Where do the Galway hurlers go from here?

Henry Shefflin said on Saturday night that it didn’t feel like they had made progress given the pressing need for results. He did outline that he feels the group is in a better place

CHASING SHADOWS: Cathal O'Neill of Limerick is tackled by Daithí Burke and Cianan Fahy of Galway, right, during the All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

In the long history of unsparing inquests, one aspect is repeatedly held up as an emblem of Galway’s difficulty. At its core this criticism is of the heart. The same sentence will be handed down this week: a lack of stomach.

After all the frustration and relief that came with the Dublin draw in Croke Park last May, Henry Shefflin revealed that fear did cross his mind when they found themselves down by double digits.

“You don’t know. Is there a fragility there?” he admitted in conversation with local media post-match. It was something he referenced in a roundabout way previously as a pundit. His case was clear. In the 30-year barren period between 1988 and 2017, the lack of All-Irelands came because above all else, Galway teams lacked ruthlessness. The fact that they came back from 12 points down transformed that panic into pride. By the time Galway beat Tipperary in the quarter-final, selector Kevin Lally was quick to spell out his thoughts on the matter.

“There is great character in the group,” he told Galway Bay FM. “There was a lot of crap written about us and said about us (over) the last few weeks, but you can’t question the character of this group.” 

So what happened in the semi-final? For much of the opening half hour Galway exuded excellence and defiance. They outshot Limerick in the first half and forced more turnovers. The defending champions were forced into several rash fouls, conceding seven frees in total. Evan Niland scored all of them.

Just before half-time, Éanna Murphy went long with a puckout and it was lost. From there the maroon tide was ferocious. They laid on eight tackles and forced two turnovers in one short spell. Daithí Burke wrestled the ball back. Eventually Joseph Cooney had time to stop and look up, picking out Brian Concannon close to goal. He fired wide.

“I love to see the tackling and intensity,” beamed Antrim legend Neil McManus. He was seated alongside the press box, in the commentary gantry for BBC. Even as Limerick clawed back a six-point deficit, Galway continued to create opportunities and send shots at the posts. Mike Casey frantically denied a second goal. Conor Whelan missed from the Cusack Stand sideline. Did that intensity shut off in the second half, like a tap? Is the game really so simple?

A great performance is undeniably still determined by a traditional foundation, unflinching conviction and raw desire. Today, amongst hurling’s elite, on top of that lies layer upon layer of sophistication. Limerick’s supremacy is down to smarts as much as size. They restricted Galway to just 11 second-half shots with one midgame adjustment.

Their half-forward line retreated to reinforce an enormous green wall. Gradually, Murphy couldn’t clear it with his puckout anymore. In the second half Galway had a total of 20 puckouts. Of their first ten, they won six. They lost four but turned over half of them immediately for a point and a missed Niland free. Had he scored that central opportunity the gap would have been three.

They then lost eight of their next nine. Three were short restarts that immediately went long. Only once did they work a ball through the lines, going short with runners off the shoulder. It finished in a Tom Monaghan score. They never tried it again.

“We were dependent on set play movement to win the ball and when Limerick snuffed that out and it became a man-on-man battle, they were the ones dominating that area,” said Shefflin in summary. “Even when the ball broke they just had bodies back. Look, they are just a serious, serious team.” 

Is this flaw one of application or approach? There is a fine line between persistence and obstinance. Within the county, clubs like Loughrea, Clarinbridge, and St Thomas have demonstrated the capacity to mix style and play it out.

Tapping into emotion and trusting individuals to play what they see has its place. The key is striking a balance. Work-rate is obviously a requisite, but structure intrinsically influences it. That is a request of the head, not the heart.

Kilkenny were ravenous in the first half on Sunday. Clare also played into their hands. They deployed an extra defender while continuing to go long to a forward line outnumbered and swarmed. Suddenly after the turnaround they took off, scoring 9 of the first 11 points. Their desperation to win was no more extreme in that half as it was in the first. It merely found sufficient shape and channel.

Shefflin said on Saturday night that it didn’t feel like they had made progress given the pressing need for results. He did outline that he feels the group is in a better place. That work was a considerable part of the brief too. Players who were cut or dropped under the previous regime returned to the fold and made massive contributions. He was a regular attendee at local pitches last autumn. In his debut campaign the same 17 players started during championship. This year it rose to 20 even after Johnny Coen had retired and David Burke ruptured his ACL. That was a season-ending injury. However, he is a stalwart with an exemplary attitude. Management seamlessly integrated him into the backroom team.

Last weekend prolonged a miserable record in Croke Park. It is now 1 win from 12 matches. It is five years since they won a Leinster title. Their history is their history. Under this regime it is something that is discussed and dissected. They do not shy away from the brutal reality.

In three of the last four years, they’ve been knocked out at the same stage by Limerick. There is good work done. There is more to do. None of it requires major makeup renovations. Park up outside Santry Sports Clinic during a championship week and observe the stream of players passing through in search of brief relief in order to represent their county. Galway have flaws. A lack of spirit is not one of them.