If ever a draw felt like a victory, this was it. On a wet and windswept night in Tralee, a young and largely inexperienced Galway side clawed their way back from twelve points down to snatch a remarkable 3-14 to 2-17 draw against the All-Ireland champions Kerry at Austin Stack Park.
With the Atlantic squalls swirling in under the floodlights, the odds appeared stacked heavily against Pádraic Joyce’s side. Kerry, wounded by a recent defeat to Donegal, had named a strong team and were installed as hot favourites to restore order. Galway, meanwhile, were still finding their feet after an opening-round loss to Mayo and a battling win over Armagh that showcased both their attacking promise and their appetite for a fight.
For long stretches, this looked like a chastening lesson for the Tribesmen. Playing into a stiff wind in the first half, they struggled to make their opportunities count. As in their defeat to Mayo, they carved out openings but lacked the clinical edge, and too many efforts dropped short or drifted wide in the blustery conditions. Against champions of Kerry’s calibre, such wastefulness is rarely forgiven.
Kerry gradually tightened their grip. After a cagey opening quarter, they exploded between the 19th and 32nd minutes, plundering 2-6 in a devastating spell. The first goal arrived gift-wrapped after Galway were stripped in possession, and though Eamonn McGrath produced a fine initial save, the rebound was tucked away. The second followed when a high delivery caused panic and David Clifford pounced with trademark ruthlessness.
Clifford was in majestic form, clipping over two-pointers with ease and orchestrating much of Kerry’s attacking flow. With the wind at their backs and a 2-10 to 1-3 half-time lead on the board, the Kingdom looked comfortable. When they stretched that advantage to twelve points by the 47th minute, leading 2-15 to 1-6, the outcome seemed inevitable. Galway’s early promise appeared to have dissolved in the rain.
But this Galway team, though young, have shown they do not wilt easily. The resilience that dragged them past Armagh flickered into life once more. A Shane McGrath two-pointer from outside the arc was the spark. It felt like little more than consolation at the time, but it shifted momentum and belief in equal measure.
What followed stunned the home support. Galway, suddenly brimming with energy and intent, drove at Kerry with renewed ferocity. Cian Hernon surged forward and buried a goal that reignited hope. Moments later, Johnny Maher fired low to the net and the gap was down to two. The wind that had tormented them earlier now seemed to carry them forward.
Kerry, so assured for nearly 50 minutes, began to falter. Passes went astray, tackles were missed, and the roar that had accompanied their dominance turned to anxious murmurs. Galway sensed it. McGrath, growing in stature by the minute, stepped up once more and split the posts from two-point range to level the contest. From twelve down to parity — it was a transformation few inside the ground could have foreseen.
There was still time for one final twist. Deep into stoppage time, Kerry worked a last chance, but Cathal Brosnan’s effort drifted agonisingly wide on the hooter. The final whistle confirmed a draw, though the emotional trajectories of the teams could not have been more different.
For Galway, this was a league point that felt like two. Five years on from a 22-point hammering on their previous visit to Tralee, this was evidence of growth, grit and genuine attacking threat. Their goal power, questioned when they trailed heavily, ultimately proved decisive.
Should these sides meet again in the heat of summer, Galway are likely to look very different — bolstered by experience and perhaps by personnel. On this wild February night, however, they showed that even in transition, they possess heart, hunger and a refusal to accept defeat.
For Kerry, it was a point that slipped away. For Galway, it was a statement.
Scorers –
Kerry: D Clifford 1-6 (2 2p ); K Evans 1-2; C Trant 0-3; M Burns, D Casey 0-2 each; T Brosnan, J O’Connor 0-1 each.
Galway: M Tierney 1-4 (2pf ); S McGrath 0-5 (2 2p ); C Hernon, J Maher 1-0 each; O Mac Donnacha (2p ) 0-2; F Ó Laoi, D Ó Flaherty, D McHugh 0-1 each.
Kerry: S Murphy; E Looney, J Foley, D Casey; A Heinrich, T Morley, G O’Sullivan; J O’Connor, L Smith; C Trant, S O’Shea, M Burns; T Brosnan, D Clifford, K Evans. Subs: E Healy for G O’Sullivan (51 ), M O’Shea for L Smith (53 ), D O’Sullivan for M Burns (56 ), C Brosnan for T Brosnan (64 ), P Murphy for J Foley (69 ).
Galway: E McGrath; J McGrath, R Roche, J Glynn; B Cogger, Hernon, S Kelly; K Molloy, M Tierney; S McGrath, C Mulhearn, J Maher; F McDonagh, R Finnerty, O Mac Donnacha. Subs: F Ó Laoi for B Cogger (27 ), D Ó Flaherty for C Mulhearn (42 ), C Power for R Roche (45 ), D McHugh for K Molloy (47 ), L Ó Conghaile for O Mac Donnacha (61 ).
Ref: P Faloon (Down ).
