Pressure on Galway U21s to deliver win

Date Published: 18-Aug-2010

STEPHEN GLENNON

GALWAY U-21s may have watched on as the aspirations of the county’s senior, intermediate and minor teams were buried in the rubble of knockout championship hurling, but that will not faze Anthony Cunningham’s charges when they face Leinster champions Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final in Tullamore on Saturday (6pm).

Although this was the team, on paper, that was unceremoniously dumped out of the minor championship by Cork on a scoreline of 2-19 to 0-8 three years ago, former All-Ireland winning Galway star Cunningham has been meticulous in rebuilding an outfit of quality.

His squad, of course, was boosted earlier this year by NUI Galway’s success in the Fitzgibbon Cup. This gave Cunningham an excellent starting point to commence the rebuilding process and in defenders Paul Gordon (Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry) and Declan Connolly (Killimordaly), midfielder Barry Daly (Clarinbridge) and forward Gerry Kelly (Tommie Larkins), he could not ask for four more honest competitors.

Added to this, he can also call on two senior panellists, in St. Thomas’ David Burke and Gort’s lightening attacker, Richie Cummins. Those two players alone have the ability to ignite any game of hurling.

Cunningham also has the luxury of picking from two minor teams that contested All-Irelands in 2008 and 2009, with the young Tribesmen claiming an eighth Irish Press Cup for the county in the latter.From those two sides pushing for inclusion will be the likes Craughwell’s Ger O’Halloran, Michael Cusasks’ Niall Donoghue, Sarsfields’ Joseph Cooney, St. Thomas’ trio David Burke, James Regan and Bernard Burke, Oranmore-Maree’s Niall Burke, Mullagh’s Davy Glennon, and, of course, Gort duo, Cummins and Jason Grealish, among others.