"Some people are calling us magicians," said John Concannon when asked if the long term planning of blooding young players through the winter games and the league was part of a well-thought-out masterplan designed to arrive in high summer in rude health. "But we'll see after next week what the narrative is," he laughed.
Padraic Joyce also guffawed at the suggestion that it might not have been forced upon them.
"I met a man the other day and he said to me, ye had no injuries at all and ye were just holding the back until the championship. I told him, you're dead right, but don't tell anyone," he joked when I suggested that the elongated season that Galway have had and the amount of game time given to so many might become the new model for counties to follow.
Using the league for experimentation to create a right good Championship squad.
However planned or unplanned it might have been, the shocking injury list suffered by Galway in 2024 means they arrive at the business end of the All-Ireland in rude good health...and with a strength and resilience that many counties would give their right arm for.
"It has and when you think of many of the lads who played in the league games, some of them are not even getting into the 26 now at times," said Joyce.
"We've built a squad out of it, which is great. I always like to get young lads involved. If they're good enough, they're old enough in my eyes.
"You look at John Daly and Kieran Molloy, two tremendous players, one an All-Star two years ago and Johnny Heaney and these lads, so when you turn around in a game and see those fellows behind you, it's some feeling. They mightn't say that, but it is," he laughed.
However, he acknowledged that Armagh have a similar rocket-fuelled propulsion from their own bench.
"They've a serious punch from their bench as well. No more than ourselves, we've had huge impact off our bench the last couple of games and you need that because it's going to be a real battle with Armagh.
Having the resilience to fight back, the confidence to know they will get over the line has saved them on so many occasions this calendar year.
Apart from the stroll in London, the last gasp heroics in Sligo saved them from what many felt would have been an ambarrassing exit, but in hindsight, it was a real test of character seeing how Sligo have performed since in the Tailteann Cup.
Having got out of jail in the Yeats County, the back and forth Connacht Final performance saw them trailing as the clock ticked down, but, aided by some retrospectively fortunate decisions, they had the wherewithal to eke out a momentous victory and make a folk hero out of Connor Gleeson — his pointed alaute to the crowd on his run back to goal becoming an iconic gesture of the season Galway has had.
The call to arms in the winter games and the league matches has resulted in the Galway bench and squad beiong bvattlehardened, ready for the nod when it comes. This was obvious against Dublin when the strength of the replacements boosted the team and will undoubtedly be key next Sunday in the decider.
Johnny McGrath and Sean Fitz have played almost every single minute of every League and Championship match. Now, they are young lads and they are strong, fit and healthy, but it has been great blooding them priming their peak for the sweet spot of the year.
