IT WAS A week of contrasting fortunes for Galway forward Oisín Mac Donnacha. Nine days ago, he watched Roscommon keeper Aaron Brady save his goal-bound shot that would have snatched victory for his team.
He got another bite after gathering possession from the rebound but was quickly overturned before he could shoot. Galway had built up a 13-point lead in that game only to end up one point shy at the final whistle.
It was a different scene entirely for Mac Donnacha on Sunday as he collected the man-of- the-match award after an seven-point exhibition against Donegal. That brings his running tally in the league to 0-12, including three two-pointers and two frees.
Hailing from the Naomh Anna Leitir Móir club, the Gaeilgeoir accepted his award from TG4 after the game.
"Ní éirigh linn ach pointe amháin ach tá Muineacháin an chéad cluiche eile as baile ". 🗣️
Smaointe Laoch na hImeartha Oisín Mac Donnacha tar éis an chluiche.
He spoke of the disappointment in the camp after fumbling a chance at victory for the second week in a row. And when his fine display was put to him, the in-form Mac Donnacha deflected from his own input and emphasised the “good wind behind us.”
Mac Donnacha’s frustrations were understandable given Galway’s numerical advantage after midfielder Michael Langan received a black card in the first half. Incidentally, that punishment was for a challenge on Mac Donnacha. Donegal defender Stephen McMenamin was later dismissed with a second yellow card on 43 minutes, not long after Langan returned to the field.
But it was still an important result on the road for Galway who also nabbed a draw in Kerry after a second-half comeback. They came home from their trip to Armagh with a win after a dramatic finish which saw defender Ross McQuillan punished for dissent and Rob Finnerty tapped over the resultant free.
Advertisement
Mac Donnacha’s contribution was the big highlight of their latest away performance. And his accuracy was all the more delightful to watch given the dreadful weather conditions in Ballyshannon.
His two-pointer arrived on the half-hour mark. Galway defender Johnny McGrath launched the move after pouncing on a loose pass and quickly found Liam Ó Conghaile. Seán Kelly then got on the ball as he came through the centre at speed. He sent a delivery out wide to Mac Donnacha who took two plays to create some space before raising an orange flag with a boomer off his right boot.
35 nóim
Dún na nGall 1-07 Gaillimh 0-13
An bonnán séidte agus scór eile faighte ag Gaillimh.📢
Galway finish the half very strongly to take a 3 point lead.
This effort from just inside the arc to beat the first-half buzzer was another beautiful score.
It was the product of a well-worked team move which started with a John Maher solo and go. Kelly was involved again, with Jack Glynn also featuring, before Mac Donnacha received a pass on the loop from Cian Hernon to arrow his shot between the posts. That sent Galway into the dressing room with 0-13 to 1-7 lead.
Mac Donnacha has played U20 football for Galway and has become a prolific forward for his club Naomh Anna Leitir Móir. He was part of the team that contested the Intermediate Connacht final in January 2022, scoring three frees as his side lost out to Roscommon’s St Faithleach’s after extra-time.
He’s been a prominent feature for Galway throughout the league too. He made his debut in the competition against Mayo, and though the result did not favour Galway, he marked his introduction with 0-3, including one two-pointer.
He found his two-point range again in Round 3 against Kerry, landing this monstrous shot in the early stages of the second half as Galway mounted a comeback from 12 points down to earn a draw.
Mac Donnacha’s emergence provides a major boost for Joyce, particularly at a time when some of his main attacking threats are not at his disposal.
Damien Comer has yet to feature in 2026 due to ongoing injury frustrations while Shane Walsh is also a major absentee. He made substitute appearances against Mayo and Armagh, scoring a point in the second game. But the Kilmacud Crokes star has not featured since.
Galway are also temporarily without 2025 Young Footballer of the Year nominee Matthew Thompson. The Salthill-Knocknacarra man had an exciting breakout season last year but is away on Erasmus at the moment. He will miss all of Galway’s Division 1 games but it’s hoped that he will return in time for the championship.
Peter Cooke, who offers an option at midfield and half-forward, is unable to commit to the Galway panel this season due to work commitments in London.
But Mac Donnacha is one of the players who has provided the antidote to those setbacks in personnel. Ciarán Mulhern is another, producing some standout performances in the league so far. Like Mac Donnacha, the Mountbellew-Moylough man also made his league bow against Mayo, helping himself to 0-3, including one two-point free. He added three more points from play on Sunday against Donegal.
Maigh Cuilinn’s Fionn McDonagh, another league debutant in the Mayo game, finished that tie with 1-4.
Shane McGrath made his first league start against Kerry and announced himself with 0-5, including two crucial two-pointers to ensure that his side left Austin Stack Park with a share of the spoils. He was named man of the match on the night and drew huge praise from Joyce, who spoke about the resolve that McGrath has demonstrated to earn his shot.
“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 [MacHales] proud tonight.”
These fresh faces have excelled in their auditions for Galway and are making a strong claim for match time in the championship. Should some of Galway’s more seasoned campaigners become available again as the season progresses, Joyce could have some selection dilemmas to confront.
Joyce alluded to that when speaking to Off The Ball after their draw against Donegal. He was asked specifically about Mac Donnacha and how he responded from his disappointment against Roscommon by outshining the rest of the field in Donegal.
Related Reads
Kickouts key as dominant Derry inflict major damage on Cork's promotion bid
Vital win for Dublin as they bounce back with 1-21 tally against Roscommon
Mayo hold off Armagh fightback to claim victory in Castlebar
🗣️ "There's more to life than football"
🗣️ "He's a typical inside forward... he was super today"
Galway manager Padraic Joyce on the reaction of Oisin Mac Donnacha, new forwards putting their hands up, and the importance of the players getting a break next weekend.#GAApic.twitter.com/ItY25hC8u0
“He’s a typical inside forward. He seen the lights last week and went for the goal.
“Other days, you’d be giving out about fellas punching the ball over the bar when they’re one on one. But we didn’t blame him for the game. That was one incident in the game [where] we could have nicked a draw. We were 13 up that night and only have ourselves to blame.
“He was super today. He took on the responsibility with the shots and kicked a great two [pointer] in the first half, and two good frees as well. And another three from general play so I’m very happy with that.
“People keep asking me about lads that [are] injured. I always worry about the guys that’s there on the pitch. They’re fighting for the jersey. They’ve stood up the whole league.”
Galway enter their break period now before getting on the road again to head up to Monaghan on Sunday, 15 March. Joyce has explained that the players will be given this time to reset before their last two outings of the league, and “get away from listening to me for a weekend.”
Galway will be heavily tipped to pick up their second win of the campaign when they travel to face a Monaghan side that has zero points after five rounds, and a scoring difference of -55 which is the worst across all four football divisions. Dublin, who are currently on the same number of points as Galway, provide the opposition in the final round.
Plenty of opportunities for Mac Donnacha and the other newcomers to keep tightening their grip of the Galway jersey.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'He was super today': New crop of forwards leading the way for Tribesmen
IT WAS A week of contrasting fortunes for Galway forward Oisín Mac Donnacha. Nine days ago, he watched Roscommon keeper Aaron Brady save his goal-bound shot that would have snatched victory for his team.
He got another bite after gathering possession from the rebound but was quickly overturned before he could shoot. Galway had built up a 13-point lead in that game only to end up one point shy at the final whistle.
It was a different scene entirely for Mac Donnacha on Sunday as he collected the man-of- the-match award after an seven-point exhibition against Donegal. That brings his running tally in the league to 0-12, including three two-pointers and two frees.
Hailing from the Naomh Anna Leitir Móir club, the Gaeilgeoir accepted his award from TG4 after the game.
He spoke of the disappointment in the camp after fumbling a chance at victory for the second week in a row. And when his fine display was put to him, the in-form Mac Donnacha deflected from his own input and emphasised the “good wind behind us.”
Mac Donnacha’s frustrations were understandable given Galway’s numerical advantage after midfielder Michael Langan received a black card in the first half. Incidentally, that punishment was for a challenge on Mac Donnacha. Donegal defender Stephen McMenamin was later dismissed with a second yellow card on 43 minutes, not long after Langan returned to the field.
But it was still an important result on the road for Galway who also nabbed a draw in Kerry after a second-half comeback. They came home from their trip to Armagh with a win after a dramatic finish which saw defender Ross McQuillan punished for dissent and Rob Finnerty tapped over the resultant free.
Mac Donnacha’s contribution was the big highlight of their latest away performance. And his accuracy was all the more delightful to watch given the dreadful weather conditions in Ballyshannon.
His two-pointer arrived on the half-hour mark. Galway defender Johnny McGrath launched the move after pouncing on a loose pass and quickly found Liam Ó Conghaile. Seán Kelly then got on the ball as he came through the centre at speed. He sent a delivery out wide to Mac Donnacha who took two plays to create some space before raising an orange flag with a boomer off his right boot.
This effort from just inside the arc to beat the first-half buzzer was another beautiful score.
It was the product of a well-worked team move which started with a John Maher solo and go. Kelly was involved again, with Jack Glynn also featuring, before Mac Donnacha received a pass on the loop from Cian Hernon to arrow his shot between the posts. That sent Galway into the dressing room with 0-13 to 1-7 lead.
Mac Donnacha has played U20 football for Galway and has become a prolific forward for his club Naomh Anna Leitir Móir. He was part of the team that contested the Intermediate Connacht final in January 2022, scoring three frees as his side lost out to Roscommon’s St Faithleach’s after extra-time.
He’s been a prominent feature for Galway throughout the league too. He made his debut in the competition against Mayo, and though the result did not favour Galway, he marked his introduction with 0-3, including one two-pointer.
He found his two-point range again in Round 3 against Kerry, landing this monstrous shot in the early stages of the second half as Galway mounted a comeback from 12 points down to earn a draw.
Mac Donnacha’s emergence provides a major boost for Joyce, particularly at a time when some of his main attacking threats are not at his disposal.
Damien Comer has yet to feature in 2026 due to ongoing injury frustrations while Shane Walsh is also a major absentee. He made substitute appearances against Mayo and Armagh, scoring a point in the second game. But the Kilmacud Crokes star has not featured since.
Galway are also temporarily without 2025 Young Footballer of the Year nominee Matthew Thompson. The Salthill-Knocknacarra man had an exciting breakout season last year but is away on Erasmus at the moment. He will miss all of Galway’s Division 1 games but it’s hoped that he will return in time for the championship.
Peter Cooke, who offers an option at midfield and half-forward, is unable to commit to the Galway panel this season due to work commitments in London.
But Mac Donnacha is one of the players who has provided the antidote to those setbacks in personnel. Ciarán Mulhern is another, producing some standout performances in the league so far. Like Mac Donnacha, the Mountbellew-Moylough man also made his league bow against Mayo, helping himself to 0-3, including one two-point free. He added three more points from play on Sunday against Donegal.
Maigh Cuilinn’s Fionn McDonagh, another league debutant in the Mayo game, finished that tie with 1-4.
Shane McGrath made his first league start against Kerry and announced himself with 0-5, including two crucial two-pointers to ensure that his side left Austin Stack Park with a share of the spoils. He was named man of the match on the night and drew huge praise from Joyce, who spoke about the resolve that McGrath has demonstrated to earn his shot.
“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 [MacHales] proud tonight.”
These fresh faces have excelled in their auditions for Galway and are making a strong claim for match time in the championship. Should some of Galway’s more seasoned campaigners become available again as the season progresses, Joyce could have some selection dilemmas to confront.
Joyce alluded to that when speaking to Off The Ball after their draw against Donegal. He was asked specifically about Mac Donnacha and how he responded from his disappointment against Roscommon by outshining the rest of the field in Donegal.
“He’s a typical inside forward. He seen the lights last week and went for the goal.
“Other days, you’d be giving out about fellas punching the ball over the bar when they’re one on one. But we didn’t blame him for the game. That was one incident in the game [where] we could have nicked a draw. We were 13 up that night and only have ourselves to blame.
“He was super today. He took on the responsibility with the shots and kicked a great two [pointer] in the first half, and two good frees as well. And another three from general play so I’m very happy with that.
“People keep asking me about lads that [are] injured. I always worry about the guys that’s there on the pitch. They’re fighting for the jersey. They’ve stood up the whole league.”
Galway enter their break period now before getting on the road again to head up to Monaghan on Sunday, 15 March. Joyce has explained that the players will be given this time to reset before their last two outings of the league, and “get away from listening to me for a weekend.”
Galway will be heavily tipped to pick up their second win of the campaign when they travel to face a Monaghan side that has zero points after five rounds, and a scoring difference of -55 which is the worst across all four football divisions. Dublin, who are currently on the same number of points as Galway, provide the opposition in the final round.
Plenty of opportunities for Mac Donnacha and the other newcomers to keep tightening their grip of the Galway jersey.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Division 1 Football GAA Gaelic Football Galway GAA New Kids on the Block Oisín Mac Donnacha