Galway football holds its breath

Considering Galway have annexed three U21 titles in slightly over a decade, and a minor in 2007, it is difficult to reconcile those facts with the total collapse at senior inter-county level over the same period.

Senior managers have come and gone but there has been no consistent success for a long time. Indeed the county’s last provincial title was back in 2008 and the last time they last defeated a county outside of Connacht in the championship was in 2004.

Admittedly a reasonable crop of players came out of the 2002 side in Joe Bergin, Kieran Fitzgerald and Nicky Joyce while Seán Armstrong, Michael Meehan and Finian Hanley became mainstays from the 2005 side.