Galway Advertiser 1986/1986_09_11/GA_11091986_E1_008.pdf 

Extracted text

We Must Keep At It!
There was an inevitability about the outcome from the middle of the second half. Cork were the sharper. They hurled with greater verve. And they had forwards capable of scoring goals on the burst from play. W e hadn't. And when you are winning things tend to favour you. And we can't blame the referee though he gave us N O favours. Once again we were the soft touch in a final. Cork 4-13 ( H . T . score Cork 2-5 9 OUT OF 10 Galway 2-15 Galway 0-10) Kilkenny were palmed ef forts. We should have been able to shoot them just as easily. The day would come when we'd need to shoot. We as a county (Football and Hurling) have lost 9 out of 10 senior All Ireland finals contested since 1970. The litany of losses is a sad one. 1971 ( F ) , 1973 ( F ) , 1974 ( F ) , 1975 ( H ) , 1979 (H), 1981 ( H ) , 1983 ( F ) , 1985(H) and 1986(H). It is a sad reflection on how soft an All Ireland touch we have become. But we can not give op, especially now. U-21 1 know you can't keep on losing and hope to keep your support and hold morale high. That is why we must win the U-21 Hurling final v Wexford next Sun day. Why we must arrest the rot. We started badly last Sunday, never really recovered but yet we were

ing signs? But you daren't criticise a Galway team win ning so well. But even then What is it about us here in goalkeeper John Commins the West that makes us so was lucky to escape with an afraid of winning? Do we empty goal sheet. Even then over-lionize our sporting Pierce Piggott had shown stars when they show a sign his limitations as a hurler of of reaching the top? Should inter county class though no we not at all times be one doubted his his deter careful? After beating mination and courage, but Kilkenny so well in Thurles the ploy of playing him as a (Nobody can take that away third midfielder had worker from us even now) should and you daren't say a word. we not have seen the warn- All our goals against

very close to winning and quota of substitutes. Thats were always there with a as it should be. chance until Jimmy Barry Murphy's clinching last TONY KEADY point. Its a very painful business this search for an Tony Keady gave a great All Ireland. But it isn't display of free taking and in peculiar to us. general play was excellent Cork lost successive but so too was his im finals in '82 and '83 and yet mediate opponent Tomas came back to win the Mulcahy. In fact this was a Centenary '84 All Ireland great duel between two' convincingly. They didn't great opponents. On one give up. Offaly after being occasion they fielded the hammered in '84 came back sliothar together and one in '85 to win the All robbed the other en route to Ireland. They didn'* give strike the ball. By my up. Galway star of the day was It will never be easy to Peter Finnerty who was well win an All Ireland. But we up to his Thurles brilliance must keep at it. There will and was the one player who always be Kilkenny and seemed not to be overcome Cork and Tipperary (how by the occasion and had the must they feel?) and Clare urgency of his rivals. He it and Wexford and Limerick was who settled Galway and Offlay and Antrim to after the early Cork set beat. We are very close to backs and he hurled with an winning another All Ireland authority and confidence Senior Hurling title. A year strangely absent from his is a long time to lick our team mates. W e overwounds but we must stay at carried the ball, seemed to it and we will win out in '87. walk into trouble and couldn't evade our markers. Poor Noel Lane STEVE M A H O N was policed out of the game and never once got a decent I don't intend to start shot at goal. He was only a criticising Cyril Farrell and patch on his true self. Joe his co-selectors, but I Cooney tried hard, impress wouldn't have taken off ed at times but was not the Steve Mahon. I'd have match winner he can be. He moved him elsewhere and will win an All Ireland for hoped for him to good good us yet. -- maybe even next at full forward or Sunday. somewhere else. The substitutes, apart from SYLVIE A N D Peter Murphy, didn't im LYNSKEY prove the scene but at least the management did experimd use their full And so it is all over again

Cyril and the Ref!

Cyril Farrell's comments on the standard of refereeing at last Sunday's match are worth noting. He said: "Some of the refereeing decisions were diabolical. If you look at the video of the match yuu will know what I am talking about. Our lads got very frustrated, particularly in the second half as a result of some of play the advantage rule and the decisions. It seemed then change his mind and they couldn't tackle or awarded a 21 yard free? couldn't solo" he Note posiiton of ref. in our picture. suggested. Our second incident "However, I want to make it clear that I am notshows Noel Lane tackled from behind in the small taking anything from Cork's win. They deserved square and the Cork Ger to win because they look g o a l k e e p e r the breaks and their goalsCunningham about to were decisive", said the handle the ball on the ground -- surely a penalty. manager. Another bad decision by the In our columns today we r e f e r e e . Perhaps our show two incidents to readers may wish to highlight Cyril's viewpoint comment on these and which we feel is a valid one. other incidents. Our top pictures show Editor Michael Connolly about to Our big match score Galway's first goal photographer was Brenda which the referee disallowed. Did the ref. for another year. Spare Sylvie, though he had a handful in Jimmy Barry Murphy, the old dog for the hard road who had his best final since the 70s. Spare Brendan Lynskey too for he suffered a cruel injury that cannot have been an acci dent as people seem to sug gest. It amazed me that on

tr?pSne

fS S Sf ^ tW

Game no one asked the panel to comment on Pat Hartnett's altercation with Lynskey. Admittedly Bren d n went in very hard with a his body to hurl Hartnett over the line but surely that d e n justify a dangerous ost '

(Continued on page 34)

-JkJH