GALWAY...3-15 LIMERICK...1-10: If the players' reaction is anything to go on then reaching a national league final means a lot to this Galway hurling team. They weren't exactly dancing in the dressing-room but there were plenty of high fives and the odd hug. On the basis of yesterday's display and the general balance of their campaign they are worthy of the reward.

It started out an absorbing game then almost exactly halfway through drifted solely in Galway's direction. They outscored Limerick 3-8 to 1-2 in the second half and once the final whistle was blown it became immediately clear they'd established part one of the final pairing.

Their scoring difference was marginally better than Clare's and no matter what happened elsewhere they could start thinking about May 9th.

Some 90 minutes later Galway manager Conor Hayes discovered Waterford would be providing the opposition after drawing with Tipperary. Yet it didn't matter who he was playing.

"It's just great to get there," he said, "because that is what we've wanted all along. But at half-time I wouldn't have given us much of a chance because we were under some pressure, and didn't seem to be hurling that well.

"Then we suddenly flashed into the game and it finished very well for us. But I always felt that if we got the one goal it would open up for us. And our forwards are always capable of doing that. Once we played a little more direct ball in the second half it started to work for us."

The goals mattered hugely. Damien Hayes, back to his fiery best in the right corner, collected the first of them while those of us in the press box were still starting the watches for the second half. Kevin Broderick, almost as good in the other corner, rifled home the second some three minutes later.

Then on 45 minutes Eugene Cloonan used similar artillery to fire home the third - completing the fearless destruction by the Galway full-forward line. Cloonan ended up with 1-8 - including several perfect frees - to continue a league campaign of remarkable consistency.

Those scores ended Limerick's chance of producing the sort of winning margin they needed to reach the final. Their spirits seemed broken too by playing most of the second half with only 14 men, with centre forward James O'Brien straight red carded on 40 minutes for a dangerous pull on Ollie Canning.

But they won't come away completely empty-handed. They competed for everything in the first half and caused Galway all sorts of problems. In bringing Eoin O'Neill back in from the wilderness they have found another real scoring option and his contribution here surpassed anything his team-mates could offer. Ollie Moran was in fine form at wing back and Michael Cahill and TJ Ryan still had some good moments in the defence.

Down in the other dressing-room Pad Joe Whelahan was only a little less sparky, darting about with his usual enthusiasm.

"I still think we hung in there for the last 20 minutes," said the Limerick manager, "and we'd done okay in the first half. We're out now again in five weeks for the championship, and I think we're still three or four weeks off the mark with regards to fitness. The last three games weren't too bad and no one thought we'd be still in the hunt for a final place on the last day.

"It was a little disappointing the way it finished up, but from tomorrow night we'll be thinking about the championship."

After shading the first half in both possession and creativity, Limerick went in 0-8 to 0-7 in front. O'Neill was reliable and Niall Moran was the standout at midfield. And they might have gone further up had Canning not been so calmly assertive at corner back.

Yet once Galway started running at their opponents the whole thing turned inevitable. The Hayes goal was typical of that, started by Canning, passing from Cloonan to Alan Kerins, and majestically finished. No team in the country could have done much about it.

Kerins and Adrian Cullinane also popped up regularly enough to add 0-2 each. When Cloonan got his just reward with goal number three Galway were 3-8 to 0-8 clear and Limerick hearts were broken. Niall Moran stole something back when his 20-metre free spilled into the net on 58 minutes, but that came so much against the run of play that it hardly caused a stir in Pearse Stadium.

"Well I was always afraid Galway would break through with a goal," added Whelahan. "And once they got the first one they'll never be too far from a second. When Galway get on top of you like that they're very difficult to hold. And they were three real killers of goals."

It's the sort of form they'll carry into the league final, and the kind any team in the country would have feared.

GALWAY: L Donoghue; D Joyce, D Cloonan, O Canning; D Hardiman, D Hayes, D Collins; F Healy, T Óg Regan (0-1); A Cullinane (0-2), D Forde, A Kerins (0-2); D Hayes (1-0), E Cloonan (1-8, six frees, one 65), K Broderick (1-2). Subs: M Kerins for Forde (48 mins); R Gantley for Healy (68 mins, inj).

LIMERICK: J Cahill; M Cahill, TJ Ryan, B Carroll; O Moran, B Geary, M Foley; N Moran (1-2, all frees), P Lawlor; P Tobin, J O'Brien, S O'Connor; J Butler, E O'Neill (0-6, four frees), D Sheehan (0-2). Subs: A O'Shaughnessy for Butler (28 mins); C Smith for Lawlor (45 mins); D Ryan for Tobin, D Reale for Foley (both 48 mins), P Sheehan for Geary (66 mins).

Referee: A Mac Suibhne (Dublin).