Limerick 2-24

Galway 1-18

IT’S nearly a decade since a Galway hurling team limped away from a big-game arena with their tails so much between their legs as was the case at Croke Park on Saturday evening.

In suffering the county’s joint heaviest championship defeat since the nine-point loss to Tipperary in the 2014 All-Ireland qualifier, Galway’s title hopes were blown apart in a second half meltdown against Limerick.

It was a hugely deflating outcome for Henry Shefflin, his management team and the players as an up and down campaign was brought to a brutal end. Six points up after 24 minutes and calling the shots, they were subsequently outscored by 1-18 to 0-6 as the All-Ireland champions took complete control. That statistic brooks no argument.

Though there was a quite belief among supporters that Galway had the resources to overcome the injury-hit Treaty men, once Sunday’s battle for supremacy turned into trench warfare the Tribesmen collapsed without trace as players who had been so good early on became marginalised.

The closing 20 minutes of this All-Ireland semi-final made for harrowing viewing. Limerick were now playing ducks and drakes with the opposition as their physical power and cohesion broke Galway’s resistance to the point that you were nearly praying for the final whistle to end the agony.

At least, there will be little scope for the usual recriminations or post-mortems. In simple terms, Galway were floored by a superior force who showed admirable grit and resolve in rallying from a potentially disastrous opening 25 minutes. The champions were on the ropes, leading to a false assumption that the wear and tear of the past six years had caught up on them.

Instead, Limerick went on to produce their most compelling hurling of the championship. They mopped up the Galway puck-out and with Aaron Gillane again in vintage form up front, Darragh Donovan immense around midfield and Dan Morrissey setting the tone for their defence, they took over.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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