CONNACHT CHAMPIONSHIP LONDON v GALWAY: GALWAY TRAVEL to London on Sunday knowing the challenge of getting past this typically routine Connacht football fixture may be a little trickier than recent years.
It’s a recessionary thing, yet again, as the London clubs suddenly find themselves inundated with new applicants.
Tir Chonaill Gaels, for example, have had 200 new members so far this year alone, and many of them are former county players of some standard, who unable to find work at home, try their luck in the greater London area.
It’s good for London football, on one hand, but on the other worrying for the rural Irish clubs who struggle to cope with the drain.
It’s a little worrying, too, for Galway, who are still expected to win on Sunday, but perhaps not as easily as in the past. Full back Finian Hanley points to the fact that London actually have some former Galway players on board which will no doubt add further weight to their challenge.
“I suppose in the last 10 years or so this has been more of a fixture to be fulfilled, than anything else,” says Hanley. “But I think with the changing times and economy and all that it has taken on a different meaning.
“Like London have a couple of players from Galway now. Paul Geraghty, who played with us last year, is with them now. He’s still good enough to be in the Galway panel. And one of the Donnellan’s is with them as well now, Christy Donnellan.
“And we don’t know too much about who will be playing for them on Sunday, so that’s makes it a tricky game as well. It’s an unknown for a lot of our players, who didn’t play there the last time Galway went over, in 2004, including myself.”
The reality is Galway should still get past London, and thus begin their championship challenge for real against Sligo on June 28th: “The last 10 years have been very tight in Connacht, one-point games in many of the finals. I know it’s the old cliché but we’re not looking beyond Sunday. You can’t discount any game in the championship,” explains Hanley.
“Of course winning Connacht is our bread and butter. But even if we get past London, Sligo will be a tough game. Kevin Walsh, a former Galway man, is over them now, and he’d certainly like to get a good start over us.
“But we feel we’ve progressed this year, and are confident enough to think maybe we can go on and challenge for real honours this year.
“Since I came in, in 2005, we’re a more settled panel. We’ve had two good league campaigns under Liam Sammon, and feel we can push on now.
“Tyrone and Kerry are still the benchmark, but there are 10 or 12 teams after them that can have a good year. We have to believe we’re one of them. We do have the players, but it’s about August and September, and pushing yourself over the line.”
