Galway wear favourites’ tag despite recent form

Throughout the past decade, expectations amongst Galway hurling supporters have been very high at championship time but it’s been quite a while since there has been such a focus on the Connacht county.

As they prepare for their clash with Clare in the qualifiers, the spotlight is very much on the Westerners.
After their poor display against Dublin saw them comprehensively beaten, there has been much talk about the team, prompted, no doubt, by the strong views expressed on the day of the match by three of former stars of the maroon and white.
The views expressed by Conor Hayes, Noel Lane and Brendan Lynskey, in particular, have been discussed in detail across Galway hurling territory and met with a mixed reaction. It was thought in many areas that the comments from the All-Ireland medal winners from the 80s would have served to fire up the team for their meeting with Dublin, but that proved to be one of Galway’s poorest performances for some time.
Despite that, the Tribesmen are the favourites to win this weekend. On paper, they have a very strong squad available for selection. Iarla Tannian and Ger Farragher have both returned to full training since the Dublin game, which they missed due to injury, and both are expected to feature against Clare.
Barry Daly has recovered from a knee injury suffered against the Dubs but Cyril Donnellan is battling to shake off a foot injury picked up two weeks ago.
They were back in training shortly after that defeat, but the team to face Clare won’t be finalised until later this week. It is expected to show a number of changes, particularly in attack, where both Tannian and Farragher are expected to start.
Last weekend, Galway had a workout against their U-21s and, at one stage, their forward line-up was Joe Gantley, Ger Farragher, Iarla Tannian, Damian Hayes, Alan Kerins and Joe Canning.
If Galway followers aren’t holding out much hope for their side’s chances in the race for the Liam McCarthy Cup, Clare’s followers had little confidence ahead of the team’s Munster semi-final meeting with Tipperary. This was reflected in the attendance at the game two weeks ago.
Those who travelled saw a much-improved performance from the league campaign but the concession of a big score again proved costly. At least two of the four goals conceded should have been prevented and if Clare are to have a chance of winning on Saturday, this is an area in which they must tighten up.
Potentially, Galway have forwards capable of troubling any defence and following their disappointing performances against Dublin, Portumna clubmates Canning and Hayes will be keen to bounce back. It could be a very busy evening for a Clare defence which is likely to be along the same lines as that which faced up to Tipperary. In that game the half-backs struggled at times and there will have to be an improvement in this sector if the Bannermen are to be in with a chance of prolonging their season.
Following his impressive showing against Tipperary, Conor McGrath is likely to receive a lot of attention from the Galway backline and it will be interesting to see who will be given the task of marking the Cratloe man on this occasion. With Honan ruled out, the mentors may decide to move Diarmuid McMahon or Fergal Lynch to the edge of the square.
John Conlon had a good second half against Tipperary but, for the most part, played second fiddle to Padraic Maher in that tie. He has the ability to cause problems for the Galway defence this week. Colin Ryan and Cormac O’Donovan will be pressing for a starting spot.
Galway look to have the more experienced squad, hence the favourites’ tag. However, their form hasn’t been good and if Clare can build on the improvement they showed against Tipperary, they could well be back in training on Monday evening in preparation for the next round.

Sparrow expects a huge challenge
Clare hurling manager Ger O’Loughlin is expecting a huge challenge from Galway in Saturday’s hurling qualifier clash at Pearse Stadium in Salthill (throw in 7pm).
“This is a winner take all game for both Galway and ourselves. They will want to knock the doubters in their own county and will come to the game with a sting in their tail after the Dublin game.
“They got a lot of bad reviews after that game. The home venue will be worth a couple of scores to them in what is a make or break game for both teams,” the Clare boss told The Clare Champion.
With the exception of an injury to Darach Honan that has ruled the Clonlara man out of contention, he said Clare came out of the Tipperary game “ok”.
“We have had a good week’s training since then and the guys are up for it. We are hoping for a high level of performance with plenty of passion and intensity. If we work hard for the 70 minutes then we are in with a fighting chance,” he said.
He added that “it’s important for us to go in with the same focus as in the game against Tipperary and we must sustain that for 70 minutes. It would be a corner turned for us if we can win this one”.
Reflecting on Dublin’s win over Galway, the Clare All-Ireland winning star said, “Dublin will be fierce hard to beat whoever they will play, Galway are better than they showed in that game. Farragher and Tannian are back and it’s likely that Alan Kerins will play from the start. I expect that they will come at us ferociously from the start and we must be ready for that. All they need is one good win and people will speak differently about them. There will be a lot more about them on Saturday.”
“This is an important time for Clare hurling. It’s fantastic that all grades are doing well and it shows that the prospects are good. If we can improve and get a win under our belts, it will be a great couple of weeks what with the wins recorded by the minors and the intermediates in recent weeks”.
The team won’t be finalised until later this week, but full-forward Darach Honan is out of the side for Saturday’s game.
“He has had a groin strain for seven or eight weeks and it hasn’t cleared up. We referred him to a surgeon who said that rest is needed,” O’Loughlin explained.
Together with selectors, Danny Chaplin and Liam Doyle, they will also have to plan without panel member Eamonn Glynn who has gone to the US.
“He couldn’t get work here and when the chance of a job came up, he opted to go. We are disappointed to lose him as he was pressing strongly for a place.”
“The reality about Saturday is that we are facing a huge challenge and we will just have to be at our best if we are to have a chance of progressing,” he concluded.