Galway U-21s banish bad Thurles memories with terrific semis win

Date Published: {J}

Galway 0-22

Limerick 2-14

CIARAN TIERNEY

AT SEMPLE STADIUM

HEART and courage, attributes which were supposedly missing from the DNA of the Galway hurlers all summer, were very much in evidence as the county’s U-21s overcame a spirited Limerick challenge in an exciting All-Ireland semi-final which went right down to the wire at Semple Stadium, Thurles, on Saturday evening.

No matter that the Galway sporting public had abandoned them, that the Munster champions produced potentially sickening goals at key stages of both halves, or that they had a man sent off late in the game; the men in maroon refused to buckle before holding on for what was a hugely satisfying victory.

The young Tribesmen might not be the finished article, but the way in which they settled into this encounter against battle-hardened rivals, before responding to set-backs and closing out the deal, should give huge encouragement to Anthony Cunningham and his management team ahead of next month’s final showdown with Dublin.

The foundations for victory were laid by a hugely impressive half-forward line in which the mobility of Barry Daly was inspirational while both Niall Burke and Tadhg Haran displayed the kind of accuracy from long range which augurs well for the final.

Daly seemed to pop up all over the field during a sensational Man of the Match performance while both Haran and Burke hit the ground running and helped their side to settle with some crucial early scores. Between them, these three men came up with 17 scores over the hour.

But there was so much more to this display from a side who had been humbled at the same venue by Tipperary last year, with the excellence of Niall Donoghue at full-back, midfielders David Burke and Johnny Coen, and the determination of the likes of Jason Grealish, Declan Connolly, and Rory Foy (before his costly moment of indiscipline late on) helping the Tribesmen to put that 2010 nightmare behind them.

This was some roar of redemption from a much-maligned group who made a mockery of their expected rustiness to take a 5-2 lead after nine minutes thanks to some fine shooting by Haran (three), Niall Burke, and the livewire Daly, who began the game at full-forward but covered a huge amount of ground over the hour.

The excellent Shane Dowling (a free) and centre forward Declan Hannon kept Limerick in touch during that opening spell, but following a long Aaron Murphy puck-out, the large Limerick contingent in the 8,125 attendance were on their feet when Dowling forced the sliotar over the line after it broke kindly to him from a scramble in the tenth minute.

That opening goal could have been a sickening blow, if Galway were as brittle as some expected, but Niall Burke – who ended the game with seven points from play – won a free which Haran drove expertly between the posts from 65 metres out.

Limerick then hit a purple patch with four scores in a row from Dowling (a free), Declan Hannon, Graeme Mulcahy, and Niall Kennedy, but again Galway refused to wilt with Donoghue and centre back Paul Gordon coping well under pressure, with the improving Coen moving back to help out his defenders.

Niall Burke lifted the siege with two points in a row before Coen set up a David Burke score in response to a long-range effort from rival midfielder Sean O’Brien.

Burke hit his fourth and fifth of the afternoon in response to a well-taken score from Hannon, out near the left hand sideline, and Daly forced a brilliant save from Murphy with a low drive on 26 minutes.

The Tribesmen finished the half with a flourish. Corner forward Davy Glennon found the target with a good score from the right wing, full-forward Conor Cooney robbed the Limerick full-back before splitting the posts, and Daly finished off a good move involving Foy and David Burke with an excellent score on the run.

But Limerick midfielder Conor Allis had the last word at the end of the first half with a well-taken score in injury time which left just two points between the sides (0-14 to 1-9). The Munster champions received a blow just before the break, however, when team captain Kevin Downes had to be withdrawn due to a hand injury he had carried into the match.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.