By Cian O’Connell

There was drama, the goals flowed, and ultimately Galway were left standing with the most prized scalp taken.

Kilkenny were defeated 5-18 to 4-18 following a gripping encounter featuring a typically defiant Cats comeback which ultimately wasn’t sufficient.

That was chiefly because Galway had a potent forward line, who delivered when it truly counted. Niall Healy’s underage promise turned to senior delivery with a hat-trick of goals, while the sweet striking Ger Farragher nailed 2-9.

It was that sort of afternoon for the maroon and white team, who generated momentum when finishing strongly to defeat Tipperary at the quarter-final stage.

A decade and a half later manager Conor Hayes acknowledges the significance of the Tipperary triumph. “I think the lads were really up for it, the Tipperary game was the one that pulled them together, it gave them that bit of extra confidence, I suppose, more than anything else to take Kilkenny on,” Hayes told GAA.ie.

“If you had told me that Kilkenny were going to score 4-18 against us I'd have said forget about it, we aren't going to win this game. To be fair it was an amazing game, a rare game that took on a life of its own. It was difficult to follow at times to be honest.”

Ultimately, Galway cleansed a demoralising 2004 loss to Kilkenny at Semple Stadium from the system.

“We had got hammered the year before,” Hayes remarks about the feeling entering the 2005 encounter. “It was an ominous enough type of a game from that point of view, we didn't want to get the same again. I think the lads had it in them.

“The end of the Tipperary game was tight enough, we dug out a result that day and kept it going from there. I think the lads had a tough campaign. We had a tough day against Limerick in Limerick, then we got a bit of momentum.

“It was a topsy turvy and open game. Going from the start of the game when we conceded two goals early on, it looked like we were going to get a bit of a trimming again, but the lads settled into it.

“We were outstanding up front, our full forward line was outstanding. Our two midfielders hurled their best games ever, David Tierney and Fergal Healy. Kilkenny came back at us near the end, they gave us a real fright. They showed signs even at that stage.

“People had been saying they were finished, but they weren't, they came back at the end. They ran us very close. It was such a high scoring game. It was one of those games where we just went toe to toe with them, we decided we are going to have to hurl ye, to beat ye. It worked out for us on the day.”

A year previously Galway had suffered against Kilkenny, who responded to their Leinster semi-final loss to Wexford in ruthless fashion. Brian Cody had the striped team pumped and Galway couldn’t cope. “It was certainly their best performance that year,” Hayes reflects.

“They had been beaten in Leinster by Wexford, so they had a bit of a point to prove. Not making excuses, but our preparation for that game was one game against Down.

“Compared to what the lads are doing now with the round robin there is no comparison. Then you had to go into play a team like Kilkenny, who in fairness to them were the top team of that era.

“You can make excuses, but if you compare 2004 to 2005, the few tough games we had against Limerick and Tipperary stood to us going into play Kilkenny in an All Ireland semi-final. Definitely the games do help and give you that confidence and momentum, especially when you do have to dig it out, to win a hard game.”

It is exactly what Galway achieved in 2005 at GAA headquarters when Healy and Farragher caused Kilkenny bother.

“The funny thing about Niall Healy, when you look back on it you always have these stories, but he was taken off against Tipperary,” Hayes recalls.

“I remember talking to him afterwards and he was a bit down about it. I said to him don't be down, we haven't started picking the team for the semi-final yet. There would be another day out. He said if you want me to play full forward I will play anywhere.

“That was his belief, he had a great attitude like that, in fairness to him. I said if you are going to be playing it will be in full forward and I knew by him that he had an attitude that things were going to go right. It didn't go right for him early on, but in the second half he absolutely opened up.

“He was on fire, Farragher was on fire, and to be fair to Damien Hayes we had a full forward line that if you got enough ball into they'd score and stay scoring. It was great.”

Much has altered in the manner teams approach games during the intervening period, but Hayes stresses the value Galway placed on sheer skill.

“We did a bit of changing around in the backs with a bit of man marking,” Hayes states. Tony Óg (Regan) went back on Henry Shefflin, Ollie went on DJ, Damien Joyce started on Eddie Brennan, and Eddie got a goal early on and we then switched over Shane Kavanagh,” Hayes reflects.

“It just seemed to settle down, all of those lads played well. The way it was at the time a lot of the players were brought up as individual players, so it could be difficult enough to gel them as a team.

“The one thing about them was that they had immense skill. It was difficult enough to almost constrain them into a game plan where you'd do this and you don't do anything else.

“Some of these fellas the likes of David Tierney, Niall Healy, Alan Kerins, Richie Murray, Alan Kerins, David Forde, all of these lads were very good hurlers. We went there to some extent to let it rip.”

In the build up Hayes acknowledges the talk swirled about adopting different systems of play, but the gut instinct was to thunder into the contest.

“People were saying to me you are going to have to play a sweeper against Kilkenny, to stop them scoring,” Hayes adds. “No matter what way you play Kilkenny, I felt you had to be able to hurl them. You were still going to have to give a performance of hurling.

“Otherwise you weren't going to be able to beat them. They were a big physical team, they were very skilful. No matter what way you played them, it had to come back to playing hurling against them.

“We did and to an extent we let it rip, but if you watch the clearances from the likes of (David) Collins and Derek Hardiman, most of that was crafty ball right up into the full forward line, to try to open up that Kilkenny defence. If you look at the half forward line there was an element that once they got the ball, they would take on their man, to try to push them back.

“We had an idea that Tommy Walsh might be playing in the half back line that day, we were going to try to keep him pushed back because he was a really attacking player. It turned out he was midfield and David and Fergal had outstanding games. Some things work for you, some things don't.”

That goal laden day on Jones Road demonstrated Galway’s cocktail of craft and graft.