Little to lift Leinster spirits in Salthill slog

A underwhelming clash of Galway and Dublin underlined that the Leinster hurling championship remains incapable of drawing meaningful crowds.

Dublin’s Conor Burke and Galway’s Darren Morrissey. Pic: ©INPHO/Evan Logan

Leinster SHC: Dublin 3-16 Galway 0-21

We got no collision of Leinster’s pace-setters. We got absolutely no hint of a Leinster county surviving in the Liam MacCarthy race beyond early July. Besides a mildly entertaining last 15 minutes, we got so very little at Salthill early on Saturday evening.

Reference to ‘we’ covers the 6,500 who turned out for this top-of-the-table round-robin clash. A deeply underwhelming figure that offers further proof, if any was needed, of how the Leinster hurling championship remains incapable of drawing meaningful crowds.

And as for the pace of Leinster championship fare, we all saw first-hand in Salthill how that remains more Saturday morning parkrun than any David Attenborough-narrated sprint for survival.

Dublin's collecting of the two points on offer guarantees them a top three finish. Their two subs called down from the stand - John Hetherton and Ronan Hayes - imparted game-turning impact. Their defence, minus the injured Eoghan O’Donnell, denied Galway a single clear-cut opportunity to increase their green flag count of nine from across the first three rounds.

Maybe there’s enough positives in that for Niall Ó Ceallacháin and his crew. Maybe they were absolutely delighted with themselves heading back the M6 that they had inflicted a second-ever home defeat on Galway in the short history of the round-robin.

But if this is a side with genuine designs on delivering the county’s first Leinster crown since 2013 and then dislodging Cork or Limerick on the first weekend of July, they must surely know that what they produced here won’t come remotely close to achieving any of that.

Dublin won the toss and elected to hurl against the familiar Salthill gale. They didn’t get off their first shot until Conor Donohoe dropped a point attempt short in the ninth minute. Their opening score didn’t arrive until the 12th minute when Daithí Burke went out of his way to gift wrap a green flag for them. It wasn’t until the 14th minute when a Dublin score was supplied by a Dublin player.

They managed just 10 shots across the entire half. There was no coherency or approach to their forward play. That they led on four separate occasions across the half and trailed only by 0-11 to 1-5 at the break was exclusively the result of Galway’s hideously erroneous shooting.

The margin Dublin trailed by continued to oscillate between three and four points until Ó Ceallacháin called John Hetherton and Ronan Hayes down from the stand on 51 and 55 minutes respectively. Going route one into the pair won Dublin this fixture. Simplicity at its finest.

Dublin hurlers Brian Hayes, scorer of their third goal, and Ronan Hayes, right, scorer of their second goal, celebrate after victory in the Leinster GAA Senior Hurling Championship Round 4 match between Galway and Dublin at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Hayes finished with 1-2. He also assisted Brian Hayes’ injury-time winning goal. Hetherton assisted 1-1 and would have assisted a second green flag but for a superb Darach Fahy save to deny his fellow trouble-making replacement.

But take even midfielder Hayes’ winning goal, which arrived 10 seconds past the allotted four minutes of second-half injury-time. With a near gale behind them, the green flag represented their first score in exactly 14 minutes. Another statistic that simply isn’t up to scratch.

A final count of three wides is astonishing efficiency. A total shot count of in and around 27 - again - is well short of the 40 mark most counties are setting as their target.

Avoid defeat at home to Kilkenny this weekend and Dublin will carry this copybook full of corrections into the Leinster final.

“We've effectively entered the semi-final,” said Ó Ceallacháin.

“We've no interest in winning this game here and then heading down next Sunday and not making a Leinster final, it's just not where we want to be.” The maroon copybook, meanwhile, overflows with red biro marks.

That’s three below-par displays in succession. Not since thumping Kilkenny on the opening day have they performed anywhere close to the spring levels that roused such excitement.

Having had to be moved off the more diminutive Muiris Curtin last weekend, new full-back Cillian Trayers was moved off the mountainous Hetherton here. Further forward, the always impactful Darragh Neary continues to be kept out of the team by middle-third players of no impact.

Aaron Niland hurt his ankle, was wayward with his freetaking, and was whipped on 39 minutes. The absence of Rory Burke because of a hamstring injury hurt them. 12 first-half wides and a further point attempt of Jason Rabbitte’s that was half-hooked hurt them most.

If this was a dress rehearsal for next month’s Leinster final, throw out every stitch of clothes and chuck the wardrobe too.

Scorers for Dublin: Donal Burke (0-9, 0-7 frees, 0-1 ‘65); R Hayes (1-2); B Hayes (1-0); Daithí Burke (1-0, og); C Ó Riain (0-2); C Donohoe, D Purcell, C O’Sullivan (0-1 each).

Scorers for Galway: A Niland (0-5, 0-4 frees); C Mannion (0-4, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘65); T Monaghan (0-3); P Mannion, C Whelan, D Neary (0-2 each); C Daniels, J Rabbitte, C Molloy (0-1 each).

DUBLIN: E Gibbons; L Rushe, P Smyth, P Doyle; C McHugh, C Crummey, C Burke; C Groarke, B Hayes; C Donohoe, F Whitely, D Burke; C O’Sullivan, D Purcell, C Ó Riain.

Subs: J Hetherton for Groarke (51); R Hayes for Purcell (55).

GALWAY: D Fahy; R Glennon, C Trayers, D Morrissey; P Mannion, G Lee, D Burke; C Daniels, T Killeen; J Fleming, C Mannion; A Niland; J Rabbitte, C Whelan, T Monaghan.

Subs: D Neary for Niland (39, inj); J Ryan for Trayers (63); C Molloy for Fleming (65); C Fahy for Daniels (68); O Lohan for Killeen (74).

Referee: C Lyons (Cork).