‘To us, this is a 50-50 game’: Galway’s John Concannon strikes confident tone ahead of All-Ireland final

It’s been a while since he played but John Concannon has never lost the bounce in his step. From the moment he appeared on the sideline with Pádraic Joyce he looked and sounded at home, a vivid and vocal touchline presence alongside his old schoolfriend.

Concannon is Milltown bred and, like Joyce, has retained an unshakeable assurance of Galway’s rightful place in the football order. He talks away happily at Galway’s media day, sitting with Matthew Tierney, at times guiding and at times joking the young player through the quickfire nature of a group media event.

Concannon himself looks as though he was doing this crack all his life. Here he is shooting back on a question from journalist Frank Kearney, who raised the point about Galway’s habit of letting teams back into games. After their defensive excellence against Derry, they would have preferred not to see that late, late consolation goal happen?

“Sure with the price of tickets, Frank, you have to let teams back!”

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And then he settles into straight-talking reflection which has become a likable trait of the Galway set up.

“Ah, we thought we were over the line with a couple of minutes to go against Armagh. We were very disappointed when the goals went in. We sat down and analysed them. Everyone blames the ‘keeper, but it was a team effort. It wasn’t all the ‘keeper’s fault for two of them in our opinion. But we worked on it. There was a couple of high balls went into the square against Derry and we managed them. Hopefully, we will be able to do that again going forward.”

This is the first season when Galway’s championship run has chimed with Joyce’s statement that the senior team’s ambition was to win the All-Ireland. That clarity of intent caused an immediate stir in the county – and the dressingroom.

“I think when he said it, being honest, players were shocked at the time,” Concannon says.

“Because he said it before there were any team meetings or before we met up with the group at all. But as the weeks went on, he kept instilling that in their mindset. He regularly says it.”

Reaching this point has taken some trial and error. Galway were made to appear as lightweight last summer against Mayo, when they were swatted aside by their neighbours after a first half of attractive attacking football. But Concannon feels that easy summary never told the full story of the day.

“We were very disappointed with the analysis of that game, looking back. Three of our best key players were injured in the second half. Nobody really talks about that or analyses it. Everyone knows we were five points up at half-time. We were unlucky not to go up six with a Hawk-Eye decision. But we lost three of our key players. The lads were so devastated in that dressingroom and they have come back phenomenally. They did not want that feeling in Croke Park again. They went back to their clubs and their county championship and they left no stone unturned to get back.”

Neither did the management. There was a sense that this was a make-or-break year for the Joyce project. The 4-21 to 0-11 mauling they suffered against Kerry in the league in May of 2021 raised alarm bells and it was one of those moments when the management wondered about the way ahead.

“Look it, at times maybe you’d question it, going home from matches like that or whatever. But the fallback is always going back and seeing the quality of the players we have. The way they train out here or train in Loughgeorge, that split-second of lack of belief is gone because of the quality of the players. That again was behind closed doors [in Tralee], with Covid. Again, we could use it as an excuse but it was so different times. It’s just totally different now, and as I say, once you go back and see the quality of the players, that feeling is gone.”

Acquiring the experience and coaching pedigree of Cian O’Neill was one of the shrewder moves in the off-season. The Galway that returned in the league had restored some of the defensive flintiness that Kevin Walsh introduced during his time. It is complemented by a directness and variety to their attacking play. And crucially, Damian Comer enjoyed an unbroken run of fitness while Paul Conroy tapped into vintage form.

“First of all he was a fresh voice which is very important,” Concannon says of O’Neill.

“There were a couple of other changes in the backroom team. But Cian’s experience alone is massive and it is great to get an outside voice and to look at things with a helicopter view. His video analysis is second to none. The way he explains things – his job is as a lecturer in Cork, but the way he explains things is brilliant. More than anything that is what he has brought to us.”

Galway are outsiders going into this All-Ireland final. The country has watched the championship sculpt them into a team that becomes more streamlined and tough and appealing with every outing. It’s a nice place for them to be. The record in the All-Ireland finals is shaded by Kerry, with four wins to three – they have played nine in total, including two draws.

“They’re so long ago, I don’t even remember them!” Concannon says.

“Kerry are a phenomenal team, and they’ve been knocking on the door – what age are Clifford and O’Shea? – since the minor days. Everyone is talking of them as getting their hands on Sam Maguire since their last minor title; and they are a phenomenal team, they’ve brilliant players all over the pitch. But, to us, this is a 50-50 game. Whoever performs on the day, we feel, will win the game and that’s the way we’re treating it.”