Darkness falls on new dawn

Dara Bradley

His appointment signalled hopes of a new dawn in Galway football. And last September, in front of around 5,000 fans on county final day, incoming manager Joe Kernan was carted out into the centre of the field at Tuam Stadium, waving to the crowd who gave the Armagh man a rapturous reception.

On Saturday, at Pearse Stadium, that new dawn was a distant memory as Galway crashed out of the 2010 All-Ireland title race. And the only applause Kernan received was the sort no manager likes to hear.

After watching his side lose a championship match by a point in injury time for the second occasion in the space of a week, the Galway boss gave the customary post-match congratulatory speech in the dressing room of the winning team, Wexford, who applauded appreciatively.

When he re-emerged, the Galway boss indicated to the reporters outside that the pair would discuss in the coming weeks whether or not he will be at the helm next year. Kernan also indicated that Galway’s early exit – the county’s fourth successive qualifier defeat since beating Louth in 2004 – could bring the curtain down on the inter-county careers of some of the county’s long-serving players.

“When I was lucky enough to get the job I sat down and I said at the end of each year we’d look at it and we’ll decide where we go from there and if it’s not to be we’ll shake hands and go away but if it is to be we’ll get on with the job. We’ll just give everybody sometime to think about the situation and we’ll sit down over the next few weeks. 

“Everybody is gutted the season is over and it might be the end of county careers for some of the players which is even sadder. Galway is a proud county and everybody has to look to see how they can make this better,” he said.

To be fair, the talent may not be there and Galway may not have the quality of players to challenge the better counties but it does seem strange that the championship panel of 2010 is comprised of almost exactly the same personnel – except for Eoin Concannon – as that which lost in a qualifier by a point to Donegal last year under Liam Sammon.

But Kernan certainly reckoned Galway has the talent – he wouldn’t have come otherwise – and he accepted the management just didn’t get the best out of them.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.