Lynskey’s young squad defy the odds once again in terrific win

Galway 4-13

Tipperary 1-16

WHEN Tipperary’s Stephen Quirke levelled Sunday’s All-Ireland minor final for the eighth time on 35 minutes, there was a sense that this could well become the third Croke Park appearance in succession in which this Galway team would feature in a nerve-shreddingly tight finale.

Within five astonishing minutes, though, Galway had shook the Premier County to their core, registering 2-2 without reply as goals from substitute Liam Forde, with his first touch, and Cianan Fahy propelled Jeffrey Lynskey’s well-drilled side towards a victory that will taste even more sweet given the fact that they were underdogs in all four of the games contested in 2015.

Yet now they stand proudly as the county’s tenth national minor champions, captain Seán Loftus accepting the Irish Press Cup on behalf of his jubilant team-mates, after a team performance that was laced with character, intensity, hard work, and, most importantly, clinical finishing when it was needed most.

Clarinbridge’s Evan Niland picked up the Man of the Match award and contributed handsomely as a full forward unafraid to take on his man and a dead ball expert. There were plenty of other heroes, though, with Shane Bannon and sweeper Loftus shining brightest amongst a disciplined defence, while Jack Coyne, Jack Grealish, Thomas Monaghan, and Brian Concannon all contributed handsomely.

Most importantly, though, this was a one-to-fifteen and beyond team effort in which everyone played a vital role. Lynskey and his backroom team of Shane Cusack, Gavin Keary, and John Commins have worked diligently to build a special team ethos within this group and the fruits of their labour were plain to see as pre-match favourites Tipperary were relentlessly hounded, pressurised, blocked, and hooked for the hour and more.

As the ensuing senior decider cruelly demonstrated, it is usually the side that can work harder for longer that will prevail in a closely matched encounter, and in this instance it was Galway who were able to sustain their energy levels and call on impact substitutes as Tipperary’s dual stars faded badly in the second half.

The opening half hour had been a cagey, tit-for-tat battle in which Galway had produced the rare moments of top quality hurling. Tipperary had their moments, but critically failed to convert goal chances that could really have sparked their attempt to win the county’s seventh minor title from eight final encounters with the Tribesmen.

Galway began sharply and had two well struck frees from Niland on the board in no time, Clarinbridge club-mates Niland and centre half back Ian O’Brien drawing the fouls. Despite Hawkeye ruling out Alan Tynan’s earlier effort, Tipperary then rattled off two quick scores from Lyndon Fairbrother and Tommy Nolan.

As an early sign of the Galway full-back line’s determination, Kilnadeema-Leitrim’s Ciarán Connor then won a race for possession with Fairbrother, before sending a clever ball up the sideline where Cianan Fahy batted back to Jack Coyne, who split the posts, albeit the umpires again were calling for Hawkeye to decide.

Coyne and Grealish were already leading by example at midfield, the Gort midfielder letting Tipp have nothing easy while Loftus was already stationed in a roving sweeper role. This left Brian McGrath the spare man at the other end and he held the centre back space he had been allotted to good effect.

Fairbrother popped over a free from the right sideline for Tipperary, but was wide soonafter with another. In the 13th minute, their target man Garry Ryan burst onto a breaking ball, galloped clear and drove a shot that appeared destined for the corner of the net before goalkeeper Darragh Gilligan’s outstretched hurl magnificently diverted the sliotar away for a ’65, which McGrath drove over.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.