Tribe massacred by clinical Cats

Anthony Cunningham was left feeling distinctly “black and amber” after a weekend to forget was completed by a trouncing in Nowlan Park yesterday.

Less than 24 hours after Crossmaglen beat his Garrycastle side by 15 points in the club football final replay, he was reeling from a 25-point hammering at the hands of another stripy-decked reigning All-Ireland winning team.

After sitting pretty on four points from three games going into last weekend, they now face Dublin in a relegation play-off on Sunday week.

Asked about being on the end of another black and amber assault, Cunningham smiled wryly: “I’ve had enough of it.”

He offered no excuses for his team’s limp performance in front of crowd of a 6,194.

The game was over by half-time when Kilkenny led by 15 (3-12 to 0-6), the goals coming from Matthew Ruth, TJ Reid and Eoin Larkin.

“We were rocked with some early goals,” said Cunningham. “It was very poor play from our lads and we have to go back to the drawing board.

“Things went well early in the league but the last two results have been very disappointing. We just have to get ourselves right for two weeks today, get everyone’s head right for a big, big battle with Dublin.

“We’ve been playing Sunday after Sunday and training hard during the week because you have to kick on.

“Our touch was probably better a month ago — that’s the most disappointing part. It was very poor today.

“We still have to drive on. Obviously we’re aiming for the championship. We’ve been using the league to try out some new players and some new things but it didn’t work today.”

Cunningham hopes Joe Canning and David Burke will be fit for the do-or-die clash with Dublin, a team they beat in the first round of the league. But yesterday’s showing couldn’t have been more different from that promising opening day display.

A magnanimous Brian Cody insisted Galway’s display wasn’t a true reflection of their standing. He was happy with his side’s performance which contributed to them finishing top of the table.

“We got on top early and got a couple of goals and Galway will be disappointed with their performance because it wasn’t a true reflection of their abilities, to be fair.

“It was just one of those days when the game petered out very much for the last 20 minutes. It was just playing out the game.

“It was a good response to last week, definitely. We picked it up alright.”

They go into their Division 1 semi-final against Clare or Limerick with a victory that marked a return to form following their disappointing display in Páirc Uí Chaoimh seven days previous.

Even without the suspended Richie Power, who was handed a one-match ban for his sending off against Cork last weekend, their forwards were purring.

Reid, named at left-corner forward, switched to Power’s customary position at centre-forward and dictated plenty of the play. He grabbed Kilkenny’s second goal in the 13th minute when availing of a glut of Galway defenders’ failure to clear their lines.

Their first had come from Ruth just four minutes in after he struck towards the back-pedalling Galway goalkeeper Jamie Ryan who failed to make a decent stab at blocking the ball.

Larkin, who had pointed five frees in the first 22 minutes, added the third goal close to the break when he twisted and turned David Collins to fire home.

Galway looked rudderless in defence but it was in the full-forward line where Cunningham made his first three changes. They didn’t work and Kilkenny continued to pile on the scores, Colin Fennelly’s 45th minute score putting 20 between the sides.

The only low light for the home side was Richie Hogan picking up a nasty-looking injury following a collision with Jamie Ryan in the dying minute. He was taken to hospital for a suspected broken rib.

“We’re hoping it’s not something that will keep him out for a long time,” said Cody. “He’s in pain.”

Scorers for Kilkenny: E Larkin 1-7 (5fs), TJ Reid 1-6, M Ruth 1-1, M Rice, C Fennelly 0-3 each, M Fennelly, R Hogan (1f) 0-2 each, A Fogarty, M Bergin 0-1 each.

Scorers for Galway: N Burke 0-5fs, A Smith 0-2, T Regan, C Donnellan, A Harte 0-1 each.

Subs for Kilkenny: M Bergin for Larkin (45), P Hogan for B Hogan (48), W Phelan for Murphy, A Fogarty for Rice (both 51), J Mulhall for R Hogan (inj 69).

Subs for Galway: B Burke for Regan (23), A Harte for Tannian (27), N Healy for Hayes (29), C Donnellan for Flaherty (45), P Shiel for Coen (64).

Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly)