Galway fail to halt Wexford's momentum

THEY said it couldn't be done - as the sponsors might put it - but this year's Guinness All Ireland hurling championship has …

THEY said it couldn't be done - as the sponsors might put it - but this year's Guinness All Ireland hurling championship has somehow managed to follow last year's memorable precedent by showcasing a quite remarkable and unexpected renaissance in Wexford - one of hurling's most popular and, in recent times, put upon counties.

Under manager Liam Griffin, their style has changed much for the better and there is a tremendous coherence about their play. The team has some outstanding individuals but they blend into the team and comprise a strong unit.

Yesterday's atmospheric but ultimately scrappy semi final saw them - on their first spell of leave from Leinster in 19 years - beat a profoundly disappointing Galway by an unrepresentatively tight three points.

In what marked a further departure from their stereotyped shortcomings, Wexford won this match because they were sharper and more economical. Only an exuberantly wild flake at the very end by Larry Murphy pushed their wides' total into double figures; Galway, conversely, shot 17.

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That statistic hints at one truth: Galway should be flogged for not doing better. They had chances and remained in the match for long periods when Wexford might have pulled away but when it came to moving up the gears, the Connacht champions couldn't do it and by the end, they looked a ragged and sorry sight.

Admittedly, they had to replace both Joe Rabbitte and Joe Cooney because of injuries. Nonetheless, Cooney hadn't made the sort of impact expected.

The big improvement in Galway this year was supposed to be their forwards whose brief but effective sparkle at the end of the National League final had beaten Tipperary. Yesterday was different. Whereas three, goals were scored, general point taking was poor and a couple of frees were inexplicably squandered in the dying minutes in what were to prove costly errors.

They made enough inroads to cause Wexford trouble but finishing let them down. At the other end, the Galway defence will have been sorely vexed after holding the line reasonably well albeit with some lapses in concentration.

Tom Helebert gobbled up Eamonn Scallan so greedily that the unfortunate Wexford corner forward was replaced after 20 minutes. It was something of a mystery that young Gary Laffan stayed on the field as long as he did because he made no impact on a very forceful Brian Feeney Paul Finn had similarly little luck, when he came on but the match can be said to have turned on a 60th minute substitution which saw the venerable Billy Byrne enter the fray.

The way he's going, he may end up the Venerable Billy Byrne. Just as in the Leinster first round, against Kilkenny, the Gorey man came on and scored - or in the melee helped to score - the goal which pushed the match beyond the opposition's reach. Feeney struggled more in those 10 minutes than he had in the preceding hour as the more physical style of Byrne took its toll.

Similarly, Micheal Donoghue played quite well on Rory McCarthy, who repeated his drift routine from the Leinster final - but for a crucial couple of minutes in the first half the Galway wing back lost his bearings and was punished by the concession of 11, including the score of the match when McCarthy picked up a partial clearance on his stick and raced through to crack the ball to the net.

Elsewhere, Conor O'Donovan restrained Larry Murphy from any repeat of last month's heroics and Nigel Shaughnessy limited Martin Storey to three points - a fair achievement given the Wexford captain's form. The star turn of the Wexford attack was Tom Dempsey who symbolised his county's transformation from hard luck stories into All Ireland contenders with an immaculate six points, including three frees and no wides.

The first half gave positive glimpses of Galway's potential. Wexford pulled away slightly in the first quarter and were leading by 0-6 to 0-3 when Galway struck for their first goal. In the 22nd minute, their best forward, Cathal Moore embarked on a solo run in from the right. He then mis hit a shot across the goal but the ball ran for full forward. Cooney, who clipped it to the net.

A couple of major incidents happened between the 28th and 30th minutes. Sandwiched between McCarthy's goal and a point, John O'Connor, who had survived a late fitness couldn't survive a clatter with Rabbitte on whom he had started in a switch with Sean Flood. The Wexford man had to go off, to be replaced by his brother, George.

The pendulum swung yet again" before half time when Moore initiated and finished a goal scoring move - setting up Francis Forde for a shot and knocking in the rebound after Damien Fitzhenry partially saved.

Nonetheless Galway were still in the match up until the hour. They had every opportunity to put in a decisive burst around the beginning of the final quarter. Having failed to award Cooney a penalty after Fitzhenry looked to have fouled him, referee Joe O'Leary had no hesitation when Rabbitte went high for a Brendan Keogh ball and was pulled down in the 51st minute. Although he might have taken the point as Galway trailed by only two, Cooney went for goal and his shot was blocked by Fitzhenry.

The match was decided in the 62nd minute when another of Adrian Fenlon's marvellous strikes dropped invitingly on the square and in the flurry of activity that ensued, Byrne appeared to get, the touch that opened the margin to five points in Wexford's favour.

Although Kevin Broderick's 70th minute goal briefly threatened the winners with what would have been an undeserved draw if Galway had scored another goal, two bad missed frees by substitute Peter Kelly and Cooney in the preceding minutes had depressed Galway's capacity to respond.