WITH FOUR WINS from four championship outings, and a Connacht three-in-a-row already banked, Galway are in decent condition after a mixed league campaign.

They’ve scored eight goals and conceded none as they currently hold pole position in Group 1 after a vital win over Derry earlier this month. Westmeath are up next, who Galway defeated by eight points in last year’s meeting and were edged out by Armagh in their group opener.

The Tribesmen will surely be aiming to win out the Group and progress straight to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. They were on course for that target last year but were undone by a narrow defeat to Armagh, and subsequently crashed out after losing to Mayo in the preliminary quarter-finals.

1. Adapt to losses in personnel

Injuries have been an unfortunate theme for the Galway footballers in 2024, and the plague seems to have returned ahead of the team Westmeath game. Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer and captain Seán Kelly have all been ruled out having just recently returned from injury. Comer and Finnerty are major losses to the inside forward line, having scored 1-13 between them against Sligo, Mayo and Derry. They both limped off against Derry, with Comer appearing to struggle with an ankle injury following a stamp by Gareth McKinless which resulted in a red card for the Derry defender.

Kelly, who has been moved from full-back to midfield this year, scored one of the two crucial goals in the Derry victory and his athleticism is a major asset for Galway.

Galway have taken these hits already this season. At one point, their injury toll was up at 21, forcing them to explore the depths of their panel through the league and part of the Connacht championship. John Maher starts in place of Kelly, but has been playing around the middle third in the championship which should make for an easy transition. His partner Paul Conroy has been dominating the position lately, scoring three brilliant points against Derry. Shane Walsh, who is coming back to form after injury bother, will be the main scoring threat while Finnerty and Comer are sidelined.

2. Chase More Turnover Scores

When Galway crowd the opposition and apply pressure, they can yield big profits. Both of their goals against Derry came from turnover ball and it was a hallmark of their narrow victory over Mayo in the Connacht final.

Matthew Tierney set the wheels in motion for their first goal against Derry, reacting quickly to intercept Odhrán Lynch’s kickout with Kelly thundering through to make the net swish with a rebound effort. The second goal was a counter-attack which started when Shane McGuigan’s shot at goal was saved. They worked the ball up the field swiftly to allow substitute Céin D’Arcy palm the ball to the net. One of Paul Conroy’s points in the 56th minute came from Johnny McGrath and Dylan McHugh smothering the ball out of McGuigan’s clutches.

The Connacht final against Mayo was a tighter contest and Galway’s ability to force their rivals to cough up possession that helped them over the line. They got the last two scores of the game after winning the Mayo kickout and Daniel O’Flaherty drawing a free for Shane Walsh to kick the equaliser. They pressed up on Colm Reape’s kickout, forced a free for overcarrying which Gleeson converted to seal the win.

3. Maximise use of Cillian McDaid

This links back to point number one as McDaid comes in as a reinforcement at corner-forward for the injured Finnerty and Comer. An All-Star in 2022, he fractured his tibia in the Galway intermediate semi-final with Monivea Abbey and only made his first appearance of 2024 against Derry. McDaid came on for Maher at centre forward in that game and won his All-Star at midfield, which would suggest he is unlikely to say in the full-forward line against Westmeath.

But wherever he is deployed, it is vital for Galway that McDaid is exposed to more match time as the championship progresses. McDaid also offers a defensive option for Joyce as he was selected for man-marking duties last year when Liam Silke and Kieran Molloy were unavailable. He’s had hip and knee issues which disrupted his career prior to the tibia fracture, but he could an important weapon for Galway if he can stay injury-free for the rest of 2024.

A productive display against Westmeath would be a brilliant primer for McDaid ahead of their final Group 1 outing against Armagh where revenge for last year’s defeat will be a key motivator.

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