A look at some key moments on a memorable sporting occasion
Galway vs Westmeath match analysis: Where the game was won and lost
In their thousands the Westmeath supporters travelled, Salthill transformed into a sea of maroon and white for Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC Round 2A clash against Galway.
It made for a memorable sporting occasion on a fine sunny afternoon with an estimated 15,000 Lake County fans in attendance. A new generation of Westmeath supporters are now following Mark McHugh’s side and they cheered on their heroes with great gusto. It was a special atmosphere in Pearse Stadium and a wonderful sporting occasion.
Ultimately, Galway had the greater strength in key areas, with Céin D’Arcy superb in the midfield sector and Shane Walsh excellent in the inside forward line. They seemed so well balanced, something special in almost every area and it will be interesting to see just how they fare in their All-Ireland quarter-final.
Westmeath enjoyed fine spells in either half and the manner in which they battled from nine points adrift in the second half to get within two points of the winners, before eventually losing by three, was truly impressive.
The journey continues next Sunday against Monaghan at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones (4pm), but a look at some key moments from last Sunday’s game shows Westmeath are not far off the mark.
The third Galway goal
The Galway goal before half-time was a killer blow. It was perhaps the most significant moment in the match. Westmeath had the ball and the opportunity was there to play the clock down a little more, but instead game management cost them. Sam McCartan tried for a long-range point into the stiff breeze and Galway countered to devastating effect. Shane Walsh lofted a high ball into the square and Matthew Tierney pounced to fist the ball to the net.
The score had a destabilising impact. Mark McHugh spoke of how players were visibly shattered at the break and even though they picked themselves up and produced such a great second half, that goal was a massive moment.
Decision making came into the reckoning also. Westmeath had control of the ball and that is the crucial point – they just needed to be smarter and more clinical. McCartan will realise that point into the breeze wasn’t on from that distance and that is just part of the learning experience for this Westmeath team.
Errors punished
The first Galway goal, which came after a poor Westmeath kickout, was another crucial moment in this game. Lethal corner-forward Shane Walsh, scorer of 1-4, swooped to score the goal when Jason Daly’s kickout to Tadhg Baker went astray. It was a costly turnover, and Galway had the ideal start with the elements in their favour as they surged into a lead of 2-4 to 0-2 – the second goal coming from Cian Hernon.
Westmeath’s fine recovery
Ronan Wallace’s goal had Westmeath firmly back in contention as they trailed by just four points after 20 minutes, 2-4 to 1-3. It was a significant moment and got the Lake County right back into the match after Galway’s powerful start.
Galway survive
Brían Cooney’s goal chance: Westmeath had just kicked four points without reply per Cooney, Brandon Kelly, Ray Connellan and John Heslin, and they created a great opening. But Cooney’s left-footed effort was scrambled clear by the Galway goalie Connor Gleeson. The Kinnegad man just didn’t have enough power in the finish, having showed great pace to get through the Galway cover. A Westmeath goal at that stage would have got them back to within a point – instead they were left facing a seven-point deficit at the break. Such are the fine margins of the game at the highest level.
Drumm unlucky with refereeing call
Westmeath were trailing by eight points after 62 minutes, but were battling ferociously to get back into the match. Charlie Drumm won the ball in defence and as he was attempting to break out, Galway’s Damien Comer stripped the ball from his grasp, illegally so (to wrest the ball from an opponent is a foul). Galway were awarded a free, however, and Westmeath protests led to the ball being moved in front of goal for a routine score. Westmeath staged a great recovery to get back within two points after that.
Duncan denied
Westmeath had serious momentum late on and substitute Jack Duncan was unlucky not to gather the ball after he overturned a Galway player attempting to break out of defence. The ball spilled out over the sideline and Galway won a disputed sideline kick. Had Duncan got in the clear, a scoring chance was most certainly on.
Two-pointers
Westmeath had a number of two-pointer efforts in the second half that were off target. The elements were in their favour, a strong breeze at their backs, but they just fell short in terms of accuracy. Ronan Wallace, Robbie Forde and Sam McCartan all kicked two-pointers; had Westmeath taken all of their chances in that regard, it could well have been a different outcome. They missed four, however.
In TEG Cusack Park, the two-pointers went over in wet conditions; in the Salthill sunshine, they drifted wide. Yes, the Galway pressure was different, players prepared to step up to the arc and beyond to put pressure on the shooter, which was a factor also. In the new game, two-pointers are crucial. Never before has the art of accurate kicking been so crucial in the game.
Galway goal chances
Westmeath were under serious pressure at times in the second half and Galway had a few openings which ended with them settling for points rather than taking the risk and trying to work goals. They had that luxury as they enjoyed a healthy lead for long stretches and keeping the score board ticking over kept pressure on Westmeath. Also, Galway held possession really well and forced Westmeath to work extremely hard to force turnovers, which of course had an impact in terms of fatigue on a sultry afternoon.
Kickout woes
Kickouts are crucial in the modern game and there’s massive pressure on goalkeepers: Westmeath struggled against the breeze in the opening half and the ball hung in the air. Galway applied serious pressure and got some joy, which led to scores. However, when Westmeath had their spell of dominance, the Galway kickout also came under strong pressure and wasn’t flawless, but crucially they didn’t concede anything major.