One more obstacle to clear for Galway as McInerney winning fitness battle

GREATNESS beckons for the Galway senior hurlers. The good teams win one All-Ireland; the great ones win two or even more.

That opportunity presents itself when the Tribesmen face resurgent Limerick for only the third time in an All-Ireland final at Croke Park on Sunday (3.30pm).

Similar to 12 months ago, Galway will be aiming to complete a big senior and minor hurling double as Jeffrey Lynskey’s rising stars get the action underway with a final clash (1pm) against Kilkenny.

It’s been a struggle at times, but Galway stand on the brink of retaining their grip on the Liam McCarthy Cup and, in the process, capturing only the county’s sixth ever senior title.

They don’t come around too often and for Galway to win two in consecutive years would be breaking the mould, similar to the county’s great team of the late eighties.

Micheál Donoghue’s charges were taken to replays by both Kilkenny and Clare; have surrendered big leads; but always found a way to win. Character, bravery, spirit, fortitude – call it what you like, these Galway players have it.

Being All-Ireland champions has not been a burden. Sure, they were the team to be shot at, but when those crisis periods came it was like as if the Galway players drew inspiration from the fact that they finally know how to do this.

That confidence and inner-belief shouldn’t be under-estimated, especially as so many fine Galway teams were missing those qualities for so long. Galway still set the standard.

In the opposition corner are a Limerick outfit who displayed admirable grit in not buckling at key moments of their latest matches against Kilkenny and Cork. They kept at it when previous teams from the county would have been found wanting.

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

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