Hurlers miss a ruthless streak

Date Published: 28-Jul-2009

GALWAY’S senior hurlers crashed out of the All-Ireland quarter-finals in dramatic fashion after they were hit for 1-2 by a mercurial but seasoned Waterford outfit in the closing minutes of a tight and tense encounter at Semple Stadium on Sunday.

For Galway, those final moments were akin to a lover being jilted at the altar. All the preparation and groundwork had been done, victory had been courted to which a large congregation of 30,125 had gathered to bear witness, and, then, in three minutes of chaotic madness, it was as if the bride lifted the hem of her white flowing gown and, for some unknown reason, bolted for the church-doors with all the speed of an Olympic sprinter.

The only word to describe the feeling among Galway supporters afterwards was “sick”. Not for the first time, the Tribesmen had promised so much, but just like those defeats to Kilkenny in ’07 and Cork in ’08, players, management and supporters were left cradling a deep sense of loss after being hit with a late barrage of scores.

Of course, for some pundits, this has reinvigorated the argument regarding Galway’s mental rittleness in closing out these tight games, but as far as this observer was concerned, this was not so much a factor in this one. Yes, Galway had held a six-point advantage midway through the second half, but, in saying that, as the latter period progressed, the Galway challenge was already beginning to wilt somewhat.

The players or management have refused to acknowledge that this being their third game in 22 days was a factor, but given that this was their third high profile fixture in as many weeks against Munster opposition – there is a difference – there had to be a certain amount of physical and mental fatigue approaching the final whistle.

Indeed, just as they had failed to make their hooks and blocks by a fraction of a second in the closing stages of their Leinster semi-final clash against All-Ireland champions Kilkenny, Galway’s timing in the execution of their duties was similarly affected. The Tribesmen were…