Galway out of their depth against hurling’s new kingpins

Date Published: 04-Apr-2011

by STEPHEN GLENNON

When reality bites, it more often than not bites hard. So Galway found out to their cost at Pearse Stadium on Sunday, when All-Ireland champions Tipperary inflicted an incredible 18-point drubbing on the home side in this – at least from a Galway perspective –disturbing National Hurling League fixture.

One could argue that everyone’s reality is different, but John McIntyre’s charges were left under no illusions as to their standing in the pecking order of top flight hurling. Forget Cork and Kilkenny, Tipperary are now the kings. It is they who give the master classes these days.

As for Galway, they entered this contest with plenty of bravado after their recent league wins over Kilkenny and Dublin. Yet, for all that, it just showed that while you can climb to the highest cliff and take the plunge into the deep waters of the ocean, once you hit the water, you must be able to swim.

For the Tribesmen’s part, no one questioned their bravery, but when the plunge was taken on Sunday, they found themselves out of their depth, flaying in those drowning waters, gasping for breath. That breath – or performance – never came and as they went under, along came the Great White shark with an insatiable killer instinct, its jaws fully extended. It simply mangled its helpless prey.

In any event, the question now is, where does this harrowing defeat leave Galway? Hard to say, really. As many questions were raised as were answered in this one. Was this game a fair assessment of Galway’s true worth? Is there such a gulf between the two counties? Can Galway bridge that immeasurable gap? What can Galway do to stand on Tipperary’s plateau?

Those were the conundrums facing – to borrow a phrase from Hurling Board Chairman Joe Byrne – “the stakeholders” of the local game on Sunday evening and one of those, the Galway manager, must have realised that by then, the Tribesmen’s stock had been substantially devalued.

See full report and analysis in this week’s Connacht Sentinel.