Galway 3-13; Cork 1-15: The flags flew at half-mast in Pearse Stadium, Salthill, yesterday. As the April clouds frowned before the opening match of the league's second series, the Galway venue remembered in silence the county's great footballer Enda Colleran, who passed away last week.
In its initial stages, the match that followed also carried a subdued air, but, eventually, the home side sparked and ignited a good second-half performance.
Goal-scoring defined the difference between the teams and Galway's two, within seven minutes midway through the second half, effectively decided the issue.
"It wasn't looking good at half-time," summarised Galway manager, Conor Hayes, afterwards. "Our play was scrappy and we had a lot of wides. We brought David Forde out to get possession and it created space, opened things up for Kevin Broderick. It took us a while to get the half forwards right, but, once we did, things picked up.
"They got three points before half-time and we were afraid they'd do the same thing after, but once we got a bit of space and flow, today worked for us. Goals give you a cushion and they weren't able to answer goals with goals."
Hayes' counterpart, Donal O'Grady, had to deal with the disappointment of a lost unbeaten record yesterday, plus a few issues concerning the availability of his players in recent days.
"Look at our situation. Galway have control of players from the start of the year. Some of ours have been playing football and that's not ideal preparation. I'm on the record about this: it's about time intercounty hurlers made up their minds.
"It's hard to change back into hurling mode when you've been training and playing football. Players who had played well for us at earlier stages of the league - you could tell their touch was off.
"We knew it would be difficult after last week with players missing because of football commitments with their clubs. The pitch was difficult, the wind difficult and Galway seemed to want it more. We lost our way around the middle in the second half and conceded two or three scores and then the goals put us on the back foot. When you get a couple of goals - and we had held them in a vice-like grip in the first half - it gives a team a bit of heart."
That was it in a nutshell. Early on, Galway struggled because they couldn't establish a clear channel into the full forwards. Cork's half backs were dominant for much of the first half, but the switch to centre forward of Mark Kerins made some inroads on Ronan Curran's mastery of the skies and gradually the home side found their optimum formation.
In the 20th minute Alan Kerins, later deployed to better effect in the half forwards, scored the first goal. Damien Hayes, whose pace left Mark Prendergast resembling the boy on the burning deck before giving way to John Browne's first appearance in two years, cut in and tapped the ball to Alan Kerins who clipped it home on the second attempt.
Such hopes as were raised for Galway didn't last long because, within a minute, Joe Deane had scrambled a reply after the Galway defence made a mess of a dropping ball from Tom Kenny.
Just before the break, Cork opened up a three-point lead, 1-8 to 1-5, with scores from Niall McCarthy, Brendan Lombard and John Gardiner. How Galway responded was critical and three points within four minutes of the restart levelled the match.
David Collins came in for Tony Regan at centrefield and helped inject some attacking thrust. But things still weren't perfect and a number of possessions were given away by poor cross-field deliveries that the opposing backs gobbled up.
Eugene Cloonan, in general well marshalled by Diarmuid O'Sullivan, rashly went for goal off a 20-metre free while Galway trailed by just a point in the 45th minute, but the speculation came to nothing.
Within minutes, though, the match turned. Derek Hardiman - whose steadiness at wing back and immaculately placed clearances were a feature of the match - popped a ball in behind the Cork defence and Alan Kerins zoomed onto it and placed a nonchalant finish beyond the rapidly advancing Donal Óg Cusack.
Within seven minutes, Cork responded with two points, before some inter-play from Fergal Healy, Mark Kerins and Forde sent Cloonan in on goal. He rounded Cusack and slotted in the goal that broke the match.
Galway had the better of the remainder and, but for goal-line blocks from Cusack and O'Sullivan, there might have been a fourth goal.
GALWAY: L Donoghue; D Joyce, D Cloonan, O Canning; D Hardiman, David Hayes, F Moore; F Healy (0-2), T Regan (0-1); M Kerins, D Forde (0-1), K Broderick (0-1); Damien Hayes (0-3), E Cloonan (1-4, three points frees), A Kerins (2-1). Subs: D Collins for Regan (half-time).
CORK: D Óg Cusack; W Sherlock, D O'Sullivan, M Prendergast; T Kenny, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; J Gardiner (0-3, one 65), P Tierney (0-2, one line ball); J O'Callaghan (0-5, three frees), M Byrne, N McCarthy (0-2); B Lombard (0-3), E Collins, J Deane (1-0). Subs: T McCarthy for Collins (51 mins), C O'Connor for Tierney (62 mins), J Browne for Prendergast (64 mins), G Callinan for Curran (72 mins).
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).
