To diehard Gaelic Football followers, early January means only one thing – the return of the FBD League. It would have taken a brave soul to go along to Ballyhaunis last night, mind.
The spanking new Connacht Centre of Excellence played host to the first inter-county games of the year last night and the hardy patrons who weren’t blown away by the gale-force breeze witnessed NUI Galway overcome Sligo in a far from score-laden 1-6 – 0-4 victory and they also saw Galway get the better of Sligo IT in Alan Mulholland’s first game in charge.
It wasn’t a night for the faint-hearted, however. Indeed, such were the force of the winds that players were forced to lie on the ground, rugby style, and hold the ball down for kicks from the ground, lest the O’Neills be blown into Roscommon and beyond.
Observe David Rooney doing the necessary for Sligo goalkeeper Vinny Cadden in the photo below.
Being from that neck of the woods myself, I can testify that hurricane-like winds, driving rain and even snow and hailstones are par for the course out west, but hardened Meath man Shane Breslin was amazed that the elements could have such an effect, insulated as the Royals are in their safe haven with their tiny coastline in North Leinster.
Gaelic Football in the wilds of January, eh? Sure you couldn’t bate it with a big stick.
