Galway’s young tigers edge out the Cats in replay

Galway 3-10

Kilkenny 0-17

AS soon as the final whistle went in this exciting All-Ireland minor hurling semi-final replay, the air of ‘Galway Bay’ rang out over the sound system. However, the manner in which Galway plundered this victory, the theme from The Pink Panther or The Great Escape might have been more appropriate.

Although Galway led the game for the opening 20 minutes – a seventh minute Jack Coyne goal settling the nerves early on – the young Tribesmen subsequently found themselves two points in arrears by half-time and four points down with five minutes to go.

This Galway squad though don’t know when to just quit and with those five minutes left on the clock, Galway ignited Croke Park with their second goal. Digging out possession deep, Andrew Greaney combined with fellow half-back Caelom Mulry. He found substitute Cian Salmon who, in turn, released goalscorer Jack Kenny.

Amazingly, substitute Kenny was a designated water boy the previous week but had just been introduced into this cauldron two minutes earlier and he made no mistake with his clinical finish. Galway were just a point behind, 2-9 to 0-16.

John Donnelly responded seconds later for Leinster champions Kilkenny to stretch the margin to two points again but Jeffrey Lynskey’s charges had just been winding up for the big finish. They duly delivered.

First, Kenny won a free which Evan Niland converted to reduce the deficit to the minimum with three minutes remaining before a speculative high delivery from Thomas Monaghan, the hero of the drawn fixture, was greeted by Salmon who was on hand to steer the sliotar to the Kilkenny net.

It was beautiful on so many levels and what made it all the sweeter was that there was a hint of square ball. It probably was but, in fairness, Galway have rarely received the rub of the green in these big decisions in the past and for the honest toil and effort the teenagers from the West brought to proceedings, they deserved it.

In addition, for over a century, Kilkenny have been doing this to other contenders at every other level and, on Sunday, they got a small dose of their own medicine. That 59th minute goal was the first time Galway had regained the lead since conceding the advantage they held coming up to half time. It broke Kilkenny’s hearts.

Full match report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.