Galway minors look the part in big win over Banner rivals

Galway 2-19

 Clare 1-12

GALWAY minor hurlers have been coming in cold to All-Ireland quarter-finals for the past 20 years, but this lack of competitive preparation for knock-out matches continues to prove no real barrier to further progress in the championship.

That trend was continued at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday when Galway convincingly cleared the quarter-final hurdle for the twentieth time in 21 years with a big win over a Clare team which was there for the taking after being routed by Cork in the Munster final.

Some of those quarter-final outings were admittedly no more than turkey shoots against Ulster teams, but apart from Cork in 2007, the young Tribesmen have consistently managed to hit the ground running despite coming up against opponents with championship experience behind them.

If anything, Galway were more-ready than ever for this year’s championship campaign after being hit by a seven-goal Tipperary avalanche in the 2016 semi-final. With Jeffrey Lynskey still at the helm, the management heeded those lessons and stepped up the winter work with their latest squad.

That diligence earned its due reward on Saturday evening when Galway had too much of everything for a physically light Clare outfit which initially fought honourably to put their bad loss to Cork behind them and were well in the hunt until the interval, only to be over-run in the second half.

Galway’s more powerful unit began to punch serious holes in the Clare defence, with central players, Jack Canning and Conor Walsh, using their physicality and talent to good effect in a sector where Sean Bleahane and Donal Mannion nailed five points from play between them, and wing forward Ben Moran typified their work ethic.

Back the field, Galway were impressive as well. Conor Fahey caught the eye in midfield while team captain Darren Morrissey was clearly determined to lead by example in a rearguard which was well on top for the most part, although Clare’s best player, Gary Cooney, and Keith White were both a handful at times.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.