Conor Whelan
Galway are hopeful that Conor Whelan will be fit to play in Saturday’s Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U-21 Hurling Final.
The senior star injured his shoulder in the All-Ireland U-21 Semi-Final against Dublin, but has returned to training and will undergo a fitness test this evening.
“It's a race against time really with Conor,” says Galway manager Tony Ward. “His recuperation has come on well, he's doing well, we're hoping, fingers crossed. It wasn't dislocated, it was just damaged.
“He probably did most of the damage by staying on that evening. Look he's a tough cookie Conor.”
Whelan is one of just three senior inter-county players ins this Galway panel and a key figure in their attack.
Team-captain Brian Molloy admits he’d be a big loss were they forced to do without him.
“He was at training during the week, we’d hope he’ll be fully right come the weekend,” says Molloy. “He’s a serious hurler and a massive part of our team.”
After Whelan was forced off against Dublin, it was Molloy himself who more than any other player drove the Tribesmen to victory.
He scored 10 points in their extra-time victory, four of them from play, and his dead-ball expertise in the second period of extra-time ultimately proved decisive.
“I got a few frees near the end but we have three or four exceptional free-takers who probably would have scored them as well. I was just the lucky one who got to take them I suppose.
“We worked well together the last day, as the game grew on we got more used to hurling with each other. It was my first time hurling with a lot of lads there, especially the lads only after coming out of minor like Sean Loftus, Tom Monaghan. The extra-time was great because we got to see the character in our team.”
Galway star Brian Molloy.
That match should bring Galway on considering it was their first of the campaign, but they still go into Saturday’s match as massive underdogs against a star-studded Waterford team that includes 12 senior inter-county players.
“Whether we’re favourites or whether we’re not we’re still going to prepare the same way, we’ve put in two and a half weeks of good training there now,” says Molloy.
“I know everyone’s talking about the Waterford team but they’re right to because we seen what they’re doing with the seniors and they’re well deserved to be favourites for this game and they’ve come through two tough games in Munster so we know what we’re up against and we know we’re going to have to at our best to be in this game the next day.”
Saturday’s U-21 Final is a repeat of the All-Ireland Minor Final from three years ago when Waterford were convincing enough winners.
“Yeah, seven points. I remember we were lucky it was seven points because they could have bet us 20 points that day, they just hurled us up a stick all over the field. I think we were level with 15 to go and then they just completely took over, they destroyed us the last 15 minutes.
“I think everyone knows what they’re capable of, they’ve so many well-known hurlers on the senior stage so we know what they’re capable but things have changed over the last three years as well, some lads might have got sower, college might have affected some lads but like that’s the way things go, we’re just going to prepare as well as we can.”
