Galway senior football team

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File:Galwaynewcrest.jpg
Irish:	Gaillimh
Nickname(s):	The Tribesmen
Province:	Connacht
Ground(s):	Pearse Stadium, Galway St. Jarlath's Park, Tuam
County colours:	Maroon and White
County teams
NFL:	Division 1
Football Championship:	Sam Maguire Cup

The Galway senior football team is part of the GAA in Ireland, and represents County Galway in the Sam Maguire Cup in Gaelic football. Geographically in Co. Galway football dominates in Connemara (North & South), the Aran Islands, Inishbofin, North Galway and in the environs of Ballinasloe. The best players within all the clubs in County Galway go on to represent the county in the All Ireland series, from May to the 3rd Sunday in September.

History

File:Down v Galway 1965 NFL semi-final.jpg

Galway and Down in action in the 1965 National League semi-final

In a county so well known for its race meeting, pedigree counts. Jimmy Duggan was on Galway football teams that lost three-in-a-row in the 1940s, his son Jimmy was on teams that lost three finals in four years between 1971 and 1974. Michael Donnellan was on the 1925 team that won an All Ireland by default, and the 1934 team which won it without question. His sons, John Donnellan and Pat Donnellan were on the three-in-a-row teams of the 1960s and grandson Michael sent the pass to Padraig Joyce for a breakthrough goal to win the first of two All Irelands in a four year period in 1998.

1966 was perhaps Galway's most successful year ever in Gaelic football. The winning of the Connacht crown began in Castlebar versus Roscommon on the score 1–11 to 0–5. The final versus Mayo in Castlebar was an absolute thriller and Galway were lucky to edge ahead in the end by 0–12 to 1–8. This was one of the best Connacht finals since the great battles between the same counties in the 30's. The semi-final win over Cork was a close affair as Johnny Geraghty made two wondrous saves from Niall Fitzgerald in the second half. Galway eked out a win 1–11 to 1–9 with Jimmy Duggan again outstanding and Coleen McDonagh fitting in well and Cyril Dunne (1–7) best in attack. Meath defeated Down in the other semi-final and were firm favourites to beat Galway in the final. Galway travelled as a united front to the final and pulverized Meath to win comfortably by 1–10 to 0–7. That victory sealed a memorable "3 In A Row" of All-Ireland titles.

Despite some perceptions of the seventies as Roscommon's decade in Connacht football, the statistics show that they were matched by Galway. Both appeared in seven of the ten Connacht Senior Football finals, Galway having five victories and Roscommon four. Galway lost in three All Ireland Finals and two Semi-Finals.

Football in Galway was set back by the defeat of the 1983 team by the depleted Dublin team, down to 12 men after three were sent off. Galway struggled. That team had led the eventual All Ireland champions Offaly for most of the 1982 All Ireland semi-final, succumbing to a point from goalscorer Brendan Lowry. Depleted by four injuries and a fifth to free-taker Gay MacManus, Galway were well beaten in 1984, but near-misses in semi-finals against Tyrone in 1986 and Cork in 1987 (when Larry Tompkins forced a replay) left the county out of the reckoning until another three-point defeat at the hands of Tyrone in 1995. However, that return to the semi final stage after an eight year break was to be the catalyst for further breakthroughs. Led by Mayo-born manager John O'Mahoney, and with outstanding performances from Ja Fallon and Michael Donnellan and a superbly taken goal from Padraig Joyce, Galway succeeded in 1998 and came back for an astonishing demolition of Meath in 2001 after losing the 2000 final in a replay to Kerry. In 2005, Galway won the Connacht Finals by beating Mayo 0–10 to 0–8. They then lost to qualifiers, Cork 2–14 to 2–11 in the All-Ireland Quarter Finals. In 2008, they again won the Connacht finals over Mayo 2–12 to 1–14. Then Galway fell to the eventual All-Ireland Runners-Up, Kerry, by a score of 1–21 to 1–16. In 2009, Galway opened the championship in London where they won 1–18 to 1–7. In the Semi-final, Galway took on Sligo. With a tied match in injury time, Joe Bergin added his only point of the match followed by a Sean Armstrong goal. Galway was off to their 5th straight Connacht Final where they would face Mayo. Mayo was coming off a blow-out of Roscommon (3–18 to 0–7). Mayo was walking through the Final leading 2–11 to 0–10 with little time left. Galway then began a comeback that started with a Micheal Meehan free. Meehan nearly scored a goal but Kenneth O'Malley of Mayo batted the ball over the bar. In the 72nd minute, Galway trailed by 3 points when Michael Meehan got a high kick pass and struck the net to tie the match. But, Peadar Gardiner of Mayo put over the winning point in the 73rd minute ending Galway's comeback(2–12 to 1–14). Galway was sent off to the final round of the qualifiers where they lost to Donegal 0–14 to 0–13 ending their 2009 campaign that started very promising. Joe Kernan of Armagh is now the new Galway GAA Manager. The Galway Senior Footballers' had a disappointing 2010. From a National League campaign that was close to relegation to losing to Wexford by a single point in the 2nd round of the qualifiers. Galway won 3 and lost 4 of their 7 National League games. They defeated Monaghan 1-20 to 1-14, Tyrone 1-15 to 0-14 and Dublin 1-14 to 0-14. They lost to Mayo 1-10 to 2-14, Cork 1-17 to 1-19, Kerry 1-9 to 2-16 and Derry 1-12 to 2-13. They had a disastrous start to the Connacht Championship, just scraping past New York 2-13 to 0-12. The Connacht Semi final against Sligo showed very little improvement. At halftime, Galway trailed Sligo 1-8 to 0-2. However, Galway managed to grab an undeserved draw against Sligo, an Eoin Concannon goal and a Gareth Bradshaw point levelled the match at 1-10 each at fulltime. Sligo beat Galway in the replay, 1-14 to 0-16. As a result, Galway went into the qualifiers. They faced Wexford in the 2nd round in Pearse Stadium, a week after the Sligo defeat. They suffered their second consecutive one point defeat in the 2010 Championship, 1-11 to 0-13, against Wexford and in the process were dumped out of the Championship. Joe Kernan resigned as Galway Senior Football manager on 4th August 2010, after only one year in charge. He felt his position as manager was being 'undermined'. The Galway Football board must now begin the search for Galway's fourth manager since 2007.

The following is a List of Galway National Football League Finals

Finals in which Galway appeared

Year	Venue	Result
1940	Croke Park	Galway 2-5   Meath 1-5
1957	Croke Park	Galway 1-8   Kerry 0-6
1965	Croke Park	Galway 1-7   Kerry 0-8
1966	Croke Park	Longford 0-9   Galway 0-8
1981	Croke Park	Galway 1-11   Roscommon 1-3
1984	Limerick	Kerry 1-11   Galway 0-11
2001	Croke Park	Mayo 0-13   Galway 0-12
2004	Croke Park	Kerry 3-11   Galway 1-16
2006	Limerick	Kerry 2-12   Galway 0-10

Galway won the National Football League in:

• 1940
• 1957
• 1965
• 1981

The following is a List of Galway All-Ireland Football Finals

Finals in which Galway appeared

Year	Venue	Result	Attendance
1919	Croke Park	Kildare 2-5   Galway 0-1	32,000
1922	Croke Park	Dublin 0-6   Galway 0-4	11,7922
1925	Croke Park	Galway 3-2   Cavan 1-2	Not known
1933	Croke Park	Cavan 2-5   Galway 1-4	45,188
1934	Croke Park	Galway 3-5   Dublin 1-9	36,143
1938	Croke Park	Galway 3-3   Kerry 2-6	Not known
1938	Croke Park	Galway 2-4   Kerry 0-7	47,851
1940	Croke Park	Kerry 0-7   Galway 1-3	60,821
1941	Croke Park	Kerry 1-8   Galway 0-7	45,512
1942	Croke Park	Dublin 1-10   Galway 1-8	37,105
1956	Croke Park	Galway 2-13   Cork 3-7	70,772
1959	Croke Park	Kerry 3-7   Galway 1-4	85,897
1963	Croke Park	Dublin 1-9   Galway 0-10	87,106
1964	Croke Park	Galway 0-15   Kerry 0-10	76,498
1965	Croke Park	Galway 0-12   Kerry 0-9	77,735
1966	Croke Park	Galway 1-10   Meath 0-7	71,569
1971	Croke Park	Offaly 1-14   Galway 2-8	70,789
1973	Croke Park	Cork 3-17   Galway 2-13	73,308
1974	Croke Park	Dublin 0-14   Galway 1-6	71,898
1983	Croke Park	Dublin 1-10   Galway 1-8	71,988
1998	Croke Park	Galway 1-14   Kildare 1-10	65,886
2000	Croke Park	Galway 0-14   Kerry 0-14	Not known
2000	Croke Park	Kerry 0-17   Galway 1-10	64,094
2001	Croke Park	Galway 0-17   Meath 0-8	70,842

Galway won the Sam Maguire Cup and the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in:

• 1925
• 1934
• 1938
• 1956
• 1964
• 1965
• 1966
• 1998
• 2001

Honours

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championships: 9
  • 1925, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1998, 2001
• Connacht Senior Football Championships: 43
  • 2003, 2005, 2008

Present day

Galway Gaelic Football Squad

Manager: Vacant

Correct as of the 2010 Quailifer V Wexford

Number	Player	Position	Local Club
1	Paul Doherty	Goalkeeper	Tuam Stars
2	Gareth Bradshaw	Right Full Back	Moycullen
3	Finian Hanley	Full Back	Salthill-Knocknacarra
4	Damian Burke	Left Full Back	Corofin
5	Declan Meehan	Right Half Back	Caltra
6	Diarmuid Blake	Centre Back	Milltown
7	Gary Sice	Left Half Back	Corofin
8	Barry Cullinane	Midfield	Claregalway
9	Niall Coleman	Midfield	Annaghdown
10	Cormac Bane	Right Half Forward	Caherlistrane
11	Pádraic Joyce Capt.	Centre Forward	Killererin
12	Paul Conroy	Left Half Forward	St.James'
13	Matthew Clancy	Right Full Forward	Oughterard
14	Michael Meehan	Full Forward	Caltra
15	Fiachra Breathnach	Left Full Forward	Leitir Mor

Mangement

In early August, Joe Kernan resigned as Galway manager signalling the end of his year long stint in the west. The search now begins for a new manager, the fourth since 2007. A shortlist of 5 nomanees where drawn up on the 7th September 2010, Tomás Ó Flatharta, Gerry FahyPat Fallon, Pete Warren and Matt Duggan. Since then, Billy Morgan has entered the fray whilst Liam Kearns name still circulates.

2011=

More to follow soon on the new season starting January 2011

Squad

Coming soon

Management

Coming soon

Results

Coming soon