Putting the fire back in Galway

AT a time when Galway’s senior football stock has plummeted, the need to thrive at underage level has seldom been greater.

The endeavours of their U21 footballers in recent months has been a welcome shot in the arm. Tomorrow in Croke Park, they attempt to win the county’s third All-Ireland in this grade in a decade and bring some cheer to their football folk. For Galway U21 boss Alan Mulholland, the key to victory is to marry the county’s traditional attacking sparkle with defensive principles that govern the modern game.

He said: “It’s a tradition that I think we want to uphold and I would imagine the football board would support me in that. It’s probably a tradition that has grown up, that we like to play attacking football if we can. That doesn’t necessarily mean we are not aware of tactics — it’s a decision we make that we try not to get 12 men behind the ball. “It’s not that we have woken up 20 years after the GAA world has gone on. I think when a team plays defensive football, sometimes they are attributed with more tactical nuance than they deserve.

“When a team plays attacking football, they are deemed not very tactically aware. Man United play attacking football, yet they know what they are doing on the bench. Kerry play very attacking football but they are tactically aware as well. This is a choice Galway football has made.”

It is one that has served Mulholland’s U21 side well. They entered their semi-final as underdogs after Cork obliterated Kerry in the Munster decider. Yet the Rebels who left Cusack Park with their championship dreams over.

“We knew that it was a slightly flattering result to Cork in Munster. On the day, Cork got off to a very good start, Kerry’s heads dropped and they just powered home. Having said that Cork have Ciarán Sheehan, Aidan Walsh, Barry O’Driscoll and all these guys are household names. So we knew it was still a huge task.

“But the pressure was off us, we had won Connacht. After the defeat the year before to Sligo we just said ‘We’ve won Connacht, let’s just see what we can go out and do.’ So we were able to play with a bit of abandon. I think by the time Cork realised they were in a match it was too late for them.”

Tomorrow Galway face a Cavan team backed by a large and vociferous support. But Mulholland has detected an excitement for this game within his own county borders as well.

“There is a buzz. Maybe they don’t want to be undone by this huge Cavan crowd. A lot of clubs are bringing up underage teams and things like that. But it’s hard to get Galway people to go to matches in Galway and getting them to travel all the way to Dublin is difficult. We have hurling, Connacht rugby and Galway United in soccer to be competing against. We know we’re going to be up against it in terms of support.”

CAVAN: A O Meara; M Leddy, O Minagh, D Tighe; K Meehan, D Barkey, M Brady; G Mc Kiernan, F Flanagan; N Smith, N Murray, B Reilly; S Mac Bradaigh, N Mc Dermott, P Leddy.

GALWAY: M Breathnach; G Sweeney, C Forde, A Tierney; J Moore, J Duane, T Fahy; T Flynn, F Ó Curraoin; C Doherty, M Hehir, M Boyle; D Cummins, P Sweeney, E Monahan.