Galway recorded their second successive Division One victory when beating Waterford by 4-15 to 1-15 at Pearse Stadium.

Iarla Tannian, Niall Healy and Aidan Harte bagged the goals on a topsy-turvy day for John McIntyre's charges, who were totally outplayed in the second quarter but lifted their game considerably after the break.

Playing into the wind, Galway started well and led by 2-3 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter. But the Decies dominated the rest of the first half to reel off 1-6 without reply to lead by two points at the interval.

With only seconds on the clock, Galway had the ball in the net: Niall Healy applied the finishing touch after just 18 seconds to stun the Waterford players. Maurice Shanahan sent a free wide as the Decies struggled to recover from that early setback.

Lismore clubman Shanahan clipped over Waterford's opening score from a fourth-minute free and the No.10 added another free in the eighth minute to close the gap to one, 1-0 to 0-2.

Full forward Joe Gantley - who'd laid on the assist for Healy's goal - fired Galway's opening point on ten minutes. Midfielder Niall Cahalan and wing forward Aonghus Callanan added points for the Tribesmen, who led by 1-3 to 0-2 after 14 minutes.

Then Iarla Tannian - putting his injury woes behind him - powered through the Waterford defence to blast an unstoppable shot past Adrian Power to put seven points between them.

Shanahan pulled back another free to leave it 2-3 to 0-3 in Galway's favour after 19 minutes. To date, all Waterford's scores had come from frees while Galway had mustered all their scores from play.

Both sides were guilty of a series of wides before Shane Walsh got the visitors' first point from play in the 26th minute. Jamie Nagle tagged on another Decies point on the half hour to make it 0-5 to 2-3.

Galway's shooting was dreadful and they were punished in the 32nd minute when their defence failed to cope with a nothing ball in and Fourmilewater man Walsh pounced for a goal. Within seconds, Richie Foley landed another point from the middle of the park and the sides were level, 1-6 to 2-3.

On the stroke of half time, Shanahan took a facile point on the run to put Davy Fitzgerald's men in front for the first time and he added another point from a free deep into injury time to make it 1-8 to 2-3 at the short whistle.

Galway slotted over three points in as many minutes at the start of the second half - with Gantley, Ger Farragher and David Collins on target - and Waterford replied with a score from Foley to level the scores again. Farragher's free made it 2-7 to 1-9 after 40 minutes.

Aidan Harte, Tannian and Gantley were all on target as the hosts assumed a 2-10 to 1-9 lead after 45 minutes.

Waterford pulled a point back but Healy replied for Galway with a determined score.

Then came a soft Galway goal when U21 'keeper Power fumbled Man of the Match Tannian's poor shot over his own goal-line - 3-11 to 1-10. Cahalan added another Galway point and Tannian was on target again within seconds as the floodgates opened.

Shanahan pulled back a free for the creaking Waterford men but they still trailed by eight points, 3-13 to 1-11, with the game in its final quarter.

Harte found himself in acres of space in front of the Waterford goal - with the defence non-existent - and the No.10 made no mistake in flashing an unstoppable shot off the ground to the roof of the net.

Farragher boomed over an enormous long-range free to make it 4-14 to 1-11 with 13 minutes left and Waterford captain Stephen Molumphey pointed at the end of a rare Decies attack.

Connors and Gantley traded points as the rain lashed down momentarily in Salthill. Shanahan - who finished with 0-9 - pulled back a couple of consolation scores but it was Galway who claimed their second successive win of the campaign, with nine points to spare. Tweet

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