Conroy and Finnerty combine for 0-6 as Galway overcome Mayo to book Connacht league final spot

LAST UPDATE | 7 Jan 2022

Galway 0-17

Mayo 0-13

Cian O’Connell reporting at the NUI Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome

GALWAY EDGED OUT Mayo in Bekan to advance to next Friday’s Connacht FBD League decider at the same venue.

Roscommon and Sligo collide at the penultimate stage tomorrow to determine Galway’s opponents in the final.

This was a satisfactory evening at the excellent indoor complex for Galway, who did enough to overcome Mayo.

With the hard working Damien Comer and Finnian Ó Laoi instrumental, Galway enjoyed plenty of encouraging moments throughout a lively opening period.

When the interval rolled around Padraic Joyce’s outfit led by 0-10 to 0-7 with a crucial burst occurring when Mayo’s Padraig O’Hora was black carded in the 11th minute.

Mayo led by the minimum at that stage, but Galway outscored Mayo 0-4 to 0-1 in the subsequent 10 minute spell with Johnny Heaney and Comer delivering gorgeous points.

At the opposite end of the field Fionnan Duffy was clipping frees impressively for Mayo, but Galway, with Paul Conroy influential, were ahead at the break.

After the restart Ryan O’Donoghue made a significant impact for Mayo, but Galway remained cool.

O’Donoghue carried a potent threat as Mayo trimmed the gap down to a single point, 0-13 to 0-12, when Fergal Boland struck a sweet 53rd minute effort.

Galway responded with substitutes Shane Walsh (two) and Tomo Culhare rifling over important scores.

O’Donoghue brought Mayo back within a goal when converting a free, but Paul Kelly’s late score sealed the deal for Galway.

Scorers for Galway: Paul Conroy (2fs) and Rob Finnerty (3fs) 0-3 each, Damien Comer, Johnny Heaney, Matthew Tierney (45), and Shane Walsh (1m, 1f) 0-2 each, Paul Kelly, Tomo Culhane, and Dessie Conneely (f) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 0-5 (4fs), Fionnan Duffy 0-4 (4fs), Fergal Boland 0-2, Sam Callinan and Frank Irwin 0-1 each.

Galway: Conor Flaherty; Jack Glynn, Sean Fitzgerald, Liam Silke; Johnny Heaney, Dylan McHugh, Cillian McDaid; Niall Daly, Matthew Tierney; Cormac McWalter, Paul Conroy; Finnian Ó Laoi; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Conneely.

Subs: Tony Gill for McDaid (HT), Tomo Culhane for Conneely (HT), James McLoughlin for Daly (HT), Paul Kelly for Finnerty (48), Patrick Kelly for McWalter (48), Kieran Molloy for Glynn (53), Shane Walsh for Comer (53), Johnny McGrath for Silke (56), Liam Costello for Tierney (59), Dylan Canney for Ó Laoi (64).

Mayo: Rory Byrne; Donnacha McHugh, Padraig O’Hora, Sam Callinan; Paddy Durcan, Michael Plunkett, Eoghan McLaughlin; Conor O’Shea, Jordan Flynn; Fergal Boland, Diarmuid O’Connor, Frank Irwin; Justin Healy, Fionnan Duffy, Frank Irwin.

Subs: Ryan O’Donoghue for Mahon (HT), Rory Brickenden for Plunkett (HT), Paddy Heneghan for Healy (HT), Conor Loftus for Duffy (47), Stephen Coen for Durcan (53), Ruairi Keane for McHugh (53), Mattie Ruane for Irwin (53), Darren Coen for Callinan (66).

Referee: John Gilmartin (Sligo).