By Cian O’Connell

“I always say, it is a game of patience nearly,” Shane Walsh remarks about the importance of remaining cool in pressure matches. “40, 50 minutes on the clock and you are chipping at the block.

“Then the game might open up and that is your time to really impose yourself on the game. It is probably different to what it was when I first started playing.

“Every time you go out isn’t it great to have a challenge rather than knowing what to expect. Different scenarios and a different way of thinking. It gives you a great way to show how smart you can be on the field.”

It is Championship time now. Out west Galway’s trip to Roscommon dominates the football conversations.

The preparation is almost complete. Roscommon delivered a defiant display to overcome the Allianz Football League champions Mayo in Castlebar so a home match against Pádraic Joyce’s outfit now beckons at Dr Hyde Park.

Forwards frequently drift deep in an effort to secure possession. Are those type of situations difficult? “I wouldn’t say it is frustration,” Walsh remarks.

“Probably just a bad habit of mine more than anything else. Padraic and the lads do try beat it out of me when I do it in training. It is more just me becoming tactically more aware on the field. It is a challenge at the end of the day.

“They are essentially trying to curb the threat you pose and obviously Damien (Comer) gets a lot of attention there. It is a challenge and tough.”

Having afforded minutes to emerging talent in the Allianz Football League, the Galway panel has healthy competition for places. Does Walsh think it is the most accomplished collection of players since first representing Galway a decade ago? “Oh one hundred per cent,” he replies.

“I was noting there to a few of the lads even in the last few weeks on the condition we are in. That’s a credit to Johnathan (Harris-Wright) and Cian (Breathnach-McGinn) and the lads.

“There’s a huge squad there physically and strength-wise, and we’ve unearthed a few massive men in the likes of John Maher there, who came in this year as well.

“You are adding them to the likes of Mattie (Tierney), who is still only 22 years of age and has been on the squad a couple of years, so it’s a great place to be in as a player, to be part of a squad like this and obviously each year now we’ve been playing together the standards have been demanding a bit more at training.

“Obviously we are well aware of how close we were last year, and there’s a bit of the ladder to climb again this year.”

With hope comes expectation and an increased level of scrutiny. Comments and criticism online can be harsh, but players and management work together. “We have our own conversation as a group as players - that’s kind of all trashed out there,” Walsh says.

“Lads kind of know where we are at as a group. In fairness Seán (Kelly) is very good - he leads by example in that regard.

“It is very open between players and managers to be able to go to each other if someone is feeling pressure in one way or another. We have it fairly well under control as much as we can. Nobody understands the effort that players are putting into it.

“Some lads are going away from training to put in maybe an extra gym session, an extra running session and working really hard on the diet.

“People will throw a cheap comment out there and they have no awareness of what that player has done to try get themselves to that level. You listen to your nearest and dearest and that’s usually your family and the lads you train with every night. That’s all that matters.’’