Tobin expects old foes to bring best out of each other
As Galway and Mayo prepare themselves to go head-to-head in one of Gaelic football’s greatest rivalries at Pearse Stadium this Sunday (4pm), former Galway star and ex-manager John Tobin believes fans can expect another “very special” and “very intense” battle between the old foes.
In his time, Tobin – who is Connacht GAA Provincial Games Manager based in Bekan, Ballyhaunis – has had his fair share of duels with Mayo as player and mentor while, in his guise as Connacht boss, he worked with many of the current Galway and Mayo players when guiding them to interprovincial honours in 2014, which was the province’s first such title in 45 years.
“The rivalry between Galway and Mayo has always been very special and is always very intense. More often than not, they bring out the best in one another and, because of that, the results, invariably, have been unpredictable,” begins Tobin.
“To a certain extent, form goes out the window with a lot of these local derbies. From a historical perspective, Galway wouldn’t have any fear of Mayo and, I presume, that is also applicable in reverse.”
Galway and Mayo could not be coming at this Connacht semi-final more differently. Galway produced a below-par performance in bowing out of the championship to Tipperary in the quarter-final last year, while Mayo came within a whisker of winning the Sam Maguire Cup – only losing by the minimum to Dublin after a replay.
The Tribesmen, though, bounced back in the Spring to win Division 2 of the National League, securing promotion to Division 1. Mayo, for their part, were up and down in their Division 1 campaign but, ultimately, retained their top-flight status with a final day win over Donegal.
While the bookmakers have obviously seen enough to install Mayo as favourites heading into this Connacht semi-final fixture against the reigning champions, Tobin is far more optimistic about his native county’s chances.
“Galway are coming in on the back of a very good run in the league, they are developing all the time, they are improving all the time, and their preparation has been fairly positive in the sense that they have gone up to Division 1 now. I think they are going to be very strong contenders in Division 1.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.