Shadow Galway outfit just do enough to see off Dubs

Dublin 0-18

BAD memories would have been evoked for several Galway hurlers as they headed to Parnell Park last Sunday for this Walsh Cup semi-final against Dublin.

Returning to the scene of last year’s shock summer championship exit, the Tribesman achieved a minor psychological uplift when edging out their hosts in a competitive struggle.

A lot has changed for the Tribesmen in the interim – not least, the appointment of a new manager in Shane O’Neill – but Sunday’s shadow outfit still showed enough spark to get the job done.

With only four survivors on duty from the county’s long-awaited All-Ireland triumph in 2017, Galway were largely in experimental mode as they remained on course to retain the Walsh Cup.

There were starting debuts for goalkeeper Eanna Murphy, defenders Declan Cronin and TJ Brennan, and wing forward Diarmuid Kilcommins, while second-half reserves Conor Walsh and Mark Horan were also new to this level of competition.

Against that background and at a venue where Galway have often struggled in the past, the new Tribesmen management will have been content with Sunday’s positive result in the team’s first competitive outing of the year.

Mind you, they had to work hard for it. An attitude reflected in the second-half industry of Davy Glennon who appeared to pop up almost everywhere extra hands were called for.

Galway were understandably sluggish in the opening 20 minutes coming up against a team facing into their third game in eight days – the other extreme – but a strong finish to the half saw them overturn a four-point deficit.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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