Saturday night, in round six of the National football league, the Galway footballers take on Pat Gilroy’s Dublin in Parnell Park (7.30pm ).
Buoyed by their impressive victory last Sunday in Tuam against Tyrone, the Galway panel will travel to the capital in good spirits, looking for a win that would help ease their relegation worries.
I was in Páirc Uí Rinn in the southern capital last Saturday night to see Dublin being comprehensively beaten by Cork by seven points. And the Dublin side was a rabble by the final whistle. Gilroy’s men looked disjointed for the entire second half and their tactic of playing up to 13 men behind the ball did not work and was illogical once they had fallen behind. Only the consistent goal-scoring threat of Bernard Brogan and the lively Kevin McMenamon gave the Sky Blues any semblance of hope. Both those men will have to be well marshalled by the maroon full-back line on Saturday evening.
Pat Gilroy was forced to make wholesale changes in the second half to try to live with the Rebels, who were impressive. On current form Cork are the top team in the country.
They boast a very strong panel of players. Daniel Goulding, Paul Kerrigan and Eoin Cadogan look vastly improved players from last season. It is only March, yet they definitely look like one of the teams that will be in the lead pack for a tilt at winning Sam next Sepember.
Dublin made five substitutions last Saturday and they were forced to replace both their midfielders, Ross McConnell and Eamon Fennell, and their centre-forward Michael McAuley, which is never a good sign of how things are going for a team. Galway will have to be mindful of a potential backlash though based on that trimming.
No more than how Galway felt after their heavy defeat to Kerry - the team is well pysched up and revving after a hurtful loss. Bucking the trend and defeating the home team is not easy either and Galway manager Joe Kernan will want his panel turning up with the same attitude and work-rate that was so commendable against Tyrone.
That attitude and desire for a win was best exemplified by Joe Bergin who had a marvellous game last Sunday.
Bergin’s pivotal role
Bergin won an All-Ireland medal nine years ago and he looked like a man on a mission to make up for lost time last Sunday. Galway will need more of that from him if they are to have a solid run in the championship.
He displayed intensity, self-belief, and a robustness and vigour for the fray that was very pleasing for all Galway supporters. He was captain for the day as part of Joe Kernan’s rotating captain policy for the league, but, if he can play like he did in that triumph, he would almost certainly be one of the Armagh’s first preferences.
Kernan praised the Mounbellew man after the win.
"Joe [Bergin] has always been a good player in my eyes and he showed that today. When we needed someone to stand up today, he certainly stood up. He played a captain's part and it made all the difference.”
Galway badly needed the two points against Tyrone if they were to stay in division one and the soul searching that had gone on all week after the heavy defeat to Kerry had the desired affect. It was a fiery display full of conviction and character and the intensity needed to win tight games against quality opposition. Kernan was delighted with the spirit shown by his panel.
"Our backs were against the wall and we are very pleased with the win. It was all about hard work and digging deep. The lads took the game to Tyrone in the first half whereas in the past we have backed off and let other teams dictate to us. Declan Meehan won a ball along the line, shipped a tackle but he stood his ground. That lifts players. That's the sort of character you're looking for in your players."
Galway need two more points this Saturday to keep themselves above the likes of Tyrone (who play Kerry on Saturday ), and Derry (who take on Cork in Celtic Park ) in a bid to stay in top-flight football for 2011. They beat Dublin well last season in Pearse Stadium, winning by 3-12 to 0-13 and Gilroy will have his team well psyched up not to give up anything soft on home turf.
The secret to beating Dublin with the defensive tactic they are currently using is to start well and try to get a few points ahead of them. They are difficult to break down and before last weekend they had only been conceding on average 0-11 per game. Their captain, David Henry, has been operating as an extra defender in games to date which would leave Galway with a free defender.
If Galway can replicate their form from last Sunday, they will have a good chance of a rare win in Parnell Park, but they can expect a committed and fiery challenge from the badly-stung Dublin players.
It has the makings of a high quality and lively encounter.
* The game is live on TV on Setanta Sports One and is also on Galway Bay FM.
