Galway’s bad Thurles record is reaching nightmare levels

Inside Track with John McIntyre

Thurles continues to strike fear into the hearts of Galway hurling supporters – and the statistics show why. A sixth consecutive competitive defeat at Semple Stadium last Sunday underlines the county’s appalling record at a venue which is regarded as the sport’s most hallowed.

The Tipperary stadium has never been a great hunting ground for Galway hurlers, but over the past decade Thurles has more often than not become a graveyard for their visitors from the West. Apart from their championship qualifier win over Cork in 2009 and a league final triumph the following year, the Tribesmen invariably depart the venue with tails between their legs.

Leaving aside Galway’s desperate league record against Tipperary in Thurles – just two wins from their last 18 clashes – they have bowed out of the championship five times in the past seven years at hurling’s spiritual home, while also losing there to Kilkenny in last year’s league semi-finals. It’s not funny anymore and Galway’s complex about Semple Stadium must be reaching nightmare proportions.

On some of those occasions, Galway were simply beaten by the better team, but in the championship of 2008 (Cork), 2010 (Waterford) and last year (Tipperary), they had launched themselves into winning positions only to implode down the home straight. Nobody wants to be talking about a Thurles jinx when it comes to Galway, but the reality is becoming difficult to ignore.

Take Sunday’s Division 1A league encounter against Tipperary, for instance. It was another game Galway could have won but they fell asleep on the resumption and then lost their composure after almost reeling in the home team when bravely rallying from a ten point deficit. Each stumble in Thurles can only be adding to the demons stalking the Galway players about the place.

The match itself lacked the spice associated with Galway’s edging out of Clare the previous weekend. The hurling was loose and the intensity of the exchanges only occasionally stoked the passions of the disappointing small crowd. Both teams mixed the good with the bad but, in the end, Tipperary carried the day thanks to converting two goal chances when Galway had momentarily switched off.

Frankly, I thought Anthony Cunningham’s charges had the hard work done in the opening half after which they only trailed by three points. Galway had faced the elements but some good points from Cathal Mannion, Padraig Breheny, whose replacement early in the third quarter beggared belief, and James Regan, together with Jason Flynn’s placed balls had kept them on Tipperary’s coat-tails.

Unfortunately, Galway went on to pay the maximum price for a sloppy start to the second half. Within 14 seconds John O’Dwyer, who was subsequently lucky to escape the ultimate sanction for a late pull on impressive substitute Greg Lally, had the ball in the net after defenders John Hanbury and Johnny Coen appeared to get in each other’s way. That was an untimely blow for the Tribesmen but worse was to follow.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.