Hurlers get the job done to book Leinster final meeting with Kilkenny

Galway 2-19

Offaly 2-9

Galway may have advanced to a second consecutive Leinster senior hurling final with a 10-point victory over Offaly in horrendous weather conditions at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise on Sunday, but it was far from a case of swinging out of lampposts and ‘Singing in the Rain’ for Micheál Donoghue and his charges.

It was interesting to listen to the post-match chatter in the stands after this one – Galway had not played well . . . need to improve . . . so on, so on. There was a grain in truth in all of it, but it is important to realise that what transpired in this contest will have little or no correlation with what will happen against provincial and All-Ireland champions Kilkenny at Croke Park on July 3.

For one, you would hope the game won’t be played in the sort of deluge more appropriate to the rainforests of South America; while Croke Park is an amphitheatre that asks different questions and can affect players in a myriad of ways.

Of course, the mentality of the Galway players will also have to be a whole lot different. In Kilkenny, they face their nemesis – the side that denied them that elusive All-Ireland senior title in 2012 and September of last year. It sets the scene.

As for this one, this was a tough slog for the Tribesmen. In the opening three minutes, they were hit for 1-2 and although Offaly were reduced to 14 men on 27 minutes following the sending off of captain Colin Egan, Galway still trailed 1-7 to 1-6 at half-time.

Galway, too, had their woes in this respect as St Thomas’ Conor Cooney – who had a fabulous game up to this – received a straight red from Cork referee Colm Lyons for what seemed an innocuous challenge with 11 minutes remaining. It left a sour taste in Galway mouths.

At any rate, Galway got the job done and, in truth, you always felt they would have too much for their rivals. Physically, the victors were strong, particularly in the forward line where Niall Burke and Cooney, both of whom had come off the bench and impressed in the win over Westmeath, were introduced into the attack.

Indeed, overall, Galway had a solid look about them but if there was one area that raised concerns, it was the manner in which the full-back line coughed up two cheap goals. The first of those arrived in no less than 15 seconds when Egan supplied Joe Bergin, and the big full-forward netted with aplomb.

From a Galway perspective, it was slack marking but for the underdogs, it was the ideal fillip to bolster their challenge. Already pumped up for this Leinster semi-final, they drove on to hit the next two points through Shane Dooley and wing-back Dermot Mooney. Offaly were rocking.

By the time Offaly found the net with their second goal on 57 minutes, though, the game, for all intents and purposes, had gone from them but it was still just reward for a plucky display. What it did do was again highlight Galway’s slackness in the final third.

On this occasion, Fergal Moore got blocked down after receiving a short puck-out, and when the ball was recycled by Offaly substitute Emmett Nolan, he found Bergin who was fouled for a penalty. Dooley made no mistake with the placed ball. Although the margin was back to six, 2-15 to 2-9, this was Offaly’s last score of the fixture.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.