Galway 4-28

Waterford 3-23

John Fallon reports from Pearse Stadium

GALWAY GOT BACK to winning ways when they took control before half-time and eased their way to victory in a game where the goals and points flowed and nine players from each side scored.

Galway also shot 15 wides to eleven for Waterford in a game where the Tribesmen didn’t have a free in the second-half and with scores coming from way out the field by both sides.

Waterford led by seven points at one stage in the opening half but turned around trailing by 3-13 to 2-12 after Galway got on top in the second quarter after Cathal Mannion came out to midfield.

Galway opted to play against the wind and Waterford made the most of it initially with Calum Lyons superb at wing-back and the three Bennett brothers showing up well in attack.

Jack Prendergast gave them a perfect start when he found the net after two minutes after being put through by Shane Bennett and that helped them lead by 1-9 to 0-5 after 21 minutes.

Galway hit back with a goal from Adrian Tuohey after 24 minutes after a pass from Brian Concannon but then the three Bennetts combined with Shane supplying the finishing touch to the net with a drop shot seven minutes from the break and a point from Dessie Hutchinson pushed them 2-11 to 1-8 ahead.

But Galway finished the half strongly with Joe Canning blasting to the net after being set up by Cathal Mannion and Concannon three minutes from half-time.

And Concannon then found the net after Waterford goalkeeper Shaun O’Brien had done well to save from Conor Cooney to lead for the first time in the game before he quickly landed a point and Canning took his opening half haul to 1-6 to lead by four at the break.

Hutchinson blasted to the top right corner after a pass from Montgomery two minutes after the restart but the points kept coming from Galway through the likes of Canning, Cathal Mannion and Conor Whelan to lead by 3-22 to 3-16 after 53 minutes.

Efforts by Jack Prendergast and Dessie Hutchinson, who caused the Galway defence a lot of bother, either side of one from Evan Niland, reduced the margin to five points but that was as close as Waterford got.

Whelan disposed Austin Gleeson after a short puckout and Canning flicked the ball through for Concannon to get his second goal after 56 minutes as Shane O’Neill’s men eased to a facile win with sub Niland, who hit 14 pointed frees against Limerick, scoring four from play after coming on.

Scorers for Galway: Joe Canning 1-8 (0-4f, 0-1 sideline), Brian Concannon 2-2, Conor Whelan 0-6, Evan Niland 0-4, Adrian Tuohey 1-0, Conor Cooney 0-3, Cathal Mannion 0-2, Sean Loftus 0-2, Daithi Burke 0-1

Scorers for Waterford: Stephen Bennett 0-8 (6f, 1 ’65), Dessie Hutchinson 1-3, Calum Lyons 0-5, Jack Prendergast 1-2, Shane Bennett 1-1, Neil Montgomery 0-1, Jamie Barron 0-1, Kieran Bennett 0-1, Patrick Curran 0-1.

Galway

1. Eanna Murphy (Tommie Larkins)

2. Shane Cooney (St Thomas), 6. Gearoid McInerney (Oranmore-Maree), 4. Darren Morrissey (Sarsfields).

5. Padraic Mannion (Ahascragh-Fohenagh), 3. Daithi Burke (Turloughmore), 7. Fintan Burke (St Thomas).

8. Johnny Coen (Loughrea), 12. Sean Loftus (Turloughmore)

10. Adrian Tuohey (Beagh), 11. Cathal Mannion (Ahascragh-Fohenagh), 9. Joe Canning (Portumna)

13. Conor Whelan (Kinvara), 14. Conor Cooney (St Thomas), 15. Brian Concannon (Killimordaly)

Subs

22. Evan Niland (Clarinbridge) for Coen (30)

19. Aidan Harte (Gort) for S Cooney (35+3)

18. Jack Fitzpatrick (Killimordaly) for Harte (38)

21. Joseph Cooney (Sarsfields) for Tuohey (49)

17. TJ Brennan (Clarinbridge) for Burke (61)

20. Sean Linnane (Turloughmore) for Loftus (61)

23. Kevin Cooney (Sarsfields) for Canning (64)

26. Conor Walsh (Turloughmore) for Fitzpatrick (70+2)

Waterford

1. Shaun O’Brien (De la Salle)

4. Shane McNulty (De la Salle), 3. Conor Prunty (Abbeyside), 2. Conor Gleeson (Fourmilewater)

5. Colum Lyons (Ballyduff Lower), 6. Austin Gleeson (Mount Sion), 7. Seamus Keating (Ardmore)

8. Jamie Barron (Fourmilewater), 9 Jake Dillon (De la Salle)

10. Neil Montgomery (Abbeyside, 15. Jack Prendergast (Lismore), 12. Kieran Bennett (Ballysaggart)

13. Dessie Hutchinson (Ballygunner), 11. Shane Bennett (Ballysaggart), 14. Stephen Bennett (Ballysaggart)

Subs:

24. Jack Fagan (De la Salle) for Montgomery (50)

20. Darragh Lyons (Dungarvan) for Dillon (53)

21. Patrick Curran (Dungarvan) for S Bennett (53)

19. Kevin Moran (De la Salle) for Gleeson (58)

23. Billy Power (Clones) for K Bennett (58)

17. Shane Fives (Tourin) for Keating (67)

Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary).

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