Leinster GAA Hurling Championship
Round 4
Antrim 1-14 Galway 6-27
Saturday 17 May
Report by Brendan McTaggart
It was a chastening defeat on Saturday afternoon for Antrim hurlers as Galway ran riot at Salthill. 28 points the difference by the time Thomas Gleeson blew the final whistle, six goals conceded and it could have been more. The Tribesmen ran riot as the Saffrons crumbled.
Of the 6-27 scored, just nine of that came from placed ball with Conor Cooney, Conor Whelan, Tom Monaghan and Brian Concannon starring.
Antrim started the contest superbly and for the opening 25 to 30 minutes, they were well in this game. The movement, passing, precision of pass, it was all there. The only thing that was missing was the accuracy in front of the target. Five wides in the opening 15 minutes, a couple dropping short in the same period of time but by the 18th minute Antrim trailed by just one point.
Three points separated the sides going into the 30th minute when the home side finished the half with a flourish. Concannon with the first goal in the 31st minute, a quite brilliant finish to the top corner after strong work by Conor Whelan.
The lead was stretched to seven when Anthony Burns found the net for a second time. Getting on the end of a long ball, he had space and time to pick his spot and fired to the bottom corner of Ryan Elliott’s net.
Antrim’s frustration was compounded even further when Declan McCloskey was sent off for an off the ball incident in the second minute of injury time. A decision that clearly incensed the Antrim management team.
Galway went into the half time break with an 11 point advantage, a man extra advantage and with whatever wind there was blowing at Pearse Stadium, they had it at their backs for the second half.
It was always going to be an uphill task for the Saffrons but any thoughts on a resurgence of sorts was put to bed in the opening seven minutes of the second half. Further goals from Concanon and Burns with points from Monaghan and Conor Cooney stretched the lead to 20 points in the blink of an eye.
Antrim kept their scoreboard ticking through Joseph McLaughlin frees and later Gerard Walsh but the Saffrons rarely looked like getting in behind the Galway defence to test Darach Fahy between the sticks.
The fifth Galway goal came from substitute Declan McLaughlin, Concannon with an outrageous assist as the Tribesmen relentlessly dismantled the Saffron defence.
26 points separated the sides when Antrim managed to breach the Galway defence. Niall McGarel with the finish after the initial run and shot from Paul Boyle was well saved from Fahy but the Glenarm forward was on hand to fire home the rebound in the 67th minute.
The Galway response was to find the back of Ryan Elliott’s net for a sixth time. Kevin Cooney with the finish as the home side coasted home.
Overall, a disappointing performance from Antrim and while it’s safe to say those six or seven minutes before and after half time had a major say in the outcome of this game, there is work to be done ahead of what is a season defining game in Tullamore next Sunday.
Actually it could have been all over as Offaly led Wexford for the vast majority of their fourth round game in Wexford Park and it took a late Lee Chin goal to seal the home side’s win. Had Offaly held on then Wexord and Offaly would both have been on two points, and even Antrim had beaten the Faithful county next week to leave them on same points, their goal difference is so inferior it would not have matered.
TEAMS
Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Stephen Rooney, Niall O’Connor, Paddy Burke; Declan McCloskey, Conor Boyd, Conal Bohill; Gerard Walsh, Sean McKay; Ryan McCambridge, Eoghan Campbell, Nigel Elliott; Joseph McLaughlin, Eoin O’Neill, Cormac McKeown
Scorers: J McLaughlin 0-7 (6fs); G Walsh 0-3 (3fs); Niall McGarel 1-00; E O’Neill 0-2; C McKeown 0-1
Galway: Darach Fahy; Joshua Ryan, Fintan Burke, Darren Morrissey; Seán Linnane, Gavin Lee, TJ Brennan; Cianan Fahy, Ronan Glennon; Tom Monaghan, Kevin Cooney, Conor Cooney; Conor Whelan, Brian Concannon, Anthony Burns
Scorers: C Cooney 0-11 (9fs); A Burns 2-2; T Monaghan 0-6; B Concannon 2-00; Declan McLaughlin 1-1; K Cooney 1-1; C Whelan 0-2; R Glennon 0-2; D Morrissey 0-1; S Linnane 0-1
Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)