All eyes on Galway for the Mayo Ladies footballers

It's a meeting with old foes for Liam McHale and the Mayo Ladies at the weekend, as they prepare for a date with their nearest and dearest when they lock horns with Galway on Sunday afternoon.

The Green and Red almost succumbed to a shock defeat at the hands of Leitrim last time out, and had the game been a bit longer, the pendulum could well and truly have swung the way of the visitors.

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For McHale, there would have been a sense of déjà vu as last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Champions rallied à la Tyrone in the League.

"I’m really disappointed that, once again, we were in control of the game, we were playing a decent brand of football, and we made mistakes that let the opposition back in the game,” he told The Mayo News post-Leitrim.

However, there’s no point in looking at anything through the prism of ifs and ands. Now, it’s time to circle the wagons and head for Tuam Stadium.

The Tribeswomen have had a solid season thus far, and their promotion to Division One of the League means they’ll be swapping places with their Western neighbours as Mayo fall to the second tier.

If we’re talking dangerous players for Galway, the first two names on the lips of every supporter are Róisín Leonard and Olivia Divilly.

Corofin sharpshooter Leonard was an unstoppable force last season, and her tally of 4-16 across the course of the 2024 All-Ireland SFC underscored the fact that she’ll need some serious watching on Saturday.

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If Leonard needs an eye kept on her, then Divilly needs two. The dangerwoman from Kilkerrin-Clonbeirne causes headaches to even the most teak-tough backs in the land, and she was the only player to outscore Leonard in the entire All-Ireland series.

Their dangerous duo up top isn’t where Galway’s talent ends, though. Kate Geraghty is a fine defender, while Dearbhla Gower is a calming presence between the sticks.

Mayo will have to be at their best to curb the influence of last season’s Connacht champions if they are to wrestle victory from the grasp of Galway.

In the 2024 decider, Mayo were within touching distance until the final minute, when a late point coupled with Andrea Trill’s goal with Galway’s last venture forward added some gloss to a 1-11 to 0-9 win.

However, there’s no point dancing around the fact that this Mayo team will be much changed due to the raft of talented ballers who have slipped through the cracks and dropped out of the panel since then.

In the vacuum that has appeared, Sinead Walsh has stepped up to the plate with devastating effect.

Galway were the first team to feel the full force of the Machale Rovers livewire as she ran in 2-2 against them in her first ever start back in 2022, when she was still minor.

Now, three years on, she has shown just how devastating she can be, as evidenced by the fact she finished the league campaign as the competition’s top scorer despite playing for a relegated side.

There is a danger of over-reliance on Walsh at times, but thankfully, a number of other players chipped in against Leitrim. The likes of Erin Murray, who caused many a headache for the Leitrim rear-guard, will be looking to pose similar questions of Galway, while Alannah Devereux will take confidence from scoring on her maiden championship appearance.

Should they produce well, and the elder heads like Nicola O’Malley marshal those livewire forwards, then the Green and Red will be in with a shout on the home stretch.