Cody's Cats survive big test
Canning-driven Tribesmen force very best out of All-Ireland champions in pulsating collision
Kilkenny's Derek Lyng shoulders away the challenge of Galway's Shane Kavanagh, during their Leinster SHC semi-final on Saturday
CHAOS reigned for 70 minutes in Tullamore on Saturday evening as Galway and Kilkenny breathed new life into the Leinster championship.
In an echo of the 2007 All-Ireland quarter-final between the sides, Galway went toe-to-toe with Brian Cody's men for an hour before the Cats showed why they are considered to be one of the best sides ever to play the game.
They rattled off 10 points without reply in the final quarter while they hit 2-1 in a crucial period just before the break when Galway looked set to take a healthy lead in at half-time.
Joe Canning was the main source of scores to the extent that it is hard to imagine Galway fielding without him. Just a goal of his 2-9 tally came from play, but that was worth the entrance fee alone. With just five minutes on the clock, the Portumna man showed a turn of foot not always associated with him to leave JJ Delaney trailing in his wake and finished brilliantly past PJ Ryan.
At the other end, Kilkenny's Aidan Fogarty and Eddie Brennan bagged goals just as John McIntyre was preparing his half-time talk. Approaching the half-hour mark, Galway were six points up and their frenetic work rate in the first half meant they didn't deserve to be two points down at the break (2-7 to 1-8).
energy
By that stage, Galway had expended huge energy in an effort to keep Cody's side out and perhaps they paid for that in the second half when they looked heavy legged as Eoin Larkin thrived in the gaps that slowly opened up.
"When we got really under pressure we hung in there," said a visibly relieved Cody afterwards. "We got five points clear but we never got too far clear. They were capable, they were serious and they were coming at us in waves. We were tested in a big way."
Cody rarely says a wrong word about his opponents but you could sense a genuine admiration for the side that had come closer to beating the Cats in the championship than anyone else in the last three years.
"You could sense that they felt we needed a goal and we went at Galway and took them on," Cody added. "Patience is vitally important, because five points of a lead is nothing in hurling. Eight, nine points is nothing in hurling really. You keep at it -- you keep hurling and doing the basics well.
"You believe in what you see in front of you and you just grind it out. Both teams deserve tremendous credit. Galway were outstanding."
After the break, Canning goaled from a 21-yard free that Hawk-Eye in Wimbledon might have struggled to track. After Niall Healy scrambled another major and then swapped points with Aidan Fogarty, Galway were five points clear, but the Cats were about to take control. The introduction of Derek Lyng was vital as he helped the Cats gain a stranglehold at centre-field while TJ Reid also landed a point when introduced.
"I think Kilkenny's composure in the last 20 minutes and their experience definitely gave them an edge because we had them on the ropes," Galway manager John McInytre said. "I thought maybe a few of our players took the wrong options at the wrong time.
"We had a short puck-out strategy and while it worked up to a point, unfortunately on three or four times in the second half at crucial stages, the player who had the ball actually lost possession."
Kilkenny's 10-point run proved Galway's undoing and in the midst of that run, Richie Murray recorded what must be one of the quickest red cards in championship history. The St Thomas clubman was on the pitch for a matter of seconds when he was given a straight red for a wild pull. It compounded Galway's misery and summed up the Cats' domination at that point.
"That's why they are All-Ireland champions," McIntyre reflected. "That's why no team up to now has got close to them for three years. The reality is that it looked at one stage with three or four minutes to go that they might win by eight or 10 but in fairness to our lads, even reduced to 14 men, they got two points near the end and we will all learn from it.
"We have obviously something to build on but the next round of the Qualifiers is a trap door for Galway.
"But at least we are going in with a little bit more knowledge of our players and they know they can compete at the highest level now because we weren't playing some team that hasn't won an All-Ireland in 15 years, we were in with the best team that maybe hurling has ever seen and we went hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder with them and gave the crowd good value for money."
"It lived up to all the expectations," Cody said. "Galway are, in my thoughts, potential All-Ireland winners. It's that simple and that's the way I'd look at them. They proved that out there. If they go away and build on this they're going to be serious down the line."
SCORERS -- Kilkenny: H Shefflin 0-10 (0-6f, 0-1 '65), A Fogarty 1-3, E Larkin 0-5, E Brennan 1-0, TJ Reid, D Lyng 0-1 each.
Galway: J Canning 2-9 (1-8f, 0-1 '65), N Healy 1-1, D Hayes, A Callanan, C Donnellan 0-1 each.
Kilkenny -- PJ Ryan 7; M Kavanagh 6, JJ Delaney 6, J Tyrrell 7; T Walsh 6, J Tennyson 7, J Dalton 7; M Fennelly 6, M Rice 7; H Shefflin 8, M Comerford 7, E Larkin 9; E Brennan 6, R Power 7, A Fogarty 7 Subs: D Lyng 7 for Fennelly (47), S Cummins 6 for Kavanagh (49), R Hogan for Brennan (61), TJ Reid for Comerford (64).
Galway -- C Callanan 6; D Joyce 6, S Kavanagh 7, O Canning 8; F Moore 7, J Lee 6, A Cullinane 7; E Lynch 7, K Hynes 6; A Callanan 7, C Donnellan 8, A Smyth 7; D Hayes 6, J Canning 8, N Healy 7 Subs: D Tierney 7 for Hynes (30), A Kerins 6 for Smyth (59), R Murray for Tierney (64).
Ref -- B Kelly (Westmeath)
- donnchadh boyle
