Hurlers must raise intensity levels for big Banner battle

THE big question ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling quarter-final against Clare in Thurles is do Galway have the stomach and temperament to recover from their unexpected mauling by Dublin in the Leinster final earlier in the month? They have been talking the talk since that disappointing result, but now the players have to walk the walk in this all or nothing battle.

Regardless of what players the team management pick and in what positions they are lined out, Galway will be vulnerable to their youthful neighbours if a major increase in intensity and work-rate isn’t forthcoming compared to their tame performance against Dublin. The bottom line is that last year’s All-Ireland finalists are going to have seriously roll up their sleeves to save their season. Semple Stadium will be no place for slackers.

The fact that Galway have beaten Clare by ten and 17 points in their most recent championship clashes is arguably more of a hindrance than a help to Anthony Cunningham’s men in the build up to Sunday’s quarter-final. Galway tend to view themselves as superior to their Munster rivals, but the counties’ head to head championships meetings shows Clare holding a decisive 8-4 advantage – a big pre-match health warning for the Tribesmen and their supporters if ever there was one.

Considerable surgery is anticipated to the Galway team and there is a general expectation that Aidan Harte, Andy Smith, Damien Hayes and Jonathan Glynn, who were all introduced in the Leinster final, will be in the trenches from the throw in this time, while Niall Donohue must also be in line for a recall to a defence which was ripped apart by Dublin. The pressure is on the management to make the right calls in relation to personnel and the positioning of the players.

Surely David Buke is best served by a midfield role; wouldn’t Smith bring some cutting edge to the half-forward line; and isn’t Johnny Coen’s natural pace wasted by his continued deployment in the full back line. There is also a burden on the likes of David Collins, Kevin Hynes, Fergal Moore, Iarla Tannian, Niall Burke and Cyril Donnellan to regain the verve of last summer, but one can imagine no circumstances in which all six of these players will start on Sunday.

Another puzzle is where has Tony Og Regan gone? I appreciate he is vulnerable when dragged away from the centre, but the Rahoon man had a really solid championship campaign last year until Henry Shefflin switched out to the forty in the second-half of the drawn All-Ireland final. Galway simply have to get the formation of their backline right for these Clare forwards are lively if horrendously wasteful at times.

Overall, it would be hugely disappointing if Galway don’t deliver a positive response to their Leinster final capitulation. These players are genuine, have no shortage of pride in the maroon jersey, but they are going to have to get down and dirty against Clare. Talent is not the issue, but rather their ability to tough it out in matches when the tide is swinging against them. They tend to be better from the front and are vulnerable to losing their way when falling behind early on, making a good start critical at Semple Stadium.

Mind you, Clare are not without their problems too even if there are tentative signs that Davy Fitzgerald is gradually releasing them from their tactical straitjacket. They finished strongly to take care of Waterford in the Munster championship, but subsequently were a major disappointment against Cork when the spurning of several goal chances crucified them. In all their matches, they are creating a phenomenal amount of scoring opportunities, but the conversion rate is simply not good enough at this level.

Even against a poor Wexford outfit in their second game in the qualifiers, they hit 20 wides and they carelessly allowed Liam Dunne’s men to snatch a draw in the end. Clare, to their credit, did cut loose in extra time with substitute Cathal McInerney grabbing a brace of goals and roving centre forward, Tony Kelly, showing a return to form, but their finishing remains a huge area of concern, although the day they do eventually get it right, God help their opposition.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.