ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION ONE Galway 2-11 Dublin 0-14:THOSE WAITING for Dublin to wobble on the high wire they've been strutting this season had their day at Parnell Park yesterday when after dominating much of the match analysis data – possession, territory, attacking opportunity – that usually governs the outcome, Anthony Daly's team ended the afternoon trailing in the only statistical category that matters.
For most of the 70 minutes of this Division One clash on a cheery afternoon of spring sunshine, confident, table-topping Dublin struggled with their diffident alter egos and although the former nearly won, narrow defeats are often more wounding to the self-esteem than a clear-cut verdict.
Having done their best to lose the match, Dublin equalised in the last minute and watched Galway’s David Burke miss a 72nd-minute free that Ger Farragher, called ashore as a precaution for a leg injury, would perhaps have potted. It had, as Daly later observed, “draw written all over it”.
Then with injury-time nearly up Éanna Ryan nipped onto a ball, which had broken from Joseph Cooney after Burke had launched it in on a Dublin defence that, capably anchored by Joey Boland and Tomás Brady, had coped well throughout the match, and efficiently bagged the winning goal.
It was in keeping with the visitors’ low-key performance.
Missing a good few players, Galway were outplayed for most of the match but showed a far more clinical attitude to the chances that fell their way.
In a panic Dublin tore back for a last-gasp chance – Paul Ryan’s dipping free and the rebound chance for David O’Callaghan both had to be well-blocked by goalkeeper Colm Callanan.
Galway manager John McIntyre was very pleased afterwards.
“I thought our players showed tremendous character,” he said. “I’m not going to stand here in front of my media colleagues and say that Galway produced top quality hurling or anything like it but we grafted and we hung in there and I thought at the end of the game we knew how to win the game more than Dublin.
“Whether that’s experience, whether that’s temperament I don’t know. I would imagine Dublin will be extremely disappointed at losing that game. But it’s a learning process for us and it’s a learning process for them.”
The most damning detail of the match was the 19 wides the home side conjured up, all but one of which were attempts at scoring.
Conal Keaney, whose return from the football panel has coincided – and been identified – with the encouraging start to Dublin’s season, didn’t have the happiest of days.
His impressive scoring totals to date have been built on a steely determination to let the ball fly as often as possible but the hit-miss ratio this time wasn’t productive, as he accounted for nine of the wides, four from frees, three from play, one line ball and one over-hit pass as well as seeing his 47th-minute penalty saved.
His manager felt there were extenuating circumstances for Keaney, who was well-marshalled by Tony Regan.
“He’s missed a bit in the past couple of weeks. He probably shouldn’t have played against Offaly and that set him back and he missed the Wexford game so he was probably missing a bit of sharpness. He hurled well in general play and won great ball.
“Maybe he took the wrong options at times but look, people forget that he’s just back hurling and March isn’t gone yet.”
It was hugely frustrating for Daly. His side started the match powerfully and by the 11th minute led 0-5 to nil with just two wides from captain Johnny McCaffrey spoiling the big picture. Dara Plunkett showed pace and poise to race through the middle and hit a point off his stick whereas Keaney converted his two opening frees.
Galway opened their scoring after 17 minutes but they ramped up the pressure on Dublin, who sniped for points to stay one up at the break, 0-9 to 0-8.
Eight minutes after the restart the visitors were a goal up after Cyril Donnellan held off Paul Schutte during a lengthy solo before finishing to the net.
Dublin’s response was the biggest positive they’ll take from the match. Conor McCormack, mirroring Plunkett’s productivity on the other wing, hit his third from play, Keaney converted a free and Paul Ryan – who might have taken over the dead ball duties earlier – equalised from play.
Twice more, Ryan equalised before the late booby trap wiped out Dublin’s chance of sharing the points. Cork and Kilkenny, the ultimate test of any hurling arriviste’s nerves, await in the final fixtures and qualifying for a first league final in 65 years looks strictly aspirational at this stage.
DUBLIN: G Maguire; N Corcoran, T Brady, R Treanor; P Schutte, J Boland, S Durkan; J McCaffrey (capt), L Rushe (0-1); D Plunkett (0-3), C Keaney (0-3, frees), C McCormack (0-3); D O'Callaghan, R O'Dwyer (0-1), P Carton. Subs: O Gough for Treanor (27 mins), P Ryan (0-3, 0-1 free) for McCormack (49 mins), D O'Dwyer for Carton (63 mins), S Ryan for Rushe (70 mins), R Walsh for Durkan (71 mins).
GALWAY: C Callanan; D Joyce, C O'Donovan, D Collins; D Barry, T Regan, A Cullinane; D Burke (0-1), G Farragher (0-5, 0-4 frees, 0-1 sideline); E Ryan (1-1), A Smith, C Donnellan (1-1); J Gantley, J Cooney (0-1), A Callanan (0-2). Subs: G O'Halloran for Collins (3 mins), N Healy for Gantley (52 mins), J Lee for Cullinane (56 mins), J Coen for Farragher (58 mins).
Referee: D Kirwan(Cork).
