Tough day at the office as Galway come up well short

Limerick 1-19

Galway 0-14

THIS was something of an eye-opener for the Galway hurlers. It was tough enough that they were eight points adrift of their hosts Limerick at the finish, but the reality is that the Tribesmen ought to have been beaten by more.

There was nothing wrong with Galway’s spirit or commitment at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, but the gulf in standard and physicality between the teams was worrying even allowing for the hurling season being still in its embryonic stages.

Naturally, nobody will be pressing the panic button yet but the decline in Galway’s fortunes during 2018 – apart from that rousing championship win over Kilkenny at Nowlan Park – hasn’t been arrested as they were made to look ordinary enough in this second round National League tie.

New manager Shane O’Neill has certainly auditioned a lot of players – almost 40 to date – but you couldn’t say this trawl has unearthed the quality of emerging talent that Galway requires to become major championship contenders again.

In mitigation, the backroom team are understandably still getting to grips with their mandate, while the absence of influential regulars like Daithí Burke, Johnny Coen, David Burke and Conor Cooney, who admittedly was introduced at half-time against Limerick, proved a significant handicap for Galway.

But you don’t want to start pedalling too many excuses as the nuts and bolts of this repeat of the 2018 All-Ireland final makes for mostly grim digestion for the supporters of the men in maroon. Limerick often played ducks and drakes with Galway, and only some poor wides in a match tally of 15 prevented the Shannonsiders from achieving a double-digit margin of victory.

Limerick’s well-honed puck-out system; working the ball through the phases; their support lines of running; and sheer physical power; made this a trying afternoon for Galway, who also lost Joe Canning early in the second half after a knock to his arm.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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