Galway captain determined to atone for past big-day losses

KILNADEEMA/Leitrim sharpshooter Brian Molloy has had his fair share of heartaches at inter-county level over the years but the Galway U-21 captain is determined Saturday’s All-Ireland showdown against Waterford will not be another of them.

At minor level, Molloy featured on the Galway teams that lost an All-Ireland semi-final to Tipperary in 2012 and was defeated by Waterford – the outfit they face this weekend – in the national decider the following year.

To add to his torment, he was also part of the Galway U-21 sides that lost to Wexford and Limerick respectively at the penultimate stage of the competition in 2014 and 2015. Those losses may now be consigned to the past but the residue lingers, imprinted, on his psyche.

“For some of us, this is our third year (at U-21) and the Dublin game was our first to win,” begins the man of the match of the semi-final. “One of the things we kept saying all year was to enjoy it (being part of the U-21 set-up). It is not every year you get to go Thurles to play an All-Ireland semi-final, never mind an All-Ireland final.

“A few lads might never have experienced a week like this before and it is a good week. An enjoyable week. As long as you don’t get too caught up in it,” warns the Galway captain.

Indeed, Molloy is under no illusions as to the task in hand – not only in terms of what faces his team but, also personally. Should they take up the same positions as they did in the semi-final, it will bring Molloy and Waterford’s Austin Gleeson – two quality stickmen – into direct contact with one another.

“We are under no illusions as to how strong they are,” acknowledges Molloy. “They dispatched of Clare easily in the Munster championship and they finished off Tipp quite convincingly as well in the Munster final. The Antrim game you couldn’t tell much by it but we know how good they are.

“We also played against Waterford in the minor three years ago and they could have beaten us by 15 or 16 points. They were that much better than us. That said, we have added a few of last year’s minors and a number of 20-year-olds to our panel this year. We have also learned a lot in three years but it is still going to take a massive performance to beat them.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.