Wasteful Galway fail to take advantge

Date Published: 11-Mar-2008

FOOD for thought from a windswept Pearse Stadium as a wasteful Galway side failed to ram home their numerical and wind advantage in the second half of a disappointing Allianz NHL tussle on Sunday.

Beforehand, given that Tipperary were the form team of the League so far, Galway supporters might have settled for a draw in the howling gale. But, for a team which has had so many question marks hovering over their defence, it was dispiriting to see so many poor performances from an attack in which only Kerril Wade and substitute Adrian Cullinane came anywhere near the form required.

Alan Kerins had to be taken off in the first period, Iarla Tannian was unable to make any headway against the dominant Paul Curran, and, in mitigation, Niall Healy was just back from injury.

But Galway put out a very ineffective half-forward line on Sunday, while Curran, Conor O’Mahony, and Benny Dunne turned in excellent performances in the visitors’ defence. Once again, alarm bells rang about Ger Farragher’s consistency.

The Castlegar man, Man of the Match against Offaly in the previous game, hit eight wides here from chances which would have seemed second nature to him on another day. Anyone is entitled to an offday, but…………….