All-Ireland SFC final: The player profiles
BOSS MEN: Galway manager Padraic Joyce, left, and Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney.
Ethan Rafferty gave Armagh another string to their bow but in hindsight we probably needed more security. Blaine gives that, and weâre winning a serious amount of ball from his kick-outs which is another big plus.
Didnât start the season that well but is coming into form having had his best game in the semi-final. Will probably pick up Finnerty and while that will be tough, he might just shade it.
Didnât have his best game against Kerry but has been one of our top players all year. Goes better in a free role but will probably have to pick up Comer this weekend, which will be a new challenge entirely.
Still a very young lad but has been very assured all year. Covers a phenomenal amount of ground, and youâd imagine he will come out onto the half back line to possibly pick up Matthew Tierney.
Keeping David Clifford quiet will give him great confidence ahead of a duel with Shane Walsh. Needs to put Walsh on the back foot like he did with Clifford. Brings great athleticism and physicality and is playing with great confidence.
Probably not the most natural number six but has grown into the role. Will have to up the physicality for John Maher who has been one of the players of the year for me.
Gives great physicality and solidity in defence but we need him to put Galway on the back foot as well, getting up the field and kicking scores. That will be hugely important in putting doubts in their heads.
The way heâs playing after a serious injury and personal tragedy is absolutely phenomenal. If he can add a few more scores to his game - and heâs well capable - then heâll bring us to a whole new level.
I thought the two boys dominated Kerry the last day. Sean Kelly would match him for legs but if CĂ©in Darcy is in there, I donât think heâd be able to keep up with Crealey.
He forced it too much against Kerry but I hope he doesnât go back into a shell because of it.
Itâs a day for having a cut and hopefully he can mix the exuberance of youth with good decision-making.
Iâve seen him playing since he was six and I think this is as good as heâs been. Peter Canavan overheard me encouraging him to shoot during the semi-final and I think he should get more shots off, because he can score from anywhere.
Was brilliant when he went back to half back after Campbell came on against Kerry, and it will probably be the same again. He's more natural there but will do a decent job at twelve, as heâs done all year.
The reason I love Grugan is he plays passes that others wouldnât have the guts to to take on. He did that impeccably against Galway in â22 and hopefully more of the same Sunday.
If youâre asking me for one to watch, I would pick him. He was quiet the last day giving him a point to prove and he always plays well against Galway. A phenomenal fetcher with great feet and vision.
The shimmy, the shooting, the pace, the hands - he has it all. Quiet the last day but gave us a boost in extra-time. Heâs been flawless apart from the semi-final and can hopefully deliver on Sunday - heâs well good enough to.
Weâre getting four or five points off the bench all year, thatâs a recurring theme. Weâve a good mix of players coming on. Oisin OâNeill is cool on the ball - Duffy and Nugent the same even though Nugent struggled the last day. But McQuillan gives you great pace. Jarly Ăg gives you a bit of know-how and an ability to win ball in the middle.Â
Stefan Campbell then just gives everybody a lift when he comes on after half-time and teams are struggling to deal with that. Kerry had nothing like our impact from their subs and probably a lot of our strength in general lies on the depth in that bench.
If you win games youâre great, if you lose games youâre a fool. Thatâs the way it is in management, itâs either black or white. Itâs obviously taken a bit of time to get to where we are but I would say theyâve done a fabulous job in terms of finding out their right team from the start and the right mix off the bench. Theyâre quick to make changes if things are going wrong which is good. They mix up the tactics well and theyâve done brilliantly to keep 40-odd lads happy as well which shouldnât be under-estimated.Â
I really thought the Ulster final would knock the stuffing out of them but the determination to keep going has been unbelievable from players and management. I really donât know how they came back for more but it has to be down to the unity in the whole group, which is a credit to the likes of Geezer, Donaghy, McKeever, Gilligan, McKinney and the rest.
Hails from a club of fierce tradition. Promotion-winning League of Ireland keeper with Galway Utd before falling in with the county. Didnât really get a first-team look in until PJ took the reins. Now a first-team mainstay. Has grown in stature. Still not the finished article under high ball. Very good shot-stopper. Very comfortable and confident going long with his restarts.
Galwayâs 2019 All-Ireland minor final captain. Has become one of the gameâs outstanding man-makers. Expect him to stand beside Conor Turbitt. Highly academic. Great pace. Excellent at the defensive basics. Very good on the ball. Very comfortable carrying possession forward.
Confident player and individual who is comfortable in their own skin. Strong and rugged. Developing and learning with each game. Fits well into Galway's defensive game plan. Whether he comes out to and operates along the 45, as he did against Donegal, depends on how Armagh set up.
Extremely competent, swashbuckling corner-back. From a very successful family that is well-known in Galway circles. Another fine man-marker in the Galway full-back line. Good on the ball. Growing into a leader of the team.
Meteoric rise. Has become Galwayâs ultimate player. Has scored 0-6 this championship. Consistently makes the right plays. So good at defensive cut-in and reading opposition attacks. As a result, he wins more turnovers and cuts out more ball than most defenders. Disciplined leader of the defence.
A qualified doctor. Was based in New Zealand last year. Galway are better for his return in 2024. No fuss, competent, and smart performer. Terrific attacking defender. Possesses an inner belief and confidence. Has really added to the centre-back role.
An islander. Talented on and off the field. Gifted musician. Along with his siblings, won the inaugural All-Ireland Talent Show in 2009. Unbroken and unbowed by lengthy injury history. Dogged, abrasive, warrior, and one of the teamâs big leaders, even though he is not long established on the first 15.
Minor captain as far back as 2007. Senior panel cardholder since 2008. Transformed himself throughout his career. Started as a real ball-playing midfielder but has added work ethic and leadership to his resume. If the first one goes over, expect him to have a big Sunday. Galwayâs standard-bearer and shining light of the last decade. Has brought and continues to bring players through.
Embodiment of all that is good about Galway football. Modest. Humble. A worker. Almost holds hero status within the team. Although named, I expect CĂ©in Darcy to start in his stead. His role will be off the bench with a focus on neutralising the threat of Stefan Campbell or Jarly Ăg Burns.
Clever fella. Captained Galway to U20 All-Ireland in 2020. Has won a Sigerson too. Technically, a very capable half-forward. Strong in the air. Adds to Galwayâs long kick-out targets. Expect him to try and sneak around the back for a green flag. Ghosts in so well and so often.
 Different type of player. Knows his strengths and limits. Tailors his game accordingly. Selfless. Always moves possession to those better-placed. His graph has soared in 2024. Was dropped a few years back. Knew he had to work on certain aspects of his game. Will be interesting to see how he reacts to inevitable opposition focus on him. No more than a lot of his teammates, heâs an ambitious, smart fella when it comes to life off the field.
Not only a super footballer, but equally capable with hurl in hand. Did an AFL stint in Australia. Big player who delivers big moments at big times. Big match-day temperament. Transfers belief to his teammates that anything is possible. Will have a massive influence on Sunday. Fits the 'inspirational' description.
Classy, skillful forward. Can take on a conductor role when he gets ball in hand. Incredible sidestep. Steps back out of tackle once he wins possession, which gives him the space to make the play. Different type of challenge coming Sunday as he will attract an awful lot of attention from Armagh such has been his form.
Teacher, also runs a small business. Came to inter-county football later than most as he didnât play minor. Carries almost mythical status. Impacts the opposition, irrespective of whether he plays well or not, because teams are so wary of what he can do. Dynamic. Creates space for others. Win frees. And can pinch a goal out of nothing. Possible matchwinner.
One of the best players to watch in the country over the last decade. Fantastic skillset. Balance. Poise. Elegance. Has been brilliant this year in a very different way. His body isnât what it was, but heâs been smart in mitigating against that. Team player more than ever before. Big day pending Sunday.
Very academic, works in trade surveillance. Workhorse inside the white lines. Good fielder. Good kicker. Heâll do a job for Galway, wherever and whatever he is asked. Has come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of games.
Johnny Heaney will be the first man in, alongside SeĂĄn Kelly. Heaney is a terrific and experienced operator. A confident operator too. So respected within the group. Heâll add tempo. A Rolls-Royce runner. Tomo Culhane exudes a good type of cockiness. When he comes on, he wants to win the game. Not afraid to go for it.
In terms of defensive options, Daniel Ă Flaherty, for me, is a terrific player. Strong. Direct. Honest. Will and can do a job. The injured Cian Hernon is a loss. Theyâll miss his athleticism. Cathal Sweeney can also play a defensive role. The bench is unquestionably stronger than the final of two years ago.
They were under pressure leading into the Connacht final. Got through that and the team has developed at a rate of knots since. They are a very different Galway team now. Theyâve taken confidence from beating Mayo and kicked on.
Cian OâNeill, who Iâve worked with, his influence can be seen in their defensive set-up. That has added huge solidity to the team as a whole.
Management, on the whole, have done a really strong job. PJ and McGeeney are the two longest-serving managers at five and 10 years respectively. PJ has built layer-on-layer year after year. This is a stronger and better Galway team than it was in 2022.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
