Leinster SHC final: terrific Tribe too hot for Model men

July 02, 2017

Wexford's Shaun Murphy with Galway's Conor Cooney

High-scoring Galway collected their second Leinster senior hurling title when beating Wexford by 0-29 to 1-17 at Croke Park.

With a record crowd for a provincial hurling final - 60,032 - in attendance - Conor Cooney (0-8), Joe Canning (0-10) and Joseph Cooney (0-5) were the scorers-in-chief for the well-drilled winners, who bridged the gap to their 2012 Leinster win by adding the Bob O'Keeffe Cup to the league crown captured earlier this year.

Micheal Donoghue's men are now through to an All-Ireland semi-final on August 6th and will be hoping to add a third major trophy to their 2017 haul in September. Having amassed an amazing aggregate score of 2-90 in three games en route to Leinster glory, they are clearly the team to beat.

Davy Fitzgerald's charges, meanwhile, must shake themselves down for an All-Ireland quarter-final date with a Round Two Qualifier winner on July 23rd.

The sides were level seven times during a hard-fought opening period but Galway reeled off the last three points to claim a 0-14 to 0-11 interval lead, which would not be relinquished. Wexford had been excellent in the first half - with four of their points coming from defenders - but five converted Canning frees and four superb Conor Cooney scores from play left them chasing the game.

With the winners in all-white and Wexford donning yellow jerseys and purple shorts, it was the westerners who struck first via Conor Cooney inside 30 seconds and Canning arrowed over a free from the right wing in the third minute before Paul Morris opened the Slaneysiders' account.

Mark Fanning did well to deal with a dangerously-dropping Conor Cooney shot before wing back Padraic Mannion and Conor McDonald traded points; the latter's excellent free from the right wing had the sides level for the first time on eleven minutes, 0-3 each.

Diarmuid O'Keeffe got forward to reply to Conor Cooney's classy catch and finish and centre back Matthew O'Hanlon did likewise after the Galway full forward registered his third. On 17 minutes, McDonald tied the scores up for the fourth time, 0-6 apiece, cancelling out a second Canning free; the Model County moved ahead for the first time in the 19th minute when Lee Chin nonchalantly drilled over a long-range free from the left.

Jack O'Connor doubled the gap and Morris traded scores with Joseph Cooney before David Burke and Canning (free) made it 0-9 each. O'Hanlon's second had the underdogs back ahead with ten minutes left before the break; corner back Willie Devereux restored their lead after Canning had nailed his fourth free.

Conor Cooney's fourth wonderful point of the day made it eleven apiece with half an hour played and a Canning free on 33 minutes edged the Tribesmen back in front and the No.11 closed the first-half scoring from a 40th-minute free after Joseph Cooney had supplied the winners' 13th point.

Wexford were awarded a 40th-minute penalty when Aidan Nolan was fouled as he bore down on the Galway goal but Colm Callanan dived down brilliantly to his left to push out McDonald's scuffed low drive. Chin converted the resultant '65' but Canning replied from a Galway '65' as the gap stayed at three points with the game yet to catch fire.

Conor Cooney's fifth point made it 0-16 to 0-12 in the 43rd minute and Canning drilled over another free to stretch the gap, with some of the Wexford tackling leaving a lot to be desired. Niall Burke and Joseph Cooney tacked on two more points as the westerners started to stretch their legs. And it was game over by the 50th minute when Joseph Cooney slotted his fourth point after Cooney converted a superb free from 80 metres - 0-21 to 0-12.

The Tribesmen had registered seven unanswered points to lead by nine but the Model County refused to give up and they roared back into the game in the 52nd minute when O'Keeffe netted from close range after great work from Jack Guiney; the goal was bookended by points from Chin and McDonald (free) to leave four between them but Conor Cooney was on hand to make it 0-22 to 1-14 with 14 minutes remaining.

With Canning nursing a wrist injury, Conor Cooney's seventh point came from a free but the No.11 made a temporary recovery to brilliantly scope over a sideline cut from 40 metres out on the left. Canning's tenth point was followed by Conor Cooney's eighth as the gap went back out to eight points with an hour played.

Niall Burke teased over a sumptuous point and Joseph Cooney nonchalantly replied to a McDonnell free before Model County U21 star Cathal Dunbar swapped points with fellow substitute Shane Maloney. Substitute Thomas Monaghan added to the winning tally in injury time and Chin (free) closed the scoring as the high-scoring Tribe won by nine.

Galway - C Callanan; A Tuohy, Daithi Burke, A Harte; P Mannion (0-1), G McInerney, J Hanbury; J Coen, David Burke (0-1); J Cooney (0-5), J Canning (0-10, 8f, 1'65, 1sl), J Flynn; C Whelan, C Cooney (0-8, 1f), N Burke (0-2). Subs: T Monaghan (0-1) for J Flynn, S Maloney (0-1) for J Canning, G Lally for J Cooney, S Loftus for P Mannion.

Wexford - M Fanning; L Ryan, W Devereux (0-1), J Breen; S Donohoe, M O'Hanlon (0-2), D O'Keeffe (1-1); L Chin (0-4, 2f, 1'65), J O'Connor (0-1); P Morris (0-2), A Nolan, C McDonald (0-5, 3f); S Murphy, J Guiney, H Kehoe. Subs: D Redmond for J O'Connor, E Moore for S Donohoe, C Dunbar (0-1) for H Kehoe, S Tomkins for A Nolan.

Referee - C Lyons.


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