Time was up for Johnny Coen, Galway's roving reliable

Johnny Coen, Galway's most versatile piece of furniture, is now looking on from the outside

JOHNNY DONT CO: Johnny Coen of Galway following the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Galway and Waterford at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Johnny Coen wasn’t among the crowd of 6,460 at Pearse Stadium last Saturday. It wasn’t a conscious decision to keep his distance. Life simply got in the way. A six-month-old baby will make certain of that.

Galway’s Leinster opener was the county's first championship match since the 2010 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tipperary where Coen wasn’t part of the set-up.