Lynskey does it again

WE have come to expect nothing less from the Galway minor hurlers in recent times. Another year, another bunch of talented youngsters coming up through the ranks to get excited about and this year’s crop in particular, really were a class apart right from the get-go.

Admittedly, the Tribesmen struggled to cope with Kilkenny’s early hunger and intensity last Sunday and, in fact, for most of the first half, Galway came out second best in the 50/50 collisions against a side they had comfortably beaten earlier in the championship.

No two games are the same, however, and the Tribesmen stuck to their task, eventually turning the tie around to win by seven following a fine second half display.

Full-time marked another moment to savour for Galway manager Jeff Lynskey, who’s winning record just continues to grow.

The Liam Mellows man really is a wizard when it comes to getting the most out of underage talent. That’s what he has a passion for and he knows all the tricks and tendencies that come with the job at this stage, which is why he was unfazed following his side’s sluggish start.

“Ah look when they’re minors, especially when they’re 16, 17 years of age, there’s going to come a patch where there’s going to be a lull and you have to give them a chance. It’s a big stage out there, you just need to give them time to settle down and I thought after 10 minutes it was 0-4 apiece again you know and we brought ourselves back in to the game.

“Kilkenny pushed on again and they were a point up at half-time but I knew after the last couple of weeks of training that the ‘whites’ we call them – I wouldn’t call them the second 15 because of what they did today – they were going better than some of the mainstays in the team.

“Pat Fleury (TG4) said ‘we thought ye panicked.’ There was no panic. It was like ‘get these lads on’ because they were impressing so much in in-house games for the last three weeks.

Galway showed a lot more than just their physical skills in Croke Park last Sunday, for skills were simply not enough to get the job done this time around.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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