Galway team manager Cunningham bemoans lack of composure late on

GALWAY manager Anthony Cunningham acknowledged his forward unit must improve in terms of their composure in the final minutes of games if they are going to make an impact in venues like Semple Stadium and Croke Park.

Having cut a 10-point deficit early in the second period to just three entering the final stretch of their second round NHL fixture to Tipperary, Galway inexplicably lost their nerve, manifesting in poor distribution from the back and wayward shooting up front. This included four wides and a string of efforts falling short.

“Up front, we have got to say from midfield up, when we get the scoring chances, they have got to go over,” stated the manager, who noted this was regardless of the venue being Thurles, Croke Park or Pearse Stadium. “We just have to get better taking those [chances].

“We had two or three bad wides [in the final minutes] and as a young team and young players, they have to take the learning point from that – you have to be more in control when you have the ball in front of goal and not to panic and rush. I thought we panicked a small bit there for a five or 10 minute phase and you can’t really.

“You are going to be meeting top class opposition like Tipperary every day and you are going to be down in some matches, but you are going to get your chances. When you do get your chances, you have to be cool under pressure.”

One of the crucial moves that saw Galway score eight of nine points in a 15-minute period midway through the second half was that of midfielder Joseph Cooney to attack. The in-form Sarsfields man tallied two excellent scores and looked a real threat.

“We probably needed a bit more punch up front at that stage and we gambled with that by popping Joe up there. Greg Lally coming in and our other players who came in – like Brian Molloy – I thought they worked hard,” he praised.

“Some of our players have a lot of hurling done, even at this early stage. A lot of them are in colleges or U-21 and, you know, Jason (Flynn), Dean (Higgins), James Regan and Padraig Breheny, they looked a bit tired in spots and that is going to happen in these matches. So, we have got to be able to use the bench.”

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