The Black and Amber left Maroon and White supporters feeling the blues again

By NOEL CARNEY Kilkenny ...1-24 Galway ..1-17 IT was yet another bitterly disappointing day for Galway senior hurlers as they were outclassed by a far superior Kilkenny in the semi-final of the National League at Semple Stadium, Thurles last Sunday. And although the margin in the end was only seven points it felt like it was much more as the winners seemed to be operating on a higher level for most of the game. There is no doubt that the â€Ëœlotâ€â„¢ of the Galway hurling supporter is not a happy one. Years of pain are relieved by occasional bouts of brilliance that come like a bolt from the blue but inevitably these periods of good news are followed by crushing disappointments. So there was, as you might expect, a here-we-go-again attitude among the more cynical of the Maroon and White contingent coming out of the ground after this game.[private] If there is any excuse for this abject failure by Galway it is that they completely lost their momentum once captain Fergal Moore had to be carried off after getting concussed when he bravely met big Walter Walsh with a shuddering shoulder charge as the wing-forward drove up the right wing. Walsh was flattened and received a facial blood injury but later returned temporarily while Moore, in contrast, was taken to hospital to be treated for concussion. That incident happened with almost ten minutes of the first half gone and Galway, following an encouraging start, had forged a 1-2 to 0-3 lead at the time. The goal came after Cyril Donnellan, their best player on the day, broke through the defence and although goalkeeper Eoin Murphy did well to stop his effort, the Pádraig Pearses stalwart followed up and managed to squeeze the ball past the new Kilkenny custodian from a very narrow angle. The injury to Fergal Moore caused a long break in play and when the game resumed the team that was leading, Galway, as often happens in these situations, lost their concentration and their focus. Even though Aidan Harte, who had an encouraging outing, pointed to make it 1-3 to 0-3 it was evident that Kilkenny, even without Brian Cody on the sideline, were stepping up a gear. Worryingly, they strolled through the game from then on. They may have been missing their regular manager but Martin Fogarty and Michael Dempsey got the very same response in his absence. The players knew what to do and, boy, did they do it in style! Galway, looking slow, ponderous, and careless about man-marking duties, were totally unable to stop them. Indeed, were it not for two wonder saves by the brilliant Colm Callanan, both to foil Richie Power â€â€ the second had the Kilkenny man shaking his head in disbelief â€â€ the result would have been much worse. Clearly, although excuses may be put forward, Galway have not solved several problem positions, particularly in the central spine. Perhaps the Galway selectors have plans and are keeping them secret, but that would appear to be a forlorn hope. The return of the St Thomasâ€â„¢s contingent has not strengthened the side as they look more in need of a break from hurling than anything, and that is understandable. Colm Callanan was superb in goal and now looks like the player to man the sticks for the Championship. Without the inspirational Fergal Moore the defence, admittedly under extreme pressure due to constant bombardment, struggled. In the circumstances it is surprising that the selectors are reluctant to give game time to experienced campaigners like Shane Kavanagh and Tony Óg Regan who might be able to provide a steadying influence on younger men who are still learning their trade. Admittedly it was like trying to turn back the tide on Sunday as they attempted to contain a rampant Kilkenny forward sextet that has Henry Shefflin, T. J. Reid, Ger Aylward and Matthew Ruth ready to join the fray later in the year. At midfield Galway were in huge trouble against Michael Rice who is returning to his best form and the brilliant Lester Ryan who, although he is nearly 25, has had to wait patiently for his chance. That is hardly a surprise as Michael Fennelly has to come into the side yet and when Cillian Buckley got a run on Sunday he scored a beautiful point with his first touch. In the maroon and white colours, Iarla Tannian did not get going until well into the second half but Joseph Cooney tried his heart out, with limited success, and Andy Smith did likewise when introduced after Fergal Mooreâ€â„¢s injury. In attack the lion-hearted Cyril Donnellan was easily their best player, hitting a very impressive 1-3 from play and with little real support he gave a Man of the Match display. Kilkenny, of course, had several genuine contenders including JJ Delaney, Lester Ryan, Richie Hogan and Eoin Larkin but they were all helped by quality performances by colleagues all around them. Joe Canning kept the scoreboard man busy enough from placed balls and also set up some chances for others with a few sublime deliveries but the Portumna man could never influence the game from play as he wandered around from position to position. He started at left half-forward, spent time over on the right wing also and sometimes ventured out to midfield before ending up at the edge of the square. Damien Hayes, the only forward to score from play apart from Cyril Donnellan, started well against Paul Murphy â€â€ he was tripped by the Kilkenny man on an early run but the referee played the advantage and it led to Galwayâ€â„¢s early goal. However, as the match progressed Galway lost their shape and Damien like his colleagues faded with many of them drifting around aimlessly. At one stage a speculative ball into the goalmouth was caught by JJ Delaney who paused and looked around to decide who to deliver it to; there was not a Galway forward within thirty yards of him and nobody in either corner. Kilkenny led 0-15 to 1-6 at the change of ends and Galway supporters knew it was a lost cause at that stage. Eoin Larkin had inflicted most of the damage from placed balls; he got three points from 65s and missed a fourth one. Richie Hogan, Aidan Fogarty (2) and Lester Ryan (3) all showed their point-scoring ability. Joe Canning got four points from frees to complement efforts from play by Aidan Harte and Joseph Cooney, as well as Cyril Donnellanâ€â„¢s goal for Anthony Cunninghamâ€â„¢s team. To Galwayâ€â„¢s credit they battled on gamely during the second half against overwhelming odds. The lads in black and amber attacked in droves during the third quarter with the speedy Richie Hogan in particular looking unstoppable when he got possession, which did on a regular basis as loads of quality ball went in from midfield and the half-back line. Early in the final segment it was 1-20 to 1-9 with the Kilkenny goal coming from a clever reverse flick by Colin Fennelly. Again Galway were relying on Joe Canning placed balls for scores even though Cyril Donnellan and Damien Hayes both raised white flags on the resumption to give the team a lift but for the next 13 minutes they could only manage a point from a Canning 65. The same player set up Donnellan for a point with a brilliant long delivery and his strikes from frees and another 65 were augmented by Donnellan again, Aidan Harte, Andy Smith and David Burke from a free before the finish. Had the Galway forwards not been going for goals instead of taking points that were there for the taking early in the game it might, just might, have been different but few supporters would believe that given the hurling lesson handed out later when Kilkenny got going. The game was clinched in the second and third quarters and it was done with surprising ease. Admittedly this League has thrown up some crazy results for all teams but you would have expected a better attempt at reaching the final from Galway. Are there any consolations, even small ones? Actually, Galway were doing well until Fergal Mooreâ€â„¢s injury. They were level at 1-5 to 0-8 after half-an-hour. They scored 1-17 despite not playing anywhere near their best (we hope) against an excellent and fired-up Kilkenny. They restricted the winners to 1-9 in the second half. However, the match as a contest was over long before a late burst that yielded four Galway points in succession and six of the last eight scores. Our best hope is that they are sparing themselves for the Championship and that they can spring another seismic shock. The record books show that these donâ€â„¢t happen too often. Galway: C. Callanan; F. Moore, K. Hynes, N. Donohue; A. Harte (0-2), D. Collins, J. Coen; I. Tannian, J. Cooney (0-1); D. Burke (0-1, free), C. Cooney, J. Canning (0-8, two 65s, six frees); D. Glennon, C. Donnellan (1-3). D. Hayes (0-1). Subs: A. Smith (0-1) for Moore (inj.), P. Killeen for Donohue, J. Glynn for C. Cooney, J. Regan for Hayes. Kilkenny: E. Murphy; P. Murphy, J. J. Delaney, J. Tyrrell; T. Walsh, B. Hogan, K. Joyce; L. Ryan (0-3), M. Rice (0-2); W. Walsh, R. Power (0-1), E. Larkin (0-10, six frees, three 65s); C. Fennelly (1-0), R. Hogan (0-5), A. Fogarty (0-2). Subs: M. Ruth for W. Walsh, C. Buckley (0-1), for Fennelly. Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork). Herald Sport Man of the Match: Cyril Donnellan (Galway).[/private]