Galway displayed maturity in dealing with the favourites’ tag as they put Dublin to the sword with a blitz of goals to capture the All-Ireland U-21 hurling crown at Croke Park on Sunday.

The Vincent Mullins-led management team were successful in ensuring that their charges, red-hot favourites after their thrilling win over Cork in the semi-finals, did not under-estimate the challenge of the Leinster champions.

Dublin, who defeated an Offaly side who had knocked out Kilkenny, displayed their worth with five points without reply at the start of the second quarter.

But by then the game had been decided as Galway, taking a leaf from Kilkenny’s book the previous week, built an unassailable lead in the early stages.

Conor Kavanagh, a goal-poacher of exciting promise, blasted home a brace and Sean Glynn added another for Galway to lead by 3-5 to 0-2 after just 14 minutes.

The game-plan was simple — long, quick balls into attack and as Dublin turned their attentions on Joe Canning, those around him plundered scores from all angles.

Any notion of that lead slipping was dispelled by the man-of-the-match performance of centre-back John Lee, while the massive puckouts of James Skehill ensured Dublin were always on the back foot once Galway got possession.
Dublin's defence got stronger as the first-half progressed and Paddy Curtin made an impressive save in the 15th-minute denying Glynn what would have been his second goal.

It was the midfield partnership of Alan McCrabbe and John McCaffrey which kept alive any hope for the Dubs, while Peadar Carton was also on target in a bright ten-minute spell during which they managed to hold Galway scoreless while tacking on five points themselves
But Galway quelled the rising with another burst before the break with Kerril Wade finishing superbly to give them a 4-6 to 0-8 lead.