After nerve-shredding finishes against Mayo, Dublin, Derry and Armagh, Galway had already been involved in their share of high octane, high drama ties before surviving another against Down in the Marshes.
Forward trio Shane Walsh, Rob Finnerty and Matthew Thompson scored 1-18 between them as the Tribesmen left with a two-point victory.
But only after weathering a stirring fightback from the Mourne men inspired by Odhran Murdock.
Winning manager Padraic Joyce said afterwards: “Very happy that we got through.
“Great game of football, up and down the pitch the whole time. It was error-ridden, a lot of turnovers, a lot of good play.
“We probably started the game poorly enough but then second half of the first half, we pulled away and got a 10-point cushion at half-time after Shane got the goal.
“Came out after half-time and we let them get back into the game with two two-pointers.
“The game then was topsy-turvy in the second half, tit for tat, back and over. We looked in a bit of bother in the second half when they got back to two or three points.
“In fairness to our experienced lads, Peter Cooke made a massive difference when he came on the pitch. Tomo Culhane got a great goal, Daniel O’Flaherty two points.
“Our bench has made a massive impact in the last couple of games, as it did today.
“Johnny Heaney came on after a head injury for Cillian McDaid, and he handled the ball three or four times and minded the ball really, really well.
“A lot of aspects we’d be really happy with, obviously a lot of aspects we wouldn’t be happy with and the amount of scores we conceded. But it was that kind of game, it was going to be open.
“People are saying we don’t play for 70 minutes. I think we got a good performance there for the full 70 minutes overall.
“We know where we are, we’re happy enough to be there. We’ve work to do. We just can’t perform like that next week whoever we are playing in the quarter-finals. If we concede that kind of score, we’re going to be in trouble.”
A crucial eight-minute spell at the end of the first half pushed a wind-assisted Galway lead of 1-7 to 1-6 out to 1-16 to 1-6 at the hooter.
Walsh buried past Down’s excellent ‘keeper Ronan Burns on 22 minutes and kicked a couple from outside the 40-metre arc, as did Thompson and Finnerty.
Odhran Murdock and Danny Magill were on target with two points apiece for the home side, while Murdock also set John McGeough away for their opening goal on 14 minutes.
Down were a side transformed after the break with Daniel Guinness and Miceal Rooney two-pointers inside 90 seconds getting their support more involved.
Galway steadied themselves with Thompson, Finnerty and Matthew Tierney points for a 1-20 to 1-13 advantage on 49 minutes before another Down surge followed as Galway’s kickout came under intense pressure.
A second Guinness two-pointer and sub Caolan Mooney’s impact cut it back to two before Galway’s bench began to influence matters.
Peter Cooke and Daniel O’Flaherty found the target, while Walsh converted a terrific two-point free prior to his injury-enforced withdrawal.
Galway’s 1-24 to 1-19 lead appeared too much for Down to reel in, but Murdock had other ideas and ignited a rally with Down’s second goal to cut the deficit to just two on 65 minutes.
Sub Tomo Culhane’s green flag two minutes later was the key moment for the Tribesmen and finally saw off Down’s resurgence.
And though Ryan Magill netted the game’s fifth at the other end soon after, a relieving Céin D’Arcy point confirmed Galway’s victory and a quarter-final date with Meath, Monaghan or Tyrone.
Down boss Conor Laverty was upset after the game.
He said: “Bad feeling in the stomach now.
“We knew that taking any team in the country to Newry, we felt we had an opportunity to win it. We definitely didn’t think that today was going to be our last day in the championship.
“I came here today with a massive belief that these players could perform at this level and that this is the standard that we want to be play at.
“What we did talk to the players about, do you want to be coming here today to Páirc Esler playing in front of 14,000 people?
What would you rather be playing?
“I came to a league match here against Clare one year and there wasn’t 150 people at it. Playing against teams in the Tailteann Cup, there were only a couple of hundred people at them, and that’s nothing against the Tailteann Cup because it was a stepping stone.
“That’s where this group of young Down players with a serious mindset and a serious desire to be competing at the top table.“
Galway: C Flaherty; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, L Silke; D McHugh, S Kelly, C Hernon; P Conroy, J Maher; C D’Arcy 0-1, M Thompson 0-5 1tp, C McDaid 0-2; R Finnerty 0-6 1tp 1f, S Walsh 1-7 1tp 2tpf, M Tierney 0-2. Subs: P Cooke 0-1 for Conroy 47, D O’Flaherty 0-2 for Hernon 56, J Heaney for McDaid temp 61-69, T Culhane 1-0 for Walsh 62, J Daly for Maher 67.
Down: R Burns; P McCarthy, P Fegen, C Doherty 0-1; R Magill 1-0, P Laverty, M Rooney 0-2 tp; D Guinness 0-4 2tp, R McEvoy 0-2 tp; D Magill 0-2, O Murdock 1-2, A Crimmins 0-1 f; J Guinness 0-1, P Havern 0-2 2f, J McGeough 1-1. Subs: E Brannigan 0-1 for McCarthy temp 21-26 & HT, C Mooney 0-2 for McGeough 53, O Savage for Doherty 58, C McCrickard for Crimmins 62, F Murdock for Rooney 66.
REFEREE: D O’Mahoney.
