Galway escape shock by hitting goal trail to overhaul big Kildare lead
Galway’s Tiernan Killeen and Dan O’Meara of Kildare. Pic: ©INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
A banana skin side stepped in Newbridge but boy did Galway slip and slide for a while in this Leinster SHC encounter.
Trailing by a dozen points at one stage late in the first half as they hurled into a stiff wind, Micheál Donoghue's crew looked in real trouble.
A Muiris Curtin inspired Kildare lorded it for 30 minutes or so and hinted at picking up the county's first win in the Leinster SHC in 25 years.
But Galway recovered with a powerful second-half display to run out nine-point winners in the end, maintaining their perfect record in this year's round robin.
Half-time substitute Tom Monaghan had a big impact, scoring 1-4, while Rory Burke, Cian Daniels and man of the match Conor Whelan, who struck 1-3, added the other majors.
Subs delivered 1-7 in total for Galway, food for thought for Donoghue ahead of their Round 4 clash with Dublin in Salthill next weekend.
Joe McDonagh Cup holders will be back in action against Kilkenny themselves next Saturday, a testing away game.
Galway surprisingly trailed from the first score of the game, a Cathal McCabe point in the second minute until the 50 minute.
The first half couldn't have gone much worse for the visitors who got nothing going up, first front and were cut asunder at the other end by Kildare's lethal attack.
McCabe dropped back as an auxiliary defender for Kildare who, aided by the stiff wind, dominated the possession and were able to launch attack after attack.
And almost everything they did was quick and early, long deliveries arrowed down towards Curtin who had full-back Cillian Trayers in all sorts of bother.
Curtin finished the half with 1-3, beating Trayers to long deliveries for the first 1-2 and then intercepting a Darach Fahy puckout ahead of Trayers for the other point.
It was no great surprise that the Galway management swapped captain Dan Morrissey onto Curtin but one of his first acts was to foul Curtin for a free that Jack Sheridan tapped over.
At other times, Kildare opted against the long ball in, in favour of simply knocking it over from long range, full-back Rian Boran converting two scores from downtown. Gerry Keegan was on song too with three points in the half.
Remarkably, having been saddled with a 15-point handicap by bookies beforehand, Galway trailed by 12 approaching the half hour, 0-5 to 1-14.
Kildare's appetite for destruction and clever tactics were only half the story because Galway, fresh off double-digit wins over Kilkenny and Offaly, looked flat and almost disinterested.
They had seven first half wides and were grateful to Conor Whelan for engineering the opening that led to Rory Burke's 30th minute goal.
Leading 1-15 to 1-5 at half time, the big question for Kildare was could they hold on, particularly into the teeth of the gale?
Galway immediately went to work on reducing the deficit. Conor Cooney won a free that Cathal Mannion converted, and then pointed himself.
Then came the score Galway desperately needed, and Kildare feared - a goal.
Monaghan, brought on at half time with Ronan Glennon, was fed by Daniels on the left and netted from a tight angle.
Daniels got Galway's third goal in the 48th minute, pulling on the ground ball after initial attempts by Mannion and Whelan were blocked.
Having wrestled back momentum, Galway almost inevitably drew level through Whelan at 3-11 to 1-17 in the 51st minute.
And they led for the first time all afternoon three minutes later when Monaghan added a point to his goal.
Kildare didn't throw in the towel but needed more than seven second-half points given the extent to which Galway dominated.
Whelan scored Galway's fourth goal on the hour mark and subs Oisín Lohan and Darragh Neary swelled their lead with points.
T Monaghan (1-4); R Burke, C Whelan (1-3 each); C Mannion (0-5, 3 frees, 1 65); C Daniels (1-0); T Killeen, O Lohan (0-2 each); C Cooney, J Fleming, D Neary (0-1 each).
J Sheridan (0-8, 6 frees, 2 65s); M Curtin (1-3); G Keegan (0-4); R Boran (0-2); C McCabe, P Dolan, S Leacy, D Guerin, C Dowling (0-1 each).
: D Fahy; J Ryan, C Trayers, D Morissey; P Mannion, D Burke, G Lee; C Daniels, T Killeen; C Cooney, C Mannion, J Fleming; R Burke, C Whelan, C Molloy.
: R Glennon for Ryan & T Monaghan for Molloy (h/t); D Neary for Cooney (50); C Fahy for Fleming (56); O Lohan for Killeen (65).
: P McKenna; R Hogan, R Boran, S Leacy; P Dolan, L O'Reilly, Conan Boran; C McCabe, D O'Meara; J Travers, D Guerin, G Keegan; D Melville, M Curtin, J Sheridan.
: C Dowling for Dolan (46); T Ryan for Melville (59); C Smith for Travers (60); E Ó Briain for O'Reilly (65); H Carroll for Leacy (72).
: C Flynn (Westmeath).
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