More injury worries for Galway hurlers

Date Published: {J}

STEPHEN GLENNON

GALWAY must embrace yet another test of their character when they face unbeaten league leaders Dublin in a top of the table clash in round five of the National Hurling League at Parnell Park this Sunday (2:30pm).

While the Tribesmen may have ended Kilkenny’s unbeaten run in Pearse Stadium a fortnight ago, inflicting the same on Anthony Daly’s charges – who are the only unbeaten team left in Division 1 – on Liffeyside could, in many respects, present a far greater challenge.

For one, Galway will be without full-forward Iarla Tannian, who is unavailable due to a family wedding in the United States, and his loss cannot be underestimated given his man of the match performance against the Cats. Tannian finished that game with 2-2, all from play.

His absence is compounded by the fact that Portumna duo Joe Canning (heel) and Damien Hayes (knee) are both still on the treatment table, Beagh’s Joe Gantley (groin) is also a doubt, and Sarsfields Joseph Cooney, although available, is only just returning from a broken thumb injury.

And that’s not the end of the bad news. Midfield duo Ger Farragher and David Burke are also injury worries, with dead ball specialist Farragher sustaining a dead leg in a training session in Ballinasloe on Sunday morning, while Burke picked up a nasty gash on his shin in St. Thomas’ surprise U-21 championship defeat to Athenry last weekend.

To compound matters, Fergal Moore’s recovery from a serious ankle injury has met with another setback and the Turloughmore player will not be featuring in Sunday’s squad for Parnell Park either.

On a brighter note, Craughwell’s Adrian Cullinane is recovering from a dead leg which forced his withdrawal from the Kilkenny game while, encouragingly, long term injury victim, Sarsfields’ Kevin Hynes is getting closer to inter-county match fitness, having played a number of club games recently.

Still, given that so many are once again unavailable, this weekend’s fixture against the Dubs will, not for the first time this year, test the strength and depth of a depleted Galway squad. Team selector John Moylan agrees, but he also believes that, by and large, the Tribesmen have done well so far, no more so than Galway’s often maligned half-forward line.

“I was absolutely delighted the way Eanna Ryan, Andy Smith and Cyril Donnellan would have played the last day (against Kilkenny) but I suppose the key at inter-county level for Galway is the word consistency. Galway, to be up in the top two or three teams, have to become more consistent and we have to expect that level of performance every day we go out,” begins Moylan.

“Of course, there are facets of the game we have to work on. We have to work on winning our own puck-out, winning high ball, and clean catches in the air. That, overall, is still an area we hope to work on. We also have to work on not committing a huge amount of fouls or giving away frees as well. You can up the work-rate, but you have to be able to tackle properly in the modern game as well.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.