Improved Galway can't lose this one

ALL-IRELAND SHC QUALIFIERS PHASE THREE:FANCYING GALWAY in this fixture is one of the more dangerous habits a GAA punter can acquire and over the years many harsh lessons have had to be learned. Even last year Galway were favourites, writes NICKEY ENGLISH, Hurling Analyst

So, to back them again is going against the experience of a lifetime, but anyway, I’m going to go with them this evening.

I think the tendency to disappoint in big matches goes back to the old championships when Galway frequently did well in All-Ireland semi-finals. It’s possible that they over-performed in those matches and didn’t deal that well with the additional pressure going into a final.

Last year wasn’t helped by what was a miss-read of their form. Their league campaign had been poor and they’d done nothing in the championship to suggest that they should be hot favourites even against a struggling Cork. Then Donal Óg Cusack got sent off and that became a cause celebre for them. Will the cause be as great this year? Both teams have played well against their respective provincial winners and could arguably count themselves as the second-best teams in the Munster and Leinster championships.

Galway did well to get Kilkenny to the point where they could have beaten them and I was surprised when they pulled five ahead in the second half that they didn’t go for the jugular.

Joe Canning had a couple of frees from at least as good a position as the one he put in the net, but he didn’t go for the goal, which would have sounded the death-knell for Kilkenny.

Apart from their half backs, Galway were impressive against Kilkenny and, whereas John Lee was greatly improved against Clare, I’d still have reservations about the line, particularly as Adrian Cullinane is now injured. Fergal Moore is an outstanding corner back, but the defence is short of wing backs and even shorter now.

Ultimately, that was the sector where Kilkenny broke their resistance, where Henry Shefflin, Eoin Larkin and Martin Comerford did the damage.

I still believe Galway are improved this year. League form was poor, but in the championship they have reached a level that is very competitive. The spine of the team is better and John McIntyre has it more settled.

Cyril Donnellan at centre forward has been good, but tends to waste ball. He does, however, bring a physicality to the role that reminds me of Brendan Lynskey in the 1980s team. In fact he, Joe Canning and Andy Smith have all been hitting hard up front and stopping easy ball getting out.

If you compare Tipperary and Galway in the matches against Clare, Galway pounded them. Both won, but I’d imagine that Clare were sorer after last week. A big danger for Galway is what we saw in this match last year, the over-reliance on Joe Canning for scores. Niall Healy and Aonghus Callanan contribute, but Donnellan and Smith play different games and Damien Hayes rarely gets a commensurate scoring return for the amount of work he does.

Apart from his first 20 minutes against Kilkenny, Canning has been quiet enough so far and although the fact he got just one point from play against Clare means that others were making a contribution, there was a crazy waste of ball by players in the middle – Hail Mary shots and very bad use of possession – and there has to be a better supply to their dangerous full forward line, and to Canning in particular.

Cork are harder to assess. They mixed the good and bad against Tipp, but apart from bad misses just after half-time, could have won that match.

They can’t take too much out of defeating Offaly, who haven’t competed well this championship, but the two goals from Aisake Ó hAilpín were a bonus.

If you take him out of it there isn’t a whole lot of mystique about Cork, but he brings a danger and excitement to the team. He’s not the finished article by any means, but Cork are more dangerous with him.

Another newcomer in a team which still relies on a lot of the 2004-05 players (and with ongoing hamstring worries for Seán Óg for Ben O’Connor) who has impressed me is Eoin Cadogan at full back. Also, Pa Cronin seems to be gaining in confidence and converting the chances that come his way.

He’s forceful and athletic, but needs to be on his game because Canning is due a purple patch.

I think Galway will win because they’re playing with energy, physicality and enthusiasm. Provided they use the ball a bit more sensibly than they did against Clare, I don’t think Cork will be able to match them.

In the other qualifier Laois are coming off a great win against Antrim, which was a just return for the work they’ve done under Niall Rigney. Playing Limerick is a much bigger step up and there’s little chance of them winning but it could be close.

Scoring isn’t Limerick’s strong suit. Niall Moran is injured and Ollie Moran and Andrew O’Shaughnessy aren’t in good form. Two messy goals is the sum total in three matches.

Finally, I’m surprised at the relegation controversy about Antrim. I don’t believe that any county should be guaranteed a place in the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

The advantage for Antrim was to compete in Leinster, not to be protected against an inability to do so.

Whereas it’s a noble aspiration to have the Ring Cup winners going up into the MacCarthy Cup each year, I think if a team is realistically going to take part, they should be able to win a play-off to get that far.