Galway only get going when the game is over

NO complaints, but the hope now has to be that harsh lessons have been learned from another tough day out at Croke Park for Galway hurling as the 2013 championship – the most open in years – heads for the knock-out stages.

Brilliant Dublin did to Galway what the Tribesmen themselves had done to Kilkenny in the same fixture 12 months ago by showing greater hunger, grit, and determination to land a first Leinster senior hurling title in 52 years.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but once again Galway supporters travelled to GAA HQ more in hope than expectation after a tough League campaign and a laboured provincial semi-final win over Laois which showed they have failed to build on the huge progress made last year.

We hoped they could turn an entire year’s performance levels on their head, almost miraculously, just as they had done against Kilkenny last July. Instead, we were left to marvel at the work-rate, desire, and tactical superiority of a Dublin side who clearly benefitted from playing their fifth championship game in as many weekends.

There was no basis for Galway optimism going into this fixture, but the pain of a heavy 12 point defeat should also come with the realisation that the team in maroon which finished this provincial decider was far stronger than the XV which took to the field at 4pm.

By the middle of the second half, they finally got up to the pace of a full-blooded championship game. The problems were especially apparent around the midfield and half-forward sectors, where the boys in blue won out every single battle. By half-time, both starting midfielders – Iarla Tannian and a clearly uncomfortable James Regan – had both been hauled ashore.

Cyril Donnellan of Pearses, one of the stars of last year’s surprise run to the All-Ireland final, has probably never had a worse 35 minutes in a maroon shirt and could have no complaints, either, when asked to make way for Damien Hayes as a shell-shocked dressing room tried to make sense of a 1-12 to 0-7 deficit at half-time.

Hayes, his Portumna colleague Andy Smith, and Gort’s Aiden Harte all had strong cases for starting this provincial final in the first place and must surely be back in the reckoning when Anthony Cunningham’s management team tear up whatever game plan they brought to the capital on Sunday.

Further back, there was not much solace to be had either. Ironically, the one back who did not feature throughout the League, Shane Kavanagh, proved to be the best Galway defender on show. His strong performance at centre back was one of the few highlights from a hugely disappointing day for Galway hurling.

Whether it was ‘second season syndrome’ or a more worrying indication that the men in maroon were simply not good enough, it was clear from an early stage that Dublin had far greater appetite for a battle as they out-hurled and out-fought their direct opponents all over the field.

It was devastating. Ten of the Dubs got on the scoreboard, they annihilated the reigning champions in the middle third of the field, and it was a mere salvage operation by the time the Tribesmen returned for the second half.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.