Canning: Tribesmen relishing early tests

LAST year it was Kilkenny in Tullamore in the semi-final, this year it’s Wexford in Nowlan Park in the quarter-final.

Big days in May and June was exactly what Galway wanted when they asked for a place in the Leinster senior hurling championship. It is also exactly what they needed too as players, according to long-serving defender Ollie Canning.

Canning explained: “I see it as Galway starting off the championship at the same time as everyone else, and that’s all we wanted for years.

“Other years we were coming in (in the All-Ireland series) against teams who already had maybe one or two games under their belts. So we were meeting them after they had two solid matches and that was a disadvantage.

“Now we’re coming in at the same time as everyone else. We met Kilkenny in the semi-final last year and lost but it meant we could look at our own game and try to get things right for the next day.

“The same will apply this year, we’ll be looking at the Wexford game, see how that goes and then take it on from there again. Antrim and ourselves are in Leinster now, it’s as competitive as anywhere else – hopefully it improves Leinster hurling.”

The hope also – in their own county especially – is that the move improves Galway’s chances of ending an All-Ireland drought that has lasted since 1988, far too long a wait in such a large and productive hurling county.

Remember, we’re not talking here about a place that disappeared off the hurling radar – since 1988, Galway clubs have won nine All-Ireland titles (Portumna and Athenry three each, Sarsfields two, Kiltormer one), while at underage they have garnered seven minor All-Ireland titles and five at U21; all pointers, surely, towards success at the highest level?

Not necessarily so, says Canning: “There are some people out there with the belief that winning underage titles breeds senior success, but that doesn’t necessarily happen – you just have to look at Limerick, who won three U21s in a row but never pushed on.”

Okay, everyone points to Limerick, but what of Offaly in the 80s, what of Kilkenny with seven U21 titles since 1990, what of Cork and their two-in-a-row in 97 and 98 that were later turned into three senior crowns? What even of Clare and Waterford in the early 90s, who did go on to build? Limerick are not the typical case, are they?

“All I can say is Galway are working hard at the moment. We made progress last year, got caught by Waterford (All-Ireland quarter-final) but credit to them for that; we should have put that game away earlier but we didn’t do it, they stayed with us all through it.

“Waterford had won games like that in Munster, had pulled out victories with just minutes to go – that’s something we have to work on.”

And therein lies the difference, therein lies the advantage that the teams in Munster and Leinster had in previous years over Galway – those earlier big games. Canning nods in agreement.

“All the lads on that Waterford team had played in Munster semi-finals and finals, had come through big games against the likes of Cork and Tipperary.

“They had played in classics and come out on top, so they had that experience. They did it to us last year, and we were disappointed to lose.

“We gave Kilkenny a good rattle early in the year, made mistakes that day, coughed up an easy goal, but if we can eradicate those kind of mistakes we’re capable of matching anyone.”

Already this year Galway have done that, and more, have two titles in the cupboard, the Walsh Cup (Galway’s first trophy in Leinster) and the National League. Those wins are sure to be a boost Saturday, as they head into the very heart of Leinster hurling country. “Yes, especially for some of the younger lads who have come on board and nailed down positions. Hopefully it will give those lads confidence as we approach the championship. We know the championship is going to be a couple more notches up in terms of speed and intensity, it’s up to the players to get ready for that. The league is over, we won it and it was a great achievement. But there is no point in dwelling on it. Now it’s back with Galway and our full focus is on Wexford and Nowlan Park.

“If we can keep that focus on our own game, get that right on the day, we’ll be there or thereabouts.”