Analysis: Shane Walsh’s elusive running hides importance of his distribution

Just after Galway had lost Kieran Molloy to the sin bin on Sunday, Enda Smith scored a point from play for Roscommon to cut the margin to a score, 1-7 to 0-7. Goalkeeper Conor Gleeson took the kick-out with 32.23 on the clock and initiated a phase of keep-ball, lowering the tempo of the match for a few moments.

Less than a minute later the ball is in the Roscommon net. Yes, there was a dose of good fortune in that a shot came off the post but as an exercise in methodically holding the ball in a potentially panicky situation, it was impressive. In the whole 52 seconds, there were 12 plays by Galway and not a single Roscommon player got a touch.

It was mostly defenders, Liam Silke, John Daly, Gleeson again with a run out of goal and up the middle before turning back and bringing Seán Kelly, Jack Glynn, Dylan McHugh, Cillian McDaid and Glynn again into play.

For a team reduced to 14 it was composed play and on RTÉ, Eamonn Fitzmaurice commented that Roscommon shouldn’t have been allowing it to develop.

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Loitering around his own 45 was Shane Walsh, Galway’s executioner in chief in a full-forward line with Damien Comer and Rob Finnerty that amassed 1-14, now providing an extra body in the depleted defence. Brian Stack is marking him quite closely until Walsh makes his move at 32.57.

He has drifted off Stack and carries the ball forward with his distinctively languid style. Then McDaid, who had been a breaking threat all through the first half – to the point that Roscommon sacrificed Cathal Heneghan at half-time in order to bring in Niall Kilroy, essentially to counter the former AFL player – accelerates into space and Walsh pops the ball to him.

Something is on and the pass to Rob Finnerty looks like a scoring assist until the shot comes back off the post. Patrick Kelly brings the rebound under control with his right hand, takes possession and swivels onto his left foot to plant the ball into the left corner of the net.

Down a man and now six ahead, Galway’s grip on the match and Connacht title was ironclad. During the 10-minute sin-binning of Molloy, they outscored their opponents 1-2 to 0-3, four-point turnaround if you factor in the evidence presented to back the sin bin – as opposed to the permanent replacement of a black-carded player – that the 10-minute reduction was essentially worth two points to the opposition.

Walsh’s role in the score wasn’t of course what people were talking about afterwards. It was the dazzling attack, including the electric bursts into space and the elusive running and finish that left him with 1-3 from play out of a total of 1-6.

But for those who are suspicious of such gifts being deployed far from the opposition goal, it was proof of how useful the play-making role can be.

Afterwards, manager Pádraic Joyce lavished praise – “one of the best footballers I’ve ever seen playing” – but stressed the need for consistency in big matches.

Walsh himself appeared to grasp the point by acknowledging that the All-Ireland is a process, not something you simply target.

“We won the Connacht final. It’s a platform into the All-Ireland series now. We just have to keep working on ourselves and keep pushing it on. Look, if we win the quarter-final we’ll talk after that, then again.

“It’s great from a squad perspective because I still think the lads are probably realising the full potential that’s in there.”

He paid tribute to the dynamism of the counter-attacking and its role in his own goal.

“I suppose I was in space and in fairness the lads worked it very well. That was one thing I noted that they did really well all game. Our defence really drove forward and gave us a platform up front to really go at our men. It opened up for me, I don’t need a second invitation. It came at the right time as well.”

Kelly’s goal was the point at which the Roscommon challenge effectively died even though they whittled away at the margin until it settled at a flattering three points after a last-second goal.

“It was huge really in the context because we were after getting a black card as well with Kieran. In fairness to Patrick, he’s been doing it in training. He’s watching everything – he was even going around before the game saying if the ball drops short, he’d be there. Lo and behold, he stuck to his word!”