GALWAY CONTINUED THEIR promotion drive from Division Two when they maintained their winning start to the campaign with a deserved fourth win in a row at Pearse Stadium.
Galway always had an edge in the Salthill sunshine and Offaly rarely looked like achieving a first win of their campaign despite a decent showing.
Galway led by 1-8 to 1-6 at half-time, with Offaly finishing the half strongly to reduce the margin.
Galway raced into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after eight minutes when Damien Comer found the net after being set up by Matthew Tierney, who had earlier kicked two good points.
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Offaly, with only Rory Egan from their victorious All-Ireland U-20 team starting, didn’t panic and after Dylan Hyland got them off the mark with a point, Bernard Allen shot to the net to cut the gap to 1-2 to 1-1 after eleven minutes.
Galway captain Sean Kelly, a late replacement, and the impressive Paul Conroy hit back with points before Hyland got his second of the match.
Veterans Niall McNamee and Conroy exchanged points before Comer fired over two in a minute to lead by 1-7 to 1-4 after 33 minutes.
Tierney tacked on his third point for the Tribesmen but Offaly finished the half well and cut the gap to two with efforts from Allen and another McNamee free.
Allen cut the gap to one two minutes after the restart but Galway upped the tempo after that and struck six points without reply for the remainder of the third quarter.
Rob Finnerty, who had been instrumental in setting up several scores in the opening half, kicked three of them with Comer, John Daly and sub Finnian Ó Laoí also finding the target.
Offaly were given a lifeline when Ruairi McNamee finished to the net after a point effort from older cousin Niall McNamee came back off the left post to leave it 1-14 to 2-7 after 52 minutes, but Galway hit back immediately with Sean Kelly shooting to the net after a pass from sub Ó Laoí.
Advertisement
The Galway captain limped off shortly after that after another top-class display, with Offaly never looking like staging a late comeback, although sub Anton Sullivan brought his tally to 1-3 when he converted a penalty six minutes into stoppage time after Jack Bryant was fouled by Liam Silke.
Scorers for Galway: Damien Comer 1-3, Sean Kelly 1-1, Rob Finnerty 0-4 (0-1f), Matthew Tierney 0-3, Paul Conroy 0-2, John Daly 0-1, Paul Kelly 0-1, Finnian Ó Laoí 0-1, Tomo Culhane 0-1.
Scorers for Offaly: Anton Sullivan 1-3 (1-0 pen), Bernard Allen 1-2, Ruairi McNamee 1-0, Niall McNamee 0-2f, Dylan Hyland 0-2, Mark Abbott 0-1.
Galway:
1 Connor Gleeson (Dunmore MacHales)
18 Seán Kelly (Moycullen) 3 Liam Silke (Corofin) 4 Jack Glynn (Claregalway)
5 Conor Campbell (Claregalway) 6 John Daly (Mountbellew/Moylough) 7 Johnny Heaney (Killannin)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Damien Comer helps undefeated Galway overcome Offaly
Galway 2-17
Offaly 3-10
John Fallon reports from Pearse Stadium
GALWAY CONTINUED THEIR promotion drive from Division Two when they maintained their winning start to the campaign with a deserved fourth win in a row at Pearse Stadium.
Galway always had an edge in the Salthill sunshine and Offaly rarely looked like achieving a first win of their campaign despite a decent showing.
Galway led by 1-8 to 1-6 at half-time, with Offaly finishing the half strongly to reduce the margin.
Galway raced into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after eight minutes when Damien Comer found the net after being set up by Matthew Tierney, who had earlier kicked two good points.
Offaly, with only Rory Egan from their victorious All-Ireland U-20 team starting, didn’t panic and after Dylan Hyland got them off the mark with a point, Bernard Allen shot to the net to cut the gap to 1-2 to 1-1 after eleven minutes.
Galway captain Sean Kelly, a late replacement, and the impressive Paul Conroy hit back with points before Hyland got his second of the match.
Veterans Niall McNamee and Conroy exchanged points before Comer fired over two in a minute to lead by 1-7 to 1-4 after 33 minutes.
Tierney tacked on his third point for the Tribesmen but Offaly finished the half well and cut the gap to two with efforts from Allen and another McNamee free.
Allen cut the gap to one two minutes after the restart but Galway upped the tempo after that and struck six points without reply for the remainder of the third quarter.
Rob Finnerty, who had been instrumental in setting up several scores in the opening half, kicked three of them with Comer, John Daly and sub Finnian Ó Laoí also finding the target.
Offaly were given a lifeline when Ruairi McNamee finished to the net after a point effort from older cousin Niall McNamee came back off the left post to leave it 1-14 to 2-7 after 52 minutes, but Galway hit back immediately with Sean Kelly shooting to the net after a pass from sub Ó Laoí.
The Galway captain limped off shortly after that after another top-class display, with Offaly never looking like staging a late comeback, although sub Anton Sullivan brought his tally to 1-3 when he converted a penalty six minutes into stoppage time after Jack Bryant was fouled by Liam Silke.
Scorers for Galway: Damien Comer 1-3, Sean Kelly 1-1, Rob Finnerty 0-4 (0-1f), Matthew Tierney 0-3, Paul Conroy 0-2, John Daly 0-1, Paul Kelly 0-1, Finnian Ó Laoí 0-1, Tomo Culhane 0-1.
Scorers for Offaly: Anton Sullivan 1-3 (1-0 pen), Bernard Allen 1-2, Ruairi McNamee 1-0, Niall McNamee 0-2f, Dylan Hyland 0-2, Mark Abbott 0-1.
Galway:
1 Connor Gleeson (Dunmore MacHales)
18 Seán Kelly (Moycullen) 3 Liam Silke (Corofin) 4 Jack Glynn (Claregalway)
5 Conor Campbell (Claregalway) 6 John Daly (Mountbellew/Moylough) 7 Johnny Heaney (Killannin)
8 Dylan McHugh (Corofin) 9 Paul Conroy (St James)
10 Matthew Tierney (Oughterard) 11 Shane Walsh (Kilkerrin/Clonberne) 12 Cathal Sweeney (Salthill/Knocknacarra)
13 Rob Finnerty (Salthill/Knocknacarra) 14 Damien Comer (Annaghdown) 15 Dessie Conneely (Moycullen)
Substitutes:
23 Finnian Ó Laoí (An Spidéal) for Sweeney (28)
20 Paul Kelly (Moycullen) for Campbell (28)
17 Johnny McGrath (Caherlistrane) for Heaney (47)
26 Eoin Finnerty (Mountbellew/Moylough) for Walsh (60)
25 Tomo Culhane (Salthill/Knocknacarra) for S Kelly (61)
Offaly:
16 Ian Duffy (Walsh Island)
2 Declan Hogan (Tullamore) 3 James Lalor (Raheen) 4 Niall Darby (Rhode)
22 Rory Egan (Edenderry) 6 David Dempsey (Ballycommon) 7 Colm Doyle (Clara)
8 Bill Carroll (Cappincur) 9 Jordan Hayes (Edenderry)
21 Mark Abbott (Edenderry) 24 Cathal Mangan (Kilclonfert) 12 Dylan Hyland (Raheen)
23 Bernard Allen (Tubber) 14 Niall McNamee (Rhode) 15 Ruairi McNamee (Rhode)
Substitutes:
17 Lee Pearson (Edenderry) for Doyle (45)
10 Cathal Donoghue (Kilcormac-Killoughney) for Carroll (50)
13 Jack Bryant (Shamrocks) for Allen (52)
11 Anton Sullivan (Rhode) for R McNamee (52)
20 Keith O’Neill (Clonbullogue) for N McNamee (66)
Referee: David Murnane (Cork).
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Damien Comer GAA Galway Offaly Pearse Stadium