Past glories count for little with a minority of Galway’s hurling fans

EATEN bread is soon forgotten. Well, that appears to be the case with the Galway hurlers judging from some of the fallout after failing to do themselves justice in the All-Ireland final against Limerick last Sunday week. Descriptions like ‘pathetic’ and ‘shocking’ are being bandied about to describe the Tribesmen’s admittedly disappointing display.

This is a wholly over-the-top and unmerited reaction to Galway surrendering their All-Ireland title. Remember, this was a team defending a 13-match unbeaten championship run, had also won the National League title in 2017, and displayed admirable levels of resilience and spirit, especially in their big summer clashes with Kilkenny and Clare.

Sure, Galway were mistake-prone against Limerick and most of the players fell short of their high standards over the past two years, but a minority of fans have gone overboard in their reaction to the team’s eclipse on hurling’s biggest day. There were extenuating circumstances, notably the fatigue factor after a marathon campaign, not forgetting the naked desire of opponents desperate to end a 45-year famine.

You’d swear that Galway crumbled altogether and that their performance had no redeeming features. What about the brilliant point-scoring of David Burke, Joseph Cooney and Joe Canning, or Conor Whelan’s terrific late goal, or the overall fortitude of the team when Limerick stormed eight points clear in the 68th minute. Errors continued to hamper their display, but nobody in a maroon jersey threw in the towel or went missing.

Their injury-time show of defiance almost rescued a match which they didn’t deserve to get anything from on the balance of play, but sport has thrown up many inequitable results down through the decades. Galway kept trying to the bitter end and deserve huge credit for that. They had Limerick hanging on at the finish and their fans in a state of near apoplexy over the sudden shift in the on-field dominance.

These Galway players have done the county proud – bringing only a fifth All-Ireland senior hurling title west – and deserve more respect from a small cohort of ‘know-it-all’ supporters. Getting to within a point of Limerick at the death after so much going wrong was a testimony to the squad’s character. Their camp, both management and players, also warrant our admiration for their graciousness in defeat.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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