Galway Ladies Football team are out of the All-Ireland Championship

By JIM CARNEY Kerry .1-13 Galway .1-7 AN anti-climax for Galway after two strong, confident, high-scoring displays in the Connacht final against Mayo and the All-Ireland quarter-final against Clare but it's difficult, almost impossible, to analyse last Saturday's semi-final at Birr when the events of the day in the midlands are taken into account. Galway played their big game against Kerry with total commitment and a will-to-win but their preparation in the two hours before the throw-in was hugely upset by an accident on the road to Birr. It happened near the village of Cloghan, where a motorcycle was in collision with a Galway supporters' bus taking young fans from the Dunmore MacHales Ladies Football Club to the game. Tragically, the motor-cyclist, who was in his 30s, died on Monday afternoon as a result of his injuries. When the Galway team bus arrived at the scene on Saturday at Ballaghanoher, Birr the motor-cyclist was attended by two Galway players, Dr Lorna Joyce from Clonbur and Nurse Geraldine Conneally, from Dunmore. Two more Galway players, Gardaí Annette Clarke and Johanna Connolly, also helped at the scene. One young girl on the supporters' bus was slightly injured. All bus passengers were brought to the game in another bus. The Galway team bus was stopped at the scene of the collision for over forty minutes, and Gardaí had to arrange a detour. The team were nearly an hour late getting to St Brendan's Park and hadn't time to go through their usual warm-up routine. Undoubtedly it added to the pressure of an already big occasion, but Galway selector John Fleming said afterwards it was to the immense credit of the players who helped at the crash scene that they switched their focus to the match and played with their usual spirit, determination and application. 'It was very upsetting for us all,' said John. 'We were thinking about the players but we also had to think about the brave youngsters from Dunmore, some of whom had their Maroon and White Galway teddy bears ripped from their hands with the sudden impact. When we got to the GAA grounds in Birr it was very difficult to turn your attention away from what had happened out the road and on to the game.' Everybody involved, players and mentors, accepted afterwards that the performance against Kerry was disappointing and they held their hands up. In the first half, Galway failed to take advantage of a strong wind blowing into the town goal and it was close to a lost cause when they found themselves in arrears on the scoreboard at half-time: Kerry 0-5 Galway 0-4. A cracking goal from play by Edel Concannon two minutes into the second half, after brilliant passing by Annette Clarke and Sinéad Burke, lifted Galway's spirits but it was all Kerry from there to the end, hitting 1-6 without reply to assert their superiority. Galway fought all the way, with the full-back line playing their hearts out and the lionhearted Sinéad Burke counter-attacking to the final whistle and breaking through tackle after tackle, but the Connacht champions were always playing catch-up and for most of the second half there was no doubt about the outcome. This defeat is a setback but this season the Galway team gave their loyal supporters much to savour in winning the West again, and I'd be confident the future is bright. Kerry scorers: S. Houlihan 0-5 (two frees), L. Ní Mhuircheartaigh 0-5, two frees, L. Scanlon 1-1, C. Kelly, D Corridan 0-1 each. Galway scorers: E. Concannon 1-2, 0-2 frees; L. Joyce, S. Burke, B. Walsh, T. Leonard (a free), G. O'Connor 0-1 each. Kerry: E. Murphy; C. Lynch, A. Leonard, A. Lyons; J. Brosnan, A. Desmond, C. Kelly; L. Scanlon, B. Breen, captain; S. Houlihan, E. Sherwood, L. Galvin (sub M. Quirke 54 mins); M. O'Connell (P. Dennehy 51 mins), D. Corridan, L. Ní Mhuircheartaigh. Galway: L. Higgins; M. Coyne, S. Conneally, R. McPhilbin; B. Hannon (sub B. Walsh 51 mins), E. Flaherty, S. Burke; E. Curley, A. Daly; G. Conneally, L. Joyce, C. Hehir, captain (sub T. Leonard, 51 mins); G. O'Connor (sub D. Brennan, 31 mins), A. Clarke (sub N, Duggan, 57 mins), E. Concannon (sub E Gannon, 51 mins). Referee: Eugene O'Hare (Down). Club fixtures this weekend (details on Facebook). Senior Championship: Caltra-St Cuan's vs St Brendan's; Corofin vs Gráinne Mhaols. Intermediate: Claregalway vs Killanin; Kilkerrin-Clonberne vs Tuam-Cortoon. Junior B. Barna vs St Mary's; Glinsk vs Moycullen. Junior D. Claregalway vs St Brendan's; Kilconly vs St James's. U-14 A, B, C, D Championships next Monday and Wednesday evenings.