NHL DIVISION ONE:Galway 0-12 Kilkenny 1-20: IN FAIRNESS, you wouldn't want to be the first team Kilkenny meet coming off two hurts like the loss to Waterford and Ballyhale's exit from club competition.
You wouldn’t volunteer to be standing in their way when the panel is about to be fattened again with the competition that Shefflin and company offer. Galway certainly didn’t fancy it.
Through the first half the wind blew in off the Atlantic across Salthill and on to the backs of the Galway men. Through the second period they faced into its teeth. And afterwards they had John McIntyre to contend with. Bleak house.
“I’m sick,” said McIntyre in a splenetic release of frustration. “I’m not going to run away from my responsibility as the team manager, but that wasn’t good enough today. Whatever the cause of it I don’t know, obviously it would have a lot to do with the quality of the team we were playing.
“People are saying that Galway arriving in Leinster is going to be a good thing, but it has given Kilkenny extra cause to stay at top. Any complacency is gone from them. Our teamwork was poor.
“Officials and supporters said we were gutless. That was worrying. We just aren’t coming up to standard. Not just on my watch; Galway haven’t been coming up to the standard that people think they should be at.”
There was a pause for breath.
The Setanta commentator made to ask a follow-up question.
No need.
“I am almost tempted to apologise to Galway hurling pubic who paid their €15 today because that is not acceptable It’s not good enough. I know in my heart of hearts they are better than that. Somehow they are not transferring that on to the field of play.
“We thought after the kick in the arse against Dublin it would get the egos removed from some. Listen, Galway aren’t as good as people think. My job is to get them up to where some fantasists in Galway think they should be.
“We have won under-21 titles over years winning two matches, some excellent underage teams are not producing at senior. I am hurting tonight, but no point in me hurting. The players have got to hurt. I think there is mental and psychological damage in that Galway dressingroom going back three or four years. Look, it’s still not a lost cause.”
John McIntyre’s pain at his team’s limp performance yesterday is commentary enough on a match which Kilkenny were always in control of.
There were times when Kilkenny took the foot off the pedal and times when players just used the time and space available to give an exhibition of their skills. And all the time Galway looked puzzled.
Kilkenny took an early lead with rising talent Michael Grace being first to bother the scorekeeper and even though they were playing into a strong gale for the opening period they never looked to be in any difficulty. Brian Hogan hurled half a season worth of ball from centre back, JJ Delaney’s catching at number three was as sure as ever and the front eight went about dividing the scoring duties in an equitable manner.
There were some changes to the advertised troupe of Cats – various ailments inhibiting the Ballyhale set and Martin Comerford and PJ Delaney starting. Both did well, but Delaney must have been a mite distracted by the three exhibition-style points reeled off by John Tennyson, his partner in midfield.
What hope Galway had existed only in the first half when, with the aid of the elements, they drove nine wides and scored just twice from play. Most of the half was devoted to driving feckless clearances at Hogan who developed repetitive stress injury from clearing the ball. Kilkenny clipped off their points knowing that there was a better time a-coming.
It came right after the break.
The throw-in broke to John Dalton. He delivered without hesitation in the direction of Richie Power who turned the reserve full back Fergal Healy and finished to the net. Game over. (Healy had been introduced for the yellow-carded Ciaran O’Donovan who had walked after 14 minutes; Power’s resulting penalty was saved.)
“It was a decent performance,” said Brian Cody.“It was a tough day for hurling, but it’s no harm to test yourself, The attitude was good, we got into the game playing early against a strong wind. We built the platform to win the game in the first half and straight after half-time we got the goal which gave us a bit of breathing space.”
The breathing space was well used. Michael Rice’s four points (well apart from the one gifted him by a stray Ger Mahon clearance) were persuasive arguments for retention. Martin Comerford showed flashes of the old class and hunger before being withdrawn having done enough. The game lost the other full back JJ Delaney to a yellow card and more worryingly the luckless PJ Delaney hobbled off with an ankle injury that will need an X-ray.
In the end Kilkenny were classy and comfortable and they have big guns with the powder still dry in them. Galway will pine for the difference the Portumna boys can make to their game and one imagines John Lee will be getting his arm twisted as summer approaches. Whether it is all enough to make a difference is tough to know, but John McIntyre promised surgery and that is what is needed in the west this morning.
KILKENNY:PJ Ryan; M Kavanagh, JJ Delaney, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, B Hogan (0-1), J Dalton; J Tennyson (0-3), PJ Delaney (0-1), M Comerford (0-1), M Rice (0-4), E Larkin (0-2), E Brennan (0-1), R Power (1-4, three frees), M Grace (0-2). Subs:W Dwyer for Comerford (49 mins), S Cummins for JJ Delaney (56 mins, yellow), D Fogarty for PJ Delaney (59 mins).
GALWAY:E Ward; D Joyce, C O'Donovan, F Moore; A Coen, G Mahon, S Kavanagh; E Forde, A Cullinane; G Farrager (0-6 three frees, one 65), C Donnellan (0-2), D Tierney; N Healy (0-2, one free), J Gantley, A Callanan (0-1). Subs:F Healy for O Donovan (14 mins, yellow), K Hynes for Tierney (44 mins), B Burke for Coen (52 mins), R Murray (0-1) for Gantley (58 mins)
Referee:J Sexton (Cork).
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