Cunningham admits that Galway have a lot of catching up to do after heavy loss
GALWAY manager Anthony Cunningham looked every bit as uncomfortable as many of his players did out on the field when he arrived into the Croke Park ‘media zone’ to analyse what went wrong almost an hour after his side’s 12-point Leinster Final drubbing on Sunday evening.
Twelve months on from causing the shock of the 2012 hurling summer with a totally unexpected provincial final victory over Kilkenny, there was no way of hiding his disappointment following such a flat performance as the men in maroon meekly surrendered their crown.
He admitted that the experience of playing four games in as many weekends, including two draws and a morale-boosting victory over Kilkenny, may have made a huge difference for Dublin. Galway, for their part, had struggled to overcome Laois in their only championship tie prior to Sunday’s final.
“We came back well and we’d be happy with a lot of aspects there in the second half, but we still have a lot of work on. We have a bit of catching up to do on Dublin, but we are not out of the championship yet,” said Cunningham.
“I think Dublin showed fantastic skill, fantastic fitness levels, and fantastic strength there. They were the clear winners. We made some battle for quite a while in the second half and were happy with our performance at that stage, but we were not happy with our performance earlier on. We were sluggish and not getting to the breaking ball.”
He admitted the kind of intensity the Dubs had experienced in four championship matches could not be replicated in training and said Galway’s entire focus now had to be on getting things right for the All-Ireland quarter-final on July 28.
“Everyone knows, whether you are playing club, minor, senior, or junior, whatever, the more matches you have, the better, and if you come through it builds your confidence. It builds your skill. We are still looking forward to this day three weeks. That’s our big championship day now,” he said.
Cunningham admitted that it took the Tribesmen too long to get up to the tempo of a full-blooded championship tie. By the time they did rally in the second half, the Dubs had built up a significant lead. But he took solace from the fact that Kilkenny, who lost this fixture 12 months ago, went on to win the All-Ireland last year.
“Congratulations to Dublin, but we are still only one step behind them now and it’s ‘do or die’ the next day now. I think the way they are progressing. I think they are the most progressive team in the country. They’ve progressed with each match they’ve played,” he said.
“They created space up front. Let’s be honest, the amount of work that has gone into hurling in Dublin deserved a day like this. I suppose the investment that’s gone into this county, they got a great crowd here today, they have stuck at it through thick and thin, and they’ve had many difficult days as well. Having said that, don’t rule out us having a go at them again some time.”
For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.