Rebels must put shackles on Canning

GALWAY recorded their first championship win over Cork in 1975 but then made something of a habit of it with victories in 1979, 1985, 2002 and 2009.

Johnny Crowley, one of Cork’s finest defenders, was centrally involved in two of those defeats and also has memories of another.

“My first recollection of them was the All-Ireland semi-final of ’75. I wasn’t playing but I was there, and they surprised Cork. They beat us again in 1979 in the semi-final, when we were going for four-in-a-row.

The biggest thing for us that year was that Christy Ring had died in March and that had a major impact on us. It was a very tough game but you never got anything easy against Galway anyway, they were always very strong and physical. “And you have to remember Galway had only that game to prepare for where we had come through Munster, and that was our fifth Munster title in a row. We had been going for a good few years and that was a very good Galway team, fresher than us, hungrier — they were the better team on the day and that’s the end of it.

“They beat us again in ’85 on a very wet day before a very small crowd. The game should have been called off the weather was so bad. We thought we were going to beat them but it didn’t happen, we were probably a bit complacent again. Finally, in ’86, we got some bit of revenge!”

They had actually beaten Galway in 1977, but ’86 was the All-Ireland final, and probably Johnny Crowley’s best ever day (“The happiest anyway — a lot of us were coming to an end, so that one was sweet”) in the red shirt.

Then again, he says, Galway made it that bit easier for him! “Galway had pulled out the corner-forward in their big semi-final win over Kilkenny and it had worked, but we didn’t really expect them to try the same thing again but they did. I’d say there was a lot of worried faces among the Cork supporters, a 30-year-old corner-back, as I was then — being taken to the cleaners out the field.

“I remember Johnny Clifford said to us, ‘look, no matter what they do we’re going to hold the line, three across — anything they do is their business but we’re going to hold that line.’

“I think they got confused when I didn’t follow out the corner-forward; they had the extra man outside, but all they kept doing was hitting it into me inside — I never hit as much ball in my life and got man-of-the-match for it. ! By the time Galway reacted the game had gone our way.”

Mixed memories for Johnny of Galway then but one constant. “They were always strong and still are. You never came off the field against Galway but you were sore. Even their forwards were tough, solid guys, where with a lot of other counties the forwards would be a bit more dainty. Brendan Lynskey probably epitomised that; he gave his all every time he played, and even that day in ’86 he got a fierce hit from Pat Hartnett and still came back. If it happened now God knows what the reaction would be! Noel Lane, PJ Molloy, all fierce tough, hardy, they could give it and take it.”

Looking to the current crop, there’s one player in particular Johnny believes Cork must mind — Joe Canning.

“He’s a great hurler. He has unbelievable class, great hands and his vision is outstanding. The one thing about him, when he plays the other players often leave him with too much to do on his own, though the forwards around him are better this year. Cork will have to be on their toes; if you let him get the ball in front of you, almost invariably it’s a score, and if he takes you on, he’s a big strong man who is hard to stop.”

And will he be stopped, can Cork win? “They can, but they’ll have to play very well. It all depends on how well Cork hold Canning and how well the forwards take their punishment — and their chances. But there won’t be much in it.”

- Verdict: Galway

Picture: Niall McCarthy in action for Cork against Offaly. Cork legend Johnny Crowley believes the Rebel County have a tough job to beat Galway today. Picture: Inpho/Billy Stickland