McGrath: Galway’s problems run deeper than any red card

Shane McGrath says that Galway can’t pin Sunday’s defeat to Dublin on David Burke’s red card.

The Tribesmen exited the championship at the hands of the Sky Blues for the second time in six seasons yesterday following a six-point defeat at Pearse Stadium.

Burke was sent off for a late, high challenge on Fergal Whitely with the decision by referee Colm Lyons splitting opinion all over the country.

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RTÉ GAA panelists Jackie Tyrrell and Donál Óg Cusack saw it differently, while managers Micheál Donoghue and Henry Shefflin came down on opposite sides on what colour the card should have been.

McGrath says that Galway would have been struggling to get a result even with 15 men on the field.

“In real time I said to [commentator] Liam Aherne that David Burke was going to be in trouble,” he said on the latest RTÉ GAA Podcast.

“When you look back on the replays we can all see that a yellow would have done. Burke, who is one of Galway’s greatest hurlers, gave Lyons a decision to make that he didn’t need to. In real time I though it was a red too.

“Galway’s problems don’t lie with David Burke getting sent off yesterday. They lie much earlier in this round robin and even in the league.”

The Tribesmen had a rough Leinster campaign with a battling draw against Kilkenny the highlight. They managed victories against Carlow and Antrim but suffered a first championship reversal against Wexford since 1996.

With a place in the provincial final on the line yesterday, McGrath says it was a case of being outthought by Dublin on the field at Salthill.

“They didn’t see to have any structure of play” he continued.

“Yesterday, with the wind, there was nobody inside of 50 yards of the goal. Jason Flynn was in there sometimes on his own. Evan Niland was way out the field and he took two shots from inside his own 45.

“Conor Cooney could have had seven points from play in the first half but I’ve it written down that he had three. He had to come way out.

“What Dublin did very well with the wind was that there was always three guys inside there. They had an extra guy to work through the lines but they could hit the space if they needed to.

“Dara Purcell and Ronan Hayes would stay in there and Dónal Burke would come in and out. They had a better structure and they used the wind better.

“Galway scored 1-01 from play into the wind, Dublin scored 2-10 from play into the wind; they used the ball way better. For Galway it was just we’ll hope it goes in there and something happens.

“It was hit and hope more so than anything.

“Overall, if David Burke stays on the field, do I feel Dublin would have won this match? I honestly do.

“The way they worked the ball, Brian Hayes cutting straight down the middle… there’s a lot of questions for Galway.

“The players that they have, is there changes needed? There probably is from being there yesterday and watching them. They seemed void of ideas and structure; they didn’t have that buzz about them.

“They’ll have a long winter to think about all these things.”

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