NOT TO START on an ‘It were all fields round here’ note, but the last weekend has shown us how we all used to think about the All-Ireland championship is as sepia-toned as a little boy walking a bike up a cobbled street in a Hovis bread television ad.
Beforehand, it was largely simple. All the teams would line up at the start, the trigger would be pulled and the only team that wasn’t beat? Well, they were All-Ireland champions. There was a shine off them. They wore halos. Supermen. Perfect on the day. Perfect forever.
And then came the backdoor in 2001. Few recall that Galway were horsed out of Connacht in the semi-final against Roscommon, and yet rallied to win the All-Ireland.
Even allowing for that smudge on the shorts, Galway were perfect in that moment, September 23rd, maroon jerseys in pristine condition.
One thing we will know about whoever wins this All-Ireland title; they will have been dragged through several hedges, ones full of briars, nettles and thistles, with a roll of barbed wire helpfully left the far side, backwards, before they get up the Hogan Stand steps.
There will be black eyes and fat lips. There will be cuts and bumps. Some emotional scarring and wry smiles to each other about their own personal ‘Nam.
‘Man, you weren’t there in Carrick-on-Shannon…’
If Galway do it now, then they have the scrapes to point to. Pushed and pulled, with sneaky belts and insults and the works, Galway were only going through the same process that awaited Kerry at home to Mayo, that Roscommon frustrated Dublin with, and so on.
Nobody is light on their feet. All are, to some extent, rolling with the punches. Only Dublin look fresh but you wonder do they just have a good line in smack talk with their occasional ritual humiliations and flat track bullying?
What Padraic Joyce needed on Sunday was a sign that the panel he has built can cope with different tests. This was a team that lost their footing as they made for the final sprint against Kerry in the All-Ireland final.
Joyce had a solid off-season. He persuaded Peter Cooke to come back once his exertions with Moycullen were over, but also said publicly that he was leaving the ball in Cooke’s own court. And there would be no running off to America for work appointments also.
Ian Burke, the 2018 All-Star, arrived back into the fold after work commitments in the financial sector had hampered his ability for years. Aran Islander Sean Mulkerrin also re-committed.
The overall news was mixed however. All Star defender Liam Silke is putting down a year in New Zealand as part of his training to become a doctor.
Reports of Kieran Molloy have him just progressing nicely from the straight line running that began in early May, after he ruptured his cruciate playing for Corofin against Tuam last September.
Finnian ÓLaoi, another who played a role in last year’s All Ireland final, is currently living in Australia.
Having a deep panel is just shy of the ultimate for a manager, which is a self-policing panel that are unafraid to call each other out in terms of effort, commitment and conduct. Joyce has not had that luxury. It’s doubtful if such a thing can be achieved by a Connacht side anymore.
The panel at large however, has the potential to fall apart if ill-fortune takes a shine to their Undroppables.
On Sunday, the lack of Damien Comer was damaging to Galway. Early on, a few high balls were sent into the Armagh square. By and large, goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty was commanding in the area but the presence of a menacing and frankly intimidating Comer changes the atmosphere around a goalmouth.
Joyce is particular on the tactical approach of teams, and he must have been surprised when Armagh pressed up on all their kickouts. This is something that Armagh have resolutely refused to do this year, instead choosing to protect the backline and giving up the short kickouts to opposition teams.
To Galway’s credit, they gave themselves a chance with the ‘stack and split’ tactic, where they would funnel the backline into a straight line before sprinting into different directions to find an outlet for goalkeeper Connor Gleeson.
Remarkably, Galway’s retention of their own kickout was something they coped with in the first half; mainly from their height around the middle and appetite for break ball. In the second half as everyone began to tire, Gleeson was forced to go long seven times. They scored 0-2 and conceded 0-3 off these plays.
Had Joe McQuillan not have awarded a free for that non-foul that Rory Grugan converted, we could be having a very different conversation today. But without Dylan McHugh and Damien Comer, Galway are just barely in the conversation as potential All-Ireland champions.
And if Sean Kelly’s ankle injury is one of a muscular or ligament nature, rather than just an impact one, then they recede from view altogether.
It’s been a bloodbath of a championship so far. More to come.
