Galway hurling legend Pete Finnerty wants players to walk the walk

Mixed messages. Galway hurling has had its fill of them this last while. After last July’s Leinster Final defeat to Kilkenny, Anthony Cunningham let it be known he had told Brian Cody at the final whistle Galway would see them again in the All-Ireland final. It turned out he was right although later in the month, captain Andy Smith said his manager had made “strange comments”.

Much has changed since eight months ago and yet some things remain the same. Asked earlier this year if Galway were under added pressure, Cunningham’s successor Micheál Donoghue denied it: “I don’t think so. History has shown every championship year is different.”

David Burke, the man Donoghue appointed captain for 2016, felt differently: “There’s pressure on players anyway. You’re starting a new year and there’s pressure in every game to win. Collectively, there’s pressure on all of us to perform and the league will be competitive but we’re just hoping to get enough wins under our belt to get to a quarter-final.”