Galway eased past holders Mayo at Tuam Stadium to capture the silverware – 0-16 to 0-10.

Between them, Liam Costello and the full forward line of Darragh Silke, Padraig Costello and Rory Cunningham banged over 14 points for the classy winners.

Facile victors over Roscommon last weekend, Padraic Joyce’s charges put one hand on the silverware with an impressive first-half display, which saw them turn around with an unassailable 0-10 to 0-4 advantage. The second half was a stroll...

The hosts led by the odd point from five after ten minutes. Evan O’Brien (free) and Tommy Conroy pointed for the home side inside the first two minutes but the slick Tribesmen replied through Liam Costello, who found the target twice either side of a Cunningham point.

Silke and Liam Costello made it five Galway points without reply before Conroy hit back in the 22nd minute. Conor Newell and Padraig Costello points teased the gap out to four with half-time approaching, Silke’s brace of frees and point from play more than cancelling out a Paul Towey score as the winners led by six at the short whistle.

Now playing into the breeze, Cunningham, Padraig Costello (free) and Liam Costello landed quickfire points upon the resumption to extend the margin to nine and the game was well and truly over by the time the holders replied through O’Brien (free) and Conroy. A smooth Silke free propelled the winners into a 0-14 to 0-6 advantage with three-quarters of the game played.

Padraig Costello added to the winning tally and – all too late – the losers rallied with a run of late points from Towey (two) and O’Brien (two frees), Matthew Tierney’s free closing the scoring as Galway football received a very welcome boost.

As well as collecting the provincial title, the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals, where they will lock horns with either Dublin or Laois on Saturday week.

Galway - O Burke; R Mahon, S Mulkerrin, E McFadden; L Boyle, C Potter, J Kirrane; M Barrett, M Tierney (0-1); L Costello (0-4), G Burke, B O’Connell; D Silke (0-5), P Costello (0-3), R Cunningham (0-2). Subs: J Glynn for J Kirrane, C Newell (0-1) for G Burke, M Culhane for B O’Connell, E Mannion for P Costello, B Harlowe for M Culhane, M O’Brien for L Costello.

Mayo - J McNicholas; J Coyne, R Brickenden, O Mullin; A McDonnell, C Beirne, E McLaughlin; E O’Brien (0-4), G Durcan; J Gallagher, P Towey (0-3), P Goldrick; A Orme, S McGreal, T Conroy (0-3). Subs: N Moran for J Gallagher, D McBrien for A McDonnell, K Callaghan for S McGreal, D Gannon for E McLaughlin, C Gavin for A Orme.

Referee - P Neilan.

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