Galway 2-24 Clare 3-17:This was a strange game of hurling. Three men were sent off in a match that delivered three penalties, some cracking scores and the sideline reunion of the one-time Banner county confederates, Ger Loughnane and Mike McNamara.
But not even that juicy subplot could convince any more than 2,000 supporters to show up for a match that was soporific for long periods.
With summer predictions at best uncertain in Galway and probably subdued in Clare, one couldn't but think of how peculiar and potentially quiet this year's championship will be if Cork do not participate. Given the managers here helped create much of the thunder and lightning that reawakened the sport a decade ago, it was a desperately quiet afternoon.
That the play was broken by frees, eight yellow cards and three reds did not help proceedings. Also, McNamara had the confidence to name five debutants on his team, a selection which gave Galway an edge before the ball was thrown up.
Clare's cause was not helped when one of the new players, wing forward David Barrett, was shown a straight red card for chopping across Ger Mahon's shins after three minutes. It wasn't the wisest of actions but the flash of red was still a shock and it threw the visitors' plans into disarray.
It also advertised the policy of an afternoon of zero tolerance for indiscriminate striking and before the match was through, Galway's Tony Óg Regan (40th minute) and John Lee (63rd minute) were dismissed with double bookings.
Galway's entire full-back line was booked and although they were 2-14 to 0-7 to the good early in the second half, there was a slight sense of nervousness around the ground after young Mark Flaherty hammered two goals from 20-metre frees to bring Clare within four points. As McNamara noted afterwards, the early dismissals took the competitive edge out of the game, which assumed the stop-start nature of a challenge match.
Loughnane was in agreement but felt referees have been placed in an invidious position. "They are under fierce pressure. I thought Seamus [ Roche] applied the rules as they are now. It is not Seamus or any other referee that is at fault. It is the people that are making these rules. They are going to destroy the game completely if they keep going like that. There will be no physical contact in it whatsoever. The problem is that you can do anything with your body but any little tap with a hurley and you are going to get a yellow card. And when you have one got then it is very easy to get a second one.
"Seamus did nothing wrong. He is going by the rules. He has some guy up in the stand watching him and he has to try and not lose too many points. I understand he starts off with 100 points and then they are deducted as he goes along."
Overall, however, Loughnane was pleased by what he saw. James Skehill made spectacular stops in goal and got prodigious length into his puck-outs, Iarla Tannian nailed five exceptional scores over an afternoon of running the visiting defence ragged and Ger Farragher clipped 1-8 in a performance of immaculate free striking and an eager attitude in open play.
"I am delighted to see Ger Farragher back," enthused Loughnane. "I said to them all in the dressingroom he is an example to them all. He spent all of last year on the sideline and was up in the stand for the All-Ireland quarter-final against Kilkenny and never came on. He could have walked away or he could have sulked. We spoke to him last October. We told him the talent he had and what he had to work on. He worked so hard over the winter and you see the results out there today."
Loughnane also broadcast a message to Ollie Canning, whose decision to retire last year was an inestimable blow to the Galway defence. "I still think Ollie could do a fantastic job for Galway, the type of player he is, a cute player. If we could add someone like that into the mix, we could challenge most teams."
Galway have the look of a side that could push on in the league. It could be a more trying competition for Clare. They are a mixture of great veterans - Frank Lohan, Gerry Quinn and Niall Gilligan down the centre - and hurlers starting out.
Brian O'Connell ran himself into the ground and Declan O'Rourke had a few bright moments in attack. But with the early sending off and the half-back line interrupted by Brendan Bulger's early injury and all those new faces, McNamara had no reason to be disconsolate by this loss. He has seen plenty of leagues days like this, some of those standing shoulder to shoulder with Loughnane. Yesterday, they didn't cross paths to shake hands after the match, ambling down the tunnel and going their separate ways.
"New team. New boys," McNamara reflected. New times, too - in Galway and Clare. It remains to be seen if they get better.
GALWAY: J Skehill; D Joyce, T Óg Regan, A Gaynor; G Mahon, J Lee, A Keary; A Cullinane (0-2), K Hynes (0-1); N Healy (0-3), D Forde, A Kerins; G Farragher (1-11, 9 frees), I Tannian (0-5), A Callanan (1-2). Subs: C Dervan for G Mahon (30 mins, inj); K Wade for A Kerins (59 mins); F Coone for N Healy (68 mins).
CLARE: P Brennan; T Keogh, F Lohan, C McMahon; D Clancy, G Quinn (0-1, free), B Bulger; B O'Connell, J Clancy (0-2); D Barrett, C Lafferty, D O'Rourke (0-3); M Flaherty (3-8, nine frees, pen), N Gilligan (0-3), G Arthur. Subs: P Donlon for B Bulger (14 mins inj), F Lynch for C Lafferty (33 mins), C Plunkett for C McMahon (39 mins inj), B Nugent for G Arthur (62 mins), M Murphy for T Keigh (64).
Referee: S Roche(Tipperary).
