CONNACHT SFC FINAL - Galway 2-12 Mayo 1-14:THEY SAID in the bars around Castlebar you could toss a coin on this one. And it was heads or tails until the final whistle when, after a late rally of trademark shooting from distance, Galway found themselves in front by a lone point.
It marked the Tribesmen's 44th Connacht football title and, played out in front of a packed and receptive crowd of 31,789 in this famous arena, this one was consolidated what has been a restorative season for the maroon game.
Not only did this victory grant another year of bragging rights along the Galway-Mayo border, it meant Galway had avoided the troubling record of falling short in three provincial finals in succession.
As champions of the west, Galway can plan for the quarter-finals in bold mood. They are not yet the finished thing but they survived a genuinely stern championship test here and the usual grumbles about a lack of presence about midfield and a back line ready to cough up goals will be presented as reasons why they cannot win the All-Ireland.
But Galway look like a unit that is becoming tighter and mentally more stubborn after each day out and the manner in which they closed out this game suggests they have a wonderfully arrogant collective belief in their ability to create and nail the scores when a match is on the line.
That absolute conviction, in a championship that has not exactly glittered with high-scoring teams, could frighten opposition. You might fancy stinging Galway for a couple of goals, but would you really want to get into a shoot-out with them?
On a day when Matthew Clancy, their leading man throughout the Connacht campaign, did not really feature and when Nickey Joyce - despite kicking plenty of good football - did not score - Galway were able to manufacture scores from elsewhere.
Fiachra Breathnach, who has quietly carved out an industrious starting role on this side, was at hand to slip a goal in during a period when Galway were rampant.
Cormac Bane, a young man who has earned his minutes, made full use of this opportunity and landed three points, including a huge hoof on 68 minutes which effectively won it for the Tribesmen.
And during that last five minutes, with the game level at 1-12 to 2-9, it was two other substitutes, Salthill's Seán Armstrong and former minor star Paul Conroy who stepped up to fire the scores that winded Mayo.
Very few counties have talent like that in reserve and that gives Galway reason to feel plenty good about themselves over the next fortnight.
But perhaps, banging about in the back of their minds, is the nagging knowledge that there were a few moments during an unflagging and highly exciting second half when Galway were at the mercy of the Mayo men. The second half was chiefly about the composure of Galway's point-taking during a strong and passionate Mayo revival.
After 26 minutes, it appeared as if the home team were on the point of capitulation. They trailed by 2-4 to 0-3 and would have been further in arrears but for a beefy save from David Clarke on Nickey Joyce's 8th-minute shot. Mayo were at sea during this period.
Galway's Barry Cullinane was in destructive mode at midfield and with plenty of ball coming in, the Galway forwards went to town. David Heaney coped as well as was possible on Pádraic Joyce but the Killererin man appears to be in unstoppable form and, after hammering a 12th minute chance wide, it was no real surprise when he spun home and fired cleanly on goal eight minutes later.
Time and time again, the Mayo backs let the Galway attackers drift goal side of them and Micheál Meehan found Breathnach utterly unmarked for the second goal.
Mayo's unhappiness was compounded by the sad sight of Trevor Mortimer limping off after what had been a fine 22 minutes, when he attacked the Galway rearguard with the directness of a torpedo. The Shrule man has had a rough few seasons with injury and looked here to have rediscovered the old form and attitude.
John O'Mahony made liberal substitutions before and after half- time and everything worked. Aidan Higgins brought a huge amount to the defence, Aidan Kilcoyne shot the 55th-minute goal that gave Mayo the lead and Billy Joe Padden marked the occasion with two big second half points.
Slowly, Mayo turned an awful beginning around. Alan Dillon was on song throughout and gradually, Ronan McGarrity came to boss matters at centre field and during Mayo's most effective period, he ran the show.
The old school - James Nallen, Heaney and Peadar Gardiner - suddenly looked at home - and when Pat Harte struck a cleverly taken point to leave Mayo 1-12 to 2-7 to the good, Mayo had the winning of the day.
They probably would have realised it too but for the presence of Pádraic Joyce. He showed every ounce of the old craft and know how when it really mattered here.
When Galway were under the most serious pressure, it was Joyce who held the torch, lobbing a point in the 53rd minute and again in the 56th. Both these scores were lone strikes of remarkable economy that instantly cancelled out wonderfully worked Mayo points.
Joyce kept Galway breathing hot down the Mayo necks and thus set the team up for the great flourish of points by the young guns that Liam Sammon sent in with such devastating timing.
Mayo had a few chances to kill it here - Kilcoyne might have bagged a second goal with 10 minutes left - but for all the disappointments, they won't have too many regrets.
It was time-honoured Mayo-Galway stuff - plenty of bite, damn all spite and the winner scraping through. Mayo may well revert to a veteran defence for the remainder of this championship but unless they pull out a horrible team in the qualifying draw, they will feel they can join their neighbours in the elite stage of the competition.
Galway have the cup this year, then and head for the bright lights of the city in ambitious mood.
GALWAY:P Doherty; G Bradshaw (0-1), F Hanley, D Burke; N Coyne, D Blake, G Sice; B Cullinane, N Coleman; M Clancy, P Joyce (1-3), N Joyce; C Bane (0-3), M Meehan (0-3, two frees), F Breathnach (1-0). Subs: K Fitzgerald for Coyne (34 mins); S Armstrong (0-1) for Clancy (half-time); P Conroy (0-1) for Coleman (53 mins); M Lydone for N Joyce (55 mins); N Coleman for Bane (70 mins).
MAYO:D Clarke; K Higgins, K Conroy, C Boyle; T Cunniffe, D Heaney, J Nallen; R McGarrity, T Parsons (0-1); A Dillon (0-7, four frees), P Harte (0-1), T Mortimer (0-1), C Mortimer (0-2, one free), A O'Malley, A Moran. Subs: A Kilcoyne (1-0) for T Mortimer (22 mins, inj); A Higgins for Conroy (30 mins); P Gardiner for Boyle (22 mins); BJ Padden (0-2) for O'Malley (40 mins); M Ronaldson for Parsons (68 mins).
Referee:D Coldrick (Meath)
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