| Galway put a struggling Leitrim to
the sword Galway 3-25
Antrim 0-12
National Hurling League, Division 1BGer Loughnane’s return to intercounty
management was always going to be eventful with the Canning brothers departing
the Galway panel and the Cloonans returning. But the first match of the
Loughnane era in Galway proved to be curiously uninteresting with Antrim
providing little resistance.
A large crowd turned out at Salthill to watch the dawn of a fresh era in
Galway hurling. They got what they wanted a comfortable win and some tidy
hurling but will have learnt little about their team’s prospects for
the season ahead.
There was as always some lovely fast hurling but basic errors and lack of
concentration accompanied it and some points from the top drawer were matched
by as many instances of the over-elaborate build-up play which has cursed
Galway hurling for the past decade.
In that time Eugene Cloonan and Kevin Broderick have gone from being the
young starlets to elder statesmen and they were once again to the fore on
Sunday with Broderick’s 10th-minute goal setting Galway on their way.
David Tierney waltzed through the Antrim defence for the Tribesmen’s
second goal and Eugene Cloonan’s second-half strike completed the
rout.
Antrim were poor and will struggle to win many matches against top tier
hurling teams in 2007.
Speaking after the match Loughnane said that the area which was causing
him most concern was the defence.
He said: “It was a nervous start from everyone, and we made some terrible
errors at the back but a win is a win. That’s the first match out
of the way and while you don’t eliminate faults in one game at least
we are on the right road.”
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