The Galway senior hurlers travel to Nowlan Park on Sunday to take on the perennial All-Ireland champions in round five of the National League.
The game throws in at 2.30pm and should give an indication of the curve that Galway are on for the coming few months. The game is live on TG4 for those who cannot make the trip.
The last time the sides met was in O’Connor Park last June in the Leinster championship semi-final. The Cats won that day on a score-line of 2-20 to 3-13, with Joe Canning making a massive scoring contribution of 2-09, while Niall Healy chipped in with 1-1.
Top scorer for Brian Cody was Henry Shefflin with 0-10, but the Ballyhale hit-man will not be inside the white lines this Sunday which should help Galway’s chances of collecting the two points.
Galway were also defeated by Kilkenny in the league last year by 1-20 to 0-12, so this team will know it has to produce a top drawer performance to get anything out of the trip.
Kilkenny may not be at full flow yet, having been beaten by both Tipperary and Cork in the league already, so they need to get a win on Sunday to stay in the race for a league final slot. They beat Dublin last weekend by 2-12 to 0-23 and only for a terrific individual display by Richie Power, who scored 2-7 (five frees ), they would have been in trouble. Still, they did what had to be done and collected the two points.
Likewise an under-strength Galway side struggled to put Offaly away last Saturday in Pearse Stadium and the game was in the balance right up to the death before the home side won by four, 1-22 to 1-18.
John McIntyre says his team is a work in progress that is heading in the right direction:
“If we had everything right in the middle of March with nothing left to learn in the league, I think we’d be in trouble.”
Next Sunday will no doubt provide the management team with another learning opportunity, and it will provide players with a chance to test their mettle against a county that is not in the habit of losing important games on home turf.
Galway will need to stick to the basics and keep it direct. Last weekend they played themselves into trouble on some occasions and that is not a good idea against a formidable Kilkenny half-back line.
The Galway management team is rightly giving opportunities to different players to stake a place for permanent inclusion. Giving “game-time” to panel members is a key part of what the league is about and Eanna Ryan, who shot four points from play last Saturday is an example of a player who could really blossom if given regular games.
Portumna players
Galway were due to announce the team last night (Wednesday ) and it was not known yesterday whether the Portumna contingent would be available for selection. Talking to the Advertiser Sport yesterday, team selector Joe Connolly said it was up to the Portumna lads themselves whether they wanted a week or two off after the club final.
“It is their call and obviously we will be delighted to see them back when they are ready,” he said.
Connolly reiterated that the league is about blooding new talent.
“We set out at the start of the league to give matches to as many players as possible and that is what we are doing. You learn about players in a competitive environment and Nowlan Park on Sunday will definitely be that.”
There was positive news during the week with the news that Iarla Tannian’s hand injury is not as serious as previously expected and he may be able to play a role this weekend.
Also on the treatment table is Joe Gantley who is still struggling with a groin injury and he may need another week or two before being back match fit.
Galway’s next two games after Sunday are home ties with Dublin and Cork on April 4 and 18 respectively.
