Murray expects different Galway in Croke Park

Galway manager Cathal Murray is backing knockout competition to bring the best out of his crew

BATTLING: Cork's Katrina Mackey in action against Roisin Black of Galway. Pic: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton

Galway manager Cathal Murray has backed his charges to consign Saturday’s listless effort against Cork to the dustbin and put their best foot forward against Waterford in next Sunday’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park (1.30pm).

Murray is backing knockout competition to bring the best out of his crew but they will have to improve considerably on the 2-16 to 1-7 loss at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh that means they must line out again eight days later, while the champions will have four weeks off before the All-Ireland semi-final double-header at UPMC Nowlan Park on July 27.

Tipperary will play in the other semi as a result of their 1-15 to 0-15 triumph over Kilkenny at The Ragg, while the Cats will play Dublin in the first of the quarter-finals at Headquarters on Saturday (12.30pm).

It was the result by the Lee that raised most eyebrows, however and Murray did not attempt to put a gloss on it when speaking to Galway Bay FM.

“Hard to put in words,” the Sarsfields man admitted. “Cork were the better team by a long, long way. We just weren’t at the races. There were a lot of good performances but as a team we were poor and never got out of the blocks.

“We don’t have much time to feel sorry for ourselves. It’s going to be a massive task and we’re going to have to be an awful lot better or we’re in serious trouble.

“We have been dogged by injuries but that’s no excuse. We had the majority of our team out there and unfortunately the performance wasn’t good enough.

“It’s really disappointing but we know we’re not as bad as we looked out there. We know what we have in that dressing room. It’s about backing them now, them backing each other, backing the team. I’m sure you’ll see a different Galway next week. We need to see a better Galway next week but we will.” 

Not for the first time, Katrina Mackey and Amy O’Connor did most of the attacking damage for Cork, while Galway struggled to cope with the energy and score-taking from the half-back line of stand-in skipper, Laura Hayes.

Aoife Healy earned the player-of-the-match plaudits however, carrying on this year where she left off in a brilliant breakthrough season with her prodigious workrate and clever supply.

Rebels boss, Ger Manley was delighted with his crew but admitted  managing the gap to the semi-final will take careful consideration.

“We played Galway down through the years. They’re very hard to beat. We got the monkey off the back last year in the semi-final. Cathal Murray has done a super job and they’re there every year. Physically, it’s the hardest game you’ll get.

“Now we’ve a break of a month. We haven’t had that for a bit so we’re just going to sit down now and see how we’ll work that out.

“To be All-Ireland champions, you put so much into it. The girls want to win it again, they’re a very focused group. You need a bit of luck but as I tell them, the more you put in, the luckier you get. And they do put in a lot. It’s seven nights a week now between gym and the pitch. The game is getting more high profile and what we put in, I suppose every other county is putting in but we do have a very good team.” 

Tipperary had to fight hard to hold off a resolute wind-backed Kilkenny in the second half, having led at the break by ten points, but Karin Blair’s first half goal kept the League champions’ noses in front.

“Our goal at the start of the year was to get as far as possible and obviously trying our best to get out of the group and top the group if possible, which we did, so we’re absolutely delighted with that and we look forward to a semi-final in a few weeks,” Nicole Walsh observed.

Beth Carton scored 2-8 as Waterford beat Derry 3-15 to 0-6 and Dublin joined them in the last six when proving far too strong for Down by 4-19 to 0-6. That consigned the Mourne outfit to relegation, which is also the fate of Antrim, after Limerick prevailed in their bottom-of-the-table encounter by 2-17 to 3-12.

Clare secured their second victory of what has been a promising campaign for a youthful side when accounting for Wexford 1-15 to 1-11.