Fun factor keeps Meehan chasing third All-Ireland

DECLAN MEEHAN has won almost every major honour in his 10 years on the Galway panel, but the 30-year old defender has no intention of calling time on his involvement any time soon.

A panel member during the memorable All-Ireland winning season of 1998, the Caltra man was a key component in the team that claimed the title again three years later. Add in five Connacht medals and further county, provincial and All-Ireland success with the club and no-one would blame him for leaving the table and cashing his chips.

The question is, why keep going?

“Enjoyment, number one. The enjoyment of playing in another Connacht final and maybe getting another run out in Croke Park. I still feel there’s medals to be won and you want to get the best out of yourself.”

Increasingly a young man’s game it may be, but Meehan still feels the older brigade in Galway, including himself, Michael Donnellan and Paul Clancy, have something to offer the next generation.

A younger set, spearheaded by his younger brother Michael and Sean Armstrong, are beginning to make the team their own but Meehan is quick to point out that the team isn’t a mixed bag of grizzled veterans and green-eared youth.

“There’s quite a lot of competition (for places) but even the younger lads on the Galway team have tasted quite a lot of success over the last few years with the U21s winning the All-Ireland, so there’s quite a bit of experience throughout the team.”

Considering the talent Galway have routinely been able to filter into their starting 15, their record since that last All-Ireland title five years ago is far from flattering. Three Connacht titles have been added to the honours since but national success has eluded them, with two NFL final defeats to Kerry the closest they have come.

Predicting that run of results would have been difficult in 2001 when they had just won a second Sam Maguire in four seasons but Meehan points to some extenuating circumstances.

“Those (All-Irelands) came in a three-year spell but when you lose people like Kevin Walsh, Sean Óg de Paor, Sean Ó Domhnaill and Tomás Mannion off the first team, and a few more, they will be hard to replace.

“The likes of those guys don’t come along every year. Our goal this year was to get past the quarter-final, whether it’s through the back door or the front door, and see where it goes from there.”

Beating Mayo in Sunday’s Connacht final would leave them just 70 minutes from their minimum goal for the summer. A mouthwatering fixture at the best of times, the game has been given some added spice by Mayo trainer John Morrison’s criticism of Galway’s tactics in the wake of the sides’ league semi-final clash earlier this year.

Peter Forde played down Morrison’s outburst earlier this week and Meehan went along with his manager’s.

“I don’t think there was anything huge in it. I expect the game on Sunday to be quite a tight affair with a lot of tough tackles from both sides and you wouldn’t expect it to be any other way in a provincial final.”