GALWAY manager Henry Shefflin is braced for a steep rise in class when the Tribesmen host Cork in the second round of the National Hurling League at Pearse Stadium on Sunday (2pm).

Both teams made a winning start to the competition last weekend, but it was the Rebels’ fightback from an eight-point interval deficit against All-Ireland champions Limerick which grabbed the headlines.

Without an All-Ireland title since 2005 – the longest famine in the county’s history – Cork are desperate to end their championship agony, with last Saturday’s 2-17 to 0-22 victory over Limerick at Páirc Ui Chaoimh providing renewed optimism under new manager Par Ryan in front of a big crowd of nearly 20,000.

Second-half goals from Ronan O’Flynn – a superb effort – and Declan Dalton helped turned the game around, with Ciarán Joyce an inspirational figure at centre-back. Unfortunately for Cork, the impressive O’Flynn dislocated an ankle and will miss the rest of the league, joining a casualty list which also includes Mark Coleman, Alan Connolly and Darragh Fitzgibbon.

Galway were quite poor in the opening quarter against Wexford, with the ease in which opposition goalkeeper Mark Fanning could pick out his teammates from puck-outs. highlighting an initial laboured effort from the Tribesmen, who can thank the home team for leaving their shooting boots at home.

Against that backdrop, Wexford were unable to inflict the necessary damage on Galway, retiring only on level terms at half-time. With wind advantage to come, together with the introduction of three subs, it was always likely that the Tribesmen would pick up the pace.

Evan Niland’s free-taking was again important – a reality underlined by Wexford’s woes in the same department – while Brian Concannon’s introduction added penetration and aggression to the attack.

Shefflin knows, however, that Cork constitute a far more exacting challenge and will also have a score to settle after spurning a heap of first-half goal chances against Galway in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat in Thurles.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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