THE PERCEPTION MAY be that Galway hurling made major strides in 2012 and have been trying to scale those heights ever since.
But in the wake of yesterday’s All-Ireland quarter-final success over Cork, Joe Canning has downplayed the theory that they peaked three years ago when reaching the All-Ireland final.
“People talk about 2012. We had one good half in the Leinster final. Mediocre game in the semi-final and one good half in the first All-Ireland.
“I am kind of sick of people talking about what a great year we had in 2012. We didn’t win an All-Ireland. We got to an All-Ireland final.
“We are our own team, we have a lot of young guys coming on there. Whelo (Conor Whelan) is only 18, 19 there and he really stood up to it. I don’t think anyone really knew who he was before this.
“Cathal Mannion, Johnny Glynn, these guys are young and need time. Unfortunately we don’t get that in Galway.”
Canning painted a picture of the demands the Galway squad place on themselves.
“There is pressure on everyone. It is a team game. Obviously we demand more of ourselves every day.
“We are our own worst critics inside in the dressing room, inside in Athenry when we are training week in, week out.
“Like every other team we are striving to be the best we can be. There is a long way to go yet.”
Despite amassing 2-28 on the board, Canning pointed to the areas they can improve.
“I wouldn’t say it was clinical (the win over Cork). What was the wide count? 23 wides we had. That’s not clinical.
“There is an awful lot to work on. I think I had six or seven, could be ten nearly. There is stuff for everybody to work on, individually and collectively.”
