Galway 1-20

Wexford 1-17

LET’S be grateful for small mercies. It didn’t matter how they got there, the only thing that counted in Carlow on Friday evening was that the Galway U20 hurlers won this Leinster Championship round-robin fixture against Wexford.

Though it came without many trimmings, Galway achieved what they came for and this positive result after the disappointing losses to both Dublin and Kilkenny will help to lift spirits in the camp for the upcoming knock-out stages of the provincial race.

Like those previous two outings, Brian Hanley’s team was something of a mixed bag. They hurled impressively in fits and starts, but consistency was lacking again. Early in the second-half they went eight points clear with an admittedly weakening breeze behind them, leaving us presuming Galway were about to coast home.

But the men in maroon have been struggling to protect leads. The final quarter turned into a fraught enough experience without a modest Wexford outfit ever really looking like they were going to pull off a successful comeback.

Without two of their best players – Tiernan Killeen (injured) and Liam Collins tied up with the seniors the following evening – Galway had to again reshuffle their ranks with Reuben Davitt and Darren Murphy being promoted to the attack.

With Seán O’Hanlon restored to the half-back line and recalls for Tiarnán Leen and Greg Thomas, it’s clear Galway are still trying to find their best 15 – and in their best positions. Ironically, the more matches the Tribesmen are playing, the further away a settled team seems.

This was a mediocre affair and with neither team’s further participation in the championship under threat, you can appreciate why Galway or Wexford hardly went to hell and back before a paltry crowd of little more than 200.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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