The Galway senior hurlers go into this Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick as rank outsiders according to the odds compilers and given they have lost the last three times the counties have met in Croke Park at the business end of the championship then it may be hard to argue with that assessment.
Limerick’s mastermind John Kiely has overseen a five-in-a-row of Munster titles and taken home the Liam McCarthy cup in four of those seasons. It has been a magnificently consistent run of form, but perhaps the semi-final stage is the best place for Galway to try and hijack their ambitions in 2023.
Since Kiely took charge, Limerick are unbeaten in twelve national finals, including the 2018 decider against Galway, when the reigning champions left themselves with too much of a hill too climb in the final quarter. Kilkenny downed them in the 2019 semi-final, though, when unfancied, and Galway have been within a stone’s throw in the last two semi-finals in 2020 and 2022.
Last July Galway matched Limerick step for step and perhaps could have been a few points ahead but for some missed chances that finally caught up with them when Limerick finally snatched control of the contest deep into injury time. David Reidy’s magnificent score opened a chink of daylight between the sides where none had previously been present in a thrilling second half and Limerick held on.
Declan Hannon and Séan Finn played key roles in the defining moments late on in that game, but neither will be involved on Saturday as injuries begin to test the credentials of Limerick’s panel. Cian Lynch has also been struggling with a persistent hamstring problem while Galway have had to contend with losing Jason Flynn for the remainder of the campaign.
Flynn, who made an impact off the bench against both Kilkenny and Tipperary, suffered a serious hamstring injury in training last week with the initial prognosis suggesting a three month lay-off for the Tommie Larkins man. The big question in the run up to the game, though, will be who will take up Hannon’s spot at the heart of the Limerick defence.
Kiely has plenty of options to choose from but all will probably not be fully revealed until the ball is thrown in by referee James Owens at 6pm as to who will try and fill the almost ever-present captain’s role. Diarmaid Byrnes perhaps makes the most sense, but don’t be surprised if Kyle Hayes is tasked with locking down the central corridor.
Henry Shefflin will have had plenty to ponder since the win over Tipperary, where Galway almost gifted the game to an opponent who couldn’t get out of their own way. The defiance of the defensive effort was admirable, though, and Galway will again need Daithí Burke, Padraic Mannion, Gearóid McInerney, and Joseph Cooney to be at their resilient best.
Galway simply have to be more efficient with their shooting, especially when taking on long range efforts, of that there can be no question, but that is very much within the capabilities of these players. Conor Whelan has been doing most of the heavy lifting to date, with Evan Niland and Kevin Cooney also repaying the manager’s faith.
If Brian Concannon and Conor Cooney can rediscover their best form and Tom Monaghan also poses a scoring threat, then there is no reason why Galway cannot topple the kingpins. Yet again the game could come down to the smallest of margins in the final minutes. Expect a thriller which could produce a later than predicted finish for those making the trip to Croke Park.
