Kavanagh relishing chance for atonement

PRACTICALLY the whole world was enthralled this week with the happenings at the World Cup in South Africa.

One man who has not been affected, however, is Shane Kavanagh. It’s not because he has no interest, he has — but extenuating circumstances are at play.

Last Sunday in Croke Park, in the Leinster SHC semi-final, Galway skipper Kavanagh was involved in his own share of drama before young Offaly sharpshooter Shane Dooley nailed a late equaliser to force this evening’s replay in Portlaoise.

In normal circumstances that last score would leave the side thus denied — Galway in this instance — feeling gutted, dejected, disappointed. Kavanagh, however, has two very good reasons to feel positive about the whole affair.

First his team still have a chance of making the Leinster final but it also gives him and his defence a chance to atone for the three-goal blast in the middle of the first half that threatened to blow the Tribesmen back across the Shannon.

Kavanagh said: “It was a real see-saw affair. Things were looking really grim in the first half when we were conceding all those goals. Those were fundamental errors, lads will have to hold their hands up —myself included. Basic mistakes at the back, goals chances missed up front, all contributed to us losing our way.

“Credit where credit is due for their goals, they did brilliantly, and Joe Bergin (being marked by Shane) took his goal very well, but as defenders we have to put our hands up, we got caught off guard. That’s not to take away from the finishing, it was lethal, and those lads are going to take watching again but if we can stop leaking goals, we’re in with a better chance.

“In fairness to Offaly they were well up for it, putting us under huge pressure while we were looking a bit flat. We were lucky enough then to go back into the lead early in the second half, and they had a man sent off yet we should have been able to kick on from there. But, having the man sent off seemed to galvanise them and they upped the workrate again, put us under more pressure. We were happy enough to come away with a draw.”

It was the critical point of the game, that sending off, but in a contradictory way. Galway had their tails up after scoring 2-2 in four minutes to take a four points lead. But it was their numerically disadvantaged opponents who took control. So, what happened? Certainly Offaly were fired up by what they saw as a harsh sending-off, but that wasn’t the full story — Galway did what Galway did at about the same stage (46th minute, when they led by six points) in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final loss to Waterford. They became complacent.

“Possibly,” Kavanagh admits. “Maybe we did ease up a bit, mentally. We missed one or two opportunities for points while Offaly kept on plugging away. Though they were down a man, they upped their game all over the field and deserved the draw.”

Mid-game complacency is the most lethal kind. Certainly John McIntyre had prepared his team beforehand for what faced them, but when something like that happens mid-battle, so to speak, then it’s up to the troops on the field to rectify the situation.

Last Sunday, Galway failed that test. This evening they face that same battle all over again with Offaly again written off by most pundits and bookmakers. This time, however, Galway should be better prepared.

Kavanagh insisted: “People might think we were complacent but we weren’t. We knew it was going to be a serious battle and it was. Portlaoise now is going to be the same, maybe even worse — it’s a tighter pitch, The bookies can write them off but we’ll do it at our peril. We’ve already suffered the backlash for the way they were written off by media the last day and nearly paid the price. They have serious hurlers all over the field, young lads with no fear, and they put it up to us everywhere on the field.”