By Cian O’Connell

A couple of hundred yards from the house he grew up in, Rob Finnerty sits to chat about representing Galway in an All-Ireland SFC Final.

The press event takes place 10 days before an eagerly anticipated encounter with Armagh, but Finnerty is cool, calm, and collected. Football was always meant to be fun.

His father Anthony, the cherished former Mayo forward, spent hours working with school and club teams featuring his son, who flourished from an early age.

Sport dominates the discussions. “We would talk a lot about football, but it’s more things nowadays – we wouldn’t really talk about 1989 or the past too much.

“To be fair, he doesn’t really like to bring it up or talk about himself too often, we prefer to talk about games that are happening now – local club games or whatever.

“We both have a big interest in football, but a lot of it would be about what’s happening at the minute.”

The underage training mattered deeply as Finnerty enjoyed a silverware laden spell in the juvenile ranks with Salthill-Knocknacarra under his father’s care. “He’s been a massive influence,” Finnerty says.

“He took my Salthill team the whole way up – John Maher was involved in that team as well, we’re the same age – and we played the whole way up together with my dad managing us.

“He had a massive impact – working on my skills with me all the time, it was great.”

Similar to Finnerty, Maher has been an influential figure for Galway in 2024. “With Salthill, the whole up we’d have won everything and that went the whole way through to minor – we won two Connacht minor titles together,” Finnerty recalls.

“John was always a massive cog in that team and he went straight into the senior team at Salthill and had an impact straight away. He’s always been a serious footballer.

“He was asked into Galway panels, but didn’t commit straight away because he was doing different things. From the day he did come in he’s had an impact.”

A man that had many positive words with Maher and Finnerty, John O’Mahony recently passed away. O’Mahony brought organisation, a sense of purpose, and a willingness to develop young talent to Salthill.

“I was one of the few lads on the Galway panel, who was lucky enough to work with ‘Johno’ and he had a massive impact on me personally – even just as a person let alone as a footballer,” Finnerty responds.

“He was great and he meant a lot to all of us. In Salthill, he came in and he almost changed the culture in the club.

“He had a huge impact on our team in a short period of time and he brought that belief to a dressing room. Straight away, from the day we met him, we knew we had an opportunity to go and contest the Frank Fox anyway and we almost won it.

“My dad always spoke very highly of him and he trained him as well.”

What did O’Mahony teach Finnerty? “Small nuggets that you get off coaches,” Finnerty replies.

“Small things, he played me in a deeper role at Salthill, kind of a play-making role at times and he was the first person to do that with me.

“That’s something he had seen in me, that maybe other coaches hadn’t and we spoke a lot about that and about kick-passing and things like that. He had a great effect on me.”

Now, Finnerty, a primary school teacher in Scoil Bhríde, Shantalla, is eager to assist and inspire the next generation.

By Cian O’Connell

“I think we were a more battled hardened team coming down the stretch,” Galway manager Padraic Joyce reflected following Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final win over Donegal at Croke Park.

“If you look at the games we played – Mayo in the Connacht Final, the Sligo game obviously we were in trouble, but we found a way to win it, and then we have had Derry, Armagh, Westmeath, Dublin the last day, whereas Donegal the last two games they have coasted through probably Clare and Louth easier than they would have liked.

“It showed in the game on Saturday night even, Armagh were the more battle hardened team and they found a way to stick it out. I think that was the difference, we are probably a little bit more developed than Donegal, to be honest.”

During Galway’s 2024 adventure a victory over Dublin was registered, but Joyce acknowledged the importance of building on that success. “After the emotion of beating Dublin the last day, it would have been a damp squib had we lost today,” Joyce remarked.

“It wouldn’t have meant much to us or it wouldn’t have been really talked about. We spoke a lot about that with the lads. In fairness to the lads, we obviously enjoyed that Saturday night after Dublin and the lads got back down to work the following morning.

“They did a recovery session in Blackrock in Salthill like they always do. They got looked after then by Finian Hanley next door for breakfast so it was great. The lads were mighty. And then we focused on Donegal.”

Galway’s diligent defensive work was evident once more in the Donegal triumph. “It’s something I was probably a bit naïve when I came into the job, saying we were playing fancy football, we did for a long time, but obviously we had to shore up our defence,” Joyce says.

“And that is down to the work Cian O’Neill and John Divilly are doing with the lads, they are well structured.

“You look at the lads in there – Johnny McGrath, Jack Glynn, they are not massive giants, Seán Fitzgerald, they are young lads that came in and to a man they are outstanding lads. Seán Mulkerrin, Dylan McHugh with them, playing serious football and are keeping Kieran Molloy and John Daly off that squad as well.

“John and Kieran got a bit of gametime today which is great, they are just really good players and getting great support from the wing forwards as well. It’s pleasing, definitely, and it always gives you a great chance when you are not conceding big scores.”

All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final

Galway 1-14 Donegal 0-15

By Cian O’Connell at Croke Park

This week in Galway, it really was a Year ‘Til Sunday.

When the afternoon arrived it felt even longer, but Galway persevered, finding a way to win a tight match. Pat Comer and David Power’s immortal documentary is still shown by parents to the next generation, eager to educate them about what John O’Mahony and his exciting panel did for football in the west decades ago.

One of the chief protagonists in that triumph, Pádraic Joyce, stood on the sideline, cajoling another gritty performance from his team. Ultimately, it was sufficient to earn a place in the July 28 All-Ireland SFC Final against Armagh.

Donegal had opportunities in the closing stages, but late points from Rob Finnerty and Liam Silke proved decisive.

In such a close encounter Donegal’s failure to score after the 61^st minute was costly. Galway only managed two points in that spell, but they mattered deeply.

The opening period moved along at a decent clip with a Shane Walsh score in the 21^st minute levelling affairs at 0-5 each. That effort resulted from a Seán Fitzgerald delivery which caused panic in the Donegal full back line, and Galway profited again three minutes later.

Paul Conroy’s ball inside caused confusion in the Donegal defence and eventually it crept over the line for a tonic Galway goal. Jim McGuinness’ charges, spirited and defiant, responded admirably with Paddy McBrearty clipping a gorgeous point instantly.

Finnerty nailed a free for Galway, but Donegal were beginning to get some joy. Ciarán Thompson, Oisín Gallen, and the splendid Michael Langan contributed points.

Conroy replied for Galway before Langan concluded the first half scoring ensuring the teams departed deadlocked, 1-7 to 0-10, at the interval. Delicately poised it most certainly was.

When the match restarted it was cagey, but nearly every score was seriously hard earned. Walsh converted a free before Gallen and Shane O’Donnell rifled over points. Cillian McDaid manufactured space to kick an equaliser.

McBrearty nudged Donegal ahead. Then the Corofin duo, Dylan McHugh, who was excellent, and Silke guided Galway into the lead. McBrearty had Donegal back on terms.

Then a barren spell occurred with John Maher supplying a vital point for Galway. Langan restored parity, but Donegal didn’t score again. In the remaining moments Finnerty (free) and Silke clipped points which delighted Galway supporters in the 67,002 crowd.

For Donegal, it has been some adventure under McGuinness once again. Galway’s 2024 journey continues.

Scorers for Galway: Rob Finnerty 0-4 (2fs), Paul Conroy 1-1, Shane Walsh 0-3 (2fs), Dylan McHugh and Liam Silke 0-2 each, Cillian McDaid and John Maher 0-1 each.

Scorers for Donegal: Michael Langan 0-4, Oisín Gallen and Paddy McBrearty (1f) 0-3 each, Shane O’Donnell and Ciarán Thompson (1m) 0-2 each, Caolan McGonagle 0-1.

Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Liam Silke, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, Seán Fitzgerald, Seán Ó Maoilchiaráin; Paul Conroy, John Maher; Matthew Tierney, Céin D’Arcy, Cillian McDaid; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Shane Walsh.

Subs: Johnny Heaney for D’Arcy (57), Daniel O’Flaherty for Walsh (63), John Daly for Fitzgerald (65), Kieran Molloy for Comer (70+2), Tomo Culhane for McDaid (70+2).

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Caolan McColgan; Michael Langan, Jason McGee; Shane O’Donnell, Ciarán Thompson, Ciarán Moore; Paddy McBrearty, Oisín Gallen, Aaron Doherty.

Subs: Daire Ó Baoill for McColgan (30), Jeaic Mac Ceallbhuí for Gallagher (48), Niall O’Donnell for McBrearty (59), Hugh McFadden for McGee (59), Odhran Doherty for Aaron Doherty (63).

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).