GALWAY HURLER JOHNNY Glynn says it was great to train with the New York footballers over the past few months before returning to Ireland for the championship.
Glynn has commuted for the past two summers from New York and was a key figure when the Tribesmen won the 2017 All-Ireland title.
He moved to the United States shortly after the 2015 All-Ireland final and played football for New York the following summer when they almost shocked Roscommon.
He was persuaded to rejoin the Galway squad for the 2017 championship and travelled back and forth several times before helping them to victory over Waterford in the All-Ireland final.
Glynn is due back in Ireland today to rejoin the Galway squad for the championship and he said that training with the New York footballers has helped keep him in shape.
New York manager Justin O’Halloran said they looked at the possibility of Glynn being able to play football for the Exiles but this was ruled out if he wanted to continue hurling with Galway.
The 25-year old said he would have loved to have played against Mayo in the opening round of the Connacht SFC.
I trained with them for the past few months. I would have loved to have played with the boys but had to settle for water duty. But it was good to be involved.
“They are a great bunch. You have new faces every year, you have to build the team each time. You have people moving home or visas not being renewed and all sorts of things that other teams don’t have to deal with.
“It is what it is and you just have to deal with it,” added Glynn, who transferred to the Hoboken Guards hurling club in the Big Apple this year.
As a result he is no longer able to play for his native Ardrahan in the Galway SHC but Glynn, who has also transferred to the Sligo football club, said he sees his long-term future in New York and could play for them again.
He is grateful to New York manager O’Halloran for having him involved with the footballers.
“It has been great to train with New York over the past few months to keep in shape.
The guys are brilliant to let me help out and to train with them. I’m here for the long haul so maybe I’ll get to play with them again. We’ll see how it all goes.
“I’m living here now the last four years or so. I started off training with Sligo football club when I came out and I’m delighted now to be playing with them.”
But for now his attention switches to Galway hurlers and the Leinster SHC campaign which gets under way next Sunday when the Tribesmen take on Carlow at Pearse Stadium in Salthill.
Glynn is the second member of the Galway squad to return from overseas and link up for the championship with Joseph Cooney returning from Australia a few weeks ago, having lived there since before Christmas.
It is believed that Cooney will return to Australia when Galway’s interest in the championship concludes.
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