The Limerick/Galway National Hurling League match last Sunday provided us
with the first real opportunity to see what impact (if any) the arrival of Ger Loughnane has been having on the Galway team.

The problems facing any manager of the Tribesmen are well-known: chronic internal divisions in the county's hurling set-up; players dropping in and out; a surfeit of skillful hurlers coughed up by the county's excellent under-age structures but a lack of real leaders on the field and of a decent central spine to the team. These problems have been exacerbated by managerial weaknesses: too much chopping and changing and an inability to instill either belief or focus (as reflected in inconsistency and a tendency to fall to pieces under pressure).

Loughnane, in theory, seems to have all the attributes which Galway require
to make the breakthrough: iron discipline; intolerance of softies; ability
to meld individuals into a collective unit greater than the sum of its parts; ability to instill focus and belief; complete control of the entire management setup. But would he be able to get through to the Galway hurlers? Would he be able to find or create leaders on the pitch? Would he be able to achieve what none of his recent predecessors have managed: a settled team?

The potentially great Galway team of the 1980s had almost everything: a
magnificent halfback line; the incomparable Joe Cooney; leadership and
ruthlessness in the fullback line (Conor Hayes and Sylvie Linnane); strength
and a cutting edge in the full forwards (Brendan Lynskey and Noel Lane); in
Pat Malone (like Gerry McInerney), a great big-day hurler; and plenty of skill around the fringes to round things off. What they lacked was a decent goalie and a competent manager.

Some people down west think Cyril Farrell is a God for delivering two All-Irelands. In An Moltóir's view, they should have won four or five. The big problem was the "jennet express" (with acknowledgements to Kevin Cashman) style of hurling favoured by Farrell which saw Galway forwards repeatedly running into cul-de-sacs, even in the wide-open spaces of Croke Park. We will,however, make an exception of 1989 when, it would seem, someone in the GAA corridors of power ordained that Tipperary had to win the All-Ireland at all costs. Aapart from the Tony Keady episode, just look at how many players were sent off playing against Tipp that year.

The first fifteen minutes last Sunday didn't augur well for the new Loughnane
era. Limerick hit the ground running, were first to the ball all over the
field, and showed some excellent skills in possession. An Moltóir considered two possibilities. Firstly, that Limerick had been concentrating on stickwork in training whereas Galway were still laying in the reserves of strength and stamina required for a long summer campaign. Secondly, that Limerick had been sharpened up by their tight game against Tipperary whereas Galway had it all their own way against Antrim.

It would appear that the second of these was more reflective of reality, as
Galway gradually got up to speed and, once they did, Limerick effectively were sunk. Loughnane showed his ruthlessness by whipping off David Tierney before half-time: the message was made clear - if you don't deliver, there are plenty of willing and - crucially - able replacements available.

Loughnane's tactical astuteness and stylistic imprint were both seen to
excellent effect in the second half. Richie Murray and Fergal Healy were
brought back to sweep behind the Galway halfbacks under the Limerick puckouts (of which there were many) and the ball was delivered quick and low into the forwards who, because of their small size and pace, were much more suited to playing against the wind than with it.

Without reading too much into an early March league game, there were several
positives to be taken out of this game as far as Galway are concerned. The
most obvious of these was the commitment and level of fitness displayed by
Eugene Cloonan. Here is an obvious leader (if Loughnane can keep a lid on
his temper) who has been poorly used by Galway over the years. David Collins also showed good leadership ability, and, on this display, one can readily understand his selection as captain. Richie Murray also impressed with a very effective performance from start to finish.

Loughnane is supposed to have done the rounds of Galway hurling experts seeking to identify the best centre half in the county and to have been told time and again that John Lee was his man. Well, Lee certainly made a good start to justifying the image with a strong performance in which he completely negatived Ollie Moran (and, by extension, the entire Limerick forward line).

On the downside, while Shane Kavanagh looked good on the ball, he doesn't seem either tight or tough enough for full back. Tony Óg Regan is another player who has skill and cutting edge in inverse proportion, and didn't seem to make any impact on the game. What Loughnane wouldn't do to get Ollie Canning back for the left corner. As for Joyce and Hayes on the right side of defence, you couldn't say much given the ineptitude of the players they were marking. Galway also have Derek Hardiman in reserve but Loughnane presumably is aware of his fundamental flaw: a good man to get possession but a terrible man to use it to effect.

Up front, it may have appeared that Ger Farragher was being hung out to dry
by being placed at centre forward. On the other hand, given his lack of pace, where else could you put him? And he does have an ability to hit the jackpot whenever he gets the ball in his hand. However, in An Moltóir's view he is not up to it, and one suspects that Loughnane thinks so too. However, he faces a big challenge in finding someone who is capable of performing consistently on the forty. Perhaps there is a Brendan Lynskey clone lying somewhere undetected in the Galway undergrowth who might fit the bill, as Galway do need a bit of brute force up front to create space for the likes of Damien Hayes and Kevin Broderick.

But whatever problems Loughnane faces, they pale into insignificance compared with the mountain Richie Bennis has before him. An AFR discussion thread is entitled "Same ol' Limerick" and that about says it all: good at the back, poor in midfield and woeful up front.

It was good to see Peter Lawlor back (even if patently unfit) and Denis Moloney certainly looked the part in the left corner until his unfortunate injury. Mark O'Riordan started well on the right wing but didn't sustain it as the Galway pressure grew. But once you move out of defence it is all sloggers, with the exception of Andrew O'Shaughnessy who, on last Sunday's evidence, is finally showing signs of realising his teenage promise. However, he is unlikely to score enough to win games on his own, and it is hard to see where the additional scores are going to come from.

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Limerick - They are what they are