Tribesmen’s huge points haul buries hapless Offaly in mis-match

Galway 0-33

Offaly  1-11

SO, what did we learn from Galway’s 19-points win over Offaly in the Leinster senior hurling championship semi-final in O’Moore Park last Sunday? Not a whole pile, if truth be known.

Galway were scarcely tested in this demolition job of an Offaly outfit that was so far out of its depth, it should cause concern for GAA fans in all counties about the demise of a traditional hurling stronghold.

The Tribesmen won it in third gear, pulling up, and still covered the bookies’ handicap (minus 17), which says as much about the feebleness of the opposition as it does for the strength of the victors.

Offaly, the ‘best of the rest’, were no match for a Galway side that picked off points for fun in the 24-degrees sun – 27 of their final tally of 33 white flags came from play. Perhaps the contest was best for confirming what we already suspected.

That Daithí Burke is the answer to Galway’s prayers at full-back, a troublesome position for the county in seasons gone by. Teak-tough, the Turloughmore clubman was once-again commanding in the heart of defence, and saved Galway’s blushes a couple of times early-on.

It also confirmed that Conor Whelan is one of the country’s in-form forwards, capable of changing the course of a game with flashes of brilliance.

He’s demonstrated this time and again since his impressive championship debut two seasons ago against Cork in the All-Ireland quarter final in which he bagged 1-2; and the Kinvara man showed his class here once again picking off seven points from play, each one as good as the next. Whelan, who proved nigh on impossible to contain, particularly in the second half, stole the show, and was the game’s best performer.

There were other highlights, too. Cathal Mannion was causing all sorts of trouble from wing forward, and had landed two points from play, before he was carried off with an ankle injury, after just 23 minutes.

His replacement, Shane Moloney, in fairness, didn’t diminish the side, chipping in with four points from play, and putting his hand up for selection for the remainder of the campaign.

Niall Burke was another attacker who caught the eye. Held scoreless in the full-forward line in the opening half, including getting hooked for a goal chance in the first few minutes, Oranmore/Maree’s Burke split the posts on five occasions from play when he operated from deeper after the break.

For  more, see this week’s Galway City Tribune.