Galway contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Kilkenny in Sunday's Leinster hurling final and Liam Sheedy believes a lack of consistency continues to be the Tribesmen’s biggest problem.
In a thrilling Croke Park encounter, Galway raced into an early lead only be reeled in and by half-time the sides were level.
The Tribesmen then dropped off the pace, allowing Kilkenny to build up an eight-point lead before a stirring comeback saw them lead the Cats by two points with seconds of the clock.
All of their good work was undone however as slack defending allowed Cillian Buckley the chance to steal victory with the last puck of the game.
For Sheedy, it’s a recurring theme with Galway and he believes that the biggest challenge now facing Henry Shefflin and his men is to find some consistency in their game.
Speaking on The Sunday Game, Sheedy said: "Galway came up just that little bit short again but they’re showing enough that for long periods of the game, they’re taking over.
"The went 0-06 to 0-01 up today, they clawed back eight points and went two points ahead, that’s a ten point turn around. But they’re not going to survive in the Championship if it’s fits and starts, they’ve got to find a level of consistency.
Some familiar problems came to the fore again for Galway against Kilkenny as once again, their defence left a lot to be desired. #TheSundayGame pic.twitter.com/QShzuSx0Mb
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 11, 2023
"They’ve now need to find it three games in a row and they need to find consistency in those games or else they won’t be getting to the last four.
"I think it’s a really, really difficult road. If Tipp’ beat Offaly, they will play Galway and that would be a humdinger. The winners of that have to face Limerick and then you have to try and get into the final and win the final.
"Galway certainly have certainly a tougher road to travel than if they were in the other side of the draw.
"My challenge to Galway all the time is putting those performances back-to-back and now they’ve got to find three of them in a row. Right now they’re not showing that level of consistency."
