Cats rolling into town

Date Published: 18-Feb-2013

STEPHEN GLENNON

AFTER providing some of the most memorable sporting highlights of 2012, Leinster champions Galway and All-Ireland title holders Kilkenny will clash in the opening round of the National Hurling League at Pearse Stadium on Sunday (2pm).

If the clamour for tickets for last September’s All-Ireland finals – drawn game and replay – are anything to go by, then more than the die-hards who year in, year out dot the terraces and stands at these early season fixtures should turn up at the Salthill venue for this mouthwatering Division One clash.

Certainly, the game itself is an attractive National League opener and you can be sure that neither camp will wish to concede ground to the other this early in the year, particularly given the recent history between the sides.

For this one, two of Galway’s primary ball winners, Andy Smith (Portumna) and Cyril Donnellan (Padraig Pearses), both miss the fixture as they are serving suspensions while Craughwell’s Niall Healy, so impressive against Dublin in the Walsh Cup, is struggling to be fit with a hand injury.

That said, the Galway camp have plenty of reasons to be positive after the side – in the guise of Connacht – had a superb victory over a star-studded Leinster in their inter-provincial semi-final at O’Connor Park, Tullamore last Sunday.

To the fore in the 3-13 to 1-16 win were Sarsfields’ Joseph Cooney, who played a starring role at centre-half back, and young sharpshooters Niall Burke (Oranmore/Maree) and David Glennon (Mullagh).

Others who acquitted themselves were Paul Killeen (Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry), Brian Flaherty (Abbeyknockmoy) and Niall Donoghue (Kilbeacanty) while some of the older hands, such as Cyril Donnellan and Damien Hayes (Portumna) also impressed.

“The good thing about Sunday’s game was that a large number of the fringe guys came out and gave a very good account of themselves,” said Galway coach Tom Helebert. “That gives us great optimism in terms of the strength of the panel. It was very encouraging.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.