Greenshoots for Galway football?

Galway football has been through tough times in the past few years.

As a football brand it is at a low ebb and has struggled to even get a sponsor in recent months.

The last decades have been fallow on the national stage. The damning stats are easily regurgitated.
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Not one victory at senior level in league or championship at Croke Park in the past ten years.
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The only team outside of Connacht that Galway have defeated in the championship or the qualifiers since the 2001 All-Ireland success is Louth. And that was in July, 2004 in Parnell Park.

I was there that day. And to be honest it was touch and go; They won by 2-8 to 0-9.

However, perhaps now the wheel is turning towards another cycle of competitiveness.

Last Saturday evening in Ennis, hope was renewed.

Alan Mulholland’s U21 side played some stunning football and defeated the 4/11 favourites Cork with team work, skill and conviction.  For me and the few hundred other loyal Galway football fans in Cusack Park, the biggest positive was the display of the midfield partnership of Tomás Flynn (Athenry) and Fiontán Ó Curraoin (Michéal Breathnachs).

Flynn only turned 19 Sunday and produced a superb display against no less an opponent than All Star Aidan Walsh.

He scored his side’s first point after only 15 seconds and went on to have a fabulous game. Some commentators pointed to Walsh’s unfortunate hamstring as a key factor in his side’s defeat and obviously it did not help their chances of victory, however Flynn had out-fielded the outplayed the Kanturk man prior to his withdrawal.

Ó Curraoin is only out of minor too and did exceedingly well winning kick-outs and used possession well.

His direct opponent Michael O’Leary was withdrawn at half time with David Nation entering the contest.

Since the retirement of three time All Star Kevin Walsh and to a lesser extent Seán Ó Domhnaill, the regular lament in Galway has been the lack of a few genuine ball-winning men in the centre.

Senior manager Tomás Ó Flatharta has even taken the drastic step of relocating captain Finian Hanley to midfield from full-back in an effort to solve the dilemma.

However, based on the Connacht U21 championship and their exhibition on Saturday night, Galway appear to have some genuine raw material coming through to man the engine room. But it is crucial that they are minded and developed properly.

Galway have always had some dangerous forwards like Padraic Joyce, Michael Meehan, Nicky Joyce and Sean Armstrong, but they have lacked regular supply.

At least with the likes of Flynn and Ó Curraoin coming through there is some raw material to be worked on.
Flynn hails from Athenry and it will be interesting if he can be kept in football as he is also a very accomplished hurler. However if EoinCadogan can combine both, why can Flynn not be accommodated and do likewise?

Captain Colin Forde is also a major talent at full-back. He is a very composed young man who takes his football very seriously and is already a regular on the senior team.

One other name to watch out for, and check him out in the final, is Michael Boyle. He scored the decisive goal in Ennis. He is an absolute flyer of a wing-forward and with some good coaching and a progressive strength and conditioning programme he could make the step up to the senior ranks. Watching the superb Ciarán Sheehan trailing in his wake brought back memories of a young Michael Donnellan in his prime

They are old memories now and we need some new footage.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/svmW4E8_70Y/post.aspx

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