Shane Dowling has questioned Galway’s tactical approach after their sound defeat to Limerick in Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final.

2026 has been a bright year for Galway, who won a Leinster title for the first time since 2018 in comprehensive fashion against Dublin last month.

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That victory, coupled with the mega All-Ireland semi-final win against Cork earlier this month, had many fans dreaming that Liam MacCarthy might be going west for the first time in nine years.

However, the Tribesmen were in for a rude awakening at GAA HQ on Sunday, as John Kiely’s Limerick opened up Micheál Donoghue’s Galway side.

In truth, Galway were never really in the game, with Limerick keeping them at arm’s length throughout the first-half before opening up a gap at the beginning of the second. By full-time, the margin was 11.

Darach Fahy and the Galway full-back line had their hands full all afternoon, while there was little joy for any of the full-forward line inside at the other end of the pitch.

The failure to effectively get the full forwards into the game was damning, said Shane Dowling on The Sunday Game.

Dowling questions Galway

Speaking on The Sunday Game, Limerick great Shane Dowling said that Micheál Donoghue may be left questioning whether his tactics left Galway’s key man isolated in the All-Ireland final.

Despite giving Galway praise for getting this far, Dowling admitted he was unimpressed with how they utilised Jason Rabbittee in Sunday’s final.

I’ve probably been the most critical of the Galway setup over the last couple of weeks, the way they play with just Jason Rabbitte up top.

I always thought, when they came up against this, I didn’t know where the answers were going to come from. I mean, they had eight points at half-time. They got a penalty with the last puck of game, if that didn’t happen was it 14 points they’d have been beaten by?

I think Micheál Donoghue deserves massive credit for getting Galway to win a Leinster final, for bringing them from where they came from. I’m just not sure that you can play with one man in 60 yards towards the Limerick goal.

And I have to say, Jason Rabbitte deserves some credit…he still did well [today], he kept them in the game. But, as soon as that was nullified, they went with the running game and just got turned over.

I’d say it’s food for thought, maybe to go back and see, ‘Is this something we can work with this year?’ It worked – somewhat – for Micheál this year, maybe up until the biggest day of all. I’m not sure that that’s going to work.

He may be on to something here.

Jason Rabbitte has been an exceptional player for Galway this year, but even casual GAA fans would have been able to see that the Galway man was isolated any time the ball came to him on Sunday.

Few would have tipped Galway for victory ahead of throw-in, but this may be one call Micheál Donoghue is left to rue.