Dublin hurler Chris Cummey believes Galway’s greater firepower will ensure they beat Kilkenny in their Leinster hurling final replay.
The Tribesmen and the Cats meet in Thurles on Sunday after drawing their initial game at Croke Park 0-18 apiece.
All-Ireland champions Galway led by two points going into injury-time before a sideline miss by Joe Canning allowed Kilkenny to rescue a replay thanks to points from Enda Morrissey and TJ Reid.
But Cummey expects Galway to show a more clinical side to their finishing when the two sides meet again on Sunday.
“Kilkenny have a brilliant record in replays – I think they’ve won five out of the last six,” Cummey said.
“I can maybe see Colin Fennelly coming in at full-forward and Walter Walsh at wing-forward. People are saying Galway have so much to improve on but I think Kilkenny are going to improve massively as well.
“I still think it will be very hard to keep those Galway forwards quiet again; the likes of Conor Whelan, Joe Canning and Conor Cooney. To keep them three quiet for two weeks in a row would be a tough thing to do.
“I think Galway still have that little more firepower and get scores that bit easier – and I just see them edging it.”
Kilkenny have a distinct lack of consistent scorers and rely heavily on the performance of TJ Reid. And Cummey feels the Cats’ experience will be vital to securing a win over Galway.
“The massive thing is TJ Reid’s accuracy from place-balls becasue he rarely misses,” Cummey added.
“Eoin Murphy as well can score killer blows from 100-yards. It’s very hard if you’re not creating or converting your chances and your frees, it’s very hard to pull away from Galway.
“If Kilkenny are there or thereabouts with five or 10 minutes to go, they have the experience to close out the game.”
James Hopper
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
