Pádraic Joyce: Galway would probably have been seen as having a soft centre over the years

Manager Pádraic Joyce poses for a portrait during a Galway GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final media event at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Pádraic Joyce is particularly friendly with two intercounty managers.

To deliver Galway’s first All-Ireland title in 23 years, he will have to beat them both in the All-Ireland semi-final and final.

"I'd be pally with Jim (McGuinness) and Kieran (McGeeney), they'd be the two I'd be close to,” he said at Galway’s media day.

In the aftermath of their Donegal victory, Joyce revealed that he had text the Armagh boss the night of their Sam Maguire series draw. It was a bold prediction: They would meet again in the showpiece.

"I would have played with him in the international rules over the years and played against him. I have great time for him,” said Joyce.

“He is a football man no more than myself. He gave a lot to his county as a player and he is now giving back to his county as a manager.

"We are both in it to win it. We had a phone conversation last Monday morning after the semi-finals just to wish each other well and we knew where we were going to go. We'll have a chat when the final is over. He is doing his best for his county; I'm doing the best for my county and we'll take it from there.”

No matter the victor, the main storyline after this decider will orientate around a manager. When was that last the case? Dublin’s stalwarts dominated the headlines in 2023. A year prior was about a golden Kerry crop finally flourishing.

2021 was the novelty and tragedy. Jim Gavin actively ensured he was not the main talking point. James Horan was cut from similar cloth. Mickey Harte and Jack O’Connor of 2005 is the last comparable encounter that pitted two county icons against each other.

It is obvious why many will pay attention to the sidelines this Sunday. McGeeney and Joyce are two men of utter conviction who won All Irelands that broke the mould for their county. It took time for them both to build squads in their image.

At first, Joyce sought a creative and attacking unit. Successive Connacht final debuts to rivals Mayo put a spanner in the works. Galway shifted shape and recalibrated elements across the board. Now their middle core in particular are massive.

McGeeney is evidently conscious of that. After their draw in Markievicz Park, he spoke especially about Galway’s size: “They are big boys.”

Ciaran Higgins started because of the threat from a towering half-forward line.

“I wouldn’t say we purposely went after them, but I think Galway football over the years would have been known for having nice nippy lads, so we went after a few big fellows definitely and get them in there,” said Joyce.

“We lost a few as well, Paddy Kelly has a bad injury for the last year and he is another man who is 6’ 2, 6’ 3 and can play football as well. But the lads have developed well; John Maher has developed from what he was, he is a huge animal of a man now.

“Mattie Tierney has grown into a serious man as well, so look they just happened to come around at the same time. Physicality the middle eight is huge now and we have a lot of men over six foot which is great.”

 Manager Pádraic Joyce poses for a portrait during a Galway GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final media event at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

It ensures Sunday’s encounter is set to be a hugely physical contest.

“Armagh play that way anyway. That is something we have looked to get into Galway is a bit more of an edge because we would probably have been seen as having a soft centre over the years, but I think the lads have proved over the last couple of years that there is a good edge to them and they can mix the game either way they want.”

Like McGeeney, his playing experience influences his management. The Killererin man’s final campaign in maroon and white was 2012. They lost two games in the championship that season, against Sligo and Antrim. In both, they led at half-time.

Did he target that aforementioned soft centre?

“I did because even when I played in my own time, we lost games by a point coming down the stretch to teams we should not be losing to.

"I think teams had the impression ‘Let’s get Galway down the stretch and they will wilt or they will fold,’ but thankfully I think that perception is gone now because we have been down the stretch with some of the top teams in the country in the last year, definitely this year, and we have stuck it out.”