Galway Intermediate hurlers lose to Cork

Galway’s intermediate hurlers lost to Cork in Tullamore on Saturday on a 0-21 to 0-17 scoreline after a disappointing second-half performance from the Tribesmen.

Galway fielded the county’s U-21 team with the exception of the five squad members who played with Galway in the senior championship in 2014, ahead of their upcoming All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford.

Galway’s rising stars came up against a Cork team drawn exclusively from intermediate and junior clubs, bar goalkeeper Richie Cunningham from Youghal, last year’s county intermediate champions. Against that background, it was difficult to judge pre-match which team was better off in last Saturday’s semi-final in Tullamore.

The hunch, however, was that Galway would have an edge in skill and mobility against the Rebels and that’s exactly how it transpired in the opening-half only for the young Tribesmen to unexpectedly collapse on the resumption – ahead by six at the break, they were four behind by the finish.

In their defence, Galway would obviously have lacked the necessary experience and physicality to halt the Peter O’Brien inspired Cork comeback, but the manner in which several players who had a big influence in the opening 30 minutes faded completely out of an open contest was still alarming.

Unfortunately, the men in maroon gradually fell into a hole during the second-half. They were still 0-16 to 0-14 in front heading into the final quarter, but Cork were dictating now and with O’Brien going to town on the forty, it was only a matter of time before they drew level and, then, pulled clear.

They had just once score from play in that second half, a dramatic turnaround and Johnny Kelly’s troops were utterly leaderless when the tide started going against them.

In the end, it was another typical performance from a Galway hurling team. Grand when things are running with them but, once the hardship started, they lacked the resolve, spirit or commitment to cope.