Inside Track: No certainty of Galway hurlers being better next year
THERE should be no fallguys in the Galway dressing room for what unfolded at Croke Park last Sunday. Supporters might quibble about the team's tactics and the failure of several key individuals to significantly influence the action, but the bottom line is that the Tribesmen were simply outgunned by hurling's ultimate enforcers.
No matter what game plan Galway came with or how they tried to get Limerick out of their comfort zone, the result would still have been the same. John Kiely's charges were craving a sixth All-Ireland title after the mishaps of the previous two seasons and nothing was going to stand in their way.
You can tell how badly the All-Ireland Final went for Galway when the RTE radio big-match panel were endeavouring to select their All-Stars. Limerick have nearly two thirds of the team, with only Darren Morrissey, Cathal Mannion, and young Jason Rabbitte making the cut for the Westerners.
Limerick had waited three years to get back into the decider and they were always going to bring an unrelenting ferocity to the exchanges. Having ridden their luck against Clare in the semi-final and lacking efficiency when edging out Cork in the Munster Final, returning to hurling's biggest occasion liberated them.
This is their stomping ground. They have been here five times before; they know what it's all about; there is no guesswork. Limerick were also acutely aware that Galway had dictated the terms of engagement in their big wins over Dublin and Cork. Come hell or high water, the men in maroon jerseys were never going to get that same latitude on Sunday.
Perhaps, there was a little stage fright in the Galway ranks and maybe the management were over-protective in trying to shield the squad from the pre-match hype, but we are clutching at straws. Considering Limerick's dominant display, the pick of Ireland wouldn't have beaten them, never mind a Galway outfit which simply wasn't as battle-hardened.
Yet, there was a certain naivety about Galway's approach. Repeatedly trying to work the ball through heavy traffic proved disastrous, especially against the towering physique of so many of the Limerick players. There were countless turnovers and, in retrospect, just being more direct would have served them much better.
I often think coaches tie their teams up in knots by trying to be too structured and adhering to systems. Back in my playing days, we were always told to let the ball do the work. Has hurling changed so much that quick deliveries to the opposition square are something of an anathema now?
Regardless, Galway got a painful reality check on Sunday of the road they still have to travel in trying to become All-Ireland champions. Sure, it hasn't been a bad year for the county – at least in the context of the previous six or seven – but I don't share the widespread optimism that Galway will be better in 2027.
For starters, the Mannion brothers, Daithí Burke, Conor Whelan, and Conor Cooney will be a year older – there is no guarantee either that all of them will sign up for another year's hardship – while we have often seen young players stalling after a productive first campaign in the county's senior colours.
Furthermore, and though things didn't work out for him in Galway, Henry Shefflin is bound to get some sort of bounce out of Kilkenny; Tipperary are hardly going to be bad as they were this year; Clare have some of the best young talent coming on stream; Cork are still a decent team if they can their heads right; while Limerick are going nowhere.
Don't get me wrong, Galway supporters are entitled to be positive about the future, but who knows how next year will unfold? At least, the squad can gain from the experience of this year's campaign. There will also be more expectations behind the Tribesmen next year and it’s anybody’s guess how they will cope in that environment.
At the start of January, almost reaching a league decider, winning Leinster for the first time in eight years, and getting to the All-Ireland final appeared remote possibilities for Galway, but Micheál Donoghue and his selectors have initiated a journey which was going in a strong direction until hitting the Limerick brick wall.
There is no shame in being so badly beaten. Galway just didn't have the physique or guile to match their opponents. Some of the Limerick players are monsters, notably Kyle Hayes, Will O'Donoghue, Diarmaid Byrnes, and Gearóid Hegarty, who is just a man mountain in every sense of the word. Then, you have the brilliant deft touches of Cian Lynch; the artistry of Cathal O'Neill, Adam English and Aaron Gillane; not forgetting the sweetest striking corner-back I have probably ever seen in Barry Nash. And, of course Nickie Quaid is just phenomenal between the posts. Limerick have it every way.
There is admittedly a real sense of anti-climax in Galway this week after all the build up, but we are consoled by the fact that they didn't throw the final away or implode. It was all much simpler than that. Limerick were just too good.
Ladies Football
WHAT a display from the Galway ladies' footballers against Armagh in the All-Ireland semi-final last Saturday. They were in devastating form and cantered to victory. On this evidence, Daniel Moynihan's charges must have every chance of winning only the county's second championship against Kerry at Croke Park on Sunday week.
Up Mayo
When Mayo were hammered by Roscommon in the Connacht semi-final, not even their most die-hard fan could have imagined they would end up in the All-Ireland decider. Compared to their many previous final appearances over the past two decades, there is not the same hype or expectation behind them. That is a good thing and though Kerry are raging hot favourites, it would be like something Mayo would do – finally win an All-Ireland almost out of the blue. And good luck to them.