Galway surrender another half-time lead to Kilkenny

Kilkenny 1-26 Galway 0-22

Kilkenny surged to a 71st GAA Leinster hurling title - their third in a row - after a second half display that left Galway trailing in their wake, their promising opening 35 minutes overhauled and out-scored by 1-16 to 0-9.

The bravura recovery led by Richie Hogan, back from injury and so energised that he helped himself to five points from play despite only having come on at the start of the second half.

Not alone was the outcome familiar as rain but even the plotting of the narrative was unchanged from so many of the counties’ recent meetings. A first half that followed familiar trajectories saw the Galway forwards creating problems for the champions’ defence, particularly on the inside line.

But again, the zenith of their lead, five points, built up with just a couple of minutes to go to the break didn’t actually survive until the interval and they went in a more precarious three ahead, 0-13 to 0-10.

Just as it has been in a couple of All-Ireland finals they had no answer to Kilkenny’s second-half response, a ramping up of the urgency levels, shrewd personnel switches and - inevitably - the killer goal, scored by the latest rapier corner forward off the assembly line Jonjo Farrell, who added to his busy 1-5 in the semi-final win over Dublin with 1-4 on this occasion.

By the end Galway had lost their shape and any conviction that the match was still within their grasp.

It was a match that dawned with little expectation and the smaller crowd than a year ago, 29,377, reflected that. In the past the more low-key the sense of anticipation the better it suited Galway. Four years ago when they sprang one of their periodical ambushes on Kilkenny they were 11 to 2 to win but depressed hopes proved not to be any protective cover on this occasion.

If it’s the hope that kills, Galway supporters must have spent an uncomfortable first half, watching their forwards making hay. Cathal Mannion buzzed around on the left wing - mostly but popping up on the other side as well for a score -and fired over four points in the opening half.

Conor Whelan and Joseph Cooney also got in on the act and in a 10-minute sequence up to the 33rd minute they scored five unanswered points to establish a clear four-point lead 0-10 to 0-6 and having conceded one in response rattled off the next two.

If there was a nagging anxiety it had to do with the lack not only of goals but of even goal chances. Apart from Cork, nobody beats Kilkenny without scoring goals and for all the vulnerabilities of the champions they weren’t being exposed in that vital respect.

Kilkenny themselves did have a couple of goal chances, the type they usually ruthlessly dispatch. In the 10th minute Colin Fennelly took the ball and peeled away from John Hanbury but with the chance on, he batted wide. Eight minutes later, a slick movement in the Galway square moved the ball quickly until Lester Ryan had an unmarked shot at goal but he fired straight at Callanan, who blocked it out for a 65, pointed by TJ Reid, who finished with 10 points, mostly from placed balls.

Galway went orthodox man-to man at the back and were coping reasonably well throughout the first half aside from the above chinks in their armour.

To be fair to Micheál Donoghue’s team they stayed in it for much of the third quarter and theirs wasn’t an immediate meltdown as had happened Dublin when Kilkenny raised the temperature after half-time. They looked to have weathered the early storm and having restored the three-point lead with a couple of gigantic hits from Conor Cooney, they took the sucker punch within a minute.

Conor Fogarty, who was impressive at centrefield, spotted Farrell unmarked inside and an accurate pass and efficient finish levelled the match at 1-13 to 0-16 but more to the point it had that deflating effect on Galway and completely energised Kilkenny, who followed the goal with four points from playin as many minutes: a couple from Hogan, one from Reid and another from the second half-time replacement John Power.

The last chance to re-engage came with a goal chance - finally - for the challengers but Cillian Buckley, who gobbled up ball throughout and distributed it perceptively (in the 38th minute changing the point of attack from one wing to the other and opening up a scoring opportunity for Fogarty) somehow managed to scramble back and stop Whelan’s attempt on the line in the 50th minute. Galway shaved the deficit to a point but the momentum swing against them meant that they couldn’t stay in touch.

Kilkenny’s defence was tighter and less forgiving and by this stage Galway were a collection of individuals and Canning had completed the ominous move to the deeper positions in which he rarely thrives.

At the end there were seven points in it. For Galway, new manager, new resolutions but same old outcome.

KILKENNY: 1. Eoin Murphy; 2. Paul Murphy, 3. Joey Holden (capt.), 4. Jackie Tyrrell; 5. Pádraig Walsh, 6. Kieran Joyce, 7. Cillian Buckley; 8. Conor Fogarty (0-3), 9. Michael Fennelly (0-1); 10. Walter Walsh (0-2), 14. Colin Fennelly, 12. Lester Ryan (capt.); 13. Jonjo Farrell (1-4), 11. TJ Reid (0-10, one point 65 and seven points free), 15. Eoin Larkin.

Subs: 20. Richie Hogan (0-5) for Larkin (half-time), 22. John Power (0-1) for C Fennelly (half-time),

GALWAY: 1. Colm Callanan; 5. Pádraig Mannion, 6. Daithi Burke, 2. Johnny Coen; 7. Aidan Harte, 3. John Hanbury, 20. Gearóid McInerney; 8. David Burke (capt.), 9. Davey Glennon (0-1); 10. Niall Burke, 11. Joseph Cooney (0-2), 14. Cathal Mannion (0-5); 13. Conor Whelan (0-3), 12. Joe Canning (0-6, points frees), 15. Conor Cooney (0-3). Subs: 24. Cyril Donnellan (0-1) for J Cooney (46 mins), 4. Fergal Moore for Coen (53 mins), 25. Jason Flynn for N Burke (57 mins), 22. Andy Smith (0-1) for Glennon (59 mins), 17. Paul Killeen for Hanbury (66 mins).

Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary).