Fresh wind in Galway's sails

Two teams, who had long discarded all pretence of apathy towards the league, met in Thurles yesterday and it was Galway that survived to stride onwards.

They remain a delightful mystery, these westerners, and will know that for all the endeavour on show yesterday, nothing has been proven of yet.

Two snap goals in the second half gave Galway distance enough to stave off a Waterford backlash engineered by Ken McGrath and thus the Munster men, after a series of league games defined by fairy-tale conclusions, find themselves preparing for the championship by way of another burst bubble.

The one consolation for them is that they possess, without question, the moral fibre to raise themselves again.

Tentative over the first 35 minutes, Galway reappeared after the break more loose-limbed and pulsing with the sort of casual skill which, when they hit form, makes them appear unbeatable.

Whereas their first half scores arose from heavy labour, they attacked with devastating precision running into the wind, signalling their intent when Fergal Healy scampered free from the restart before tapping a point to leave the scores at 0-10 to 1-5.

Although both Healy and Ollie Fahy were in lethal form, the Galway forward unit had found it difficult to breathe among the attentive Waterford defence during the early stages, but as soon as the space opened up, they began to thrive. After 44 minutes came, for Waterford, the first fatal chink of space.

Joe Rabbitte, wrapped up for long periods, spied Fahy with open ground behind him and lobbed a ball down the wing which his teammate collected before darting towards the goal and dispatching past Brendan Landers.

Dave Bennett, from a 65, and Ken McGrath responded for Waterford within the next 90 seconds but that Galway's next score was also a goal gave some indication about the mindset of this team, with Healy sprinting through the centre to pistol-crack another goal past Landers.

That left them a goal clear with 23 minutes left and, although Waterford came hunting with the ferocity which has become their trade mark - they cut it to just a point with five minutes remaining - Galway pulled clear with a grittiness which suggests they may have left the brittle days behind them.

They have a formidable looking back unit, with Vinnie Maher and Liam Hodgins exerting considerable influence from the corner and Finbar Gantley once more illustrating precisely why his career has been resurrected. At centrefield, Rory Gantley and Alan Kerins were comfortable and the forward line was buzzing with mischievous sprints. Fahy and Healy scored 1-3 and 1-4 respectively from play.

But for all that, Galway wavered notably at times, particularly in the first half. The Waterford team exploded on 16 minutes after a wonderfully crafted goal.

Peter Queally rapped a clearance, Ken McGrath rose skyward to make the fetch, Anthony Kirwan poked his pass to Flynn and the corner forward looped a handpass to the free-running Michael White.

The Mount Sion attacker had already released by the time the backpedalling Galway backs converged.

That levelled matters at 0-5 to 12 and then McGrath took flight again, snatching another whizzing sliotar and cracking his second point from 35 metres. McGrath's contribution to his team's cause was immense. He combined intelligent ball work with a ceaseless hunger, tracking down loose ball which he had no right to even consider. Indeed, the lone flaw in his afternoon occurred, strangely, right in the middle of Waterford's purple patch. Kirwan, battling all afternoon with newly-wed Brian Feeney, saw McGrath standing 20 metres out and fired a low pass which was all but gift-wrapped. McGrath, utterly alone, rushed the shot and Michael Crimmins deflected it easily.

Three minutes later, he angled an acute point to partially atone, but it was a pivotal moment.

Indeed Waterford might have ripped the netting more than once but for Crimmins' dexterity. The Athenry man was equal to a piercing cut by White after 55 minutes and also deflected a missile of a shot by Ken McGrath with the score at 2-13 to 1-13 and nine minutes remaining.

Cathal Moore gradually came to terms with McGrath, and Waterford's attacking thrust began to dry up. Queally and Fergal Hartley continued to storm away in the midst of things, Hartley landing a huge point after 52 minutes and Brian Flannery, displaying his usual aversion to all forms of untidiness, cleaning up accordingly. The critical shortfall for Waterford lay in the relatively subdued return of Tony Browne, Dan Shanahan and Paul Flynn.

With Paul Flynn off-colour and McGrath unhappy with two early efforts, Dave Bennett assumed responsibility for the frees and his accuracy ensured that Galway could never stretch beyond their opponents sights.

Given Waterford's season, there was an inevitability about their spirited revival as the match ebbed towards its last five minutes and the puck-out following Bennett's 45-metre free, which left the score at 2-13 to 1-15, was perhaps the moment of truth.

Crimmins arced the puck-out at Joe Rabbitte and the big man rose for it and drew a free. Rory Gantley cracked it. Waterford hurried back but Brian Walshe fired wide and then Ollie Fahy was set loose before neatly poking the concluding point.

McGrath twice threatened a late reprieve with low-flying frees, the first of which was deflected, the second sizzling narrowly wide.

And so Galway return this year for another league final and add further to the old debate about where they fit in the big picture. League form has deceived before. They have one more big afternoon and then it's the big sleep until the quarter-finals. But at least they are assured of some hurling in July. Waterford left yesterday wondering about getting beyond May.

Galway: M Crimmons; L Hodgins, B Feeney, V Maher; F Gantley, C Moore, P Hardiman; A Kerins (0-1), R Gantley (0-3, frees); J Rabbitte (0-1), M Kerins, K Broderick (0-1); O Canning (0-2), O Fahy (1-3), F Healy (1-4). Subs: J Cooney for K Broderick (60 mins).

Waterford: B Landers; T Feeney, J O'Connor, B Flannery; J Murray, F Hartley (0-1), P Queally; T Browne, J Brenner (0-1); D Shanahan (0-1), K McGrath (0-4), D Bennett (0-7, 5 frees, 65); M White (1-1), A Kirwan, P Flynn. Subs: B Walsh for T Browne (57 mins), B O'Sullivan for A Kirwan (60). Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).