Galway yet to peak, says Fahey

GARY FAHEY always felt this was going to be a defining year for Galway. For players like himself, with two All-Ireland medals safely tucked away, this was a year to prove could they still do it. Last year’s disappointing performance against Kerry left a sour taste.

There were changes over the winter. Nothing wholesale mind, just enough to inject older legs with renewed enthusiasm. Some of the All-Ireland U21 winning team joined the panel and their high after roasting Dublin contrasted sharply with the feelings left by the Kerry defeat. Brian O’Donoghue got a regular place standing directly behind Fahey.

The championship was around the corner and smart money, again, was going on Galway. A safe, solid bet because they will never be far away. Yet, some punters remain uncertain about Galway as they arrive in Croker for Monday’s clash with Donegal. Their habit this summer has been to just do enough. Their experience and that extra bit of class they hold over most teams has pulled them through against Roscommon and Mayo.

“We haven’t played as well as we can yet this summer,” the full-back says. “Our best game was against Roscommon, probably. I mean, we did enough against Mayo, but then Mayo were disappointing against Fermanagh and that is the yard-stick we have to measure ourselves against.”

Having been around the block more than most (and having to deal with being among the three most favoured teams to win Sam, no matter what their form), they take to talking themselves down in Galway. Their manager is a master of it, as are most of the older players, such as Fahey. But, this summer, at least, there is substance.

Although Galway were always in control of the Connacht final, they still took some time before putting Mayo away. So far, the summer has been a slow-burner for Galway. Perhaps, Monday and a big game in Croke Park is just what they need to blow the cob-webs off this campaign. “Well, one thing is for certain. We will need to improve. The standard is rising from here on in. It’s a different story now, Croke Park,” Fahey says.

Despite a second successive season reaching the last eight, Donegal are perceived as one of the softer touches at this stage. While they boast one of the most dangerous and effective inside-forward lines, a defence that conceded 2-10 against Down is considered too porous to make a serious dent as the road gets narrower.

Galway’s value for Monday rises further when you take into account a recent challenge in Sligo, when the Connacht champions ran out eight-point winners. However, Fahey remembers 2001, the season he hoisted Sam above his head. A couple of weeks before Galway beat Armagh by a point in that nail-biter of a qualifier in Croker, Armagh beat them in a challenge game.

“I don’t know if winning challenge games are a good indicator. A couple of weeks before our qualifier in 2001, Armagh hockeyed us, really hockeyed us, and then we managed to hang on in Croke Park. So that might suit Donegal.”

What will suit both full-forward lines is the wide berth Croker gives you. Fahey knows he is looking at an afternoon with speedy forwards.

“As the years get on, you notice it is the pace that is the hardest to deal with and Donegal have one of the paciest full-forward lines in the country in Devanney and Sweeney. I would trade a fair bit of my experience for a bit of pace at this stage of my career. Experience doesn’t make you run any faster.

“Devanney and Sweeney are like Canavan and Mulligan. When the ball is played into their hands, they are very hard to deal with. They work so well together, look what they did to Dublin last year in the first game. And there is pace throughout the Donegal attack, Roper and Micheal Hegarty can run too. I think we will have to score a lot to win the game.”

Another factor in Donegal’s favour is the extra match sharpness. Galway have been in cold storage for the past month, a fact that troubles John O’Mahony and which must make one wonder is their any advantage to winning the provincial title these days, apart from the glory of course. Fahey isn’t unduly worried, though.

“We have trained well over the last couple of weeks, we know what happened last year. Most teams have played a game since we won the Connacht final, so it might be a bit of a disadvantage. But it has only been four weeks since the Mayo game, so it hasn’t been as long a break as last year.”

But, Galway have been edging to get back to Croke Park since Kerry de-throned them this time last year. In fairness, nobody doubted they would make it.

And there are some in the Galway team who want to prove it to themselves one more time.

“I think the way we lost to Kerry last year, we were so disappointing, most people wanted to go back and see could we re-capture the form of the other years, could we be as good as ’98 and 2001. We felt this might be a defining year, to see whether we could do it again, see if it was in the body and the legs. It was nice to win the Connacht final, but Donegal is going to be a much bigger game.”

*ROSCOMMON official Gerry Kinneavy will referee Sunday’s All-Ireland football quarter final between Armagh and Laois at Croke Park.

Pat McEnaney will handle Tyrone and Fermanagh on Sunday. Cork’s Micheal Collins will referee the Galway-Donegal clash at headquarters on Monday, while the Kerry-Roscommon quarter final is the responsibility of Michael Monahan (Kildare).