Baffled Peter Queally 'can't explain' Waterford performance

Peter Queally reacts to a point given to Galway. Pic: James Lawlor

Division 1A: Galway 2-18 Waterford 0-16 

A baffling performance. A baffled Peter Queally. The Waterford manager had no answers. His post-match expression was of a man understandably pissed off.

The visitors to Salthill won the toss and elected to play with the familiar gale sweeping in from the Rockbarton Road End. The visitors finished the half six in arrears.

Waterford, despite support from the elements, failed to score between the 11th and 29th minute. They failed to score from play between the 10th and 35th minute. They were taken for 1-7 without reply. They were taken apart on their own restart.

They were without shape, purpose, or intent. They were abject and aimless and inexplicably flat.

Sunday's coming together of Galway and Waterford was correctly billed as the most important top-flight fixture of the weekend. Waterford travelled west knowing victory would almost certainly guarantee their safety and almost certainly relegate Galway. 

Their performance gave no indication of such. Their performance gave nothing of anything.

“I can't explain it,” said Qually.

“We started okay for the first three or four minutes, but then conceded a goal, and Iarlaith [Daly] jarring his knee threw us off a bit. He’s an influential player for us at centre-back.

“We had to see if he could run it off. We threw him in wing-forward; they just got an overlap on us there, and got a goal. We never recovered from that, but can't use that as an excuse. There was still 65 minutes left after that. Just never got any momentum in the game at all.

“Probably a couple of sleepless nights and probably a few heart-to-hearts with some of the players, and see can we sort it out. Massive game now this Sunday.” 

A step towards safety for the hosts. They move alongside Waterford on four points. Galway now have them on the head-to-head.

Put simply, if Queally’s side don’t take something from Tipp’s visit this Sunday, they are destined to make an immediate return to the second tier. The injured Dessie Hutchinson will be “touch and go” for involvement against the All-Ireland champions.

A Tipp victory would secure Galway’s Division 1A status, irrespective of how they fare against Kilkenny and Limerick.

Where Waterford managed just a solitary point from play when facing the elements, Galway posted 2-7. Both majors were attractive in their making.

For the opener in the third minute, Jason Rabbitte fetched Cianan Fahy's angled delivery. Half-back Ronan Glennon came thundering off his shoulder, took the pop pass, and batted beyond Nolan.

Their second, on 27 minutes, saw Tiernan Killeen pick out Colm Molloy. He held off all incoming challenges and swung past Nolan.

Molloy and Rabbitte operated as Galway’s inside duo. The rest of their forward teammates pulled way out and attacked from deep. Waterford were unable to combat this approach.

Aaron Niland, unmarked inside his own half, was routinely picked out along the left flank by a maroon colleague. 

By the time Waterford woke up and sent a defender after him, it was invariably too late. He put over back-to-back points and was then fouled for the next score after that during the 1-7 Galway burst that cannonballed the hosts 2-9 to 0-6 clear on 27 minutes. 

Thomas Monaghan operated similarly and notched a pair of points.

Galway, in contradiction of the direction they were hurling, registered 20 first-half shots to Waterford’s 16.

“You can see the lads are enjoying it and hurling well, and there's a nice freedom to it,” said Micheál Donoghue.

“Similar to last week, I'd be a small bit disappointed with our second-half performance, but I suppose it's a team in transition with a lot of young fellas, so the key thing for us is just to keep building our consistency and get that performance that we're craving for 70 minutes.” 

The second half, watched by 4,134 famished souls, was without colour or character or mystery.

The hosts hit eight wides. Cianan Fahy was denied by Nolan from close range. Aaron Niland’s penalty strike was also denied. Mark Fitzgerald was shown black for the foul. Dead-ball responsibilities once again shifted in-game. Cathal Mannion was off target with four frees.

The winners didn’t add to their tally from the 61st minute. Their opponents finished up in that department two minutes earlier. Their horrid afternoon reached peak rudderless just before that. 

Stephen Bennett’s 20-metre free was stopped on the line by impressive debutant Kieran Hanrahan. Waterford won back possession; Niland blocked down Patrick Curran before Sean Mackey hit the post.

A second spring no-show. The Waterford players must now find a second response. The performance that stunned Limerick requires a rerun.

Scorers for Galway: C Mannion (0-9, 0-5 frees, 0-1 ‘65); A Niland (0-4, 0-1 free); C Molloy, R Glennon (1-0 each); C Daniels, T Monaghan (0-2 each); J Rabbitte (0-1).

Scorers for Waterford: Stephen Bennett (0-8, 0-7 frees); J Prendergast, S Walsh (0-2 each); B Nolan (free), I Daly, J Barron, M Kiely (0-1 each).

GALWAY: S O’Halloran; J Ryan, C Trayers, K Hanrahan; R Glennon, P Mannion, D Morrissey; C Fahy, C Daniels; T Killeen, C Mannion, A Niland; C Molloy, J Rabbitte, T Monaghan.

SUBS: C Whelan for Molloy (52); C Killeen for Fahy (53); TJ Brennan for Glennon (51); D McLoughlin for Rabbitte (65); C Cooney for Niland (66).

WATERFORD: B Nolan; A O’Neill, M Fitzgerald, I Kenny; Shane Bennett, I Daly, B Lynch; R Halloran, P Leavey; M Kiely, J Barron, J Prendergast; S Walsh, Stephen Bennett, K Mahony.

SUBS: C Lyons for Daly (inj), P Curran for Mahony (both HT); S Mackey for Halloran (43); T de Búrca for Shane Bennett (47); J Fagan for Kiely (66).

REFEREE: J Owens (Wexford).