No minor consolation for Limerick as Galway edge victory

Galway 0-23
Limerick 0-20
After extra-time

Controversy and sheer intense drama were certainly attached to this gripping game, but Galway, with Mattie Murphy at the helm, advanced to another All-Ireland minor decider.

Limerick’s epic adventure, laced with intriguing matches that earned them a first provincial title at this level in 29 years, ended following a fixture that will be remembered because it led to the curious suspension of Hawk Eye at headquarters.

Limerick’s Barry Nash had a point ruled out in the opening seconds, but Treaty boss Brian Ryan admirably refused to use it as an excuse. “I thought it was a score, particularly when you see the reaction of a young player, it’s a more innocent reaction than cuter, older lads. They don’t play the system. We took it in good faith that it was wide and we didn’t dwell on it, we just moved on.

'Not here to criticise'
"You take the rough with the smooth and a bit of luck goes around all the time. It's unfortunate. I'm not here to criticise the system, that's for other people to go back and have a look at it."

Murphy admitted he was surprised too. “I was looking at the Hawk-Eye and I was kind of surprised when ‘miss’ came up, to be honest with you.”

Murphy, who has guided Galway to national glory on six occasions, is glad to be planning and plotting for September fare again. “It was a see-saw right the way through. You have to roll with the punches. What you’re going to get today you mightn’t get the next day. That’s hurling. It’s a very thin line between victory and defeat.

“A semi-final is probably the worst date to go out of a competition. We needed to get to a final, we’re there now, we’ll address a few things that went wrong.”

Delicately poised
When referee Fergal Horgan blew the half-time whistle it was delicately poised at 0-8 each. Similarly tight after the restart the teams repeatedly traded at parity just to underline how evenly balanced it was. Adrian Morrissey steered Galway ahead in stoppage time before Ronan Lynch batted a last-gasp free under crushing pressure to ensure an extra 20 minutes were required.

Galway, though, had the class to push for home in the dying embers. Level on 16 occasions, the late Galway scores arrived courtesy of Conor Whelan, Ronan O’Meara, and Eanna Burke. But the Hawk Eye debate lingers in the mind.

GALWAY: C Tuohy; M O’Conghaile, D O’Donoghue, M Conneely; S Linnane, S Cooney, R Doyle; E Burke (0-1), R O’Meara (0-1); C Shaughnessy (0-1), B Burke (0-2), D Dolan (0-1); B Molloy (0-9, 0-4 freess, 0-2 65s), A Morrissey (0-3), C Whelan (0-4). Subs: J Hastings for O’Meara (37 mins), J Hastings for O’Meara (37 mins), V Doyle for R Doyle (52 mins), E Brannigan (0-1) for Dolan (56 mins), R O’Meara for Burke (61 mins), R Bellew for Conneely (73 mins), D Dolan for Morrissey (78 mins).

LIMERICK: C Ryan; S Finn, R English, M Casey; A La Touche Cosgrave, R Lynch (0-3, frees), Sean Flanagan; D O’Donovan (0-3), D Kennedy (0-1); D Dempsey (0-3), B Nash (0-6, 0-5 frees), C Lynch (0-2); D Coleman (0-1), T Morrissey, P Ryan. Subs: Seamus Flanagan for Morrissey (31 mins), J Porter for Casey (46 mins), E Doyle (0-1) for Kennedy (53 mins), T Morrissey for Ryan (56 mins), J Butler for Morrissey (68 mins), S Ryan for La Touche Cosgrave (80 mins).

Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary).