Another shambles from demoralised Galway

Date Published: 10-Mar-2009

OH DEAR! It’s difficult to know where to start. Another game, another shambles.

We thought Galway had hit rock bottom when they were hammered by Dublin in the NHL three weeks ago but this was shocking stuff. To be frank, it was embarrassing and it’s hard to know how Galway can pick themselves up after another demoralising, dire display.

The county’s hurling fraternity hoped that the defeat at Parnell Park was just a blip that would serve as a wakeup call but on the evidence of this ramshackle, rudderless display against All-Ireland champions Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium on Sunday, the worst is yet to come for Galway.

The reality is Galway will struggle in their remaining league fixtures against Limerick, Waterford, Tipperary and Clare and – with signs of a resolution emerging to the bitter Cork hurling dispute – they are now in a three-way battle to stay in Division 1 and on the basis of Sunday’s farce, you’d have to wonder if Division 2 might be a more appropriate place for them.

The Galway players (with the exception of Joe Canning who gave the most polished 70-minutes display of any county hurler in 2008) were rightly lambasted in the wake of their heartless defeat to Cork when they exited the championship with a whimper last summer but despite some
soul-searching, a new management team and a few new faces, nothing has changed and, if anything, Galway’s defeat to Dublin and this latest mauling to Kilkenny shows they’ve gone backwards and learned nothing in terms of mental strength and attitude since last July.

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