MATTHEW TIERNEY AND Paul Kelly grabbed the headlines by scoring 2-5 between then on their respective championship debuts for Galway in the Connacht semi-final victory over Roscommon.
But it was the quietly effective performance of Sean Kelly, Paul’s older brother, that laid the foundations for Galway’s impressive victory.
He made a vital burst forward to create a Galway goal in either half, while also completely shutting down Roscommon poacher Conor Cox.
It was an all-round masterclass from the Moycullen corner-back, who has developed into one of the best players around in his position. He was blooded by Kevin Wash during the 2018 season and has become one of the mainstays in the side ever since.
Defensive duties
While Padraic Joyce would have delighted in his involvement for both goals on Sunday, the primary objective for any defender first and foremost is to keep their marker quiet.
Cox arrived into this game with four scores from 10 shots during Division 1 campaign, so he wasn’t exactly shooting the lights out for the Rossies. But he has undoubted ability and like any forward, he thrives on space and confidence, neither of which were afforded to him by Kelly.
The former Kerry panellist managed to get just one shot away under the watchful eye of Kelly, which sailed wide, while his second wide of the day arrived while the defender was occupied with tackling Enda Smith. He was called ashore after 58 minutes.
When Cox loitered near the edge of the square inside, Kelly played him half a step in front. It meant he was always ready to cut out the popped pass in front of Cox, which he loves to receive.
Kelly’s searing pace meant Roscommon were reluctant to play such a ball into Cox for fear of it being turned over.
On the one occasion Cox did manage to get turned with the ball in hand, Kelly’s excellent footwork forced the forward to turn backwards and recycle possession.
In this position, most defenders would engage with Cox physically, which he wants them to do. The Eire Og clubman is a powerhouse and has the athleticism to draw a defender in and explode past them.
So Kelly instead didn’t overcommit to the tackle. He kept a half yard of space between them, with his hips square, his feet moving and his centre of gravity low.
He essentially invited Cox to take him on for pace down the line. Cox tried to jink inside onto his favoured right foot….
…but Kelly’s body position meant he was able to react quickly and deny Cox enough space to get a shot away….
…which eventually forced Cox to recycle the ball backwards to a team-mate. The danger was over.
On the attack
Roscommon sat deep and defended in numbers inside their own half, allowing Galway to bring the ball out up to the halfway line unopposed.
So when Galway worked the ball upfield, Kelly provided width on either flank to give them more attacking options and stretch the Roscommon defence.
This worked a treat for the first Galway goal in the 22nd minute. Kelly had occupied a place on the right flank when he received a pass from fellow corner-back Liam Silke inside the Roscommon 45.
Kelly immediately took a hard line towards the Roscommon goals, which drew several defenders towards him….
…and by the time he slipped a perfected weighted and timed pass into Peter Cooke, five defenders had converged on Kelly…
…which left Roscommon wide open at the back, and provided Sean’s brother Paul with the easiest of finishes.
Paul Kelly finds the back of the net for @Galway_GAA v @RoscommonGAA in the Connacht Senior Football Championship Semi-Final #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/tIa0cmTxlp
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 4, 2021
Not content with one great play, the corner-back made another lung-bursting run up field from Galway’s next attack a minute later.
This time a long kick-out travels over the head of Damien Comer and Kelly shows good anticipation to come onto the dropping ball…
…he’s tracked all the way by Cox, but Kelly gets to the bounce first and drives forward down the line…
…before he’s eventually fouled by Cox in a scoreable position.
Shane Walsh drops the free short, but it’s another example of Kelly’s impact going forward from deep.
When Galway turned the hosts over from deep, Kelly always provided a support run for the ball carrier, though he didn’t always receive the pass.
For the second goal in the 64th minute, which effectively put the game to bed, Kelly made a remarkable run from 21 to 21 inside 17 seconds.
Below, Liam Silke’s hand forces a turnover which is collected by Cooke.
A quick kick-pass from Cooke to Comer gets Galway transitioning quickly and Kelly immediately puts on the afterburners and takes off…
…Comer recycles the ball back to Walsh, by which time Kelly finds himself unmarked as the furthest forward Galway player on the field.
Look at the ground he’s after making up in the space of a few seconds. Walsh picks out his team-mate with an outside the boot pass…
…and he draws in two defenders before slipping it to Tierney…
…Enda Smith manages to get a hand on the ball, but Kelly is alive and he forces a dispossession before nutmegging a defender to set-up Tierney’s goal.
Matthew Tierney finishes the ball in the net for @Galway_GAA v @RoscommonGAA in the Connacht Senior Football Championship Semi-Final #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/H75oJc9MUe
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 4, 2021
It was a remarkable play from Kelly near the end of a game played in extremely tough conditions.
Galway’s defensive set-up was heavily criticised in the wake of the 4-21 they shipped to Kerry back in May, but it must be said they’ve improved considerably since then.
Of the back seven that started against the Kingdom, only three featured against Roscommon: Silke, Dylan McHugh and Johnny Heaney.
Corofin man McHugh is a solid presence at centre-back but it’s the form of Kelly that would have really pleased Joyce at the weekend.
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