Galway 1-17

Mayo 1-15

Kevin Egan reports from Hastings Insurance MacHale Park

SMALL MARGINS ON the scoreboard, but a landslide when it came to the big moments. Galway are Connacht champions once again and their Nestor Cup success was all about the huge plays that they made in the closing minutes, snatching victory from a Mayo side that looked to have done everything right to set themselves up for a big finish.

When Mayo won the toss and chose to play into the strong breeze at their home venue, it was clear that they had a plan – and when the platform was being laid for the final quarter their execution was everything they would have wanted.

For the first quarter it was like the old cliché – Galway had the breeze, Mayo had the ball. Ryan O’Donoghue picked off two early frees, Davitt Neary set up Darren McHale for a goal, and while Paul Conroy hoisted over a trademark two-pointer from distance, Mayo would have been thrilled with their 1-2 to 0-2 lead with 15 minutes to play.

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