Tireless Tribe turn tide

Galway 2-20 Tipperary 2-18

But let no-one be under any illusion, Galway were full value for their win over Tipperary, unlikely as that prospect looked beforehand and even more unlikely as it looked at the break.

At that stage Tipp led by just five points, 2-9 to 0-10, but were a class apart, efficient, controlled, controlling, while Galway were loose, ragged, shot wide after despairing wide, eleven their eventual first-half total.

So, what happened?

Well, the sight of iconic full-back Phillip Maher coming back onto the pitch after the break in tracksuit top, arm in a sling (shoulder injury halfway through the first half), was the first bad news for Tipp. A Galway goal within two minutes of the restart, their first, from centre-forward David Collins, compounded that, and as can happen in any game of hurling, in a couple of eye-blinks, it all changed.

From one end of the park to the other, the tables turned; on the edge of the Galway square, Tony Óg O’Regan completely subdued big Micheal Webster. At midfield, Fergal Healy and David Tierney took over completely from the previously dominant Paul Kelly and Eddie Enright; inside them, where the Galway half-forward line of Richie Murray/David Collins/Alan Kerins, albeit winning their share of ball, had struggled to make a real impact in the opening half were growing rampant. The tables were turned alright, though it took over twenty minutes of the second half for the full impact of all that change to finally tell.

When it did, there was only one team in it, and the last quarter of an hour belonged solely to the Tribesmen, as they outscored Tipperary 1-6 to one point.

It had all started so well for Tipp. They led 2-6 to 0-7 after 28 minutes, not a single wide to their name, with Webster causing mayhem inside, Paul Kelly doing it from long range while brother Eoin was also looking sharp.

In that half, Tipperary went about proving that really, the best tactical option of all is the oldest one in the book - aim for the big target man up front, if you have a good one. Time and again this season Micheal Webster has proved more than a match for everyone he met; he did it again yesterday, cleaning out young Kavanagh, breaking the ball for Tipp’s first goal (superbly taken with an angled drive by Tommy Dunne), winning the penalty for their second, a rocket from Eoin Kelly while also setting up at least two points.

Eventually Galway made the move that sense demanded, shifted Óg O’Regan back on the big man, a move that worked on the double, with Regan quietening Webster, Kavanagh shooting a mighty point from his new slot at centre-back, for the last score of the first-half.

Throughout the field, however, Galway looked in trouble. Their attack looked anaemic, they didn’t seem to know the location of the posts, they were lost at midfield and only their half-back line was offering solace.

The only thing keeping Galway in touch was Ger Farragher’s almost faultless free-taking. Of Galway’s 10-point half-time total, Farragher had six, five of those from frees. Take those out of the equation and this game was over.

Second-half, however, and as noted above, it was all change. Where Galway had been dependent on Farragher’s free-taking in the first-half, now the points came from everywhere. Another three from Farragher, yes, but three also from Richie Murray, who pushed David Forde hard for the man-of-the-match award, two from midfielder Tierney and one from the hard-running Kerins.

And of course, those two goals.

The first was critical, it came in the second minute of the half. A long handpass from Damien Hayes left Forde with a lot of work to do, but how he did it. He side-stepped replacement Tipperary full-back Conor O’Mahony and crashed an unstoppable ball past Cummins.

Galway’s second was just as important. It came in the 23rd minute at a time when they really needed some major reward for all the good work being done out the field. Tipperary still led by that half-time five-point margin, 2-17 to 1-15, and were managing to hang on, thanks mostly to Eoin Kelly. From the first whistle, Damien Hayes had threatened in the corner for Galway, but was harassed and harried by Hugh Moloney, his marker, into three hurried shots, all of which when whistling past the post. Finally, Damien had had enough. He won a good ball inside the 20m line, was again under pressure, but literally flung the bigger Moloney out of his way, and with badness bristling from every pore, rifled a shot to the roof of the Tipperary net.

It only brought Galway within two points of the Tipperary lead, but it did a lot more. It wasn’t just Hugh Moloney muscled onto his arse, it was Tipperary. From there to the end it was all Galway, all glory for the maroon and white, and now they look forward to a semi-final date with Kilkenny.

On yesterday’s evidence, second half especially, they can look forward with rising confidence.

Scorers: Galway: G. Farragher 0-9 (0-7 frees, 0-1 65); R. Murray 0-3; D. Hayes 1-0; D. Forde 1-0; A. Kerins 0-2; D. Tierney 0-2; F. Healy 0-2; N. Healy, S. Kavanagh, 0-1 each. Tipperary: E. Kelly 1-9 (1-0 pen, 0-4 frees); P. Kelly 0-4; T. Dunne 1-0; B. Dunne 0-2; M. Webster, G. O’Grady, D. Fitzgerald, 0-1 each.

GALWAY: L. Donoghue; D. Joyce, S. Kavanagh, O. Canning; D. Hardiman, T. Og O’Regan, D. Collins; F. Healy, D. Tierney; R. Murray, D. Forde, A. Kerins; G. Farragher, N. Healy, D. Hayes.

Subs: C. Coen (Collins 44); K. Hayes (N. Healy 61).

TIPPERARY: B. Cummins; H. Moloney, P. Maher, P. Curran; D. Fanning, E. Corcoran, D. Fitzgerald; E. Enright, P. Kelly; C. Morrissey, J. Devane, B. Dunne (c); E. Kelly, M. Webster, T. Dunne.

Subs: C. O’Mahony (Maher inj. 35); G. O’Grady (Devane 43); J. Carroll (Enright 62); P. Morrissey (C. Morrissey 64); D. Egan (O’Grady 70).

Referee: A. MacSuibhne (Dublin).