Injury concerns hit minors

STEPHEN GLENNON

Galway’s minor hurlers will commence their championship campaign with an All-Ireland quarter-final meeting against beaten Munster finalists Waterford in the first of the Croke Park treble header on Sunday (throw-in noon).

When these two sides met in the semi-finals last year, the Tribesmen recorded a 2-22 to 1-18 victory before defeating Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider on the first Sunday of September. It was manager Mattie Murphy’s fifth All-Ireland title with the Tribesmen at this grade – and Galway’s eighth in total.

There are a number of players who have the opportunity of winning back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 2010, including Daithí Burke and Matthew Keating (both Turloughmore), Mark Horan (Craughwell), Shane Maloney (Tynagh / Abbey-Duniry), Neil Keary and Paul Hoban (both Loughrea), Albert Mullins (Gort) and Conor Cooney (St Thomas’).

In many respects, the retention of key players over a two to three-year period in the squad has been a vital ingredient for Galway success, with Murphy undisputedly showing that he has a keen eye and innate foresight in spotting promising underage talent, but he will be the first to acknowledge that his current charges face a huge test on Sunday.

“Of the three teams we could have got [in the draw], they are the toughest, although they didn’t play particularly well in the Munster final,” says the Galway manager.

“Still, they had beaten Clare well in the opening round and then they put Cork out of the championship, after a replay. I think they just got caught in the Munster final, after having to play the Wednesday before it.”

Waterford’s path to their provincial decider was impressive up to that point. In their opening tie, they registered a 1-21 to 0-16 victory over the Banner County, with Paudie Mahony finishing with seven points and Conor Heffernan scoring the game’s only goal.They then drew with Cork, 2-18 to 0-24, after extra-time in the

Munster semi-final – Mahony and Éamon Murphy the Deise goalscorers – before emerging victorious on a scoreline of 2-17 to 1-13 in the replay.

Again, Mahony was to the fore with six points, while Jake Dillon and Eoin Madigan recorded the majors. This set up a provincial decider with Clare, who reversed the outcome of their previous meeting with a 1-16 to 1-11 victory. Notably, it was Clare’s first Munster title since Davy Fitzgerald, Jamesie O’Connor and company secured the title in 1989.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.