Saturday evening in Cusack Park, Ennis will be a defining occasion for the Galway hurlers, who are completely aware that there is no margin for error. From here on in the Championship is knockout, and a doughty Clare team are willing and able to examine Galway’s resolve.
This will certainly be a test of Galway’s character. Positives were taken from the manner in which John McIntrye’s charges competed with Kilkenny, but it is the end result that truly matters now.
Clare have taken plenty of encouragement from their own valiant loss to Tipperary, and the way Mike McNamara’s charges thundered back into that contest suggests Galway need to deliver a solid display. Never an easy place in which to claim a result Cusack Park will offer Clare an advantage, and Galway’s last Championship encounter at the venue wasn’t exactly filled with glory.
With the starting Galway XV only being revealed on the pitch minutes prior to throw in the maroons were subsequently rattled by Clare’s ferocious approach. That was a physical clash, but McIntyre’s team didn’t shirk the exchanges in Tullamore so there is sufficient evidence available to believe that Galway won’t shy away from a confrontation.
It is in such ties when Clare are at their most dangerous, and while the Lohans are no longer hurling any side with Brendan Bugler, Alan Markham, and Diarmuid McMahon are always going to be competitive. Clare, though, possess plenty of decent stickmen too, with Gerry O’Grady’s honesty at corner back, Jonathan Clancy’s dash at centrefield, Niall Gilligan’s experience inside, and Colin Ryan’s precise striking, making them quietly confident.
Doubts surround the participation of Damien Hayes and particularly John Lee for Galway, but both are expected to be deemed fit to start. Lee suffered a broken toe in a recent challenge with Tipperary, but the Liam Mellows centre back is likely to be involved from the off.
Two of Lee’s former Fitzgibbon Cup colleagues with NUIG, Ryan and David Barrett, will carry a threat especially in the tight environs of Ennis. Ryan enjoyed a productive afternoon from frees and play during the Tipperary defeat, while Barrett is clearly a player with potential, and his languid style could cause Galway difficulty. Following subdued displays at the Gaelic Grounds compared to previous efforts Tony Carmody and Tony Griffin will need to be thwarted too so the Galway rearguard must be diligent throughout.
Having contributed so handsomely to a smashing joust with Kilkenny Galway now deal with the heavy burden of expectancy. Strangely in the modern game simply being close to Kilkenny is viewed as adequate by many, but a deeper ambition exists in the Galway panel.
That is why this challenge with neighbours Clare is so consequential because Galway are under duress to emerge victorious. A summer ending reversal won’t be accepted by McIntyre, who has Galway well primed for battle.
And with McNamara patrolling the line too for Clare that is precisely what Galway will get. Inevitably Galway hope that Joe Canning can demonstrate his prowess with another haul, the Portumna attacker’s ability and adeptness at dealing with rising expectation make him a player of rare quality.
At the opposite end of the field Damien Joyce will be suited to the passionate environment that awaits, while Ollie Canning, Fergal Moore, and Shane Kavanagh are blessed with the talent to thrive. Offering Joe Canning assistance up front Niall Healy and Aonghus Callanan will be anxious to chip in with interventions, while there is also no denying Cyril Donnellan’s relevance to the Galway cause.
This match could develop into a scrap so a positive start will be yearned for by both teams. Galway had pockets of supremacy when vexing standard bearers Kilkenny, but Brian Cody’s men were cool and composed as the stern questions were posed. Kilkenny were able to inflict damage when they had Galway on the backfoot. Clare mightn’t be armed with as many attacking weapons, but it would be rude to ignore the respectable score they posted against Tipperary. Ryan has the poise required of a free taker so Clare will punish any Galway indiscretions, and in a tense climate McIntyre’s outfit must be calm and clinical.
