Potential fallow period ahead of Galway as big mileage takes toll

Inside Track with John McIntyre

THE end of year report on the Galway hurlers makes for mixed reading. On the surface, reaching an All-Ireland semi-final and only falling to the perceived best team in the land by three points is not a bad season’s work and there is no doubt that the Tribesmen have the capacity to remain a competitive force in the medium term.

But when you drill down a little more, their continued reliance on the vast majority of the All-Ireland winning team of three years ago is concerning as the evidence suggests several of them are now past their peak. Of the Galway players that featured in that long-awaited final victory over Waterford in 2017, including substitute Jason Flynn, 13 of them were also involved against Limerick last Sunday.

When you consider that Joe Canning, Aidan Harte, Johnny Coen and David Burke were already part of the squad when I finished up as Galway manager in 2011, it illustrates just how many miles some of the current panel have on the clock. Many more of them were involved in the All-Ireland final defeats of 2012 and ’15. That’s a lot of hurling.

In contrast, look at the Waterford team which enraptured the hurling world with their astonishing comeback against Kilkenny in last Saturday night’s first All-Ireland semi-final. Only five started against Galway in 2017 – Stephen O’Keeffe, Tadgh De Burca, Austin Gleeson, Jake Dillon and Kevin Moran. Sure, Padraic Mahony would be still involved only for injury, but you get my drift.

Since winning the All-Ireland title three years, about the only new player who has really established himself on the team is Killimordaly’s Brian Concannon and he had to serve a long enough apprenticeship at this level as well. It’s a concern going forward and Shane O’Neill’s big challenge next year will be to try and rejuvenate the squad.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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