Galway thinking provincially

Hurling All-Ireland under-21 final: Regardless of tomorrow's result, Galway's progress will still be open to debate, writes Ian O'Riordan

Behind every important moment for Galway hurling it seems there is talk of the future. Tomorrow they contest the All-Ireland under-21 final against Kilkenny and win or lose the matter of joining the Leinster championship next season will suddenly become pressing. Some hard debating is expected.

Four years ago the same counties played out the All-Ireland under-21 final on a razor edge, before Kilkenny eventually beat Galway by two points. Both came away believing their futures looked bright, that such talent properly nurtured could secure higher rewards.

But tomorrow's meeting in Thurles brings a reminder of how fortunes have changed since they last met in the under-21 final. Of the Kilkenny team that won in 1999, nine players have since collected one or more All-Ireland senior titles. And of those Noel Hickey, Michael Kavanagh and Henry Shefflin have simply blossomed.

Galway have found times much leaner. Graduating easily to the senior ranks were players like Rory Gantley, David Tierney, Mark Kerins and Eugene Cloonan yet all they've enjoyed since are a couple of memorable trips to Croke Park. But no higher rewards. Two further crops of under-21s made it back to the final since and lost both times to Limerick.

For John Hardiman, in his second season as Galway manager, there is no denying the importance of the under-21 grade as a conveyor belt for talent into the senior ranks. Yet he feels too that the journey might be that bit easier if more games could be played at that level - and not just the one or two games Connacht currently get to contest.

The ready-made solution from the Leinster Council is for Galway to join their province next season, and contest all grades of hurling - minor, under-21 and senior - with Kilkenny, Wexford, Offaly and Dublin. Hardiman feels the offer should be considered, but that it won't automatically bring more underage players successfully into the senior ranks.

"I suppose the under-21 championship has been quite successful for Galway," he says. "We've won seven All-Ireland titles in the grade with the system that's in place. So a change in the system is no guarantee you will be any more successful in this grade or any other grade.

"But deep down I would see a move into Leinster as a way for the players to get more games. And that it might be better for them than training for a whole season just to get one or two matches. We're playing our second match tomorrow whereas Kilkenny are playing in their fifth. So from that point of view it would be worth considering, but that's really for another day."

So far Hardiman's only target was beating the Munster champions in the semi-final, a game which came down to the wire before they slipped past Tipperary after extra time: "This year the only concern we had was playing the Munster champions in the semi-final. We couldn't get side-tracked by thinking if we could have been playing in Leinster. We were getting ready for the 24th of August and that was it.

"And we could well have drawn Kilkenny in the first round of the Leinster championship. If we'd lost there we would have been out earlier. And every match that Kilkenny have played as well has been knockout as well, and they've had to be ready for that."

Galway hurling secretary Phelim Murphy also remains open to the offer from Leinster, and early next week will begin the formal discussions at county board level that will lead to a decision over the coming weeks. Leinster Council chairman Nicky Brennan has also reiterated that the door remains open, though not for much longer.

"We do have meetings set up for next week," says Murphy, "but we really can't say yet what we'll decide to do. And we still need to find out exactly what Leinster are offering.

"But I know there will be advantages and disadvantages. If we were playing in Leinster would it mean we would have contested two All-Ireland finals this year? Those are the sort of things we need to think about."

It's been widely publicised this week that a win for Kilkenny tomorrow would bring a minor, under-21 and senior treble - a feat, despite all their recent dominance, last achieved in 1975. Galway though could have been talking about a double had their minors not fallen so narrowly to Kilkenny last Sunday.

"Of course it would be a great achievement for us to beat Kilkenny," he adds. "But this thing about what's gone before means nothing. When the ball is thrown it doesn't make any difference to us or Kilkenny what happened at senior level, or at minor level.

"It's our own game, and we just have to concentrate on that. Losing the minor game means nothing, because the best team will win here either way. That's the way it's going to be."