Galway manager Tony Ward believes his side are primed for a big performance in Saturday’s Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland Under-21 hurling final against Waterford at Croke Park after their heroics against Dublin in the semi-finals.
The Westerners saw off Dublin in a dramatic extra-time victory in Thurles, eventually capitalising on the profligacy of their opponents, who registered 21 wides over the 80 minutes.
“We got a lucky break on the evening that Dublin had so many wides in the first half and we went in at half-time only three points down,” Wards conceded.
“I think it was really in the second half of that game that we were up to championship pace and got going.
“It was nip and tuck up to the finish, then, going into extra-time, our lads showed what kind of character they had and I think maybe on the evening we had a stronger bench.”
Ward attributed Galway’s sluggish start to the fact that the match was their first of the championship, and said: “It brings its own pressure when you’re going into your one and only game and it’s your first game of the year and it’s a championship game and you have to win it go any further.”
The prospect of joining the Leinster provincial competition would appeal to Galway, but Ward feared that Leinster counties would oppose the move.
“Maybe that what Leinster are afraid off, that it’s going to improve hurling in Galway,” he mused.
“It’s not going to do any harm to it, especially when the senior and intermediate teams are in there.
“I think it’s no harm having the under-21 and minor teams in there as well.
“A lot of these under-21s will have played Wexford in an intermediate semi-final, so why not have the whole lot there?”
‘Intensity’ seems to be the buzzword du jour in hurling circles, and Ward believes his charges have it in spades.
“A word that was talked about an awful lot leading up to last Sundays All-Ireland final was ‘intensity’,” he said.
“And our lads brought it, especially in extra-time
“They just broke Dublin hearts.”
