Galway get over first obstacle but some work to do

Galway 5-19Westmeath 4-12

STEPHEN GLENNON in Mullingar

As expected, Galway plundered the win – and they were always in control doing so. Yet, for all that, the Tribesmen will recognise that there were lessons to be heeded from this one. For, as the scoreline suggests, this Leinster senior hurling quarter-final was not as simple as it looked.

To be honest, it should have been. Galway’s attitude for the most part was good but, too many times, they indulged in silly lapses of concentration or just got lazy in the moment. And in those instances, you would have to credit to Westmeath for punishing the visitors by seizing their goal opportunities.

From a Galway viewpoint, though, this was the most worrying consequence of the afternoon. With David Collins missing through injury, the Galway defence were made to look vulnerable at times . . . and lacked authority and confidence in dealing with a number of situations.

To this end, full-back Kevin Hynes struggled with the power and experience of Westmeath’s Brendan Murtagh, the right half-forward deployed to the edge of the square for the second half for one purpose and one purpose only. To cause havoc.

While this tactic worked, if anything, Westmeath were not clinical enough in seeing it through. They continued to look to play around Galway when route one was a far better option and one that was yielding rich dividends when employed. A return of 4-8 in the second half was testimony to that.

Collins’ return should tighten up this sector, while a little tweaking would not go astray. It may be simply moving Niall Donoghue from the corner into the full-back berth and restoring Kevin Hynes to the corner or, preferably, the wing, where he has been so effective in the past and, one suspects, feels a great deal more comfortable.

In any event, the Tribesmen’s next opponents Offaly – who enjoyed a two-point victory over Wexford the previous evening – will look to target and exploit this area in the provincial semi-final but as Galway captain Fergal Moore noted afterwards, it was good to have this frailty exposed in winning a game rather than in losing it.

The only other criticism was that Galway didn’t really sustain any lengthy periods of intensity. Yes, they injected it at various stages of the contest – and their scoreline of 5-19 somewhat reflects that – but, in truth, this quarter-final played out more like a challenge or an exhibition match than a championship clash.

For the most part, in their ‘big’ games in recent years, Galway have been reactive rather than proactive when it comes to the opposition. They have let teams like Kilkenny, in particular, as well as Dublin and Waterford set the pace – whatever pace – and reacted accordingly.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.