Heads to roll after latest flop by Galway men

Date Published: {J}

Dara Bradley

THIS was sickening. Absolutely, sickening.

We thought the Galway senior hurling squad had turned a corner after the shockingly inept showing against Dublin in the Leinster semi-final.

But instead they just turned full circle round the Clare and Cork roundabout, heightened expectations en route, and then headed straight back down the road they came from – back to the despair of the Dublin disaster.

Except this time it was worse. Yes, worse than Tullamore.

On Sunday, there was no safety net and no excuses to hide behind – apart from the absence of Alan Kerins, who failed a late fitness test, Galway had a full deck to play with. They had a settled team coming into it, had built a bit of momentum and some confidence; the forwards were scoring freely, midfielders playing with abandon and the defence recovered well from a shaky start against the Rebels.

It was set up for a big Galway performance. And they just flopped. Spectacularly. Again.

And so the All-Ireland famine – and more than likely the managerial merry-go-round – continues. Another year without inter-county hurling in August; another season prematurely ended in failure before Race Week. And another autumn of soul – and manager – searching for Galway hurling.

Sunday’s defeat stretches Galway’s pitiful record against Waterford to 10 losses in 10 championship meetings and this was up there with the worst of the Déise beatings; and must rank alongside previous disasters as one of the Tribesmen’s most pathetic performances of the modern game.

In last year’s quarter-final, Galway lost by a point to the eventual All-Ireland champions, Tipperary. They suffered a similar fate at the same stage the previous year against Waterford. Galway won the Walsh Cup and National League in some style in that time as well. Progress was tangible.

But this season has been a giant step backwards – manager John McIntyre summed it up best when he said in the post-match interview that Galway are further away now from All-Ireland success than they have ever been in the past 20 years. The Tipperary native was spot on.

But what a stinging indictment of his players, of himself and of his management team – his most ardent critics, and God knows he’s accumulated a few of those throughout the county down through the years, couldn’t have been more damning had they stuck the knife in and twisted.

Galway have slid so far down in the chasing pack into mediocrity – behind Dublin, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, even Limerick – that it’s difficult to see any chink of light ahead. They once again made a mockery of the pre-tournament contenders’ tag and being third favourites to take home the Liam McCarthy Cup.

The Galway fans among the official attendance at Semple Stadium of 33,535, rightly felt disgusted and angry at this 2-13 to 2-23 thumping. They felt frustrated and shocked, too, but mostly anger.

It’s not so much losing that’s the problem, it’s the manner in which Galway’s players downed tools and gave up so early. It was the surrender that annoys the most.

Galway had no gumption for a fight. No backbone. No heart. No courage. No spirit. And once again no desire or will to win. It’s not just that Waterford wanted it more, it just seemed Galway didn’t want it at all. You’d wonder why they bother training so hard all year, making so many sacrifices in terms of family, friends and work, and yet turn-up at Thurles and hurl like they couldn’t give a toss.

Galway were hammered all over the park and lost in every individual duel. Collectively, they were second best in the work-rate and hunger departments. And some of the mistakes were elementary; funny in fact, were the stakes not so high. Trying to figure out why is next to impossible – this Galway group of players are like a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

There was a collective sigh of ‘uh-oh’ among Galway followers when Waterford’s Shane Walsh goaled inside a minute. We knew then that Davy Fitzgerald’s charges meant business; they had a point to prove after hitting rock-bottom in the Munster final and they looked psyched and primed to bounce back.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.