Molloy is star turn in Galway U-21's victory

Dublin   0-19

(After extra-time)

ON the back of the previous weekend’s disappointing – and frustrating – All-Ireland senior and minor semi-final defeats, Galway hurling needed this. Not just in terms of the victory, or the opportunity it has presented to claim another U-21 title, but more the benefits this should have for this group of players.

Yet, first to the contest itself, and what excitement it conjured up, not only in normal time but in the 20 additional minutes plus played in the extra period. Where to begin? On this occasion, let’s start with the captain, Brian Molloy.

Molloy has long been recognised as a talent, as underlined by his inclusion in the senior squad, but as an exponent still learning his trade, he, like his team-mates, require battles like these to further develop. Games like this to test the worth of a player.

On Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 4,125 at Semple Stadium, Molloy produced a textbook ‘Grade A’ showing, shooting 10 points, with four of these struck from play. Added to this, he worked his fingers to the bone in open play, hooking, blocking, harrying, picking up breaks, distributing. By and large, it was the complete display.

The Kilnadeema/Leitrim man also offered leadership and, of his total tally, Molloy hit four of those points in extra-time after this absorbing semi-final had finished at 0-16 each after 60 minutes.

The first half of the additional period began with Dublin substitute Eoghan McHugh and St. Thomas’ Eanna Burke, another senior panellist, trading points before Molloy fired Galway into the lead after getting on the end of a Cathal Tuohy puck-out.

Less than a minute later, Cian Boland replied for Dublin to tie up the game at 0-18 apiece and, as the players changed ends, it was still anybody’s game. However, there were a couple of factors why Galway got over the line.

The first was the maturity Molloy showed in hitting three points from placed balls in the final 10 minutes. The first he notched up came from a 65 while the other two were from frees he coolly converted on 76 and 80 minutes respectively.

Just to put it into perspective, those three strikes from dead ball situations were not easy, given the evening had been marred by sheeting rain and a wind that made life extremely difficult when playing against it. However, Molloy belittled those conditions.

Just as an aside, the two frees Molloy converted in extra-time were the only two awarded to Galway in this time – Dublin having been awarded seven by Cork referee Diarmuid Kirwan. Indeed, one of those Galway frees was for a throw ball from Dublin’s Paul O’Dea so, in reality, on a dirty evening for hurling, Galway players were only fouled once in the final 20 minutes plus according to Kirwan. Remarkable.

Full coverage in this week's Connacht Tribune.