National Football League Division One: Galway 1-12 Armagh 0-9
IT’S early days for Armagh and early days for the new rules too. Both will need time to settle and develop into this season.
The Orchardmen began their return to Division One impressively but after taking a 5-1 lead midway through the first half they faded and, with their goal leading a charmed life and Niall Grimley red-carded, were second best on a stormy night.
As for the rules, the tap-and-go from frees speeds is a keeper, the three-v-three rule shows promise and Galway turned the game with a salvo of two pointers but the fear remains that the game is heading down a legislative rabbit hole.
Both sides were punished for failing to leave three players in the opposition half. In the first half Grugan kicked a tap-over free (one point) for the infraction but in the second Shane Walsh took his free from outside the 40-metre arc and kicked a two-pointer. Mixed messages are going out, says Kieran McGeeney.
“The three-v-three thing, there is a clarification needed,” he said.
“We were sent a thing last night (he showed the message on his phone) that said for the three-v-three rule, it (the penalty) is a 13-metre free but the referees got a different rule that players can take the ball out (beyond the 40m arc) and kick for two points. We told Rory to take the 13 metres but Shane Walsh’s two-point was a massive turning point. But it wasn’t the reason we lost.”
Both teams – particularly Galway – showed a reluctance to kick the ball and started 2025 as they had finished 2024 in the All-Ireland final.
“Silly stuff, indiscipline cost us dearly, it cost us about 1-2,” added McGeeney.
“That was pretty annoying and then the wind picked up (after half-time) and it was hard to get up the pitch. We weren’t great, we started off well but we just got sloppy and the skills were poor.”
McGeeney was also annoyed that referee Conor Lane waved away Armagh claims to a penalty after Andrew Murnin appeared to be dragged down late in the game.
“It was a stone wall penalty,” he said.
“His umpire said it but Conor just ignored him.”
The Armagh manager had no issue with the penalty Galway were awarded in the first half which swung the game their way. Jason Duffy was caught in possession and Aidan Forker dragged down Fintan O Curraoin after Galway broke the length of the field.
“The penalty was a big turning point,” said Galway manager Padraig Joyce.
“To go in at half-time two up after not playing overly well was great. We kind of saw the game out in the second half and the ‘twos’ (two-pointers) were crucial. We got three in-a-row, which gave us a huge gap then on the scoreboard so we were able to just sit back and play the game on our terms.”
A tea-time slot for this game made sense for TV, but not necessarily for fans, particularly the Armagh contingent who’d made the trip West to support their county. After a 15-minute delay - owing to crowd congestion, owing to total gridlock in Galway, owing to an electricity blackout in the surrounding areas. The game got underway.
Under the impressive new floodlights, Oisin Conaty (0-3) and Rory Grugan (0-2) sparked Armagh into life and the Orchardmen raced into a 5-1 lead on a pitch that had the look of a hay field.
A couple of O Curraoin frees ended a series of wides from the hosts and then Cillian McDaid’s pass released the Galway forward in the Armagh square. Forker manhandled him and Matthew Tierney whacked the penalty into the net off Blaine Hughes’s left hand post.
Galway had the lead and, after a mentor spotted Armagh with two players (instead of three of course) in their half, O Curraoin added another free meaning the hosts led 1-4 to 0-5 when the hooter (another new innovation) sounded.
Tierney and Conor Turbitt swapped frees when the action resumed and Galway’s slow build-up was beginning to get on the nerves of their supporters.
“Ah c’mon, have a go at it!” bellowed a voice in the darkness.
His plea fell on deaf ears but the introductions of Shane Walsh and John Maher gave Galway a more solid look and the wind picked up and trapped Armagh in their own half.
With pressure mounting, Blaine Hughes joined the Armagh attack to try and create a 12-v-11 but his effort dropped short and he did brilliantly to get back on his line and deny Finnian O Laoi’s shot as the Armagh goal continued to live a charmed life.
Walsh attempted a two-pointer but, even with support from the Atlantic gale, it didn’t go the distance. However, O Curraoin did better moments later when his shot curled between the posts for the first two-pointer in the history of Galway football.
Another breach of the three-v-three rule gave Galway a tap-over free. Walsh opted to take it from outside the arc and got another two points for his efforts and it was raining two-pointers as Paul Conroy booted another.
Suddenly it was 1-11 to 0-7 and a red card for Niall Grimley for an off-the-ball swipe at Daniel O’Flaherty put paid to Armagh’s dwindling chances.
They didn’t throw the towel in though. Ethan Rafferty replaced Hughes in goals for the final 10 minutes and galloped forward to win a free for Grugan and then, with punters ducking for cover as an icy squall blew in, a combination of Grange clubman Rafferty and Turbitt kept Kieran Molloy’s shot out.
A goal might have made for a grandstand finish but Murnin’s legitimate appeal for a penalty fell on deaf ears and Ross McQuillan’s shot was blocked before the hooter blared.
This was an uncertain start for the All-Ireland champions who lacked the spark of last year. But it’s early days.
Galway: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, D O’ Flaherty (0-1); D McHugh, J Daly, S Kelly; P Conroy (0-2, 2pt), C McDaid; C Sweeney, F O Laoi (0-1), C Darcy; C O Curraoin (0-5, 0-3 frees, 0-2pt), M Tierney (1-1, 1-0 pen), S O’Neill
Subs: S Walsh (0-2, 2pf) for McDaid (40), J Maher for Tierney (40), L Silke for O’Neill (54), K Molloy for Kelly (62), J Heaney for O Laoi
Yellow card: O Curraoin (56)
Armagh: B Hughes; T McCormack, B McCambridge, A Forker; Connaire Mackin, S McPartlan, G McCabe; B Crealey, N Grimley; O Conaty (0-4), R Grugan (0-4, 0-3 frees), D McMullan; J Duffy, A Murnin, S Campbell
Subs: C Turbitt (0-1 free) for McPartlan (HT), R McQuillan for Forker (38), C McConville for Duffy (54), J Og Burns for McCormack (60), E Rafferty for Hughes (60)
Yellow cards: Grugan (27), Forker (32), McQuillan (53)
Red card: Grimley (60)
Referee: C Lane (Cork)
