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Kieran Molloy pictured in 2022. James Crombie/INPHO
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Galway star defender 'back doing straight line running' after cruciate agony

Kieran Molloy has been a key absentee for Galway this year as they head into the Connacht final on Sunday.

GALWAY AND COROFIN star Dylan McHugh has provided a positive update on his clubmate Kieran Molloy as he continues his recovery from a cruciate injury.

Molloy suffered the dreaded knee injury last September during a club game against Tuam, having previously lined out for the Tribesmen in the All-Ireland final.

He’s been a key absentee in defence for Pádraic Joyce’s side this year, and will not feature in the Connacht SFC final on Sunday as Galway put their title on the line against Sligo.

“I see him a good bit,” McHugh began when asked about his teammate’s progress with his rehabilitation. 

“He’s probably where he should be at the moment, six or seven months post-op. He’s back doing a bit of straight line running and stuff. I don’t know the ins and outs of when he’ll actually be back. I don’t know if he even knows that himself but he keeps telling us in the half-back line that we should be sweating because he reckons he’ll be back.

B39I4443 Galway's Dylan McHugh. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

“Whenever he’s around, he’d be in doing his rehab and different things like that. He’s a great lad to have around the squad. He’s a good character.”

Galway will go into Sunday’s decider as heavy favourites to defend their crown, but will be wary of the challenge that Sligo pose. The Division 4 champions have lost just one competitive fixture this year in the league, and have booked their place in the provincial final on the back of a big win over New York in the semi-final.

McHugh says that Joyce has also referenced the 2007 Connacht final when Sligo stunned a much-fancied Galway side in a famous victory. The current squad are determined to protect their county from another shock result this weekend.

“I was young, ” says McHugh about his memories of that day 16 years ago, “probably nine at the time. I remember being behind the goal when Eamonn O’Hara got the goal [for Sligo] but not a whole pile other than that.

“They’ll be throwing the kitchen sink at us. They have great forwards: [Paddy] O’Connor, [Niall] Murphy, [Seán] Carrabine, they’re all great players that need to be watched. I would have played underage with Galway against Sligo a lot, and a lot of those lads will be playing against us. I know they’re good footballers, they have loads of momentum as well. They’ve only lost one league game so they’ll be full of confidence. We need to be ready.”

Dylan McHugh was speaking at the announcement of AIB’s five-year extension to its sponsorships of the GAA All-Ireland Football Championship and the AIB Camogie and GAA All-Ireland Club Championships.

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