Minor Hurling Final Galway 2-15 Kilkenny 2-11:REVENGE, THEY say, is a dish best served cold. Yesterday, though, Galway's minor hurlers opted for the sizzling variety, making amends for last year's reversal at the hands of Kilkenny with a fully merited victory that exhibited all facets of the game: long-range point taking, spirited harrying, hooking and blocking and a couple of superbly executed goals.
In claiming their eighth minor All-Ireland hurling title, and first since 2005, Galway were also required to demonstrate their character in no small way.
Having outhurled their opponents in the first half, a period when they were invariably quicker in body and mind, Galway’s sevenpoint interval advantage was whittled down to a mere point midway through the second half before the young Tribesmen reasserted their superiority.
After a fast and furious start which saw 11 scores in the opening nine minutes, at which stage Kilkenny led 1-5 to 1-4, the helter-skelter was replaced by a more measured and calm performance from Galway.
They took a grip on the game to hold Kilkenny scoreless for the remaining 21 minutes – some achievement – and claim the upper hand going into the break with a deserved 2-9 to 1-5 lead.
Galway’s two goals were well executed. The first arrived in the sixth minute when, after good work from James Regan, Ronan Badger’s shot was blocked only for Richie Cummins – a player who, on this display, has a big future in the game – to finish with aplomb.
As Kilkenny teams tend to do, their response was pretty much immediate.
Two minutes later, Martin Gaffney grabbed his side’s first goal after being set up by Cillian Buckley and Gaffney evaded Johnny Coen’s attempt to hook him.
The goal was followed by a Cathal Kenny point and, from nowhere, Kilkenny found themselves a point ahead, 1-5 to 1-4. But the rest of the half was owned by Galway who upped the intensity and completely outplayed the holders.
Centre-half forward Niall Burke, one of those who’d suffered defeat in the final a year ago, had a big part to play as he tagged on a succession of points – from frees, a ‘65’ and play – in that spell of utter dominance which was capped off in first-half injury time by a second goal from Cummins.
It was a goal to befit any final, as Shane Moloney went on a terrific run before supplying a precise hand pass to Cummins who made no mistake.
You don’t expect any Kilkenny team to lie down, and this side were no exception.
In the second half they came out with all guns blazing and a good move that started with wing-back James Gannon and also involved the impressive Cathal Kenny finished in the 40th minute with Cillian Buckley firing to the net.
Although a couple of fine long-range points from Donie Fox and Davy Glennon kept Galway’s noses in front, the momentum was very much with Kilkenny.
Indeed, when Buckley pointed in the 47th minute, his side’s fifth point of the second half, Kilkenny had reduced the deficit to just one point.
As so often happens, the impetus for Galway to reassert their authority came from a missed chance from the opposition. When Gaffney hit a close-range free wide which would have levelled matters, Galway came off the back foot and hit over three unanswered points.
Shane Moloney, who assumed the free-taking duties from Burke whose accuracy had deserted him after the break, steadied the ship with two points and the outstanding Glennon added another long-range effort to increase the lead to four points. There would be no way back for Kilkenny.
GALWAY:F Flannery; J Coen, D Burke, C Burke; M Keating, B Flaherty, J Cooney; J Regan, D Glennon (0-2); D Fox (0-2), N Burke (0-4, two frees), J Grealish (0-2); R Cummins (2-1), R Badger, S Moloney (0-3, two frees). Subs: M Horan for Keating (21 mins), T Haran (0-1) for Badger (46 mins), N Keary for Grealish (53 mins).
KILKENNY:J Power; J Lyng, D Kenny, I Duggan; J Gannon, R Doyle, L Harney; C Kenny (0-2), O Walsh (0-1); G Brennan, S Kehoe (0-1), C Buckley (1-2); M Gaffney (1-3, three frees), W Walsh (0-1), C Maher (0-1). Subs: S Phelan for Kehoe (half-time), G Aylward for W Walsh (52 mins), P Walsh for Brennan (57 mins).
Referee:J McGrath (Westmeath).
