Hurlers live to fight again

CIARAN TIERNEY

IT was a mixed-bag of a game. The joy of wiping out a three point deficit in injury time was replaced by the despair of failing to see off 13 men in extra time, ensuring that the hurlers of Galway and Dublin will have to do it all again after 90 minutes plus of action failed to separate them at Tullamore on Sunday.

The teams will have to meet again at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, next Saturday (4pm) to decide who gets relegated from Division 1A, after 20 minutes of additional time failed to produce a winner before a crowd of about 4,000.

It was a real slow-burner. The Tribesmen produced a dispiriting first half, trailing by 0-9 to 0-7 at the break, before the game took fire and ended as a thriller. A Niall McMorrow ‘65’ brought the tie to a replay, with the sides deadlocked on 0-26 to 2-20.

Anthony Cunningham and his selectors might be ‘blooding’ a new team, but it was clear that some of the more experienced players rescued their cause on Sunday.

The small Galway support could take some encouragement from the return of Joe Canning, who fired over ten points in the second 35 minute period, and sparkling performances from Tony Og Regan, half-time substitute Iarla Tannian, and industrious attacker Cyril Donnellan.

They were three points down at the end of regulation time, before Canning calmly pointed two frees and then hit an outrageous effort from out near the left hand sideline – with 74 minutes gone – to rescue a seemingly lost cause.

Both Ryan O’Dwyer and substitute Alan McCrabbe were red carded in the first period of extra time, but Galway failed to capitalise and McMorrow calmly converted the 91st minute ‘65’ which took the contest to a replay.

“Dublin got goals at good periods for them in normal time, which kind of set us back. But we came strong in the finish and were very good value for the draw. We showed good character, good composure, to take it back point-by-point and set up the scores, and we finished very strongly in normal time,” said Galway coach and selector Mattie Kenny afterwards.

Three points in as many minutes from Canning, the third a sublime effort from out near the left hand touchline, gave the Tribesmen a lifeline after the twin blows of conceding goals to Dublin forwards Conor McCormack and Ross O’Carroll.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.