Nicky English: Improving Galway will be serious opposition in Leinster final but nervous Cork continue to struggle

The last weekend of the provincial round robins proved a bit underwhelming in the end. Apart from a dramatic first round and the quality of Limerick’s display against Cork a week ago, the matches have been low on top-class excitement and we’ll just have to hope for some memorable hurling in the Munster and Leinster finals.

It was summed up for me in two matches: Limerick v Clare and Wexford v Kilkenny, which have both been outstanding fixtures in the provincial championships during the round-robin years. On Sunday, both had been reduced to the status of a dead rubber.

Clare, their All-Ireland title gone from them, won but Limerick, already into a Munster final, had little to play for and selected accordingly. Kilkenny also experimented and lost but there was no jeopardy for them either going into the final round of fixtures.

There was something on the line in both Parnell Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Dublin and Galway was effectively a Leinster semi-final. The match was undermined from the start by the wind but it was the same for both teams and there was an inordinate amount of bad wides.

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I was impressed by how the graph of Galway’s performances continues to rise. Experienced hands Conor Whelan and David Burke really showed their class. Brian Concannon scored really well, even against the wind.

Conor Whelan signs autographs after Galway's win over Dublin at Parnell Park. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Of the younger crew, wing backs Cianan Fahy and TJ Brennan were lively and with Gavin Lee, never allowed Dublin to open up runways through the middle and Fintan Burke and Daithi Burke were strong under the high ball, as Dublin tried the route one approach to John Hetherton.

The Dubs were undone very quickly, really, to be honest. Their hurling really let them down in the first half. Their touch was poor and Galway were dominant under the high ball.

Playing with the wind, Seán Currie got a nice ball and popped it up to Conor Burke, who just really had to take the easy score, something I had thought was an admirable new aspect of their play.

This however was an absolutely harmless effort, wide on his own side. They had five or six more wides within the first 15 minutes, and it took seven or eight minutes to register a score.

Despite the wind, Galway were 6-1 in front half way through the first half. From there on, it was very hard to see how Dublin were going to be able to win.

In the second half, Whelan got to grips with the wind coming off the right when he was shooting. After an early miss, he found his range, judged the wind beautifully.

Dublin's Conal Ó Riain shakes hands with Galway's David Burke after the game. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Dublin did get it back to three or four points but just after they had, Burke popped up with another point from under the stand. Galway just went on a run then, and they stretched the lead to 12 at one stage. The two goals for Dublin finishing up were academic, really – only window dressing.

Galway have improved a good bit as the championship has gone on. You wouldn’t underestimate Micheál Donoghue’s experience in managing big games. Certainly, they will be a much bigger test for Kilkenny the next day in the final than they were on their first day out in Nowlan Park.

Cork advanced as overwhelmingly expected but their match with Waterford looked to have jangled their nerves. They survived but did it answer the file of queries raised by the disintegration in Limerick? No, absolutely not.

Their anxiety looked to be holding them back. Séamus Harnedy hit some inexplicable wides and even after Waterford got the goal, Shane Barrett was straight through and drove the ball wide.

Their couple of goals came during a purple patch in the second half. At the same time, Waterford were really able to hang on in there all the time, even though they were only operating on scraps.

Waterford’s Stephen Bennett reacts after not being awarded a penalty against Cork. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

As usual, Stephen Bennett really carried the fight, scoring that goal in the second half that brought him back to three. Immediately afterwards, he had another chance put the cat really among the pigeons but struck the post. Cork by then, were all over the shop.

Waterford fought hard, but their limitations have been really in terms of scoring power and that didn’t change in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Nonetheless, they were able to win a lot of ball off all around the field, including from the much-vaunted Cork full-forward line, even though Brian Hayes got a goal and a point very shortly afterwards, before setting up Patrick Horgan for the other goal.

Alan Connolly had a few nice touches in the first half but a lot of the ball that went into the full forwards didn’t stick at all and the Waterford full back line, in most parts, really had their measure.

Cork are however in the Munster final now and go into it with plenty to work on and a sheaf of wrongs to put right. That’s not a bad preparation. Many of the players haven’t been in a Munster final before. This was a good stepping stone for them because it was a very dangerous game from after the humiliation of last week.

But as regards their pre-tournament favourites tag, that’s undergone quite a revision.