Time for Galway to gel, get goals and lick Cats
THE two most important games this weekend, as far as the final stages of the league is concerned, are Kilkenny against Galway and Tipperary’s clash with Waterford.
This is a huge test for Galway, a game they have to win, because they’re going to Nowlan Park to face what will probably be the weakest team we’re going to see Kilkenny field for the rest of this year.
There’s an interesting sidebar to this as well. For the past two years Portumna had reigned supreme as All-Ireland Club champions, which suggested that in one arena at least, Galway hurling was stronger than anywhere else. Ballyhale Shamrocks had that win on St Patrick’s Day, however, which swung the pendulum back towards Kilkenny, providing a psychological boost for the Cats — when the chips are down, it said, Kilkenny will still come out on top. Galway have an early chance now to challenge that.
When you look at the individual talent that Galway has — the likes of Joe Canning, Fergal Moore, Shane Kavanagh, John Lee, Ger Farragher, and so on — you have to accept that they are as talented individually as any county in the country. As a team, however, they never seem to put the sum of all those parts together, they rarely seem to really gel.
This is the major question mark over Galway. Too often they take wrong options, in attack especially, going it alone, shooting from impossible angles, traits which are a bad sign of a team. Another big failing is goals, or lack of. Too often they’re found lacking in this area. They have to start correcting those faults, they have to start working more as a team and it has to start on Sunday.
Of one thing you can be sure — regardless of who starts for Kilkenny, they will be doing both of those things correctly. They will be playing as a unit — they always do — and will score goals. Kilkenny will be gunning for this; they need the win to have any chance of qualifying for the final. They need to win big for the scoring differential, they’ll want to win in front of their home crowd, and finally, they’ll want to let Galway know — again — that they are still the top team in Leinster. And in the country.
I hear this nonsense spouted over and over again about Kilkenny — you can run at their backs and put them in trouble. Where does that come from? You’re going to outrun Tommy Walsh, Jackie Tyrell, JJ Delaney? I’ve never seen it happen yet, and I’ve seen a number of teams try it.
The way to beat Kilkenny — compete with them skill-wise, combine as a team, score goals. If you can’t, don’t even bother turning up. In summary, Galway need to make a statement, and I think we’re going to see a rip-roaring game, maybe a taster for later in the year, but I fancy Kilkenny.
To Tipperary and Waterford, and this is another match up with all the right ingredients. Waterford’s attack is capable of building up really big scorelines, but they are also conceding huge scores at the other end, goals especially — again, not a great sign of a team.
They are also very dependent on Eoin Kelly (1-17 against Cork last week). I guarantee that good and all a player as he is, Eoin won’t be getting that this week. In the first case, Tipperary have a lot more discipline in their defence than had Cork last week.
Tipperary will be going full-on for this, they know that a win here and they’re that much closer to another league final. I think they’ll do it, but Shane McGrath is going to need more help in midfield, and the forwards are going to have to give a bit more support to Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett. Will be another good one, a possible rehearsal for the Munster final, but that’s for another day!
Elsewhere, Cork going to Dublin is going to be a tough one for them. Another good test for Cork, and in Alan McCrabbe, Dublin have a fine free-taker of their own. I fancy Cork, but it will be a savage battle.
Limerick will have targeted their clash with Offaly in Tullamore since the beginning of this league. But you have to fancy the hosts.
