Two minutes from time, and the evenly matched teams were deadlocked. The momentum was with Limerick, Galway appeared to be ailing, when suddenly the maroons showed the pluck and perseverance that John McItyre demanded. Joe Canning strolled out the field, nailed a free, manufactured another and closed the game with a second strike that rescued the situation.
It is strange what kind of a soothing effect a tight and tense win can have, and the conversations in Galway’s warm down in the corner of the town goal were peppered with enthusiasm. Dealing with lofty expectations is part and parcel of a Galway hurler’s existence, but any triumph chiselled out in difficult circumstances is valued.
A peculiar Allianz NHL year is veering along with more spills than thrills, and the results are increasingly hard to fathom so Galway don’t really know what to expect in Fraher Field next Sunday. Will they face the Waterford team that beat Kilkenny or the one that surrendered against Dublin? The nature of the loss to Dublin suggests it may be the former, and that will be beneficial to Galway. It is high intensity encounters that are yearned for, and while the Limerick joust didn’t exactly drip with vibrancy Galway survived.
Canning’s return to the maroon jersey gave Galway an injection, and at the opposite end of the field club colleague Eugene McEntee enjoyed a quietly effective 70 minutes. Afterwards selector Joe Connolly highlighted McEntee’s organisational powers, and with Damien Joyce and Fergal Moore bright and busy in the corners there was a layer of security to Galway’s last line of defence.
Minus David Collins, Shane Kavanagh, and John Lee the half back line might have been raw and somewhat untried, but few faults could be found with the manner in which Richie Murray, Martin Ryan, and Adrian Cullinane hurled. Only two points were leaked from play by the half line with Murray’s aggression, Ryan’s honesty, and Cullinane’s pace all contributing.
At centrefield David Tierney covered the ground while Ger Farragher’s striking remains a potent Galway weapon. Aonghus Callanan’s sharpness in attack augurs well, while Niall Healy is also still a notable threat, particularly when fast ball is directed his way.
The Dublin reversal means that Waterford will be especially interested when Galway head to the southeast. Both outfits want to accumulate points to stave off the threat of relegation now that Cork are stirring again, and one further success would preserve their top flight status.
With the summer months looming Galway will be keen to make a courageous statement away from the comforting home environs of Salthill, and this is an ideal opportunity to maintain the revitalisation process.
