GALWAY IN NEED OF A SOLID BASE
WITH around 20 minutes remaining at the Gaelic Grounds last Sunday, Limerick manager John Kiely sprang Barry Nash from the bench, throwing him into their dysfunctional full-forward line. The talented attacker scored almost instantly and caused such a nuisance that Galway boss Michéal Donoghue carried out some corrective surgery of his own.
John Hanbury was called ashore after an unconvincing performance at fullback and Paul Killeen was given another audition at the edge of the square. And as he proved all spring, he was more than capable of doing a job there.
Killeen gave his manager some food for thought as Donoghue seemed to allude to after the uneventful win over Limerick.
‘We are still trying different players in different positions,’ the manager explained of Galway’s defensive display.
Nothing is certain, but then nothing is ever certain when it comes to the Tribesmen. And this is even more so when one thinks of the two central defensive positions. A good argument can be made that since Cyril Farrell’s great and glamorous side left the stage in the early 1990s Galway have had problems finding the right fit for the number three and six jerseys.
The central pillars on which that great side were built had Conor Hayes at full-back and Tony Keady at centre-back. They forged a solid partnership and were immovable. And almost indestructible.
But as Galway have searched for an answer to reclaim All-Ireland glory ever since, the biggest problem seems to have lain in those two positions. Almost every manager has referenced it at some point. A couple of years ago, after brushing Dublin aside in a league game in Pearse Stadium where Iarla Tannian was an experimental centre-back, former manager Anthony Cunningham acknowledged that ‘full-back and centre-back have been positions that Galway have struggled in over the past few years’.
In Daithí Burke, they have a player who can prosper in both positions, even if Waterford’s Tom Devine did cause him a fair degree of difficulty in the recent league quarter-final. Burke’s steady policing of Seamus Callanan in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final showed that he can do a job close to goal, although it means that his all-action style is missed a little further out the field.
They could do with two Burkes – one to fill both berths. Over the course of the spring, he has been played in both positions. But with the championship opener against Dublin fast approaching, Donoghue and his management team need to decide on one position for Burke. And stick to it.
Donoghue used 34 players so far in this league campaign so it is perhaps not surprising that there hasn’t been a regular partnership at the centre of defence. Hanbury has been the most regularly-used full-back, having played there in four of the seven games. But Burke, Killeen and Aidan Harte has also started at the edge of the square.
At centre-back, Burke, Adrian Tuohy — who has emerged as a real star of the Galway defence — Gearoid McInerney and Harte have all started there.
Consistency has been an issue for Galway as they have searched for an established central partnership in defence. In the past two decades, only Tony Óg Regan and Shane Kavanagh have managed to forge a regular partnership in the two central positions. For two seasons, 2005 and 2006, it was Regan at full-back and Kavanagh at centre-back while in 2010 and 2011, the roles were reversed with Kavanagh moving back and Regan moving forward. Tuohy’s emergence as a sticky corner-back has certainly given the defence a more solid and rounded look — the way he handled the effervescent Cian Lynch last Sunday was noteworthy. And even though Limerck were poor, Galway still restricted them to just three points from play with McInerney looking a solid option in the halfback line.
They are unlikely to get a similar return against the All-Ireland champions tomorrow. But given Tipperary’s penchant for scoring goals it will be vital that Galway clog up the central channel. Whoever is given the jobs at fullback and centre-back tomorrow could make a big impression ahead of the summer.
But while there is uncertainty hanging over two of the most important positions on the field, there will be doubt over whether this Galway team is the one that can take the final step and reach All-Ireland glory.