One often finds plenty of brothers at club level when on many occasions two, three or more sets of brothers might on a team. However at county level it is seldom that you find several sets of brothers. Several members of the one family will frequently appear on a county team but in Galway, the Duggans, Connollys and others have been to the fore. However on Saturday evening the Galway hurling team featured three sets of brothers when the final whistle sounded.

Brothers in arms

One often finds plenty of brothers at club level when on many occasions two, three or more sets of brothers might on a team. However at county level it is seldom that you find several sets of brothers. Several members of the one family will frequently appear on a county team but in Galway, the Duggans, Connollys and others have been to the fore. However on Saturday evening the Galway hurling team featured three sets of brothers when the final whistle sounded.

The game started with Galway captain and Portumna stalwart Ollie Canning being partnered by his teenage brother Joe Canning. The long serving Clarenbridge star Alan Kerins was rejoined on the Galway team by Mark Kerins and the third set of brothers was made by the Craughwell pair Fergal and Niall Healy. This Galway team is becoming a family affair!

Minor manager steps down

Following the defeat of Galway minor footballers on Saturday evening Donal O Fatherta announced that he was stepping down as manager. Donal has been part of Galway management setup for the past four years and last season under Alan Mulholland helped guide the Tribesmen to All Ireland success. However following Galway's shock exit from the championship the Connemara stalwart has stepped down.

Ladies action

Galway minor lady Ffootballers lost out to Dublin in the All Ireland quarter-final at the weekend. The Metropolitans proved much too strong for the Galway girls and things just don't seem to be going well for the footballing ladies of the county this year.

Meanwhile Galway senior camogie team will play reigning All Ireland champions Wexford in the Gala All Ireland Championship on Saturday next. Galway won their only All Ireland senior title in 1996 and Veronica Curtin remains a link with that team. With former Galway senior hurling captain Liam Donoghue in charge this year, it is hoped that Galway could make the vital breakthrough to regain All Ireland honours.

Eight-year bogey?

Kilkenny hurlers face into a Leinster final against Wexford next weekend and are strong favourites to retain the Liam McCarthy Cup this year. However it has been brought to our notice by North Galway sports enthusiast Leo Courtney that Kilkenny have never won the All Ireland Senior Hurling championship in a year ending with eight. Leo is never one miss an opportunity to boost a team and we wonder could this EIGHT factor give Galway that extra boost, that twenty years on, this could be the Tribesmen's year again as it won't be Kilkenny's? We live in hope!

Hurling limbo

Galway have been calling for the open draw for years as more counties slip into limbo. It is twenty years since Galway last brought the McCarthy cup to the west and since then the big three Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary have won fourteen titles between them of which Kilkenny have claimed half of these. Offaly and Clare have take a brace each with Wexford also making a claim.

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