Fit-again Canning set to return for clash against Cats

 STEPHEN GLENNON

SHARPSHOOTERS Joe Canning, Niall Healy and Tadgh Haran are all expected to be fit for Galway’s Division One opener against reigning National League and All-Ireland champions Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium on Sunday (2pm).

Canning (rib) sustained his injury in the Walsh Cup quarter-final win over Carlow while Healy broke a finger in a man of the match performance against Dublin in the semi-final of that competition. Liam Mellows’ Haran (quad) suffered his injury in GMIT’s recent defeat to Mary Immaculate in the Fitzgibbon Cup.

Their expected return for this attractive National League fixture is a boost for boss Anthony Cunningham, particularly given two of the Tribesmen’s primary ball winners, Andy Smith (Portumna) and Cyril Donnellan (Padraig Pearses), both miss the fixture due to suspension and the St. Thomas’ contingent of David Burke, James Regan, Conor Cooney and Darragh Burke are club-tied.

The Galway camp received another timely boost when – in the guise of Connacht – they recorded a superb victory over a star-studded Leinster in their inter-provincial semi-final at O’Connor Park, Tullamore last Sunday.

To the fore in the 3-13 to 1-16 win were Sarsfields’ Joseph Cooney, who played a starring role at centre-half back, and young sharpshooters Niall Burke (Oranmore/Maree) and David Glennon (Mullagh). Others who acquitted themselves were Paul Killeen (Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry), Brian Flaherty (Abbeyknockmoy) and Niall Donoghue (Kilbeacanty) while some of the older hands, such as the returning Donnellan and Damien Hayes (Portumna) also impressed.

“The good thing about Sunday’s game was that a large number of the fringe guys came out and gave a very good account of themselves,” said Galway coach Tom Helebert. “That gives us great optimism in terms of the strength of the panel. It was very encouraging.

“We went to Tullamore, not so much focused on a result, but we wanted to get a performance. We have the same expectation no matter what team we pick on any given day – that we work hard as a group and we work hard during the game to do the basic things that we set out. The players all have their own targets in every game and that was no different on Sunday. That was the template that was set out.”

Indeed, Helebert said this was one of the major advantages of playing the pre-season games and he stressed, from a Galway perspective, these games played a very important role in the Tribesmen’s preparations for league and championship.

“When you reflect on last year, one of the aims was to build a stable team to give us a competitive chance. We essentially got through that task during the course of the league with the result that some of the [fringe] guys who ended up on the panel got significantly reduced game time.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.