The threat of relegation from division one has been removed from Galway’s final game of the Allianz Hurling League away to Westmeath this weekend after a solid performance led to a deserved 1-24 to 0-22 win over Clare in Cusack Park on Sunday.The return of Eanna Murphy, Daithí Burke, Ronan Glennon, Evan Niland, Brian Concannon, and Conor Whelan to the starting 15 suggested this was Galway’s strongest available line-up, but it took some time for them to come to terms with the challenge a lively Clare side posed.
A decidedly sluggish start left Galway trailing by seven points after only 14 minutes of play, as Clare’s attacking formation and restart options proved effective. David Reidy was the most threatening of their inside forwards with a brace of points, while Aidan McCarthy fired over three early frees.
After Peter Duggan effortlessly split the posts from the left sideline, the situation looked ominous, but Galway roared back into the contest over the next 10 minutes as a number of tactical tweaks began to bear fruit.
TJ Brennan moved over to mark Reidy to good effect, while Evan Niland drifted out on to breaking ball as Galway’s intensity improved all over the field.
Five successive points for the men in maroon finished with Daithí Burke firing over a rousing score from distance, the Galway captain growing into the game in the centre half back berth alongside fellow stalwarts Padraic Mannion and Joseph Cooney, who also drove over majestically on 22 minutes.
Clare managed to keep their noses in front until half-time, but only a series of wayward efforts from Galway maintained that position until the 40th minute, when Conor Cooney drifted onto a Kevin Cooney pass to make it 0-13 to 0-12.
Galway missed six of their first nine shots in the second period, but then clicked into gear between the 46th and 59th minutes, hitting 1-7 from eight attempts.
Kevin Cooney, Conor Cooney, and Niland all hit braces before Whelan darted on to a break on the right flank and clinically buried a shot to the net to open up a 1-21 to 0-17 advantage.
Clare’s response was admirable, though, with Reidy unlucky to see his low shot come back off the post before David Fitzgerald hit two of four successive points by the Banner men. However, Galway had more left in the tank to pull away again, with Tom Monaghan, Niland (free ) and Conor Cooney all pointing to seal an important, morale-boosting win.
With Westmeath’s focus already on their upcoming relegation play-off with Laois, this weekend’s game may be little more than a training exercise ahead of the Leinster championship.
Galway: E Murphy; J Grealish, G McInerney, TJ Brennan; P Mannion, Daithí Burke (0-2 ), J Cooney (0-1 ); R Glennon (0-1 ), T Monaghan (0-2 ); C Cooney (0-5 ), B Concannon (0-1 ), C Fahy; E Niland (0-9, 5fs, 1’65 ), C Whelan (1-0 ), K Cooney (0-2 ). Subs: S Linnane (0-1 ) for Glennon (52 ), T Killeen for Burke (57 ), David Burke for Fahy (67 ), D McLoughlin for Concannon (69 ).
