Galway escape ambush

ALL-IRELAND QUALIFIERS: The past is another country. As the crowds gathered in Thurles under a breathless noon heat, there was a sense of an ambush awaiting Galway. The bridge leading up to Semple Stadium was heavy with the bright red of Cork and the mood was expectant. Keith Duggan reports from Semple Stadium

The game and the way of life has changed significantly since these counties last met on a dark September Sunday 12 years ago but there was an unspoken feeling that the southerners would just take up where they left off, stunning and confusing Galway in that inimitable Cork manner.

It never happened.

Cork were a dispirited shadow of the young team that swept the land three summers ago while Galway illustrated the huge scope of talent that is locked within its borders with a forceful if not quite masterful second-half performance.

The Connacht side can breathe more easily in the Guinness hurling championship now. For all the revision of the system, Galway were still coming into the championship in mid July for a must-win encounter.

Cork, revitalised by the narrow win against Limerick, did not seem an easy proposition, particularly on the lush acres of Thurles. It looked like an occasion tailor- made for them and at half-time, dead level in the haze at 1-06 to 0-09, they seemed a more assured bet than Galway, who had acquired an inevitable element of rust and nerves since last year's run to the All-Ireland final against Tipperary.

But if Noel Lane's young team were aware of their terrible historical record against Cork in summer hurling, they did not show it. It was the steadiness of their victory that was most striking. Cork were left dead on their feet as Galway rattled off scores and wrung the imagination and zest out their opponents.

Kevin Broderick produced a replica of the celebrated virtuoso point against Kilkenny last year on 43 minutes, a score that was bracketed by points from Eugene Cloonan that pushed the team ahead by three.

Although that lead was relatively narrow, Cork had already begun to falter.

Just two minutes after the restart, substitute Seanie McGrath connected for a goal that was deemed a square ball. From there they struggled for scores. Ben O'Connor's point on 44 minutes was all they managed until the 56th minute - and that a gift as Diarmuid Cloonan was dubiously whistled for carrying the ball.

By that stage, down 0-8 to 1-13, Bertie Óg Murphy had substantially altered the make-up of his team but apart from isolated pockets, the Munster team were in deep trouble.

Galway, in contrast, got massive returns from the evergreen Joe Rabbitte and Rory Gantley served a reminder of his worth with a pair of fine scores.

The crucial score arrived with 10 minutes to play after a long and spirited battle for possession that involved every line on the field. It swung Galway's way when the excellent Richie Murray stripped a Cork player and fed Fergal Healy, who played a ball for Rabbitte. The big Athenry man got tangled up with Cloyne colossus Diarmuid O'Sullivan. Crucially, Rabbitte won the toss-in and clipped a flat pass to Kevin Broderick who flicked a point to leave it 0-16 to 1-8. The remaining minutes were basically a lap of honour.

Lane is not disposed to giving spontaneous jigs of joy at the best of times but he wore a special mask of caution after this win. Perhaps a more strenuous afternoon would have been of use to his side but he sourced enough problems to keep him busy.

Despite a solid debut for Diarmuid Cloonan, a dynamic display by Ollie Canning and the general influence of Liam Hodgins, collectively, the defence looked shaky for a time.

Joe Deane's goal on 33 minutes came from a low but straightforward strike from Alan Cummins. It bobbled towards Michael Crimmins and, in a horrible moment reminiscent of previous travails, the goalkeeper spilled the ball. The ever-sharp Deane was ideally placed to scoop home the gift.

That troubled time for Galway was Cork's brightest, with Deane making the most of the few chinks of light afforded to him. They managed three points in five minutes midway in the first half but that was as close as they came to a scoring spree.

The dismissal of Timmy McCarthy on 44 minutes was arguably central but even Bertie Óg Murphy opined Cork were sinking by then anyway.

Lane must have been happier after the 35 minutes. Richie Murray was superb, while David Tierney made up for some poor errors with his work and creative input.

Eugene Cloonan was only periodically bothered by Diarmuid O'Sullivan, while Mark Kerins was also quietly effective. Broderick will get hotter as the weeks go on.

It is enough to reassure them that they can return to the Elysian Fields but it has to be stressed this was a disappointing Cork effort. The ghost of Corcoran still haunts the defence, for all of young John Gardiner's fine promise and the wraith-like attack of Deane, the O'Connors and Seanie has become blunted. As a team, they look to have the faintest connection to the touchstone that inspired their comet burst of 1999.

It may be premature to say the game is in crisis in the Rebel county but Cork hurled on a different plane when these counties met last summer. Galway have to peer further back in time to their last truly successful hurling year. They have much to do if they are to be reunited with such an hour.

GALWAY: M Crimmins; G Kennedy, D Cloonan, O Canning; D Hardiman, L Hodgins, C Moore; D O'Brien, R Murray; D Tierney, M Kerins, K Broderick; D Hayes, E Cloonan, F Healy.

Substiutes: A Kerins for C Moore (half-time), B Higgins for D O'Brien (44 mins), J Rabbitte for D Hayes (53 mins), R Gantley for M Kerins (66 mins).

CORK: D Óg Cusack; W Sherlock, D O'Sullivan, J Brown; S Óg Ó hAlpín, J Gardiner, F Ryan; A Cummins, N Ronan; T McCarty, A Brown, J O'Connor; B O'Connor, E Collins, J Deane.

Substitutes: S McGrath for E Collins (34 mins), N McCarthy for N Ronan (48 mins), B O'Keeffe for A Brown (49 mins), D Barrett for S McGrath (66 mins), P Ryan for A Cummins (66 mins).