Maurice Brosnan: The anatomy of Galway’s upset over Dublin

GALWAY MARCH ON: Galway’s Tomo Culhane kicks the winning point. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

It took a particular combination of fragments to form this most improbable victory and make Galway whole again. In the end it seemed fitting that the commodity that powered them across the line was, above all else, perseverance.

The shards of success are laced with its potency. It fuelled an immense second half surge. A top-tier standing for some of the Dublin champions on the other side is without question, but they also added another remarkable and unwanted string; these greats are guaranteed producers of blockbuster drama in defeat.

Donegal. Mayo. Kerry. Each a thriller in its own way. Each a game an opponent won rather than Dublin lost. When the final whistle sounded Bruce Springsteen came booming over the public address to herald new Glory Days. All of the maroon amidst the 49,896 crowd merged in the Hogan Stand in time for a soulful rendition of N17. The squad settled together on the sideline and Tomo Culhane stumbled in front of them, caught between raising his fists to the sky and caressing the crest.

It was Culhane who delivered the decisive moment to push Galway to a 17-point total and two clear on the 70th minute mark. As Tom Lahiff failed to find James McCarthy with a sloppy back pass and prompted a mad breakaway, Culhane was inside his own 45. As Damien Comer searched desperately for a support runner and popped into his path seconds later, Culhane was entering the opposition 45. He settled himself with a bounce and swung a left foot at it to make it a two-point game.

This is the third time that the shooter has come off the bench and had a go. Culhane has been haunted by hamstring trouble in recent months, going right back to a club quarter-final last October. His native Salthill-Knocknacarra went down by a point while he was on the sidelines. He has endured several setbacks since.

Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton shakes hands with the umpire after his side's defeat. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

In two successive games Culhane came on and fired a wide. It was significantly more costly against Armagh. Both shots were with his stronger right. The clutch score on Saturday was with his left. Deadly.

Such worthy payoffs came to fruition all over the field and beyond it. S&C coach Cian Breathnach McGinn has worked tirelessly to tackle an exhaustive, much-discussed injury list. He previously invested manfully in the rehabilitation of Cian Hernon and in particular of Seán Mulkerrin, who suffered a horror kneecap break in 2022. Mulkerrin was outstanding in defence. Hernon injected a crucial burst from the bench. Breathnach McGinn was content.

Help Galway into a semi-final, celebrate a first Dublin victory in 90 years, head across to Fairview to catch The Saw Doctors live. Saturday nights don’t come much sweeter.

How did we get here? This has been coming. Understanding how can be beneficial in that way that sport sometimes teaches you something. Every piece matters. Plenty of them have been acquired and aided and encouraged by a manager who, for all his old-school aura and straight-talking delivery, is a calculated leader striving to make the most of the material available to him.

We all know that there is a world of difference between identifying potential footballers and realising them. Pádraic Joyce and his coaching ticket have become masters at it. They recalled previous squad members like John Maher and Cein D’Arcy, harnessed their formidable strength and developed their technical skills. John Maher evaded Ciaran Kilkenny and Brian Fenton for his first half point. Cein D’Arcy’s first touch was to assist that. He laid on the ball for a Shane Walsh beauty into Hill 16 subsequently and collected back from him to land an equaliser late on.

Management were brave as well as creative. Who would have predicted 2022 All-Star John Daly and his half-back partner Kieran Molloy be on the bench the next time Galway took to Croke Park? There was a possible chink in an evolving rearguard. Joyce, Cian O’Neill, John Concannon and Co. backed themselves to resolve it.

After the 2022 All-Ireland final Galway’s then Performance Coach Bernard Dunne departed for Boxing India. In 2023 they occasionally utilised team facilitator Ronan Conway, who previously worked with some of the Dublin footballers as it happens, but never found an official replacement. That was addressed in the off-season. Former Dublin psychologist Ann-Marie Kennedy came on board for 2024. Their mental fortitude was a constant throughout. Galway were four down at the turnaround and swung back with the first point of the second half after just 11 seconds.

MOBBED: Shane Walsh of Galway with supporters after his side's victory. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Shane Walsh started despite his withdrawal due to injury against Monaghan and was awesome. Seven points from eight shots. From frees, a first with his left that demonstrated the Connacht champions at their best. Connor Gleeson long to Maher, Cillian McDaid hurtling off the shoulder, a jink to the right fixing John Small on his heels and a skied curler splitting the posts.

He dug deep too. Minute 27. Sean Bugler breaks through with a deep run into the large square. Walsh meets head on and crashes into him. A scrambling handpass drops at McCarthy’s feet. Dylan McHugh drops on top of it and is fouled to relieve pressure.

Comer created four points including the last. McHugh had 29 possessions with one score and not a single turnover. Cormac Costello was the latest target tossed into the cage with Johnny McGrath and withdrawn worse for wear.

And yet this was far from a faultless triumph. There are cracks all over this Croke Park achievement. Captain Sean Kelly failed to make it to half-time. Walsh hobbled for a lengthy period awaiting a stoppage to make way for Culhane. That hindrance was lessened as Small bizarrely stuck to the task of marking an evidently incapable opponent.

The narrative of a team in control must also account for a team who conceded Cluxton’s kickout completely when two up in injury time to allow Ross McGarry race forward and reduce the margin. We can only imagine what would be said of Galway’s game management, including Paul Conroy’s wayward free and Johnny Heaney’s final wide, if Con O’Callaghan trusted his left foot or connected with his right with the clock in the red.

Yet the lesson of sporting triumph is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Fill the holes. Maximise what you have. Trust your convictions. Fill a group with pride and power and purpose. Whatever happens next, Joyce knows he has done at least that.