Smith and Donnellan set to return for Inter-pro final

GALWAY – in the guise of Connacht – will look to maintain their winning ways after their recent victory over All-Ireland champions Kilkenny when they face Munster in the M. Donnelly inter-provincial final at Cusack Park, Ennis on Sunday (2pm)

Although the starting line-up is not expected to be announced until later in the week, both Padraig Pearses’ Cyril Donnellan and Portumna’s Andy Smith are expected to feature after missing Galway’s National League win through suspension last weekend.

Other than that, it is anticipated that the team will be a mix of the victorious semi-final side – which defeated Leinster 3-13 to 1-16 – and last Sunday’s selection. In addition, with some players involved in the Fitzgibbon Cup this week, the management will look to find a balance between their county and college commitments while also seeking to rest key players during this hectic period of games.

Along with Donnellan and Smith, goalkeeper Colm Callanan should also see game time in keeping with their policy of rotation. Brian Flaherty (Abbeyknockmoy), Shane Kavanagh (Kinvara), Paul Killeen (Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry) and Tony Óg Regan (Rahoon/Newcastle) could also feature.

For their part, Munster defeated Ulster by 3-20 to 1-14 in their interprovincial hurling semi-final in Armagh. The winners produced a dominant second-quarter showing to lead by treble scores, 3-12 to 1-4 at the interval, with Graeme Mulcahy (2-2) and Pat Horgan (0-6) doing most of the damage.

At any rate, this is ideal preparation for their National League game against near rivals Clare at the same venue the following weekend and given almost 10,000 people turned up at Pearse Stadium to watch the Tribesmen’s 3-11 to 0-17 victory over the All-Ireland champions, they will hope another large Galway contingent will support Connacht’s quest for a 12th interprovincial hurling title.

Indeed, there was some confusion over the 2pm start time to last Sunday’s fixture – it was originally scheduled for 2:30pm by Croke Park – and it would appear this was the underlining reason for the chaotic scenes at the turnstiles which led to the gates being opened and hundreds of fans gaining free entry into the game.

That said, the huge Galway turnout has led Galway Hurling Committee Secretary Pat Kearney to encourage supporters to purchase season tickets, which cost just €85 and secure patrons admittance to all league games and the early rounds of the Leinster championship, while also affording them the opportunity to purchase the best seats in the house for the All-Ireland final.

So far, the uptake by local fans has been slow with less than 200 tickets having been purchased by Galway supporters, in contrast to their Kilkenny counterparts, who have bought almost 1,000. “We would like to thank all those supporters who turned up in Pearse Stadium on Sunday and we look forward to seeing them again,” said Kearney.

“In fact, I would like to encourage them to buy season tickets ahead of the Clare game on Sunday week. They are great value and can be purchased on the GAA website.”

Galway coach Tom Helebert was also delighted with the numbers supporting the Leinster champions in Pearse Stadium and, despite losing the All-Ireland final after a replay last September, he believed the buzz was still very much in Galway hurling.

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