'We back you no matter what' - Shane Walsh on backing of Galway team mates
IN THIS SUMMER of Houdini acts, Galway have provided one of the stronger storylines with conflicts and arcs everywhere.
At half time against Armagh in the final group game, everyone thought they were gone. Eight points down and having mined 0-1 from two first-half penalties, it was looking grim for the All-Ireland finalists of 2022 and 2024.
There was no time for metaphorical teacup throwing in the Breffni Park changing rooms. Instead, Pádraic Joyce filled his players with confidence. A stirring comeback brought them to a point where Shane Walsh could kick a late winner from just inside the top of the two-point arc, granting them a preliminary quarter-final away to Down this Sunday.
So what goers through one of the most skilled kickers in the game at a moment like that?
'Probably three different things. Firstly, when you're walking over, you're just saying 'calm, this is my job now,'' explains Walsh.
'The rest of them have done their work to win the free. Then there's a few words coming your way from opposition and then the heart rate starts to go up a bit.
Shane Walsh doing what he does best! 🎯🔥
Glides it over for @Galway_GAA's first!#ARMVGAL pic.twitter.com/vPBniiChdB — The GAA (@officialgaa) June 14, 2025
'Then you're coming back in saying, 'You've dreamt of this as a young lad. This is what you grew up dreaming about, saying you want to be in these situations and just commit to the kick, be yourself.' That's all I could do, I suppose, and thankfully it went over.'
Joyce's half-time demeanour speaks of where he is now as a coach. More measured, thoughtful, in touch with the room and what it needs at that particular time.
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Still, he has a reputation of being a little brusque though. From where Walsh is standing, that's just our interpretation.
'It's easy for us, we have him all the time,' the 32-year-old teacher explains.
'You'd probably be humoured by it as opposed to actually anything else. Because you don't really see the Pádraic that we see all the time. You just see what he says to ye (the media).
'From that perspective, we've had that side of him, but we've also had the side where he mixes things. He's a real family man as well, behind it all. As I said, the media doesn't really see the part that we know. You just see the Padraic that ye think you know.
'We'd nearly be laughing and joking about some things he could be saying things about us to the media. And sure, we know where he's coming from. It's not as if we'd be saying that's a personal attack or anything like that.'
He adds, 'He has Galway's best interests at heart. He bleeds maroon and white all day long. He always has a few interesting things to say to us which do crack a smile.
'I think his best one was that you can boil an egg in five minutes but you can score a goal in one. Make of that what you want!'
We're speaking at the press launch for the knockout stages of the All-Ireland football championship. Most of the time these events are a slog, with players reluctant to engage and paranoid over what they say.
Like the fabled reporters of the '70s and '80s who headed for Killarney for the regular pre All-Ireland final events with Kerry footballers, you still go along for the gawk and the hope that something novel rears up.
Ask Walsh about the area of confidence and instinct, and you know you have the jam that makes it worthwhile. He believes the belief that his manager and team mates have in him is a wellspring.
Shauna Clinton / SPORTSFILE Shauna Clinton / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
'Definitely as a forward. Especially when you come back from an injury in the middle of the year, it can be hard because you're chasing.
'The lads are moving at a certain level and there's a certain synchronisation that they have out on the pitch. You're trying to get to the pitch that then as well. It's tough going and you're probably taking shots that you normally would score, you'd feel. But they're not coming off for you maybe because you haven't had that repetition or you haven't had that time that the rest of them have,' he says.
'Even just to have the time on the ball to do it as well. Then it can knock you, you can go into your shell a bit I suppose. I definitely felt that probably in the Dublin game, the Derry game a bit. Where you kind of went back in (to your shell).
'Because I was like, 'I haven't done a whole pile in the last ten to eleven weeks and here I am in championship football, trying to get something out of myself.'
In that environment, nothing comes easy.
'I'd say just thinking you were taking shots that you felt comfortable taking but when they weren't coming off like they normally would then you were saying to yourself, 'Jays, I mightn't take that again.'
'It's probably the worst thing for me and for the team because they're probably looking to you to take on the shots. I think that was the best thing after the Derry game that we all sat down and had a few chats.
'It was just great to have that backing of the lads in the dressing room to say to me like 'we back you no matter what' – as in, remember that when you were taking those chances.
'And that it's not a good thing for us if you're on the field and you're not taking the shots. That's essentially my role in the team as well, along with a few of the other lads.'
He continues, 'I think that mattered a lot and obviously having Pádraic there as well. Having one-to-one meetings with Pádraic – people probably don't see that side of him too often in the media.
'He's quite black and white I suppose. But then when you get underneath it, you get, I suppose, the sense that he was a player himself. He probably didn't have too many confidence issues! But at the same time he kind of passed on a couple of things to me. It stood to me going into the weekend. I trained well for the two weeks and it kind of followed into last Saturday as well.'
Shauna Clinton / SPORTSFILE Shauna Clinton / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
In this Big Dipper of a football championship, we have finally made it to the straight knockout stage.
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Galway could have had worse draws than Down. All the same, Down football is feeling good about itself right now. They have made the jump from Tailteann Cup champions and do not look out of place in the Sam Maguire championship.
With a vocal local crowd, some smart management and a squad of players that have grown into their own skin such as Ryan Magill, Pat Havern, Pierce Laverty and Ceilum Doherty, Mourne manager Conor Laverty will have no lack of confidence.
'They're probably the most in-form team,' Walsh cautions.
'Even with the Donegal game, they were probably unlucky with a lot of goal chances they had that day. And you see the way they've been building since the league, they're a completely different proposition.
'We all know about going up to Newry, you never get that easy up there either. Conor Laverty always has his team well-drilled. I know him, he's a lovely fella off the field but when it comes to his football, he's very serious about winning as well and he'll do whatever it takes.
'So it's a great challenge. Again, no more than the group that we had with Dublin and Derry and Armagh, having Down again, it's another unbelievable challenge if you get through it to build your confidence, build the belief in the team and build a bit of momentum.'
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Irish Examiner
31 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
West reawakes: Tipp greats English and Fox delight at division's revival
Last year, it seemed West Tipperary hurling had hit a nadir when no senior final took place for the first time in living memory. There was no opposition for Clonoulty-Rossmore, winners of the eight previous divisional senior titles. It had been hoped a combination of lower-grade clubs in the region would come together to form a team, but there was no interest. Cashel King Cormacs, who they had beaten comprehensively in the 2023 final, later went onto win the county's intermediate crown and will present Clonoulty-Rossmore with a challenge this year. However, the break in a storied competition going back nearly 100 years was a sad one. Tales about the thousands who flocked to the west matches are legendary but not to younger generations who - conditioned by the demise of the competition - believe them to be tall. 'Thank God Cashel have become senior to make a competition of West Tipperary this year because it had been desperate the last few years,' says Tipperary great Pat Fox of Éire Óg-Annacarty. 'For five years, Clonoulty and Éire Óg were playing in one game, the final, which was unbelievable really. We couldn't imagine that from our time when we had eight or nine senior teams in West Tipperary hurling, which was fantastic and the crowds were huge. Emigration would have played its part in the decline. We've been starved, to be honest.' Tipperary's Eoghan Connolly contests possession with Robbie Cotter and Brian Hayes of Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Fox's great partner Nicky English agrees. 'The drop in numbers and less clubs has been a massive factor. There have been several amalgamations like my own Lattin-Cullen with Aherlow. 'I'm not sure it has anything to do with how other sports are faring in the area. You have St Michael's soccer club doing well in Tipp town but there just haven't been the numbers in the rural areas.' Between 1987 and '91, a club from the west featured in four of the five senior Tipperary finals, winning three of them. Since then, only Clonoulty-Rossmore (1997 and 2018) have lifted the Dan Breen Cup. Inter-county-wise, that period in the late 1980s was as much a halcyon one for the region as Fox, Bonnar and English lit up the county's full-forward line and another four West Tipp men populated three other lines in the 1989 All-Ireland winning team. From seven in that Babs Keating team, the west's proportion had diminished to zero in 2010 when Liam Sheedy matched English's achievement of bringing back the Liam MacCarthy Cup to Tipperary for the first time in nine years. Defender Conor O'Brien from Fox's club came off the bench to ensure they weren't left out but there was no west man who saw action in the 2016 final success and like O'Brien Ger Browne was a used substitute three years later. However, there are fires being lit around Cashel, Dundrum and Tipperary town again. In Limerick on Saturday, there will be four west men in Liam Cahill's squad – Robert Doyle (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Eoghan Connolly and Oisín O'Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs) and Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers). A third of the recent All-Ireland U20 winning team under Brendan Cummins hail from the division – Eoin Horgan and Adam Daly (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams), Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers), Conor Martin (Cappawhite) and O'Donoghue. Also on the bench was David Ryan, brother of senior panellist Johnny, who was an All-Ireland winning minor last year with his club-mate Adam Ryan and Darragh O'Hora from Solohead. 'When we won the U21 All-Ireland in '81, there was Johnny Farrell in goals, (Pat) Fox was corner-back, Mark McGrath, Ger O'Neill, Austin Buckley and myself from West Tipp,' recalls English. 'Then you had the '82 All-Ireland minor winning team that had the likes of John Kennedy, Colm Bonnar and John Leamy, so it's taken a long time to come around again. The West Tipp representation was borne out of those teams and a 1980 minor team, which was unusual at the time. The signs are positive once more.' The first Harty Cup success in their history, Cashel Community College's achievement against Thurles CBS two years pointed to foundations being laid for the future. Ten of the starters including Daly and O'Donoghue were from West Tipperary clubs. Hours before he is involved against Galway on Saturday, O'Donoghue's younger brother Cormac and first cousin Jamesie will be part of the Cashel King Cormacs team representing the county in the Féile in Ferns, Co Wexford. Cashel publican Fox never expects what happened in his playing days to be repeated but to have a healthier local involvement is huge. 'That was the height of it, I'd imagine. We never saw anything like that and it probably won't be the same again unless something drastic happens but there are some green shoots. Young Connolly, O'Donoghue and Doyle are giving us something to cheer about and that's all you want.' GOING WEST From a record seven players on Tipperary's All-Ireland SHC winning team of 1989, including the entire full-forward line, the west division's numbers dwindled in subsequent victorious seasons. However, there are four on Saturday's match-day panel, two starting against Galway, with the prospect of more: 2019 0. Used substitute: Ger Browne (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams/Cashel King Cormacs). 2016 0 2010 0. Used substitute Conor O'Brien (Éire Óg-Annacarty-Donohill). 2001 3 – Thomas Costello (Cappawhite); Eugene O'Neill (same); Declan Ryan (Clonoulty-Rossmore). 1991 6 - Conal Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs); Colm Bonnar (same); Declan Ryan; Pat Fox (Éire Óg-Annacarty); Cormac Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs); Nicky English (Lattin-Cullen). 1989 7 – Conal Bonnar; John Kennedy (Clonoulty-Rossmore); Colm Bonnar; Declan Ryan; Pat Fox; Cormac Bonnar; Nicky English. Used substitute: Joe Hayes (Clonoulty-Rossmore).
Irish Times
42 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Jim McGuinness wants people to think it's Donegal against the world
It felt like Jim McGuinness had ripped some pages from the Alex Ferguson playbook last Sunday - the chapter on 'us against the world'. The Donegal manager was apparently frustrated by the scheduling of Dr Hyde Park to host his team's All-Ireland round-robin match against Mayo . His remarks to that effect caused something of a dispute between Donegal and the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee . But sweep away that thin veneer and maybe it was more about engineering a sense of Donegal against the world. Or the world against Donegal. Take your pick. It was about galvanising the squad, galvanising the county. It was more about what's to come rather than what has already taken place. READ MORE McGuinness doesn't strike me as somebody who expresses such sentiments without having first walked through the consequences in his head. It's all part of a plan and a strategy. McGuinness remarked: 'You're 38 minutes from Mayo's training ground. We're 3½ hours from Inishowen. It's not fair. If I don't say it, who's going to say it?' Having travel distances at hand showed this was a message McGuinness had pre-cooked and was keen to express. It wasn't really about the venue. It was about creating a siege mentality. Additionally, it was used as a deflection tactic because Donegal's level of performance probably wasn't where he would have wanted it to be last Sunday. The Mayo match rounded off a slightly disappointing group stage for Donegal. They never really reproduced the levels they showed in the Ulster final. Donegal players form a huddle before last Sunday's match against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Donegal would have targeted finishing top of their group, so the last few weeks haven't panned out as McGuinness and his management team would have liked. The preliminary quarter-final is a game they could have done without. So, it was an opportune time to rally the county behind a cause, stir up a 'them versus us' mentality. 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When we were asked about it, the message from the players and management was consistent – we are happy to play anywhere; we don't decide on venues. And we were happy to play outside of Croke Park. That wasn't just a throwaway comment. Looking back now, some of my fondest memories were going to play down the country. Those away trips were great for team-bonding and encouraging camaraderie. I would have liked to play in more of the grounds around the country. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness looks on from the sideline during last weekend's match against Mayo, which his team won by a point. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho But we were aware of the narrative out there around us playing in Croke Park. When our success reached a certain level during that era, everybody outside of Dublin wanted us to be beaten, which is understandable. We certainly used that as a motivating factor. It wasn't a central tenet of our preparations, but I think we kind of fed off that as a group. We got a huge amount of confidence during that period because the group was so tight-knit. The dressingroom became a sacred place – when we were in there, it felt like it was us against everybody else, and that worked for us. It wasn't about going out to prove people wrong – it was more about showing the opposition absolute respect. You do that by beating them by as much as possible. If you should be beating a team by 20 points and you don't beat them by 20 points, then that's probably a sign of complacency or a lack of humility because you are not doing what you should be doing. And I think there might have been an element of that in the comments by McGuinness last week. Donegal need to rediscover their form from earlier in the championship, because in the defeat to Tyrone and for parts of last week's win over Mayo, they weren't doing what they should have been doing in terms of putting the opposition away. Instead, that result hung in the balance right until the last kick of the ball. Donegal's Ciarán Moore celebrates scoring the late winning point against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Given how the second half panned out, Donegal could quite easily have ended up losing and found themselves finishing third in the group and now facing the prospect of a trip to Killarney this weekend. So, while McGuinness will be pleased by the character and ruthlessness they showed to win the game, it wasn't as convincing a victory for Donegal as they probably would have liked. Instead, it was another draining 70 minutes for a team that has played more games than most in this year's championship. Sunday's preliminary quarter-final will be Donegal's eighth outing having already played Derry, Monaghan, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Cavan and Mayo. Only Meath have played as many matches as Donegal – and the Royals have avoided the prelims. So, perhaps McGuinness just felt now was the right time to spark a little fire. You cannot keep the 'us against the world' psychology going for six months but it's something that can be helpful in a shorter window. There are just five weeks until the All-Ireland final, so McGuinness probably reasoned that leaning into it now would pull the group nice and tight for the journey ahead. There is probably a bit of pressure on the group as well because the expectation levels have increased – Donegal are fancied by many to win the All-Ireland. Patrick McBrearty and Michael Murphy celebrate in the dressingroom after Donegal beat Armagh in the Ulster SFC final in May. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho McGuinness delivered Sam Maguire in year two during his first term in charge and so parallels will be drawn between 2012 and 2025. One key difference is that for this group, 2025 looks like their best shot at winning the All-Ireland. Donegal made it back to an All-Ireland final two years after the 2012 triumph, but I wouldn't be as convinced this group will still be as competitive two seasons from now as they currently are. Michael Murphy, for one, is unlikely to be still togging out for the county. Will McGuinness still be there? Key players like Patrick McBrearty and Ryan McHugh have spent well over a decade in the trenches. I think it's pretty much now for this Donegal team. The players know this team's window for success will not be open forever. That all adds to the pressure. And with the team not performing as well as they should, maybe that's why this 'us against them' messaging emerged from the Donegal camp last weekend. Because, let's be honest, Donegal are not exactly the most loathed team in the country. Far from it, I would have thought. They are expected to beat Louth on Sunday and I believe that is exactly what will happen, but Ger Brennan's Leinster champions have nothing to lose and I'd expect them to bring a decent performance. Donegal's Oisín Gallen signs autographs after the game against Cavan at the start of June. Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan/Inpho Beyond that, Donegal will need more from the likes of McBrearty and Oisín Gallen in supporting Michael Murphy up top. Gallen, for me, is the key. He was exceptional last year, won an All Star and brought that real x-factor quality to his play, but I don't think he has got back to those high standards this season. All it takes for a player of his ability to find his mojo again is one good game. If he can deliver a big performance against Louth, then Donegal will travel to Croke Park as a much more formidable outfit. Either way, the Ulster champions are likely to be among the last eight when the quarter-finals take centre stage next weekend. Because the racket last Sunday about venues wasn't really about Dr Hyde Park, it was about benefiting Donegal when they get to Croke Park.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
GAA fans furious ahead of bumper weekend of All-Ireland action
As another bumper weekend of GAA action approaches, fans have been taking to social media to voice their anger over which games are being televised on free-to-air TV and which are being shown on GAA+. RTE will televise the two All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals of Dublin v Limerick and Galway v Tipperary on Saturday. The broadcaster will also show the Tailteann Cup semi-finals as Wicklow face Limerick and Kildare take on Fermanagh on Sunday. However, it is the decision to show the four All-Ireland Senior Football Championship preliminary quarter-finals on GAA+ that is angering supporters ahead of the weekend, with three of the top four in the outright Championship betting in action. Kerry host Cavan at Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday afternoon before the evening meeting of Dublin and Cork at Croke Park. Then on Sunday, Down host Galway in Newry before the clash of Donegal and Louth in Ballybofey. "Dublin v Cork, football's biggest game of the weekend, is on a subscription channel online Sat. It's on at the same time as the biggest hurling game of the weekend on RTE. They couldn't get less people to watch the biggest football game of the weekend if they tried," stated one fan. Another asked: "Where are the important gaelic football matches ,also known as the Preliminary Quarter Finals been Televised, Not on free to Air?" Someone else said: "Taking all the big games this weekend, @rte and you wonder why numbers are declining . Absolute disgrace especially when your buffing the weekend schedule with re runs of west side story & all creatures great and small." "An absolute disgrace by the GAA to put the Dublin vs. Cork match on GAA+," read another comment. LIVE GAA ON TV AND STREAMING THIS WEEKEND Saturday June 21 All-Ireland SFC Preliminary Quarter-Finals Kerry v Cavan, Fitzgerald Stadium, 3.30pm, GAA+Dublin v Cork, Croke Park, 6.15pm, GAA+ All-Ireland SHC Quarter-Finals Limerick v Dublin, Croke Park, 4pm, RTEGalway v Tipperary, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 6.15pm, RTE Sunday June 22 All-Ireland SFC Preliminary Quarter-FinalsDonegal v Louth, Ballybofey, 4pm, GAA+Down v Galway, Pairc Esler, 1.45pm, GAA+ Tailteann Cup Semi-Finals Limerick v Wicklow, Croke Park, 2pm, RTEKildare v Fermanagh, Croke Park, 4pm, RTE
