Compiled
by Declan Rooney
Galway boss Tim Rabbitt expressed his satisfaction
as the Tribeswomen booked their place in the 2019 TG4 All-Ireland Senior
Championship quarter-finals.
Galway, beaten semi-finalists last year, defeated
Westmeath by 2-13 to 1-3 at TEG Cusack Park on Sunday, to ensure that they will
finish on top of Group 3 of the All-Ireland qualifiers, following on from the
Round 1 victory over Kerry.
Roisin Leonard bagged a crucial goal for Galway near
the end of the first-half, and despite Nicole Feery striking back for Sean Finnegan’s
side, Galway wrapped up the win thanks to a late goal from Leanne Coen.
“We’re happy to grind out a victory, considering it
was our fifth week in a row in action,” said Rabbitt.
“The girls are physically and mentally tired. There
is still a lot of work to do before the quarter-final in three weeks time, but
we’re happy to be there.”
Meanwhile, Cork blasted out an ominous statement of
intent during their first fixture in the All-Ireland series.
The 2018 runners-up and Lidl NFL Division 1 champions
scored a 6-19 to 3-8 victory over Cavan in Saturday’s televised fixture at TEG
Cusack Park, Mullingar.
Cavan are still in the hunt for a quarter-final
slot, however, and they’ll be relying on Cork to see off Armagh next weekend to
ensure progress in second place in Group 1.
“We were a bit sloppy today, so it’s something we
can work on,” said Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald.
“To be fair to Cavan, they’ve some serious forwards
there. It was a game probably we were never going to lose after the first-quarter
of an hour. Happy enough with the win and we got a great score. All in all, we
have to be pleased. But we wouldn’t be happy with conceding 3-8.”
In the first game at TEG Cusack Park, the shock of
the championship so far materialised when Tyrone edged past Ulster rivals
Donegal in a classic.
The sides had met previously in championship 2019,
in the Ulster preliminary round, but this time Tyrone were not to be denied.
This Group 4 result has thrown up all sort of
possibilities. Mayo had already beaten Tyrone last week, which meant Donegal
must beat Peter Leahy’s Connacht outfit next Saturday to have any hope of
making the quarter-finals. Should Donegal claim that key win all three teams
will be on two points each, which means scoring difference would be the
deciding factor.
“It was a game were really had to win,” said Tyrone
forward Maria Canavan. “We were disappointed with our performance against Mayo
last week. We knew coming today it was a must-win for us, to be in with a
chance to move forward. We’re delighted with the performance today and we saw
it out well.”
In the crucial Group 2 clash, Waterford got the
better of Monaghan to put themselves within touching distance of a
quarter-final slot.
The Déise had lost out to Dublin in Round 1 but this
win will almost certainly puts them through to the last eight, barring a major
surprise when Monaghan face Dublin in Round 3.
A hat-trick of goals from Eimear Fennell during five
first-half minutes set Waterford on the way to the win, while further goals
from Maria Delahunty, Aileen Wall and Kellyann Hogan saw them pull clear after
the break.
“We need to look at it now and take on whatever
challenges are ahead of us now and prepare properly for it,” said Waterford
manager Ciaran Curran.
“We are looking forward to it. We had a bit of
difficult start to the year ourselves so to be in this position now we are
really pleased.”
Meanwhile, in the TG4 Intermediate championship
favourites Tipperary stormed to a second win in a row with a 7-22 to 2-4
victory over Longford, which has sealed their place in the quarter-finals.
Meath were also very impressive winners in Group 2, and after their 21-point
victory over Wicklow they too can reach the last eight with another win next
weekend against Longford.
In Group 1 Kildare maintained their perfect start
with a slender four-point win over Sligo, and barring a big defeat to Down next
week they will go through. Down recovered from last week’s loss to Sligo by
beating Limerick, which has given them hope of qualifying too.
In Group 3, Clare secured a 4-13 to 1-12 win over
Laois, which has put them level with Wexford at the top of the standings.
Nothing is certain in this pool yet, but if Laois cannot beat Wexford by nine
points next weekend they will face a relegation play-off.
And in Group four of the IFC, Roscommon confirmed
their position as winners of the pool after a 16-point win over Offaly. Leitrim
face Offaly in the final game next weekend, where victory for either team will
seal their passage.
