The hard part was getting there – now the Tribesmen could take off

Inside Track with John McIntyre

GALWAY are getting better. Some observers might dispute that statement based on the hard evidence of a largely forgettable All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park on Saturday evening. No score after 21 minutes; caught up in Derry’s ultra-defensive web; and finishing the match with a paltry tally of 2-8.

Surely that’s not the pedigree of potential All-Ireland champions, but we beg to differ. For starters, how many teams would have held their nerve and composure in the face of such a poor start when the opposition were dictating the terms of engagement? Furthermore, how many teams have the adaptability and scope to handle whatever’s thrown at them on big-match days?

We believe Galway have those qualities. The confidence is clearly surging through their ranks as well, and they also possess several game-breakers who would hold their own in any company. They mightn’t have been convincing for the guts of half an hour against Derry, and were on the backfoot for most of that time, but still only conceded three points.

Galway produced a terrific defensive effort and coming on the back of a high-scoring quarter-final shoot-out against Armagh, it shows that they absorbed the lessons from that game. The concentration levels were up; the tackling was uncompromising; and the commitment was total.

We can’t be sure if Padraic Joyce and his management team agonised over whether to stick or twist with Conor Gleeson between the posts after his difficulties against Armagh, but the vote of confidence in the Dunmore MacHales custodian was the right thing to do. Every player deserves the opportunity to put a howler behind them, and Gleeson stepped up to the plate on Saturday.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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