Fergal Healy battles for possession with Down's Gerard Adair

Down were in touch for 45 minutes of the contest with Martin Coulter's goal and Stephen Clarke's frees keeping the Mourne county's score ticking along.

However, Eugene Cloonan then ended Down's resistance with two quick goals.

The Galway sharpshooter ended the match with a tally of 4-7 while Alan Kerins hit the Tribesmen's other goal.

Down played with the wind in the first half and with Clarke stroking over five frees, John Crossey's side trailed by only two points at the break (1-8 to 0-9).

Cloonan gave Galway an early lead but points from Brendan McGourty and Andy Savage then put Down ahead after five minutes.

Galway then got out of first gear with Cloonan's 12th minute goal after four other points putting the Tribesmen 1-5 to 0-2 ahead.

To their credit, Down then registered five unanswered points with Clarke notching three points and Gareth Johnson and McGourty also registering.

Galway added to their two-point half-time lead early in the second period with Cloonan hitting 1-1 and Kevin Broderick striking another point.

Martin Coulter then reduced Galway's lead to four points when he struck Down's goal in the 42nd minute.

However, that was as close as Down got to the Liam McCarthy Cup contenders as Cloonan adding two more goals to bring up his tally to 4-7 and Kerins hitting a further goal in the closing seconds.

Down: Graham Clarke; P Hughes, S Murray, D Dorrian; L Clarke, G Savage, Gabriel Clarke; G Adair, A Savage; G McGrattan, J Convery, B McGourty; M COulter, capt, G Johnson, S Clarke.

Galway: L Donoghue, D Joyce, D Cloonan, O Canning, D Hardiman, D Collins, F Moore, David Hayes, F Healy, A Kerins, D Forde, D Tierney, Damien Hayes, E Cloonan, K Broderick.