‘Dreams do come true’

WHEN Joe Connolly made his now famous All-Ireland-winning speech after Galway had bridged a 57-yr gap in 1980, it seemed to signal the end of what had been a hugely frustrating period for a county that is steeped in hurling history and tradition.

One side of the county only, admittedly, but it’s the more populated side, as big on its own as a lot of other counties. And, in the decade that followed, that breakthrough year the promise looked likely to be fulfilled. Two more titles crossed the Shannon in the 80s, Conor Hayes captaining the team on each occasion, and in the 90s and 00s Galway continued to accrue titles at underage level.

Not since 1988 has another Galway player gone up those famous steps on the first Sunday in September to hoist Liam MacCarthy skywards. Time for that to change, says Joe, selector on the team that faces Dublin in the Leinster semi-final in Tullamore tonight.

“Twenty-three years — it’s an awful pity, all that has passed, a real sadness for a lot of Galway hurlers and Galway hurling people the way things have evolved. A lot of heartbreak, awful close calls – 1990, ’93, 2001, 2005; a lot of fellas you couldn’t have asked more from, finished their careers without an All-Ireland medal. That is the tragedy of it all, the finest of hurlers and the finest of men didn’t manage to get their hands on a precious Celtic Cross.

If you’re ever involved with a team, everything in you wants those lads to have that winning experience – you know the Sawdoctors’ song, To Win Just Once? That’s what you want, to see those fellas get that one day in the sun, even if it’s just one day; the savage effort they’ve put in rewarded with one All-Ireland medal, and the peace of mind that brings with it.

’Tis madness in many ways, with all the fine players we’ve produced since then and not an All-Ireland medal between them. A lot of things were wrong, not so much the management, more the set-up in the county, the lack of ambition — it fell a long way short of where it needed to be. There was no system in place for bringing those talented young players on to the next level; when you’re in management and you get a young lad, you can only do so much in the year or two that management were given in those years.

“But, dreams do come true, it does happen, and that’s why we keep doing it, why keep at it, hoping for the day. New days now for Galway, a new chairman in Joe Byrne with new plans, big ambitions – at long last the structures are in place.”

The problem now of course for Galway is the number of teams vying with Tipperary and Kilkenny for top spot, not least the team they face this evening, Dublin. “The first All-Ireland final of the Kilkenny four-in-a-row, against Cork in 2006, a new level of intensity came to hurling that day and it’s been added to ever since; you can’t go back, you’re going to have to exceed that again if you want to win.

“That’s what we’re all striving to do now, everyone is virtually professional in their setup, staying abreast of new developments. No team goes backwards – I’d say the last two All-Ireland finals were the most intense games I’ve ever seen, and on the biggest day of the year. That’s the standard now, that’s the bar, you marvelled at how superb both teams were on both days — no matter where you were from you’d be proud just to be a hurling man looking at those games.”

And yet, last year Galway came within a whisker of beating Tipperary. “That was very frustrating. If you get even to an All-Ireland semi-final there’s massive potential to move forward; before that you’re competing with the league, the club championship, so you don’t get that three weeks of concentrated work and intense preparation when you can really bring a team on.

“Everyone is already at a high level of fitness, a good bit of hurling done, so those three weeks would allow you to bring the team on to another level. That was the real tragedy of losing the All-Ireland quarter-final last year and the year before, and by only a point each time. “We didn’t get that opportunity to see how far more we could have progressed. That’s the ambition this year.”

They’ve picked a big side, a strong side. “They’re good blocks of men anyway, whatever about anything else,” he laughs. “And with John Lee, Kevin Hynes, Alan Kerins, Donal Barry, Andy Smith on the sideline, Iarla Tannian and Ger Farragher to come back, plenty of strength there!”

A team, really, in his own image and likeness, but – can they deliver the same result, can they deliver Galway from the wilderness?

Dublin’s power play to shade it

John Fogarty: Match preview

THIS year’s Allianz Hurling League champions (Dublin) against 2010 league winners (Galway) and that’s about the level we’re at here, two teams operating at a level just below that of the All-Ireland finalists of the past two years, and doing their damnedest to bridge the gap.

A lot of pressure on both teams, but on Galway manager John McIntyre particularly. Yes, they won that league title last year, but league titles are relatively common in Galway — the championship is where it’s at now. And, having come so close in the last two years, beaten each time in the quarter-final by a single point (Waterford in ‘09, Tipperary last year), Galway certainly have the wherewithal.

They need now to take that next step, and winning here is a must.

They’ve certainly picked the side for it, a physically imposing starting 15 and, with Shane Kavanagh and Tony Óg Regan and Joe Canning back in the ranks, they are stronger now than at any time this year.

True, having already won the league this year, their first national title since 1938, some pressure has been taken off Dublin. But they are now starting to attract a lot more attention, both inside and outside the capital and with that attention comes added expectation.

As physically imposing as are Galway, Dublin – while not perhaps having the same size – are a superbly conditioned side, strong in the tackle, which means along with giving the hit they can absorb one and still continue on!.

And they’re about more than just power – they can play. Take a quick scan through their side and whether it’s Tomás Brady at full-back or David ‘Dotsy’ O’Callaghan at full-forward, these guys can hurl.

Tough one to call, this, very tough.

Verdict: Dublin.