Galway 2-31 Antrim 1-9:Galway manager Ger Loughnane wants his side's All-Ireland clash with champions Kilkenny to be played at Croke Park next Sunday and says to play it elsewhere would be "outrageous".
Galway, after a poor start, revelled in the open spaces of Pearse Stadium on Saturday in front of a crowd of less than 4,000 which included Kilkenny manager Brian Cody.
"This is an All-Ireland quarter-final. It is totally demeaning the whole All-Ireland competition if the quarter-final isn't played in Croke Park," said Loughnane.
"What the hell is Croke Park for if it isn't for games like these? It would be absolutely outrageous if we weren't playing in Croke Park.
"I know that is almost a home game for Kilkenny but players from Galway deserve to have their quarter-final played in Croke Park.
"After all the quarter-finals of the football will be in Croke Park so why not the quarter-finals of the hurling championship. Does finance dictate everything," said Loughnane.
For a time on Saturday it looked as if a venue would be the least of Galway's problems as Antrim looked like setting up one of the biggest shocks in GAA history.
Antrim took the game to Galway and were full value for their 1-4 to 0-1 lead at the end of the first quarter and should have been further ahead.
However, Galway recovered and, after a goal from Damian Hayes reduced the deficit to a point, Antrim's hopes suffered a serious blow when full forward Kieran Kelly was sent off for lashing out at Galway full back Ger Mahon.
Galway stepped up a gear after that and in the lead up to half-time Loughnane's men outscored Antrim by seven points to one to lead by 1-10 to 1-5 at the break.
They were even more ruthless after the restart, winning the second-half by 1-21 to 0-4.
Alan Kerins shot eight points from play, four in either half and Iarla Tannian and Niall Healy picked off four each. Kerrill Wade landed 11 points, seven from placed balls, as the Galway attack went into overdrive.
Only three Antrim players managed to score and they could only muster one point from play over the 70 minutes despite all their first-half possession.
The industrious Kevin Broderick got Galway's second goal seven minutes from time but by then all thoughts had turned to the quarter-final showdown.
GALWAY: C Callanan; G Kennedy, G Mahon, F Moore; D Hardiman, J Lee, D Tierney; D Collins, D Hayes (1-0); A Kerins (0-8), M Kerins, I Tannian (0-4); N Healy (0-4), K Broderick (1-2), K Wade (0-11, six frees, one 65). Subs: F Healy (0-1) for Tierney (28 mins), S Kavanagh for Hardiman (41 mins), A Callanan (0-1) for M Kerins (44 mins), K Burke for Hayes (52 mins), R Murray for A Kerins (62 mins).
ANTRIM: R McGarry; A Griffin, M Kettle, S Delargy; M McCambridge, J Campbell, C Herron; K McKeegan (0-6, five frees, one 65), B Herron; P McGill (0-3, two frees), N McManus, M Herron; K Stewart, K Kelly (1-0), P Shields. Subs: S McCrory for B Herron (48 mins), B McFall for C Herron (55 mins), B Delargy for McGill (59 mins).
Referee: D Richardson (Limerick).
