Galway footballer Cathal Sweeney.
By Cian O’Connell
Gaelic Football has always mattered deeply in Killannin. The Fahey brothers, Gary and Richie, stood proudly alongside Kevin Walsh during the salad years of the John O’Mahony era when Galway were great, a county feared throughout the land.
In the intervening decades the Galway story was usually focused more about a potentially promising future, but the recent signs suggest that the Tribesmen are ready to compete. Unsurprisingly Walsh’s work has something to do with that.
Returning to Division One of the Allianz Football offers an emerging Galway outfit an opportunity to perform on the highest stage. On Sunday in wretched conditions at Tuam Stadium Galway carved out an important success over Tyrone.
The Sweeney twins, Cathal and Patrick, sons of the sadly deceased Paddy, such a servant to the maroon and white cause, operated effectively at either end of the pitch with colleague Johnny Heaney also involved.
Galway are relevant again and Cathal Sweeney is proud to wear the county jersey like his manager did in the late eighties, nineties, and early noughties.
“Kevin is a great clubman, he did plenty with Galway,” Sweeney admits. “He managed Sligo and he has proved himself wherever he has gone, he is doing a great job with Galway. In the last three years he has brought us on and developed us as players. He is just the right man for Galway football.”
Confidence was gleaned from the victory against Tyrone according to Sweeney. “The main aim was to win the match and we are satisfied in a way, but there is a lot of things to improve on for the next game which we will be looking at on Tuesday night,” Sweeney says.
“Going up to Donegal we will be up against it, only two have our players had played in Division One before this year. We are a very inexperienced side, while Donegal have been around the block in Division One for a while. So we are hoping we can go up there to give it a lash, to see what happens.”
That Galway are in Division One for the first time since 2011 is a significant benefit. “It is, Division One is where you want to be,” Sweeney acknowledges.
“Compared to the other Leagues the intensity levels are so high. If you make a mistake in Division One you get punished, you won't get away with it. In Division Two or Three you might get away with it, but in Division One you won't. It is vital that we are at full tilt every day we go out.”
Cathal Sweeney was an important figure as Galway defeated Tyrone at Tuam Stadium on Sunday.
Progress has been made under Walsh’s watch, but Sweeney is adamant that there is scope for further improvement. “We were disappointed last year after beating Mayo we lost to Roscommon and after the Kerry game we were all disappointed,” Sweeney adds.
“We just want to put that behind us now, to really push on this year to show people what we can do by playing on a more consistent basis instead of just playing in stages.
"When we play the way we can we would give any team in Ireland a good lash.”
The emergence of Sean Andy O’Ceallaigh, Sean Kelly, and Peter Cooke from last year’s Connacht Under 21 winning crop is another boost.
“The talent is definitely there, it is just to develop the lads,” Sweeney states about the depth of the Galway panel. “Kevin and the lads have really done that, they have brought them in, they haven't rushed them into any big matches.
“He has brought them in, mixed them into the panel and he has given them game time which is a real benefit to them.
“Under 21 compared to senior now is a massive difference in intensity levels, but the lads coming in have brought great freshness to the camp and they are really driving things and driving us forward to be a better team.”
A trip to Letterkenny is next on the agenda for Galway. “The result on Sunday was a big two points for us,” Sweeney remarks.
“That is behind us now and we are looking to Donegal, they went down to Kerry and scored 3-14 which was a massive score.
“They played the majority of the game with 14 men and with 10 minutes to go they led by four so we know the task that is in hand. If we are not at 100 per cent we won't get the result we need.”
