Bord Na Mona Walsh Cup Semi-Final

Galway 4-37 IT Carlow 0-15

By Cian O'Connell at Pearse Stadium

There was never any sign of a Bord Na Mona Walsh Cup shock as Galway cruised to an emphatic win at Pearse Stadium.

It has been an encouraging January for Galway, who have outfoxed DIT, NUIG, Laois, and IT Carlow in the competition.

Next weekend’s decider against the winners of Sunday’s encounter between Wexford and Kilkenny will be a much more revealing environment for Galway’s promising newcomers.

When the interval eventually rolled around Galway led by 3-21 to 0-5 with IT Carlow unable to deal with the enthusiastic home team.

Galway quickly established control against the understrength students in Salthill netting two goals in the opening four minutes.

Conor Whelan and Sean McInerney both rattled the IT Carlow net as Micheal Donoghue’s experimental team ruled the contest.

Adrian Tuohy rifled over three splendid points from distance, while centre forward Joseph Cooney and Aidan Helebert were others to impress for the dominant Tribesmen.

With IT Carlow struggling to contain a rampant Galway outfit, Jason Flynn, who scored 1-6 in the first half added a third Galway goal in the 26th minute.

It was a similar story after the restart as McInerney pounced for an opportunistic goal in the 49th minute following a string of fine points from substitute Shane Moloney.

Scorers for Galway: S Moloney 0-9 (2fs, 165), J Flynn 1-6 (4fs), S McInerney 2-3, C Whelan 1-1, A Helebert 0-4, J Cooney 0-3, A Tuohy 0-3, D Nevin 0-2 (1f), C Salmon 0-1, T Monaghan 0-1, Greg Lally 0-1, S Loftus 0-1, K McHugo 0-1, D Glennon 0-1.

Scorers for IT Carlow: M O’Hanlon 0-8 (6fs), C Bolger 0-2, E Rowland 0-2 (2fs), D Tobin 0-1, S Casey 0-1, S Phelan 0-1.

Galway: J Skehill; M Keating, J Hanbury, P Killeen; B Flaherty, Greg Lally, A Tuohy; K McHugo, J Coen; C Salmon, J Cooney, C Whelan; S McInerney, J Flynn, A Helebert.

Subs: S Loftus for Tuohy (36  mins), P Brehony for Coen (36 mins), S Moloney for Cooney (36 mins), D Glennon for Flynn (36 mins), M Donoghue for Hanbury (38 mins), T Monaghan for Whelan (47 mins), D Nevin for McHugo (47 mins), B Molloy for Helebert (47 mins), Gavin Lally for Skehill (52 mins), R Burke for Killeen (52 mins), J Grealish for Greg Lally (61 mins).

IT Carlow: E Rowland; L Mullally, K Hannafin, T Gallagher; C Madden, R Moran, D O’Hanlon; C Bolger, S Phelan; M O’Hanlon, J Fitzpatrick, M Redmond; S Bergin, D Tobin, A Mortimer.

Subs: M Dowling for Mortimer (54 mins), S Casey for Bergin (54 mins), R Brown for D O’Hanlon (57 mins), C Brennan for Bolger (62 mins).

Referee: A Devine (Westmeath).