Galway glory sparks optimism

THE last week has given a strange insight into the condition of Galway hurling over the past two decades after two dynamic and hugely talented underage sides produced emphatic victories on All-Ireland final day.

First the minors had nine points to spare in Croke Park and then, on Saturday night, their U21 team had a ten-point cushion as they dismissed the challenge of Dublin in the U21HC final at Semple Stadium.

The level of performance served by their youngsters will generate plenty optimism in hurling circles in the county and this U21 victory demonstrated the potential that exists as these players prepare to move up to the senior grade.

But there is a large caveat to that positivity. Galway hurling has specialised in churning out sparkling underage talents in the past only to see them fall down on the big stage. The manner of this U21 success ensured there will be hope for Galway hurling over the winter, yet it will be accompanied by a natural wariness.

“All of Galway is hoping these guys will kick on and make good senior players,” admitted triumphant U21 boss Anthony Cunningham.

“Two weekends running, there’s a lot of optimism there now. But there’s still a massive amount of work to be done, you know how high the bar is, I don’t have to tell you. There are huge tasks there – the Limerick match the last day was a huge task to get over and you have the Corks, Kilkennys and now Dublin on the scene. What a force they’re going to be.”

For now Galway will savour this success as they firmly banished the memories of their U21 meltdown last year at the hands of an awesome Tipp team. They were ruthless, tearing Dublin apart and ensuring the 2011 hurling revolution in the capital concludes in sombre fashion. It was a desperately dispiriting experience for Dublin as they never scaled the heights they reached in their march to this decider.

Defenders like Martin Quilty and senior star Liam Rushe did their best to ignite the challenge, yet they were ultimately submerged by powerful maroon waves. The fact Dublin only raised three white flags from play, and two of those were delivered by substitute Robert Mahon in the last quarter, illustrated their struggles.

Of course that was also a testament to the strength of Galway’s rearguard. The semi-final success over Limerick illustrated their ability to shut down an attack and the standards set in that performance were replicated here by Niall Donoghue, Ger O’Halloran and Jason Grealish. Midfielder Johnny Coen was in the thick of the action from the off as he dictated the game. And Galway’s ability to feast on the breaks around the middle, the sharpness of their striking and the physicality of their tackling were also key facets of their victory.

Backed by a strong wind in the first-half, they took their time to get going up front. Barry Daly and Tadhg Haran offered early threats, and it was Haran who smashed home an 11th minute penalty to cancel out Tomás Connolly’s goal minutes previously for Dublin.

But Galway’s shooting was wayward and Dublin soaked up the pressure until just before the interval.

Then the Tribesmen cut loose, with corner-forward pairing James Regan and Davy Glennon wreaking havoc as they accelerated clear for a goal apiece before the break. That left Galway 3-6 to 1-4 ahead at the midway mark and their resilience in defence meant they were never going to leak a deluge of scores in the second-half. They cleverly picked off points with David Burke, Glennon and Niall Burke all prominent, and despite the accuracy of Dublin freetaker Kevin O’Loughlin, Galway’s 10th title at this level was never in doubt.

“It’s very satisfying for these players who were shell-shocked last year,” stated Cunningham. “This time last year it was a lonely place but to be honest, it’s a great way for them now to finish.”

Scorers for Galway: T Haran 1-3 (1-0p), J Regan, D Glennon 1-2 each, D Burke, N Burke 0-3 (0-2fs) each, C Cooney 0-1.

Scorers for Dublin: T Connolly 1-2 (0-2fs), K O’Loughlin 0-5fs, R Mahon 0-2, N McMorrow 0-1.

Subs for Galway: R Burke for Gordon (18), B Burke for Haran (41), D Fox for Cooney (55), N Quinn for N Burke (57), D Cooney for D Burke (inj. 62).

Subs for Dublin: S McGrath for Schutte (HT), F Clabby for Kelly (HT), R Mahon for O’Loughlin (40), B Quinn for Connolly (56).

Referee: Tony Carroll (Offaly).