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Pressure on Galway

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Date Published: 05-Jul-2007

A SEVERE bout of rustiness or are Galway hurlers not up to it?

That puzzle should be settled one way or the other at Cusack Park, Ennis on Saturday evening when Ger Loughnane can expect a hot reception in every sense of the word from his own people. It’s a season defining match for the Tribesmen. Defeat won’t be terminal but if Galway fall to Clare, they surely can’t be good enough to win the All-Ireland.

Already, the prophets of doom are out in force after their laboured win over Laois in the opening round of the championship qualifiers last weekend. Galway were neither sharp nor incisive and for over 45 minutes, the Midlanders gave as good as they got. It must have made for unpalatable viewing from the sideline even if David Collins and company eventually kicked clear in the closing quarter.

Galway’s team selection had been compromised by a series of injuries, but Loughnane, Sean Treacy, Brendan Lynskey and Michael Murray know those absentees alone were not responsible for such a sluggish display. The intensity and aggression that the mentors are demanding simply wasn’t there, while several individuals just did not deliver against a home outfit which was admirably competitive and for whom James Young and Joe Fitzpatrick stood out.

We all know that no matter how furious the action is on the training ground, it rarely compensates for match practice and with Galway in competitive hibernation for the past three months, the odds were stacked against them delivering a swashbuckling championship debut. Yet, the fans who travelled……………………

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