Galway 6-21
Antrim 1-10

Teenage prodigy Joe Canning contributed handsomely on his championship debut to put Galway totally in control as Ger Loughanen's men opened their campaign with a facile win in Casement Park on Saturday.

While the game ended up very one sided at the end, the men from the Glens did put up a fair battle in the opening half, getting the first score before Galway quickly established their authority on the game and raced into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead with Alan Kerins and Cyril Donnellan getting the opening scores before Joe Canning slotted over four in a row.

STAR MAN . . . Galway star Joe Canning who produced a stunning performance on his championship debut against Antrim in Casement Park on Saturday. Photo: Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile

However with Antrim management using a tactical ploy of a two man full forward line, as Antrim added strength to their defence by dropping corner forward Paul Shiels into their rearguard bringing Damien Joyce outfield, and that tactic looked to be paying dividends as Fergal Moore and Ollie Canning were bothered by high ball into attack.

The northeren side replied through points from Karl McKeegan, Michael Herron and Karl Stewart before Michael Magill crashed the ball to the Galway net to level the match at 1-7 0-10, with Donal McNaughton adding three further points to suggest a major shock. But then enter Joe Canning.

The young Portumna star had the game turned on its head by half time when he struck a brace of Galway goals. The first goal from the teenage prodigy came when the Portumna star blasted a 20-metre free to the Antrim net after Eugene Cloonan was fouled and just before the break Canning rifled a blistering effort past a helpless.

Two minutes before the break, Alan Kerins delivered a quality ball to the path of Canning and the teenager rattled the Antrim net from an acute angle. .

When the half time whistle sounded Galway had taken control of the game when Ger Loughnane's side led by 2-13 to 1-8 and by the time Joe Canning set up Damien Hayes who rattled the ball to the net again minutes into that second period, the Galway side led by 3-17 to 1-8 and it was a case of game over.

The second half was a non event and Karl McKeegan had Antrim's only two points of the second period. Worse for Antrim when Michael McCambridge was sent-off, leaving the Ulster side with just fourteen players in the closing stages of the game. McCambridge was red-carded for appearent striking. Kerins added a Galway goal and following the introduction of Kerril Wade, the Sarsfields player added a brace of goals to leave Antrim shattered. Joe Canning had Galway's and the game's final score, to leave the Portumna star with a personal tally of 2-6 on his championship debut.

Antrim: R McGarry; A Graffin, J McKeague, M Kettle; C Herron, K McKeegan (0-2, 0-1fr), J Campbell; K Stewart (0-2), M Magill (1-0); M Herron (0-2), E McCloskey, D McNaughton (0-4, frs); P Richmond, C Donnelly, P Shiels.
Subs: M McCambridge for Kettle, PJ O'Connell for D McNaughton, S McNaughton for Stewart, S McCrory for Magill.

Galway: J Skehill; D Joyce (0-1), F Moore, O Canning; S Kavanagh, J Lee, D Forde; A Cullinane (0-2), F Healy (0-2); A Kerins (1-1), C Donnellan (0-3), I Tannian (0-3); D Hayes (1-2), E Cloonan (0-1), J Canning (2-6, 1-2frs).
Subs: N Healy for Forde, A Callanan for Tannian, K Wade (2-0) for Cloonan, C Callanan for Skehill, M Kerins for Donnellan.

Referee: J Ryan (Tipperary).

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