ALL-IRELAND SHC QUALIFIERS ROUND THREE Galway 1-19 Cork 0-15: INEVITABLY THE talk will be of times past. Twelve months ago these two sides produced a thriller which went straight into the charts as one of the matches of the decade. Saturday's rematch lacked the same brilliantly convoluted narrative and begged for a little sunshine but the intensity and pace sufficed.
It’s part of the frustrating history of Galway hurling in this decade that when the two sides who have most succinctly defined success in recent years count their regrets the regrets are almost always wearing maroon jerseys.
Kilkenny and Cork have both suffered landmark defeats to Galway and it will be with chagrin the older Cork players will look back on the loss in 2002 as the game which sparked the need for revolution on the Lee.
Perhaps the greatest moment that Cork team achieved together was last year’s defiant win over Galway but here were the pesky maroon jerseys again, bookending the era neatly with another win. A lot will change in Cork now.
“Knowing these players over the last few months they would take these defeats very seriously” said coach Denis Walsh afterwards “They will need time. My gut reaction will be 99 per cent of the people will be on board. I have great time for these guys but there will be talk too about the need for surgery.”
And yet at half-time, Cork were a point behind having offered the better hurling. Galway had shot away to an early lead but this Cork side doesn’t do panic and they calmly hauled them back to level anytime they needed to.
Walsh had experimented with John Gardiner repeating the trick seen earlier in the season of switching the big man with Tom Kenny at midfield. The winter of discontent seems to have robbed Gardiner of a little of his zest though and his value in the experiment was dubious. He missed a few frees as his frustration grew but Cork weren’t fretting overly.
Aisake Ó hAilpín, without winning clean possession or staying on his feet all the time, was causing the Galway full-back line difficulties. The big man is far from the finished article but his size creates a terrible dilemma for defenders. Go tight and he has the physical power to let the ball run by and turn you. Stand off and you risk him getting clean possession.
The consensus seems to be to stand off slightly and then mug him. Even still on Saturday night he picked up several frees and created loose ball for Kieran Murphy in particular to live off in the first half.
A year spent giving Aisake a strapping pair of thighs and a midriff with the solidity of Joe Canning’s will benefit Cork immensely.
Cork still miss the craft of Joe Deane but once the Rebel faithful had seen enough running from Ben O’Connor to be reassured about his hamstrings, however, there were reasons to be cheerful.
Galway’s haul from play was two points before the break, including nearly quarter of an hour scoreless. Cork, though, were learning the hard way that any transgression which didn’t take place within the Galway 21-yard line was punishable by Joe Caning’s howitzer-like frees. A nudge here on the Galway 45 out near the wing. Canning lifts and strikes and the white flag waves. A tug at Ger Farragher’s hurley there in deep midfield. Boom, another point gone.
It seemed improbable frees this would be Canning’s only scoring contribution to the half and late on a long clearance from Aongus Callanan found his paw around the 21-yard line. Having shrugged off Diarmuid O’Sullivan so easily a year ago Canning had no hesitation in hunting Eoin Cadogan out of his way before snapping his wrists for a trademark shot. Remarkably, Donal Óg Cusack, who had anticipated a shot going across to his right got the stick back across his own body for a splendid save . . . Cork survived.
Little Cork had seen in the first half would have worried them. In retrospect that’s a risky way for a team to hit the dressingroom at the break. Galway picked up the tempo after the break and though Cork never lost touch before Galway’s goal the signs were there greater urgency was needed.
Cork were still a point off the pace as the game clock slipped over into the last 10 minutes. Just when they needed to pull a rabbit from the hat they had to stand back and watched Joe Canning do one of his own conjuring tricks.
Kevin Hayes, just sprung from the bench, found his Portumna clubmate Canning with a bit of space out the right wing. Cusack was off his line like a fire brigade engine and did exceptionally well to get his body and stick behind Canning’s rasping shot.
As if often the case when a player like Canning gets possession in a position of opportunity, every defender seemed to be heading his way as the ball came off Cusack and out to another sub, Joe Gantley, who was left unimpeded to pull into the Cork net.
Four points in it then. Time enough for Cork to miss two decent goal chances but for Galway to pull away and nail down the game impressively with some confident point scoring.
Walsh’s assessment that Galway were the better team over the 70 minutes was justified, as was his assertion that the just margin would have been about two points for Galway. Galway didn’t care. This was a night of vindication.
“They ran themselves into the ground,” said coach John McIntyre. “Over the years Galway’s bottle has been questioned in situations like this before. There is no question mark tonight. Skill alone will not win All-Irelands.
“We have an ambush coming down the road next week in Waterford,” he added. “I would appeal to the journalists here. Don’t be blowing up Galway. This Waterford team is very experienced and very seasoned.”
Subtle, John. Subtle!
GALWAY: C Callanan; F Moore, S Kavanagh, O Canning; D Joyce, J Lee, E Lynch; G Farragher (0-1), K Hynes; A Callanan (0-2), C Donnellan, A Smith (0-2); J Canning (0-10, eight frees, sideline, 65), D Hayes (0-3), N Healy. Subs: J Gantley (1-0)for Healy (49 mins), K Hayes (0-1)for Donnellan (59 mins), E Forde for Hynes (68 mins), A Coen for Lynch (71 mins).
CORK: D Óg Cusack; S O'Neill, E Cadogan, C O'Sullivan; T Kenny, R Curran, S Óg Ó hAilpín (0-1); J Gardiner (0-1), J O'Connor; B O'Connor (0-9, six frees, 65), P Cronin, T McCarthy; K Murphy (0-2), A Ó hAilpín, P Horgan (0-1). Subs: N McCarthy (0-1)for McCarthy (52 mins), T Óg Murphy for Horgan (55 mins), G Callanan for Murphy (58 mins).
Referee: B Gavin(Offaly).
