John Maher of Galway takes a photograph with a supporter after their side's victory in the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between New York and Galway at Gaelic Park in New York, USA. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
First things first, John Maher’s ankle is a bit sore and bruised, but otherwise okay.
Galway supporters feared the worst when he went injured it in the the Connacht SFC quarter-final victory over New York because his boot came off his heel and the optics made it look like he’d suffered as serious dislocation or break.
“The hard surface in New York is unforgiving,” says Maher. “Someone came down on top of me. It's not too bad, hopefully it'll be okay, I'm just taking it day by day and doing all the little things to try to get it right.”
Fears about the injury were allayed when Maher posed for photographs with friends and family after the match.
A win away to New York will be a quickly forgotten chapter in the story of the 2025 championship, but it’s those moments that make the huge effort required to be an inter-county footballer so rewarding for the players themselves.
“It was lovely,” says Maher. “I'm so lucky that I had my parents over there and my friends as well and just to share that moment with them on the pitch afterwards.
“It takes a lot for them to travel across and go to a game like that and having those people there and by my side in those big moments for me is special and something I'm very grateful for.
“I have a great support network there. I have my family behind me and they go to the games and get a lot out of it.
“It's something I think is key as a player to have people to rely on whether it's friends or family or someone that you can confide in because it is a challenging environment and while we remember the good days there's plenty of inbetween days and tough days as well.
“They're all part of the process so having people that you're close with to share that lived experience with you is brilliant.”
Left to Right: Movember Ahead of the Game 2025 programme Advocates Dan Morrissey (Limerick), Saoirse McCarthy (Cork), Anton Tohill (Derry) and and John Maher (Galway), were all on hand to support the launch of the mental health programme, in Croke Park. Saoirse and Anton also act as two of the Facilitators on the nationwide programme.
The towering midfielder is a serious physical specimen, but he puts considerable thought and effort into his mental health too.
That’s why he was delighted to be asked to become an advocated for the Movember Ahead of the Game 2025 programme which addresses the critical issue of mental fitness and resilience within Irish society.
“Absolutely. It's a great programme to be a part of and when I was asked I jumped at it. It's something I take very seriously myself. Our mental health is as important as our physical health but we don't often realise it.
“Especially as athletes we put so much time into our bodies in terms of the work on the pitch, the time in the gym, and the time that we spend in the analysis room, but I think we can all collectively take that stuff a bit more on board because the mental side of it is definitely the bedrock that all the technical and tactical stuff sits upon.
“We all know that if your head isn't in a great place then all the other stuff suffers. So, yeah, it's something I believe in, open and honest conversations around mental health. Delighted to be a part of the programme.”
Research shows that 6 out of 15 men have never spoken about their mental health (Source). Movember, the GAA and GPA are calling on clubs across the country to ‘break the silence’ and don’t let almost half their teams be silenced.
Maher believes a team environment is a great place to have those sorts of conversations because that’s been his experience with Galway.
“Yeah, I think so, we spend a lot of time together. We're on buses all over the country and some of the best conversations I've had when we're travelling together.
“People are open to talk about it. It's the trust you have in the environment and the importance of being a part of a group that's collectively working towards a goal together, I think that's a huge benefit for your mental health.
“Inter-county football is a challenging enough environment and it definitely breeds resilience. Set-backs are common-place. Whether it be a loss you had at the weekend or an injury you picked up. That's all a part of the game.
“Being resilient is key. While often you do have to struggle through tough situations, I think a big part of resilience as well is recognising when you do need to lean on other people and you need to lean on your support system and your friends and your family or a coach you trust.
“Just to gain a better perspective. I think that's a key thing and something I've done continuously throughout my career.”
John Maher of Galway with his PwC GAA/GPA All-Star Award during the 2024 PwC GAA/GPA All-Star Awards at the RDS in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile.
Maher won an All-Star and was a Footballer of the Year nominee last year but he’s certainly had to show some resilience to make it to the top of the game.
He made his Allianz Football League debut in 2020 against Mayo but was substituted at half-time and would not play again for the county until the 2023 FBD League.
Since being brought back into the fold he’s quickly developed into one of Galway’s most consistent performers.
“It started with having a good season with my club and really enjoying the game,” says Maher.
“Then seeing Rob Finnerty in particular my best friend going on and having the success he had in 2022 and the journey I went on going to all the games.
“It gave me so much energy and it was something I wanted to be a part of. So when the opportunity came again I jumped at it."
He’s expecting a really tough test from Roscommon in Sunday’s Connacht semi-final but as the summer opens out before him the predominant emotion is excitement about the challenge ahead.
“We don't know who's going to win the championship as we sit here now,” he says. “It's anyone's to win at this point. I think overall as players we're enjoying it, we're enjoying the space that's out there, we're enjoying the new challenges that are posed to us by our coaches week in, week out now.
“We're learning so much every time we take the pitch and whoever can learn the fastest between now and the 27th of July will inevitably win it. That's the challenge in front of us and we're really enjoying it.”
