Second best is nowhere as Galway men crumble again

Inside Track with John McIntyre

GALWAY may now have the unofficial rating of being the second-best hurling team in the country, but that evaluation is about as worthless as an ashtray on a motorbike. When you get to Croke Park in September, it’s all about winning and delivering silverware.

Unfortunately, that challenge once again proved beyond them at Croke Park last Sunday as Galway have now lost all bar four of their 24 All-Ireland final appearances. It’s a depressing record and, frankly, their nearly as bad as Mayo footballers when it comes to stumbling on the days that most count.

We can console ourselves with the reality that Galway’s final conquerors remain an exceptional force of men who just hate getting beating and have perfected the art of peaking in All-Ireland finals, but this Kilkenny team lacked the overall quality of their 2006 to ’09 vintage and were also hit by injuries which denied them Jackie Tyrell and Richie Power.

Last Sunday was Galway’s big chance and that was reflected in the massive build-up locally to the game. Supporters travelled to Croke Park reasonably confident that Anthony Cunningham’s charges could carry the day. They had gradually improved through the championship; they had no injury issues; and possessed the pace to hurt the Cats.

Everything seemed to be going to plan at half-time. Three points ahead and well up for the battle, Galway had the cut of potential champions. A TJ Reid goal had kept Kilkenny hanging on, but distress signals had emerged from their back division, while Richie Hogan was making little headway on forty. They looked in genuine trouble.

We thought the same in last year’s drawn All-Ireland final against Tipperary only for Kilkenny to really up the ante in the second-half.  They did it again last Sunday and Galway were gradually blown away. The opening 35 minutes may have been hard and physical, but it was nothing to compare to what followed. Kilkenny turned the game into something of a war zone and nobody thrives better in a hurling brawl than them.

They also suffocated Galway under their own pucks outs, which begged the question why didn’t the challengers play Kilkenny at the own game? They needed to drag their own forwards out the field; close down the space at the back; and vary their puck outs. None of this happened and Galway were a frustrated and an incohesive bunch by the finish. They never surrendered in terms of effort or spirit, but the fluency was gone and all their attack, bar Conor Whelan, were outplayed in the second-half.

The Galway defence didn’t concede ground easily. John Hanbury, arguably second in the team’s individual roll of honour behind David Burke; and Daithi Burke were committed and feisty all through, with Johnny Coen and Padraig Mannion doing as well as could be expected in the corner back roles. Substitute David Collins did land two cracking long range points in the second-half, but these scores were never going to compensate for the bluntness of the attack over the same period.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.