Canning comeback may come just too late
Everyone wants to know at what stage of the All-Ireland series Joe Canning will make his return — but has anyone stopped to consider the growing possibility that Galway might not see beyond Leinster, putting paid to any late-summer running of The Joe Show?
The Tribesmen, by and large, were excused for their poor showing against Carlow a fortnight ago.
Their rather tame effort was blithely disregarded as nothing more than a somewhat understrength side blowing off a few cobwebs after a month and a half of being idle.
Not to fret — Wexford coming west would surely see Galway crank up through the gears.
But what the home side served up yesterday will have left management and supporters concerned, even if the former declared that they expect noted improvement over the coming fortnight and before Galway make for Nowlan Park on June 9.
Backed by a strong wind in the opening half, the home side went back down the tunnel with a 0-10 to 0-4 interval lead. All told, it was a most deceptive advantage.
Galway had clocked four wides inside the opening seven minutes, not to mind Conor Cooney’s failure to punish a misplaced Mark Fanning restart with a green flag, and so while Micheál Donoghue’s charges should have hit far more than 10 points, Wexford had been even more wasteful, finishing the half with 10 wides.
In terms of work-rate, meanwhile, the Model County were out in front.
Into the second period and Galway’s energy levels quickly dropped into the red. There was no verve to Galway’s play, no vibrancy.
They were remarkably heavy of foot for late May.
This manifested itself in the hosts enduring a 17-minute barren spell, during which Wexford struck seven in a row to come from being 0-14 to 0-8 down to go 0-15 to 0-14 in front.
More damning still was that the Tribesmen managed just one point from play between the start of the second period and the 67th minute.
In total, they’d hit two second-half points from play, the second of which, supplied by Jason Flynn, appeared not to sail between the posts at all.
For a side harbouring All-Ireland ambitions, Galway, at this moment in time, are a considerable distance off the pace.
Canning’s free-taking expertise was sorely missed as Flynn and Niall Burke struggled with the dead ball. Of their six starting forwards, Conor Whelan, who contributed three points, is the sole player who can be in any way satisfied with his showing.
Such was their second-half decline, without even mentioning Cathal Dunbar’s failure to put away a gilt-edged injury-time goal chance, Micheál Donoghue didn’t need to be told how fortunate his side were to have bagged a draw.
Galway v Wexford Full-Time Highlights pic.twitter.com/OYexUyCaOP
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 26, 2019
“With 10 minutes to go, I’d have taken a draw. It was looking like Wexford were going to push on,” said the Galway boss.
“We probably had one or two chances towards the end where I thought we were harshly done by, for maybe one or two frees.
“With two home games starting off, you’d put massive work into getting four points on the board. We could very easily have been walking out of here with two points [overall on the board] and making the task harder.
"I have full faith and trust in these boys. We go away now and work hard for two weeks.”
Five points, you’d think, will be sufficient to have Galway sitting in the top three at the end of the round-robin series, but should Nowlan Park prove a fruitless sojourn, they then face into a final-day showdown away to Dublin needing to win.
The road ahead has started to take on a troublesome look.
Wexford, despite a wides tally of 16 (seven of which Lee Chin was responsible for), despite failing to raise a flag of any description until the 23rd minute, despite just one first-half point from play, and despite twice falling seven behind in the second period, will come to see this as a point lost rather than one gained.
What this second draw means is they’ll have to take something from Kilkenny’s visit in mid-June to progress.
Lee Chin (two frees), Rory O’Connor (0-2), Dunbar, Conor McDonald, and Shaun Murphy were on the mark between the 52nd and 64th minute to edge the Model County in front for the first time.
Two from the stick of Flynn shoved Galway back into the ascendency, but it was a short-lived lead as Liam Óg McGovern tied proceedings, watched by a crowd of 12,624, two minutes from the end of regulation time.
What played out during injury-time perfectly summed up the errant nature of this tie.
Galway sub Davy Glennon bore down on goal but was hooked at the vital moment.
Wexford ‘keeper Mark Fanning gathered possession, but inexplicably sent the sliotar straight to Conor Cooney.
He picked out Jason Flynn, who fumbled possession. Up the field swept Wexford, Jack O’Connor producing a fine fetch before sending Dunbar into the clear.
His goal shot, however, lacked the necessary power, enabling Colm Callanan to make the save.
Maybe, in the end, neither of them deserved the win.
Certainly, both have scope for marked improvement.
J Flynn (0-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘65), N Burke (0-4, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘65); C Whelan (0-3); C Cooney, C Mannion, David Burke (0-1 each).
L Chin (0-7, 0-6 frees, 0-1 ‘65); C Dunbar, R O’Connor (0-2 each); S Murphy, D O’Keeffe, A Nolan, C McDonald, L Óg McGovern (0-1 each).
C Callanan; P Mannion, D Burke, A Harte; S Loftus, G McInerney, J Cooney; J Coen, D Burke; J Flynn, N Burke, C Mannion; C Cooney, C Whelan, B Concannon.
J Glynn for N Burke (41 mins); K Hussey for J Coen (57); J Hanbury for J Cooney (60); D Glennon for Concannon (66).
M Fanning; S Donohue, D Reck, L Ryan; S Murphy, M O’Hanlon, P Foley; A Nolan, D O’Keeffe; R O’Connor, L Chin, K Foley; C Dunbar, L Óg McGovern, C McDonald.
P Morris for Nolan, J O’Connor for P Foley (both 49 mins).
J Murphy (Limerick).
