padraic Joyce. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
*****
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2. Captain Maher leads and newcomer McGrath impresses
There were key architects to Galway’s revival. Given the manner in which they coughed up first-half goals – Brian Cogger robbed of possession deep in defence, Eamon McGrath spilling a high ball – they needed a demonstration of leadership. Given the high-profile nature of their absentees, the return of John Maher from injury was timely.
Galway’s captain lived up to that title. His prominence grew as the game progressed, emptying himself around the middle for the cause, Maher’s showing was encapsulated by the break from the Kerry kickout in the 65th minute and then the sprint upfield to collect the return from Shane McGrath, before planting the ball in the roof of the net.
64mins: KER 2-16 GAL 3-11 Only two points in it now! Captain John Maher takes a shot and batters it into the goal with his right foot beating off three defenders.
“He was outstanding and he’s worked really hard,” said Joyce.
“He got a nasty, awful nasty injury in the club championship there, and, he’s worked really, really hard.
He does everything by the book. His goal was outstanding for us, just real tonic at the time that we needed. He wasn’t supposed to play the whole game, but the way things worked out, he had to, so he managed it well.”
McGrath created that goal for Maher but it wasn’t his only highlight of the night. He finished with 0-5, the most critical intervention was the responsibility he assumed to flight over a two-pointer, his second of the game, to draw the teams level.
Shane McGrath scores a late two-pointer for Galway. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
FT: KER 2-17 GAL 3-14 What a comeback for Galway! From 11 down at half-time, to a last-minute two-pointer from McGrath to tie things up, what a finish.
After cameos off the bench against Mayo and Armagh, striking a combined 1-1, McGrath impressed here on his first start and drew a rave review from his manager after a man-of-the-match showing.
“Shane McGrath was outstanding for us in fairness to him. He was in the panel a couple
of years ago with us and didn’t make it and went away and got himself in serious shape.
“He’s done his club Dunmore proud tonight, I know there’s a gang of them down here. The courage he had and the bravery to kick that two pointer at the end was superb.”
The Maher and McGrath individual showings were significant, but Matthew Tierney kept Galway in the hunt in the first half, while Finnian Ó Laoi excelled off the bench and Cian Hernon’s influence was also notable.
*****
3. Kerry’s attacking shine mixed with regret
At times Kerry sparkled in attack, individual components working in sync. One source was predictable. David Clifford was a withdrawal as they made the long trek to Fr Tierney Park in Ballyshannon a fortnight ago, he was present and keen for action in Austin Stack Park in Tralee last night.
Galway pushed Sean Kelly back on minding duty and the Moycullen man did a fine job of wrapping him up for the first 20 minutes. Then Kerry worked two moves where the ball-carrier, Micheál Burns first and Sean O’Shea second, timed their offloads at the edge of the arc for Clifford to gather on the loop and he swung his left boot in that trademark fashion to prompt the waving of an orange flag.
Clifford profited from a Galway handling error to grab a goal, tacked on two more second-half points and finished with 1-6 to his name. There was also the creative side, drawing defenders towards him and setting up two first-half Kerry points, while in a frenzied finale it was his pass that saw Dylan Casey kick over to send Kerry two clear and Cathal Brosnan kick narrowly wide when the chance for a winner presented itself.
David Clifford. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Perhaps that level of contribution is almost taken for granted now, the returns from Keel’s Keith Evans (1-2) and St Senan’s Cillian Trant (0-3) as attacking newcomers may have caught Jack O’Connor’s eye more. Evans was particularly dynamic and inventive in stretching the Galway defence.
Cillian Trant in action for Kerry against Galway's Kieran Molloy. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
But there will be regret and frustration in the Kerry camp in not getting full points from this contest. Sizeable leads of 12, 10 and 8 points during the second half, were not the springboards for eventual success. Jack O’Connor bemoaned his team’s wasteful on the ball, turnovers proving costly.
The game resembled last year’s league tie with Dublin when Kerry lost by one after being ahead by 11 at the break. Defending the town end goal in the second half of both games is no coincidence, the conditions mean that patch of rearguard work sees a team under siege. Still this was undoubtedly a chance missed to secure victory.
*****
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4. Galway improve after opening day misses
After their league opener last month as Galway scrutinised their performance levels in the three-point defeat to Mayo, one glaring statistic would have stood out. They did find the net twice in the last quarter in Salthill, but their conversion rate of two from nine in terms of goal chances would have made for sobering reading. In that sense, Padraic Joyce will be heartened by the sight of three goals registered against Armagh round two, scores fundamental to that success as Rob Finnerty, Kieran Molloy, and Matthew Tierney netted.
Tierney was again on target last night in Tralee, doing extremely well to break the defensive cover in the first half and boot home. Then there were the two swift counter-attacks in the finale that culminated in green flags, Finnian Ó Laoi placing Cian Hernon for one, Shane McGrath creating the chance for John Maher to bag another. Galway’s tally of eight goals recorded so far is the standout in the league, albeit a chunk of teams have another outing today.
61mins: KER 2-16 GAL 2-11 Only five points in it now. Cian Hernon strikes low after a check back and finds the net.
“It’s very pleasing, we are working on that, trying to create goals,” admitted Joyce.
“They’re a big tonic for teams, Cian Hernon’s goal there today was vital for us to get us back on the run again.”
*****
5. League outlook close to halfway mark
Galway and Kerry find their league campaigns to date have closely resembled each other. One win apiece, both achieved by a single point. One defeat, Galway by three and Kerry by four. Then the draw last night when the pair faced off and embarked on a rollercoaster ride through a game of football.
It leaves both in a scenario where nothing is really settled, they’ll need a sustained push if they’re going to be in those top two spots, and wins will be needed at some stage to avoid looking anxiously over their shoulder. Galway are at home to Roscommon, before testing journeys to Ballyshannon and Inniskeen, and then finish at home to Dublin, their championship conquerors in Salthill last May.
Kerry head to Croke Park next Saturday night, host Monaghan the following Sunday in Killarney, and finish out by playing Mayo in Tralee, and travelling to Armagh.
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Galway spirit surfaces, Kerry regret, Maher and Clifford stand out
1. Galway spirit surfaces in south-west
Galway remain a consistently engaging force to observe in 2026. That owes much to the grit they are displaying. They may find themselves in ominous looking situations due to sluggish starts but stirring revivals make for compelling viewing.
They trailed by 2-15 to 0-11 in the 50th minute of that first game against Mayo, yet fought back to only lose by three at the finish. They hung in during spells of Armagh’s control in round two and grabbed a priceless victory. Last night surpassed all that, when you’re trailing by 12 points in the second half, facing the reigning Sam Maguire holders in their backyard, the prospect of getting something from the game appear remote.
Remarkably from the 54th minute on, Galway outscored Kerry 2-6 to 0-2. The wind at their backs only partially explains what spurred them on.
“Sometimes you’re kind of wondering what are you looking at?,” stated Padraic Joyce afterwards.
“The amount of ball we dropped short and someone told me there we’d 23 misses. We probably gifted Kerry 2-4, 2-5 in the first half.
“But look, I can’t fault the lads. I’m saying it all the time in Galway for heart and character and the way they play, it’s just superb.”
*****
2. Captain Maher leads and newcomer McGrath impresses
There were key architects to Galway’s revival. Given the manner in which they coughed up first-half goals – Brian Cogger robbed of possession deep in defence, Eamon McGrath spilling a high ball – they needed a demonstration of leadership. Given the high-profile nature of their absentees, the return of John Maher from injury was timely.
Galway’s captain lived up to that title. His prominence grew as the game progressed, emptying himself around the middle for the cause, Maher’s showing was encapsulated by the break from the Kerry kickout in the 65th minute and then the sprint upfield to collect the return from Shane McGrath, before planting the ball in the roof of the net.
“He was outstanding and he’s worked really hard,” said Joyce.
“He got a nasty, awful nasty injury in the club championship there, and, he’s worked really, really hard.
He does everything by the book. His goal was outstanding for us, just real tonic at the time that we needed. He wasn’t supposed to play the whole game, but the way things worked out, he had to, so he managed it well.”
McGrath created that goal for Maher but it wasn’t his only highlight of the night. He finished with 0-5, the most critical intervention was the responsibility he assumed to flight over a two-pointer, his second of the game, to draw the teams level.
After cameos off the bench against Mayo and Armagh, striking a combined 1-1, McGrath impressed here on his first start and drew a rave review from his manager after a man-of-the-match showing.
“Shane McGrath was outstanding for us in fairness to him. He was in the panel a couple
of years ago with us and didn’t make it and went away and got himself in serious shape.
“He’s done his club Dunmore proud tonight, I know there’s a gang of them down here. The courage he had and the bravery to kick that two pointer at the end was superb.”
The Maher and McGrath individual showings were significant, but Matthew Tierney kept Galway in the hunt in the first half, while Finnian Ó Laoi excelled off the bench and Cian Hernon’s influence was also notable.
*****
3. Kerry’s attacking shine mixed with regret
At times Kerry sparkled in attack, individual components working in sync. One source was predictable. David Clifford was a withdrawal as they made the long trek to Fr Tierney Park in Ballyshannon a fortnight ago, he was present and keen for action in Austin Stack Park in Tralee last night.
Galway pushed Sean Kelly back on minding duty and the Moycullen man did a fine job of wrapping him up for the first 20 minutes. Then Kerry worked two moves where the ball-carrier, Micheál Burns first and Sean O’Shea second, timed their offloads at the edge of the arc for Clifford to gather on the loop and he swung his left boot in that trademark fashion to prompt the waving of an orange flag.
Clifford profited from a Galway handling error to grab a goal, tacked on two more second-half points and finished with 1-6 to his name. There was also the creative side, drawing defenders towards him and setting up two first-half Kerry points, while in a frenzied finale it was his pass that saw Dylan Casey kick over to send Kerry two clear and Cathal Brosnan kick narrowly wide when the chance for a winner presented itself.
Perhaps that level of contribution is almost taken for granted now, the returns from Keel’s Keith Evans (1-2) and St Senan’s Cillian Trant (0-3) as attacking newcomers may have caught Jack O’Connor’s eye more. Evans was particularly dynamic and inventive in stretching the Galway defence.
But there will be regret and frustration in the Kerry camp in not getting full points from this contest. Sizeable leads of 12, 10 and 8 points during the second half, were not the springboards for eventual success. Jack O’Connor bemoaned his team’s wasteful on the ball, turnovers proving costly.
The game resembled last year’s league tie with Dublin when Kerry lost by one after being ahead by 11 at the break. Defending the town end goal in the second half of both games is no coincidence, the conditions mean that patch of rearguard work sees a team under siege. Still this was undoubtedly a chance missed to secure victory.
*****
4. Galway improve after opening day misses
After their league opener last month as Galway scrutinised their performance levels in the three-point defeat to Mayo, one glaring statistic would have stood out. They did find the net twice in the last quarter in Salthill, but their conversion rate of two from nine in terms of goal chances would have made for sobering reading. In that sense, Padraic Joyce will be heartened by the sight of three goals registered against Armagh round two, scores fundamental to that success as Rob Finnerty, Kieran Molloy, and Matthew Tierney netted.
Tierney was again on target last night in Tralee, doing extremely well to break the defensive cover in the first half and boot home. Then there were the two swift counter-attacks in the finale that culminated in green flags, Finnian Ó Laoi placing Cian Hernon for one, Shane McGrath creating the chance for John Maher to bag another. Galway’s tally of eight goals recorded so far is the standout in the league, albeit a chunk of teams have another outing today.
“It’s very pleasing, we are working on that, trying to create goals,” admitted Joyce.
“They’re a big tonic for teams, Cian Hernon’s goal there today was vital for us to get us back on the run again.”
*****
5. League outlook close to halfway mark
Galway and Kerry find their league campaigns to date have closely resembled each other. One win apiece, both achieved by a single point. One defeat, Galway by three and Kerry by four. Then the draw last night when the pair faced off and embarked on a rollercoaster ride through a game of football.
It leaves both in a scenario where nothing is really settled, they’ll need a sustained push if they’re going to be in those top two spots, and wins will be needed at some stage to avoid looking anxiously over their shoulder. Galway are at home to Roscommon, before testing journeys to Ballyshannon and Inniskeen, and then finish at home to Dublin, their championship conquerors in Salthill last May.
Kerry head to Croke Park next Saturday night, host Monaghan the following Sunday in Killarney, and finish out by playing Mayo in Tralee, and travelling to Armagh.
*****
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