Down 2-11 Galway 0-14: Down extinguished the last embers of Galway's league interests with a characteristically unreadable performance deep in the west. In front of a handful of loyal supporters, the northern team played some classic football over the last 20 minutes, inspired by their copper-headed leader Benny Coulter, who caused havoc in and around the Galway square.
It was an encouraging exit from the league for Down who now go into the summer as one of the dark horses of the championship.
As it transpired, Wexford's heroics against Laois meant a victory here would have meant nothing tangible to Galway anyway.
However, the memory of having ceded a 0-12 to 0-8 advantage over the last 20 minutes was not the most encouraging way for them to close their programme and is indicative of their uneven form through the spring.
"We didn't mind about the semi-finals really. We would probably prefer to be out of it, to be honest," said Galway selector Ja Fallon afterwards. "But we did want to win today just for a lift going into the championship. It looked for a while like it was just a matter of pushing for home. But Benny Coulter was causing us problems inside and he was the main threat really."
Coulter cut a menacing figure all afternoon, hanging deep in Galway territory with goals clearly on his mind. However, a palmed point after Ronan Murtagh gave Clive Monaghan the slip in the 14th minute was the only return for his efforts in the first half. A long ball from Alan Molloy played over the top of Galway full back Ciarán Fitzgerald forced a great save from Alan Keane on Coulter and was a portent of what was to come.
However, early in the second half, Fitzgerald made a brilliant intervention to cancel out a similar ball and looked to be coping with the Coulter threat. Then, with Galway seemingly poised for a leisurely canter for home, the Mayobridge man proceeded to run riot, taking control of a loose ball in Galway's square to beat Keane with a soccer shot and snapping over a point two minutes later to pull the sides level.
Those quick scores gave Down an electric charge and with Liam Doyle and Ambrose Rogers coming in from the bench, they assumed total control.
Galway switched Val Sweeney onto Coulter after Fitzgerald replaced the carded Burke at centre half back. But by the time they re-assigned Fitzgerald, Coulter had forced another great save from Keane and added the finishing touch to a great solo run by Liam Doyle, tapping a goal home from close range.
That score came with five minutes remaining and Down were rampant throughout the field. It was hard to figure as Galway had looked to be the controlling force for most of the game. Joe Bergin and Kieran Comer lorded midfield at one period but during Down's purple patch, it was all one-way traffic.
A welcome sight for the very modest crowd was the form of Derek Savage, full of running and sharp angles and his three points redolent of the vintage Galway days.
Paul Clancy gave a thorough and clever display at centre half forward and big John Devane was unlucky to leave the field scoreless, striking low off the post on 18 minutes and seeing a fine reflex strike fly past the goal early in the second half.
Pádraig Joyce was well contained despite drawing Adrian Scullion into a rash early foul and Micheál Meehan was unable to re-ignite Galway upon his introduction.
Broadcast word of Mayo firing Howitzer guns at the poor Westmeath boys filtered around the ground and hammered home how truly the order seems to have shifted in Connacht.
It has been neither a good nor a bad league for Galway but it was clear here that Peter Ford needs a few of the old soldiers back if this skilful but uncertain team are to make a run this year. With forwards like Coulter and Murtagh, who was also full of nimble invention, Down are capable of stinging any county for goals on their day.
And although they lack that heavyweight bulk of their two formidable Ulster rivals, they look suited to the thrill of summer football.
DOWN: B McVeigh; M Cole, A Scullion, A Rice; A Brannigan, A O'Prey, D Rafferty; A Molloy, D Gordon (0-1); P Murphy, A Ward (0-1), J Clarke (0-3, two frees); S Kearney; B Coulter (2-3), R Murtagh (0-3). Subs: C Laverty for Kearney (half-time), L Doyle for Murphy (49 mins), A Rogers for Ward (49 mins), R Sexton for Clarke (72 mins).
GALWAY: A Keane; T Giblin, K Fitzgerald, C Monaghan; D Meehan, D Burke, M Comer; J Bergin (0-1), K Comer (0-3); M Clancy (0-1), P Clancy (0-1), J Devane; D Savage (0-3), P Joyce (0-5, frees), S Walsh. Subs: S Armstrong for Giblin (34 mins, inj), T Costello for M Comer (half-time), T Joyce for Walsh (39 mins), M Meehan for Devane (55 mins),
YELLOW CARDS: Down - A Scullion (16 mins), replaced by B Grant. Galway - D Burke (53 mins), replaced by K Brady.
