Lacklustre Galway get buffeted by Kilkenny

Kilkenny 3-26 Galway 0-10:SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY disturbed Kilkenny here, startled them into this fiery angst, just like that cat on the hot tin roof.

The old wrath of Brian Cody, perhaps, after last week’s defeat to Cork, because it definitely wasn’t Galway. Rarely has any team come to Nowlan Park and put up such a tame and useless fight against the so-called benchmark of hurling, which suggests Galway have suddenly dropped miles behind.

So after all the talk of permutations the ultimate outcome was perfectly straightforward: Kilkenny top the division and go into the semi-finals, where they’ll play the winners of Division One B, while Galway go into the relegation play-off against Dublin, where they can expect a dogfight for survival.

Are they really as bad as this 25-point hammering suggests? Probably not, but it’s already putting pressure on manager Anthony Cunningham, who less than 24 hours earlier had also overseen Garrycastle’s 15-point loss in their All-Ireland club football final replay to Crossmaglen – cumulating in a 40-point weekend defeat.

“No, I don’t want to see any more black and amber for a while,” joked Cunningham. “But no excuses. Kilkenny rocked us with some early goals, but it was very, very poor play from us. So it’s back to the drawing board, really. We’ll just have to try to get the lads’ heads right for a big, big battle with Dublin in two weeks.”

Easier said that done, when nothing Cunningham could do or say from the sideline had any impact over the 70 minutes: he replaced Galway’s entire full-forward line before 30 minutes were up, and if he wasn’t restricted by the number of substitutes, could have replaced every other line too.

“Sure, we could have thrown on another five or six players, easily. But the goals were disappointing in that we should have cleared, but let them in with some mis-touches, or let them around the corner. That happens, but you can’t just throw in the towel like that.

“It’s never an easy place to come, and that was a big learning experience for a young team. But our touch was probably better a month ago, that’s the disappointing part. It was very poor today. We’re still aiming for the championship, but I think every team is still a bit behind Kilkenny, in physicality and skill.”

Indeed in front of 6,194 – and hardly a Galway soul among them – Kilkenny got loose and busy from the very start: Matthew Ruth was first to rattle the Galway netting, after just five minutes, and Ruth wasn’t even due to start (replacing the suspended Richie Power). A rampant TJ Reid added their second goal 10 minutes later, and ended with 1-6 – all from play – in a man-of-the-match display.

Five minutes before half-time Eoin Larkin fired in Kilkenny’s third goal, helping bring his tally to 1-7. Yet Cunningham was right: Ruth’s goal was poorly handled by the Galway goalkeeper, and Larkin simply pick-pocketed full back David Collins for his goal. Reid also took advantage of some confused marking to claim his goal, although it would be unfair to simply blame the Galway defence.

Michael and Colin Fennelly were eating up the scoring space, Brian Hogan was again lording the Kilkenny defence, with Michael Rice looking very lively too.

Galway’s problems ran deeper than their defensive short-comings, the lack of spirit and competitiveness perhaps the most galling. Trailing 3-12 to 0-6 at half-time, there was never going to be a way back, but still, Galway just backed off until the end, so much so that the only conversation going on in the press box was over the household tax.

“A good win for us, obviously,” noted Cody afterwards, “but Galway will be disappointed by their own performance, and it wasn’t a true reflection of the ability they have in their team at all, to be fair.

“We got on top early, got the couple of goals, so it was just one of those days where the game fizzled out, and we just played out the last 20 minutes. But it was a good response from last week, in fairness, and we’re happy now to be in the semi-final.”

Assuming this is just an aberration for Galway – rather than a more telling abhorrence of a performance – then perhaps they can still raise a fight against Dublin. Rumour is Joe Canning should be fit to return, and Damien Hayes, Iarla Tannian and James Regan will be glad of his assistance up front. Niall Burke did show for some decent ball, and Andy Smith the odd time too, but otherwise Galway were severely lacking in any scoring threat, even after Kilkenny notably eased off.

For Kilkenny the only worry in the end was the injury sustained by Richie Hogan, very late on, when he fell under a high ball along with Galway goalkeeper Jamie Ryan. Hogan was stretchered off, and taken to hospital for further examination, possibly suffering from a cracked rib, and hopefully nothing more serious. The big games are coming on fast now.

KILKENNY: D Herity; P Murphy, JJ Delaney, K Joyce; T Walsh, B Hogan, R Doyle; M Fennelly (0-2), C Buckley; M Rice (0-3), TJ Reid (1-6), R Hogan (0-2, 0-1 free); C Fennelly (0-3), E Larkin (1-7, 0-6 frees), M Ruth (1-1). Subs: M Bergin (0-1) for Larkin (45 mins), P Hogan for B Hogan (48 mins), W Phelan for Murphy (50 mins), A Fogarty (0-1) for Rice (50 mins), J Mulhall for Hoan (inj, 68 mins).

GALWAY: J Ryan; N Donohue, D Collins, G O’Halloran; T Óg Regan (0-1), F Moore, J Coen; B Daly, B Flaherty; J Cooney, N Burke (0-5, four frees), A Smith (0-2); D Hayes, I Tannian, J Regan. Subs: B Burke for Regan (23 mins), A Harte (0-1) for Tannian (27 mins), N Healy for Hayes (29 mins), C Donnellan (0-1) for Flaherty (40 mins), P Shiel for Coen (64 mins).

Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly).