Talented minors get the better of Kilkenny once more

Galway 0-23

Kilkenny 1-12

KILKENNY minor hurlers must be sick of the sight of maroon jerseys. For the sixth consecutive championship collision, the Cats have come up short against Galway.

In the context of tradition alone, it’s an extraordinary statistic and underlines the continuing impressive development of under-age talent in the county as Galway stayed on course for a record-breaking fifth All-Ireland triumph on the trot.

With their preparations compromised by the completion of the 2020 championship just a few weeks ago, together with the belief that this year’s crop of minor hurlers was below the standard of the previous four all-conquering squads, Galway’s great run at minor level was expected to come under severe pressure at Semple Stadium on Friday evening.

But they made a mockery of that pre-match narrative despite the opposition’s mini-scoring burst at the start of the second half. The All-Ireland champions were too good for Kilkenny and only got better as this semi-final progressed in chalking-up an unflattering eight-point victory.

It appears the team blossomed on the training ground over the previous fortnight, and they carried that momentum into their latest clash with the Cats. Galway made light of being throwing into such a big fixture without any competitive preparation behind them and, tellingly, their hurling had more method to it as well.

Galway were not short of individual inspiration either. Full back Tiernan Leen, centre forward Michael Power, accurate free-taker Rory Burke and the towering Oisín Lohan all made major contributions, but they got sterling support all over the field.

A feature of Saturday’s lively encounter was the prodigious puck-outs of Darragh Walsh – the only survivor from the 2020 winning team – and they proved the launch pad for many of Galway’s attacks when assisted by the wind in the first half.

Galway’s hurling was sharper and more instinctive, with their overall tenacity and work ethic highlighted by defenders Matthew Tarpey, Joshua O’Connor and Nathan Gill. No wonder it was a difficult evening for Kilkenny’s attack which only managed 1-3 from play.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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