Connacht SFC Final: Galway 1-14 Mayo 0-13 All quiet on the western front. Galway retained the Connacht football championship despite the distraction of an air show and a young Mayo team that is travelling skywards, writes Keith Duggan at Pearse Stadium.
With the band playing beforehand, 17 players in maroon lined up to meet President Mary McAleese. Galway were reluctant to show their hand until the last possible second.
With rumours of injury floating around Pearse Stadium, John O'Mahony embarked upon some major deconstruction, with Michael Meehan and Michael Donnellan erased from the starting line-up and Michael Comer and young Nicky Joyce coming in.
As it transpired, the replaced figures ended up having a significant influence on the match and Galway won comfortably while still leaving us guessing as to what they have left in the tank.
Here, as against Sligo a summer ago, they did enough to claim the silverware without any undue trouble.
They responded to Mayo's energy and athleticism with experience and class. As is often remarked, they have the richest harvest of attacking talent in the country.
When Ja Fallon encountered the ghost of his younger self in Gary Mullins's athletic bursts forward, Galway called the Tuam legend ashore after just 29 minutes.
With Donnellan the replacement, they could absorb the loss. It did not matter that Pauric Joyce had a subdued afternoon or that young Master Nicholas Joyce was largely bottled up on his debut.
Joe Bergin fired a gorgeous array of points and Seán De Paor and Declan Meehan came upfield to lob points on two occasions when Galway needed them.
As ever, Galway's statesmen - Kevin Walsh in particular - led by example. Trevor Mortimer started the day with intent against Gary Fahey but when the full back felt the flames against his toes, he stamped a foot and that was that.
It was not a lucky day for Mayo but then, what day ever was? They lost captain Fergal Costello to a clash of heads with Paul Clancy and were further troubled when Brian Maloney and the excellent Mullins rapped their skulls off each other.
Despite those disruptions, they looked up to the challenge for long periods. They were well structured and positive and managed to keep the Mayo wide count down to five.
One of those, however, will be long remembered. After 28 minutes, Conor Mortimer was dragged down when chasing a long ball in the square. Stephen Carolan stepped up to take the penalty and placed it metres wide of the post.
The Mayo groans drowned the noise of the flying machines overheard. At 0-5 each, it was a critical moment. Galway accepted their luck and seven minutes later, a long ball from Bergin skidded through Aidan Higgins and David Heaney into the hands of Matthew Clancy.
A burst of acceleration and the Galway forward was in a clearing. He finished beautifully and before they knew it, Mayo retired for the tea trailing by five points.
To their credit, they set about rebuilding. A thunderbolt from Ger Brady, frees by Mortimer, a fine point by Gill and finally a floated free by Maurice Sheridan after 59 minutes left the score at 1-10 to 0-12. There and then lay Mayo's moment.
It could be said that youth and inexperience let them down when they needed the poise.
But the truth is that Galway merely took ownership of the game again. Michael Meehan demanded a brilliant save from Fintan Ruddy in a move that resulted in a Matthew Clancy point. Then Meehan added another to leave a goal between the sides.
On the sideline, Maughan and company made the changes, sending the burly Liam Moffett deep into maroon country to mine a goal. The ball did not make it down that far.
Although the contest was alive on the scoreboard, Galway's control was total on the field. Matthew Clancy pointed to leave Galway safe and, at the same time, Fergal Kelly was red-carded for a challenge on De Paor. On other days, he would have been merely cautioned.
Mayo learned enough about themselves to make their failure to pocket a provincial medal tolerable.
On a day when their attacking options tilted too heavily on the slender shoulders of Conor Mortimer, they managed to live with the most potent attacking force they will meet. And although Galway ultimately bossed midfield, Mayo's young axis both had their moments. David Heaney's robust presence was one of the most impressive aspects of Mayo's solid defence.
They were caught flat for the goal but overall coped well with the variations that Galway flung at them.
For Galway, the next few weeks are critical. Although pleased with the win, they had the look of a team that has seen all this before.
A number of questions remain. They need to find a suitable home for Donnellan and the Dunmore man needs a good 70 minutes of creative football if he is to touch upon the form of 2000.
Yesterday, Richie Fahey played at centre-back, a stop-gap measure. The number six issue still needs to be resolved. So far, it has been a slow burning campaign for Galway and now that the show is certain to travel east, a faster lifestyle awaits.
They are provincial champions and All-Ireland contenders but we have yet to see their best. It has been a while - the All-Ireland final of 2001 in fact - since anyone has seen Galway fully on song. All in good time.
GALWAY: B Donohoe; K Fitzgerald, G Fahey, M Comer; D Meehan (0-1), R Fahey, S De Paor (0-1); K Walsh, J Bergin (0-4); P Clancy, M Clancy (1-2), J Fallon; N Joyce (0-1, free), P Joyce (0-2, 1 free), D Savage (0-1). Subs: M Meehan (0-2) for P Clancy (17 mins inj), M Donnellan for J Fallon (29 mins), T Joyce for N Joyce (57 mins), D O'Brien for R Fahey ( 71 mins), P Clancy for M Clancy (71 mins).
MAYO: F Ruddy; A Higgins, D Heaney, G Ruane; G Mullins, J Nallen, F Costello; F Kelly, J Gill (0-1); T Mortimer, D Sweeney (0-1), A Dillon; C Mortimer (0-6, 4 frees), B Maloney (0-1), S Carolan (0-1). Subs: K Mortimer for F Costello (6 mins inj), G Brady (0-1) for B Maloney (38 mins blood), P Kelly for G Mullins ( 38 mins inj), B Maloney for S Carolan (48 mins), M Sheridan (0-2 frees) for M Sweeney (58 mins), L Moffet for C Mortimer (66 mins).
Referee: M Monahan (Kildare).
