All-Ireland triumph of 2017 tops the bill of great days
In the final instalment of a five-part series, PATRICK EARLEY reflects on his most memorable Galway senior hurling matches over the past 15 years with the county’s long-awaited championship success of 2017 the number one occasion
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2017 All-Ireland Semi-Final
Galway 0-22
Tipperary 1-18
Sunday, August 6, Croke Park
The third instalment of their epic trilogy and what a way to end it all, with Joe Canning scoring one of the greatest points ever seen in Croke Park from under the Cusack Stand into Hill 16 to send Galway through to the All-Ireland final.
Shane Moloney did it in 2015 and after being on the wrong end of the full-time result a year later, Galway ensured it was they who held the edge once again over the Premier county in 2017 at the end of another absorbing All-Ireland semi-final clash.
68,184 were in attendance at GAA HQ to watch Micheal Donoghue’s side dethrone the reigning All-Ireland champions. Tipp deserved a draw at the end of it all but sport can be a cruel game and 2017 was destined to be the year of the men in maroon.
And how fitting that it should be a moment of magic rather than an error that proved decisive in the end, with Canning’s 11th point of the game the one to finally separate the teams, having been deadlocked 13 times during the course of the match.
Tipp started the stronger but when outscoring the Premier county 0-7 to 0-1 between the eighth and 21st minutes, Galway led 0-8 to 0-5.
As they did in 2015, Galway dominated for large periods but Tipp’s ability to get goals again proved decisive, with John McGrath’s strike 10 minutes before the break helping them into a 1-10 to 0-12 half-time lead.
The second half was an epic back and forth contest that was balanced on a knife edge throughout.
They were still level by the 66th minute before Canning and Brendan Maher traded scores and after his initial effort from a free dropped short, Johnny Coen gathered possession to feed Canning for the score that will go down forevermore in Galway hurling folklore.
Galway: C Callanan; A Tuohey, Daithi Burke, J Hanbury; P Mannion (0-1 free), G McInerney, A Harte; J Coen (0-1), David Burke; N Burke, J Cooney (0-1), J Canning (0-11, 0-6 frees, 0-1 ’65, 0-1 sl); C Whelan (0-4), C Cooney (0-2), C Mannion (0-1). Subs used: J Flynn, J Glynn, S Moloney.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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