Championship hopes rise after League survival

By NOEL CARNEY Galway 4-21 Dublin 0-19 GALWAY'S season, which seemed to be in freefall a few weeks ago, was rescued in dramatic fashion at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise last Saturday when their superb second-half display in this relegation play-off replay enabled them to comfortably retain their place in Division 1A of the Allianz Hurling League. In doing so, they bundled Dublin into the 1B section of the competition which is quite a comedown from last year when Anthony Daly's men won the League final amid great excitement. On this occasion after a very competitive opening half in which scores were traded non-stop as play swung from end to end, it was 2010 champions Galway who eventually got the upper hand. This result, a whopping 14-point victory after a hard-earned draw the previous Sunday, is a wonderful boost for this young but talented Galway side and it means they have turned in two excellent performances in successive matches. After two very disappointing, morale-sapping displays in games against Waterford and particularly against Kilkenny, they have recaptured their early season form. The scoreline would suggest an easy win but it was far from that and Anthony Cunningham's men were actually lucky enough to be a point ahead after an exciting and evenly balanced first half. The Dubs led from the start and might well have been in front at the break but a resilient Galway never let them get too far ahead on the scoreboard. A crucial goal from a Joe Canning free turned the game at 1-6 to 0-8 and they still held a one-point advantage at the break. Nobody could have predicted then that one of those evenly matched teams would finish fourteen points ahead of the other when the game ended and, if anything, Dublin looked more likely to win in the early stages as they had Galway playing catch-up. Midfielder Martin Quilty, who took the place of the suspended Alan McCrabbe, drove over three superb points for them and he was denied a fourth when goalkeeper Fergal Flannery took down his drive and cleared it. The young Pádraig Pearses custodian, who was Galway's third choice â€Ëœkeeper a couple of weeks ago, really seized his opportunity here with a faultless display laced with several top class saves and on this form he will be difficult to dislodge from the position. However, with Paul Ryan in deadly accurate form from placed balls Dublin were in the driving seat but there was refreshing spirit in the Galway side with every man putting in a huge physical effort and the changes made by the selectors after the drawn game were working well as a number of players including David Collins, Fergal Moore and Tony Óg Regan were in more suitable positions than in previous matches. Kevin Hynes, although hardly known as a full-back, was performing adequately at No. 3. Those early Martin Quilty scores when added to points from Conor McCormack and Paul Ryan (free) had the title-holders on 0-5 at the end of the first quarter but Galway were tucked in behind them on 0-3 thanks to a fine brace from play by young Oranmore-Maree man Niall Burke and a free by Joe Canning. Canning, who had switched places with Burke, converted another placed ball as did Ryan at the other end before Damien Hayes landed a beauty from a difficult angle. As the intensity increased Paul Ryan made it 7-5 for Dublin and his 65 made it 0-8 to 0-6 after Iarla Tannian who had already been off target twice drove over after taking a Damien Hayes pass. Indeed the dynamic Portumna man seemed to be everywhere once he was brought out as a third midfielder leaving his clubmate Joe Canning and Davy Glennon as a very dangerous two-man full-forward line. Damien Hayes was giving a classic display of unselfish team play as he roamed the pitch hassling and harrying and showing his young colleagues the value of boundless energy and hunger for victory. It was especially obvious in the second half when he won a ball that Peter Kelly had under control, only for the rampaging Hayes to arrive from nowhere and dispossess the Dublin full-back with clever use of his hips to shield the ball, pick it up and race infield to set up a goal for Joe Canning. Galway lost Andy Smith to injury after 22 minutes, replaced by last year's minor star Jonathan Glynn, a towering young Ardrahan lad who quickly showed that he is well able to mix it in the physical stakes, as indeed he did when introduced as a sub in the drawn game. Within seconds of that change in personnel, Galway took the lead. Dublin goalie Gary Maguire was adjudged to have lain on the ball and Joe Canning duly dispatched it to the net from the ensuing free.   That score gave Galway a great boost and a 1-6 to 0-8 lead but the Dubs soon equalised through Conor McCormack. The initiative was brilliantly regained following a lovely Niall Burke score after he collected a fine Iarla Tannian crossfield delivery, but a blitz by Dublin yielded three points by Paul Ryan (free), team captain Johnny McCaffrey and David Treacy who was in for the suspended Ryan O'Dwyer. Two in a row by David Burke levelled it again but scores were coming thick and fast at both ends. Paul Ryan struck from play for the Light Blues only for Davy Glennon to equalise and the lead score came in the dying seconds of the half when Cyril Donnellan, who had a fine game, was tripped and Joe Canning pointed the free from the right wing. It was 1-11 to 0-13 at the break. Martin Quilty was yellow-carded for a foul on Niall Burke when play resumed and when a Dublin move broke down Galway were awarded a free from their own half-back line area. Joe Canning went back to take it and, to the cheers of the Galway supporters, drove the sliotar high, long and accurately between the posts to double the lead. Paul Ryan converted two frees and notched one from play in the opening ten minutes of the second half but each score was answered with David Burke (following an intelligent Damien Hayes delivery), Cyril Donnellan and Joe Canning from play all giving work to the points umpire. Canning twice failed to find the target from difficult frees but he got the next two points from play, one of them set up by the tireless Hayes. With a quarter of an hour gone Galway led by a goal, 1-16 to 0-16. The advantage was doubled in sensational style when the tigerish Damien Hayes robbed Peter Kelly and fed the lurking Joe Canning who sent a buzz through the crowd when he rifled an unstoppable bullet of a drive to the top corner on Gary Maguire's left. It was a real blow to the Dublin challenge although there was still plenty of time left for them to come back if they were good enough. The ever reliable Paul Ryan, who did not miss a free all day, pulled one back but worse was to follow for them when Jonathan Glynn's drive from the right wing dropped enough for Gary Maguire to stop it going over the bar but it fell to Davy Glennon and while his first effort was brilliantly stopped by Maguire the young Mullagh man followed up to net a third Galway goal and their second in five minutes. Joe Canning lofted a 70-metre free between the posts and Niall Burke got his fourth score from play, all of them well taken, before Dublin centre-back Joey Boland's point cut the margin to three goals. The gap might have been reduced to two but Fergal Flannery brought off a super save to deny sub Eamon Dillon and his Pearses colleague Cyril Donnellan then executed a delightful pick-up and score just before he was taken off to give James Regan a run. It was 3-19 to 0-19 after a Paul Ryan 65 but, try as they might and Dublin did continue trying hard, they failed to stop the Galway juggernaut. Anthony Daly's charges lacked conviction and their fate was sealed when David Burke batted to the net after Gary Maguire stopped his first effort. To add to their woes they saw Fergal Flannery bring off another fine save, this time from sub Daire Plunkett, and Tony Óg Regan stopped a goal-bound free by Niall McMorrow, the man who snatched a draw for them with his late 65 the previous weekend. Joe Canning sent over a left-wing free to round off his own 2-7 tally and there was further frustration for Dublin when a Simon Lambert penalty, awarded after Liam Rushe was held by Kevin Hynes, was stopped by Fergal Flannery. They were lucky not to concede a fifth goal when Davy Glennon's batted effort went just over rather than under the bar. It was a very satisfactory day for Galway who seemed to have solved a number of problem positions before they face the winners of Antrim vs Westmeath (managed by Athenry's former star Brian Hanley) in the Leinster Championship. Galway's game is on June 3. Dublin may have mixed feelings about relegation as they will certainly be concentrating on the Championship this year and could have a big say in the destination of silverware. If all goes to plan they will meet Kilkenny in a mouth-watering provincial semi-final. Damien Hayes pips Joe Canning and Fergal Flannery for the Man of the Match accolade after his heart-warming tour-de-force and he is now back to full fitness after serious injury problems. All Galway supporters are delighted for the likeable Portumna star who never gives less than one hundred per cent and who always leads by example. Happily too, the team had no weak links in this game once they got into their collective stride and the subs used also shaped up well. All six forwards scored, as did midfielder Iarla Tannian who looks as if he might help solve the midfield problem that has dogged Galway in recent years. It bodes well for the summer although it should be remembered that we were not playing against any of the big guns here and Dublin were short several key players due to injury and suspensions. Galway: F. Flannery; N. Donoghue, K. Hynes, F. Moore, captain; D. Collins, T. Óg Regan, J. Coen (0-1); A. Smith, I. Tannian (0-1); D. Burke (1-3), N. Burke (0-4), C. Donnellan (0-2); D. Hayes (0-1), J. Canning (2-7, 1-6 frees), D. Glennon (1-2). Subs: J. Glynn for Smith (inj.), J. Regan for Donnellan, B. Flaherty for Donoghue, C. Cooney for N. Burke. Dublin: G. Maguire; N. Corcoran, P. Kelly, P. Schutte; M. Carton, J. Boland (0-1), S. Durkin; J. McCaffrey (0-1), M. Quilty (0-3); C. McCormack (0-2), D. Treacy (0-1), L. Rushe; D. Sutcliffe; R. O'Carroll, P. Ryan (0-11, seven frees, two 65s). Subs: S. Lambert for Treacy, N. McMorrow for O'Carroll, E. Dillon for Quilty, R.Traynor for Schutte, D. Plunkett for Ryan. Referee: John Sexton (Cork). Herald Sport Man of the Match: Damien Hayes (Galway).