Hurlers go into hiding

Date Published: {J}

Dara Bradley

The Galway senior hurling team management’s and players’ reputations, such as they were, are in tatters this week.

Reputations, already bruised from a desperate showing against Westmeath and indifferent National League displays, were completely shredded by Dublin in Tullamore on Saturday evening.

The Tribesmen’s disgraceful display proved their critics right: ‘that’ Irish Independent article published on the day of the match, in which three former greats, Noel Lane, Brendan Lynskey and Conor Hayes told some unpalatable home truths about the current crop wearing the maroon and white, turned out to be spot on.

Lacking a “mental toughness”, “physical ruthlessness” and “a savage will to win”, railed the old guard in the build-up. And Galway obliged, buckling meekly and cowardly under the pressure of a hungrier Dublin side. “Afraid to catch the ball” in case they’d break a nail or finger? Check. Players with inflated opinions of themselves playing like “a bunch of individuals”? Check. “Capitulate too easily”? Check.

Harsh words from ‘legends’ but fair comment, as the trio adequately summed up what Galway’s performance would be before the ball was even thrown in.

Galway manager John McIntyre, quick to dole out criticism to previous managements and players through his columns and reports in the Connacht Tribune down through the years, could hardly argue when the muck is flying back at his charges. “I appreciate more than anyone that the critics are going to have a field day.

“I heard some of the comments coming off the field, about management and the players being a disgrace to Galway hurling. We have to live with that for the next fortnight,” said McIntyre, who must have sensed the sound of ‘knives sharpening’ and ‘heaves brewing’ in the wake of the 2-7 to 0-19 defeat, one of the worst ‘performances’ from a Galway team in years.

There was never any sense that Galway wanted to reach a Leinster final, or had the wherewithal to get there – the first touch was brutal; as expected they couldn’t compete in the air; they were out muscled in the tight exchanges; and the shooting was awful. It was a mismatch in the hunger department, too.

The game-plan, apparently they had one, was all over the shop – at one stage in the second half when Galway were trailing by six or seven points and Dublin were down to 14 men, there were just two Galway players in Dublin’s half. Why, with an extra man, did Galway play it safe, go defensive, rather than throwing caution to the wind and use the spare man in attack?

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.