Galway reach for new heights under Donoghue

While the split season has generated much debate in virtually every quarter over the last number of years, there’s one thing we can surely all agree on. It has given us bumper summers, where the big days just keep on coming and you never have to wait too long for another one to arrive.

This week is one such example. With the dust just settling on the All-Ireland football semi-finals, the GAA machine is gearing up for the hurling decider on Jones’ Road this Sunday afternoon.

Like the football final between Mayo and Kerry, it also matches counties from Connacht and Munster, with the men from the south raging hot favourites to get the job done against their emerging counterparts from the west.

But, also like the football decider, an upset remains a very plausible scenario.

Last summer, it was in Limerick that Galway’s season came to an end with a limp exit to Tipperary at the quarter-final stage. The 1-28 to 2-17 scoreline in favour of the eventual All-Ireland champions did not flatter them in any way; in fact, the game was long finished before the final whistle.

To the untrained eye, there was little to draw from that Galway performance to suggest that Micheál Donoghue was building something resembling what has emerged this year. But clearly the Clarinbridge man was using his first season back at the helm to get a gauge of what was at his disposal second time round. This year, two key changes have been central to their rapid progress to hurling’s big dance for the first time since 2018.

The first was Donoghue’s decision, along with his key lieutenant Franny Forde, to employ a very distinct gameplan. The second was the injection of youth into the team to help carry it out.

Much has been made of Galway’s style which, in very basic terms, involves bringing lots of bodies back behind the ball and leaving one or two up front to allow an out ball if, and when, the turnover eventually occurs inside their own 65.

This approach has been honed through the year and has developed into a more expansive effort but, in the best elements of their display against Cork, it worked a treat.

On several occasions, Galway worked the ball from the back through the hands in slick fashion with the poise of a team far beyond their years and then, when in position, generally found the target from range. Indeed, the space and time they had to take their shots, especially alongside the Cusack Stand side in the second-half during their purple patch, was remarkable.

The players Donoghue is using to carry out his instructions are excelling right now.

Daithi Burke – who, admittedly, struggled when in the full back-line early on against the Rebels – and the two Mannions, Padraic and Cathal, represent the older guard but it’s the newer players that have been the real eye openers this season. Jason Rabbitte of Athenry is developing into a star of his own after the exploits of his dad, Joe Rabbitte. Jason, who is tall and rangy, is often that out ball target from the back as he holds his position up front and his physicality makes him a nightmare to deal with for opposition defences.

Aaron Niland is another of the Under-20 crop, beaten in this year’s All-Ireland final at that level, while at the back Joshua Ryan and Cillian Trayers are bringing a tigerish element to their play that allows Galway play on the edge as a defensive unit.

The Donoghue model has been motoring well this season, with a very competitive league showing in Division 1A followed by Leinster success and then that sparkling display against Cork. But this weekend, needless to say, will be the toughest examination yet.

Limerick are already the greatest hurling team of all time. A win on Sunday will only emphasise the point.

Their collection of All-Ireland titles since 2018, when they beat Galway to land the big prize for the first time in 45 years, underlines their dominance. Five Liam McCarthy Cups in the intervening period have been embellished further by seven Munster crowns (which included a six-in-a-row) and there are three league titles in there too for good measure.

This season, Limerick look like a team intent on making up for the disappointment of last year when they lost to Dublin in such surprising fashion at the quarter-final stage. Their Munster final triumph against Cork required real staying power in difficult conditions at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and, even more so, their battling qualities were needed in that semi-final victory over Clare.

That encounter, for all its intensity and tension, also had elements where Galway will feel as though they can get at Limerick this weekend.

Aaron Gillane’s form is not where it has been in recent seasons and Limerick were also poor in front of goal, shooting 15 wides. But there are a couple of areas where Galway need to answer some big questions.

The first is on the wider point of experience. Limerick are a well-travelled team at this stage and all of their big-game players have been there and done it on several occasions. Galway, therefore, will need to draw on the same experience amassed by Donoghue as manager and other elder statesmen in the team to ensure they rise to the occasion this weekend.

Physicality could be an issue for the Tribesmen. Limerick are so well-conditioned and there is no space to breath in the tackle; when the likes of Will O’Donoghue or Gearoid Hegarty get in there, it’s hard to escape. On this front, Galway’s pace could be the killer ingredient to keep the ball moving, out of contact and into space.

The great thing about this weekend for Galway is that there is no pressure on them as such. They’re a young team with an enormous task on their hands against a generational side – but those on a perch are there to be knocked off.