Galway footballers injury crisis deepens for trip to Monaghan

After a chastening 1-15 to 0-7 defeat to Dublin last Saturday night in Croke Park in the Allianz Football League, next up for Kevin Walsh's side is a trip to Inishkeen to play Monaghan on Sunday (2pm). Both sides are on 2 points in Division 1 after Monaghan suffered a surprise defeat late on against Roscommon, so the loser next Sunday could find themselves in a battle to stay in the top flight.

The Tribesmen, however, have been hit with further injury setbacks as Declan Kyne, Cillian McDaid and Sean Andy O'Ceallaigh (shoulder) will all be sidelined for a number of weeks, with Kyne (ankle) and McDaid (foot) set to miss the remainder of the league. Long term injuries to Damien Comer, Eamon Brannigan, Paul Conroy and Adrian Varley continue to be monitored, while John Daly has also not played due to injury since lining out against Mayo in the FBD League last month. With the Corofin contingent absent due to their upcoming All Ireland club semi final on February 16th, manager Kevin Walsh is facing something of a crisis heading to Iniskeen on Sunday.

Galway and Monaghan had little or no history in the league until the sides drew 1-8 apiece in the league in 1981, a year in which Galway last went on to win the title. Since then, Galway have played Monaghan on 7 occasions, with Galway winning 4 and losing 3. Galway's first win in Monaghan came in December 1990, when Conor O'Dea kicked 2-2 and Val Daly 1-1 in Clontibret as Galway won promotion that season from Division 3. Their next win came in 2012 when Alan Mulholland's side won by 1-14 to 0-12 in Iniskeen, with Padraig Joyce kicking 0-6 and substitute Danny Cummins getting the goal. All of Monaghan's league wins over Galway have been at home; in 1996 corner forward Declan Smyth kicked 1-7 in a comfortable 1-13 to 0-8 win in Clones, Paul Finlay (0-6) and Conor McManus (0-5) did the damage in 2011 in Iniskeen in a 0-19 to 0-14 win, while Finlay also kicked a last gasp winner in Clones in 2014 when Monaghan won by 0-13 to 0-12.

Galway V Monaghan Previous Meetings

1981 – Galway 1-8 Monaghan 1-8 - Castleblayney

1991 – Galway 3-12 Monaghan 0-6 - Clontibret

1996 – Monaghan 1-13 Galway 0-8 - Clones

2010 - Galway 1-20 Monaghan 1-14 - Pearse Stadium

2011 – Monaghan 0-19 Galway 0-14 - Iniskeen

2012 – Galway 1-14 Monaghan 0-12 - Iniskeen

2014 – Monaghan 0-13 Galway 0-12 - Clones

2018 – Galway 0-17 Monaghan 1-10 - Pearse Stadium

Galway and Monaghan have met twice in the championship: last
year in the Super 8s when Monaghan won by 0-16 to 0-8 in Pearse Stadium and in
the 1938 All-Ireland Semi-Final when Galway were victorious by 2-10 to 2-3.