Galway’s mixed bag still enough to win the day

Date Published: {J}

Galway 4-15

Waterford 1-15

Stephen Glennon

at Pearse Stadium

THERE may be a certain amount of shadow boxing in the National Hurling League this time of the year but, that aside, Galway look to be an outfit intent on making as many succinct statements as possible in these budding months of Spring.

Although shorn of their club-tied Portumna contingent, the Tribesmen are still a potent side, underlined by the impressive tallies they have posted in both the Walsh Cup and National League to date. In Pearse Stadium on Sunday, they hit another 4-15, with the full-forward line alone contributing 3-7 of that total.

Both Ardrahan’s Iarla Tannian and Craughwell’s Niall Healy were restored to the Galway attack after periods on the treatment table for Sunday’s tie. While the two corner forwards still have work to do, particularly on their fitness levels, they showed just how potent they can be on any given day, with Tannian tallying 2-2 and Healy registering 1-1.

Indeed, Galway manager John McIntyre will be delighted with the spread of scorers against the Deise. Joe Gantley, who had a cracking Walsh Cup campaign, but was somewhat subdued against Limerick in the county’s NHL opener, had a fine game again in the full-forward berth, scoring four points from play.

Also chipping in over the 70 minutes, midfielders Ger Farragher and Niall Cahalan and wing-forward Aidan Harte – with a neat total of 1-1 – all scribed their names on the score sheet, while left-half back David Collins marked his first start in two and a half years with a splendid second half point.

Overall, there was plenty of positives … fine individual performances, a good work-rate, a neat balance to the side and, of course, the securing of the two League points on offer. That said, the management and players will not be consumed or blinkered by these pluses, and it is more likely that they will focus on the areas they most need to improve on for the trip to Tipp on March 14.

Certainly, after building up a seven-point lead in the first quarter, questions will be asked why Galway failed to score then for the latter 20 minutes of the opening period while, in contrast, the visitors rattled off 1-6 without reply to lead 1-8 to 2-3 at the break.

Yes, Waterford were backed by the sea breeze but, not for the first time, Galway inexplicably lost their grip on a game that they owned. Given it was a lapse such as this that cost them against Kilkenny and Waterford in the Leinster and All-Ireland campaigns last season, Galway have to address this issue, sooner rather than later.

In any event, Galway did recover from that shaky period and they came out in the second half all guns blazing, outscoring Davy Fitzgerald’s charges by an incredible 2-12 to 0-7. Indeed, in the third quarter alone, they totally blitzed their opponents by clocking up a breathtaking 2-10. It was some tally for 18 minutes’ of fervent hurling. Waterford, in turn, could only manage two points through midfielder Richie Foley and freetaker Maurice Shanahan in this time.

Maybe Galway had learned from the lessons from the first half, when after taking a commanding lead they utterly failed to push home their advantage. In 12 seconds flat, Niall Healy had the sliotar in Adrian Power’s net, after an Aonghus Callanan delivery was fielded by Gantley, who laid off possession neatly to the raiding Healy.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.