Magnificent Galway put Tipperary to the sword in a mis-match

Tipperary 0-14

THE resurrection men of the 2017 National League left the hurling world in a state of shock after the wonderful if completely unexpected events which unfolded at the Limerick Gaelic Grounds on Sunday.

Not alone did Galway storm to a tenth National League triumph, but they manner in which they dismantled an admittedly woefully flat Tipperary will have also have frightened the sport’s other leading powers ahead of the championship.

The magnificent Tribesmen simply made a mockery of the pre-match odds in trouncing the All-Ireland champions by a staggering 16 points and, actually, on the balance of play, could have won by even more. Nobody saw this coming, least of all the Tipperary fans, some of whom were already bound for the exits with nearly a quarter of the final still to be played.

Too much hype can be dangerously disarming for any team heading into a big match and Tipperary looked like a group of men who were far too comfortable in their perceived current status as being well ahead of the pack. They were laboured; stuck to the ground; laced intensity; cleaned out in the air; and, most significantly of all, took a physical battering.

Tipperary couldn’t cope with Galway’s power, aggression and physicality. They were out-hurled as well for long stretches of a terribly one-sided showdown which rarely ignited in front of a somewhat disappointing crowd of 16,089.

Galway were also the hungrier team and, not surprisingly, dominated the individual roll of honour. Jason Flynn, despite some wayward shooting, and Joe Canning were both in the zone from the off, but it was young Conor Whelan who really lit up the Gaelic Grounds.

The Kinvara clubman tormented Tipperary all-through, finishing with five quality points from play. Whelan was outstanding in a terrific team performance which was highlighted by Galway’s colossal work-rate all over the field, especially up front where opposition defenders rarely had a moment’s peace in possession.

We posed the question last week would the Galway backs be able to hold the Tipp forwards? Not alone did Gearóid McInerney and company subdue their direct opponents, they buried them. Tipperary only managed two points from play in the first half and one of them came from midfielder Brendan Maher.

The opening quarter may have been a cagey affair with lots of missed chances at both ends, but with the teams level on three points each after 16 minutes, it bore all the hallmarks of a close battle for league supremacy. Gradually, however, Galway pulled clear and the longer the game went on, the more Tipperary struggled.

Trailing by 0-11 to 0-5 at the break, they needed a purposeful start to the second half but, instead, with 50 seconds Jason Flynn had rifled a bullet to the roof of the net after Joseph Cooney expertly flicked the sliotar away from Tipp corner back Michael Cahill, one of many players on his team who will want to forget this nightmare.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.