Galway hurlers get out of jail

Galway 1-22

Laois 0-23

FOR the second year running, Galway hurlers opened their Leinster campaign against Laois in ignominious fashion. Yes, the Westerners escaped O’Moore Park, Portlaoise with a win by the skin of their teeth but, not for the first time, serious question marks hang over their championship credentials.

As performances go, this was not good enough from Galway and nobody will accept that more than boss Anthony Cunningham, selectors Eugene Cloonan and Damien Curley and the players themselves. For if they choose to sweep this under the carpet, then, as in 2013, they will be in for another tough summer.

You would just hope that the Tribesmen were attempting to keep their powder dry for bigger days ahead – however naïve this approach might have been – but, in saying that, the lack of method and guile to Galway’s hurling over the 70 minutes was nothing less than alarming. Indeed, with a quarter of this tie remaining, it looked as if Galway were destined for the qualifiers and, far worse, the preliminary five-team round robin series of the 2015 Leinster championship. That was the ‘wooden spoon’ for the losers. Imagine the implications that would have caused to club fixtures in this county!

That said, Laois, who had come through the round robin series as runners-up following defeat to Antrim the previous weekend, showed no ill effects of that gruelling schedule and by half-time Seamus Plunkett’s wind-assisted charges were worth every ounce their 0-16 to 1-7 lead.

One shudders to think where Galway would have been at this stage had they not emerged quickly from the blocks and hit 1-3 of their interval tally in the opening exchanges – Jonathan Glynn netting the game’s only goal when he seized a Johnny Coen delivery and bulldozed his way through the Laois cover.

Despite a moment’s hesitation from the umpires – suggesting Glynn’s third minute major had hit the side netting – the goal stood and it gave Galway early momentum, which they duly looked to build on with Coen, David Burke and Padraig Brehony adding some superb points in the ensuing minutes. Galway were now 1-3 to no score to the good and the possibility – believe it or not – was that a rout might be on the cards. How wrong we were? In the subsequent 26 minutes of the opening period, Galway were outscored 16 points to four by a Laois outfit, which had, by now, packed its defence.

An extended match report appears in this week’s Connacht Tribune.