It’s a saunter in Salthill for determined Galway outfit

Galway 3-36

Westmeath 1-17

OUR tentative hopes for a half-decent contest in Saturday’s second round of the Leinster Hurling Championship at Pearse Stadium were sunk even before the sliotar was thrown in.

Once Galway had use of the strong wind in the first-half, it meant there was zero chance of rank outsiders Westmeath shaking up their hosts to any significant degree. After the opening quarter, the Midlanders were already 2-11 to 0-2 hopelessly adrift.

It ended up being one of the most one-sided tussles in the history of the Leinster championship as a slick and sharp Galway ruthlessly took out their frustrations on Westmeath after their late implosion against Wexford the previous weekend.

Even factoring in the opposition’s poverty, Galway were admirably professional in going about their business from the off. An astounding exhibition of accuracy – they scored all bar two of their opening 25 shots at the Westmeath posts – saw them quickly establish their superiority.

The Galway attack enjoyed a field day, despite the absence of the injured Conor Whelan. All six forwards had scored by the 11th minute which must constitute some sort of record and, by the end of the game, only four of the starting 15 had failed to register a score.

It summed up the yawning gulf in standard between the teams, and though Westmeath offered strong resistance in the third quarter, it was difficult for Galway to maintain their intensity given that they had led by a whopping 23 points at the interval.

A crowd of about 3,500 saw the Henry Shefflin-led management vindicated in their decision to keep faith with the same team – bar the absent Whelan – for their first championship collision with Westmeath since 2016.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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