Time for Galway to shake hurling’s order again

The results of the early rounds of the All-Ireland football championship reflected the odd nature of the provincial series these days. In the case of three of the four champions, they lost their first round matches in the All-Ireland series. Unsurprisingly, the only provincial kingpin to win two weeks after their regional triumph was Kerry, who had the easiest of finals in Munster as they cantered to victory over Clare. Galway, Donegal and Louth – having been strained to within an inch of their lives to win their provincial battles – failed to match the same level of performance two weeks later.

Irrespective of those reversals, all three counties have had the opportunity to reset. Donegal won last weekend to get back on track and Galway got a point from their trip to Celtic Park, but Louth’s situation is now precarious after losing to Down in Newry last Saturday.

Football’s format has changed more often than the weather over the last number of years, but hurling has remained fairly steady in recent times. The Galway footballers may have had some leeway had they lost in the Connacht final to Mayo, but their hurlers face far less room for manoeuvre ahead of this Sunday’s Leinster final against Kilkenny.

It represents a huge opportunity for the Tribesmen as they look to regain some sense of being in among the counties with a genuine chance of winning an All-Ireland crown again, after a number of years of underachievement. The county’s haul of five All-Ireland titles is a disappointing return, given that they are consistently among the sides capable of challenging for national honours.

2017 brought the high watermark of the modern era, when they won the last of their Liam MacCarthy Cups. But, since losing in dramatic fashion to Limerick in 2018, Galway have failed to build on the promise of that generation. The 2017 win was the defining moment of Joe Canning’s career, and at 28 he was one of the older members of that squad.

Captain David Burke was 27, Conor Cooney and Padraic Mannion were 24, Cathal Mannion 22 and Conor Whelan just 20. It looked like Galway winning that All-Ireland would be the start of something, as opposed to the end. Instead, Limerick became the dominant team of the next decade. Perhaps, the 2018 final was the sliding doors moment.

The man to guide Galway to the Promised Land eight years ago is now back at the helm. Micheál Donoghue is a shrewd operator, who tends not to be too loud in his own position. He goes about his business quietly and, alongside Franny Forde and Noel Larkin, they have forged an identity of their own in the coaching world.

He showed his mettle as manager by being able to go into Dublin for the past two seasons and lay the foundations for their present encouraging run of form. Still, he brought his Galway side to Parnell Park in the final match group match in Leinster this year and they dismantled the challenge of the home team with relative ease.

Donoghue would not have come back into the Galway gig without the possibility for success. He clearly believes it's possible – and it needs to start this Sunday.

Provincial titles in the football championship give you little, if any, sense of reward for later on in the competition. But, in hurling, they are worth their weight in gold. Not only do you get the natural boost of claiming some silverware, you also get a golden ticket into the semi-finals – thus avoiding a potentially sticky quarter-final. In Galway's case, if they were to lose this Sunday, that is likely to be a meeting with Tipperary who look rejuvenated themselves under the management of Liam Cahill. Avoiding that – and also getting yourself a longer break from competitive fare – is a real prize at this stage of the season.

On top of all that, Galway should be winning more. The county consistently produces a strong club championship and has also given the game its share of gifted hurlers over the years. Many within Galway will tell you a haul of five All-Irelands is a poor return over the course of their entire history.

More recently, their ability to win the Leinster title has been called into question. They've won three since being introduced to the competition back in 2009, but have lost seven finals in the same period. In a province where only Kilkenny, truly, have been a consistent force (and, at that, not the behemoth they once were), that's a disappointing return.

Losing finals is a bad habit, and Galway have become too accustomed to that in modern times. Since losing the 2018 All-Ireland decider, they've come up short in three Leinster deciders. More worryingly, they didn't even come out of the province in 2019 and 2024. That's why this Sunday is such an important game for Galway. Forget about All-Irelands, Micheal Donoghue is looking at the long term here. Some silverware would be the perfect fillip for further – and greater – success in the years ahead.

Players are in form, too. Cathal Mannion has been absolutely superb this year and already looks nailed on for an All-Star. Conor Whelan has adapted his game brilliantly and has turned into a real menace for opposing teams in general play. His work-rate has been excellent around the middle third, and he still provides a scoring threat when called upon. Daithi Burke remains a steadying force, while Gavin Lee has settled to his task at centre-half-back.

Much like the Mayo footballers, though, the Galway hurlers struggle for consistency. They have mixed the good with the awful this year, the low point probably being their hammering at the hands of Kilkenny at a wintry Nowlan Park in the first round of the Leinster Championship. Since, they've bounced back brilliantly. And now they're ready to hit the hard turf on Jones' Road primed for a shot at redemption.

It's set up perfectly for the Tribesmen – now they have to deliver.