Date Published: 15-Mar-2011

Galway 4-14

Kilkenny 3-13

STEPHEN GLENNON

at Pearse Stadium

If oracle Nostradamus was alive today and had announced that he had just backed Galway – who were nine points in arrears – on Betfair four minutes into this entertaining National Hurling League tie, he would have been unceremoniously escorted from the stands by Pearse Stadium caretaker Alfie Howley on the grounds of lunacy.

Yet, blessed with the ‘third eye’ or not, even Nostradamus – if he had been a hurling man! – would have been left stroking his long, white beard with some measure of admiration; impressed by the manner in which the home side had responded to the concession of 2-3 to the clinical Cats following the opening exchanges.

No doubt, for those late stragglers who had walked through the gates of Pearse Stadium and observed the scoreboard, they must surely have bemoaned the handing over of the admission fee moments earlier. The game, it looked, was over as a contest and it was difficult to see a way back for John McIntyre’s outfit after leaking goals to Michael Fennelly and Eddie Brennan in the opening two minutes.

As quickly as Galway reputations had been dismantled, though, those very same players showed the resolve – and backbone – of League champions to rise like the proverbial phoenix.

Inch by inch, they clawed their way back, with the midfield partnership of Ger Farragher and David Burke getting a grip around the centre and the half forward line, Cyril Donnellan in particular, taking the pickaxe to the Kilkenny defensive wall of half-backs Tommy Walsh, Jackie Tyrrell and JJ Delaney.

Indeed, Donnellan shouldered a great deal of the responsibility in the maroon and white revival. While denied a goal chance on just six minutes, he subsequently combined with man of the match Iarla Tannian to set up Beagh’s Joe Gantley for the Tribesmen’s opening goal shortly after.

All of a sudden, a game was afoot and although Richie Hogan responded with a free, a gritty Galway outscored Brian Cody’s men by 1-7 to 0-1 in the closing 20 minutes of the half. Few words described the comeback; it was quite incredible.

Flying wing-back Adrian Cullinane (who has been popping them over from distance in this league campaign), the on-fire Tannian, Farragher (2) and Andy Smith all rifled over some outstanding scores, before Tannian flashed home Galway’s second goal on 27 minutes.

On this occasion, corner back David Collins – who was working the touchline as if he was a raiding full-back in the English Premiership – delivered; Tannian seized the ricochet ball with an iron fist, before powering his way through the heart of the Kilkenny defence and blasting to the visitors’ net.

Having trailed Kilkenny by nine points, Galway, through a great deal of application and hard graft, now enjoyed the lead for the first time in this entertaining National Hurling League fixture. In fact, although Kilkenny would briefly secure parity early in the second period, the Tribesmen all but showed them a clean pair of heels from there on in.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.