Galway not out of woods yet Ð Kernan
Date Published: {J}
Dara Bradley
GALWAY gave themselves some much-needed breathing space in the National Football League relegation battle with a win over Tyrone in Tuam last weekend, but manager Joe Kernan says the pressure is far from off as the Tribesmen face Dublin at Parnell Park on Saturday (7.30pm).
Kernan was pleased with how his men bounced back from the disappointment against Kerry to record their second league win but warns Galway cannot become complacent – his charges are not out of the woods yet and are still under pressure to remain in Division One, he insisted.
The Armagh man said speculation during the week that harsh words were exchanged among management and squad in the wake of the Kerry defeat was wide of the mark and indicated this team is a work in progress.
“I keep saying Rome wasn’t built in a day; it’s going to take a while to get used to each other and to get systems and that in place. We have been stop start so far but it takes a few matches to get used to things,” Kernan told Tribune Sport yesterday.
“Anybody who knows me knows I don’t do banging tables and doors and shouting at lads. That can only work once or twice. Everything that was said was sensible and commonsense – we sat down and watched the video and could see where we made the mistakes and every mistake is fixable provided we work together.
“The lads had something to prove – mostly to themselves – and they had to go out and prove it on Sunday and they did. Sometimes if you’re not good enough you can’t go out and prove it but we think these lads are good enough.
“We played like a team for 70 minutes against Tyrone, which was good. The work rate of the players was good; in fairness they all worked hard for each other, supported each other and they didn’t panic on the ball and if we can keep doing that and getting consistency then confidence will grow. Good teams become consistent and play well on a regular basis.”
Kernan didn’t like to single out individual performances and preferred to focus on the team’s work rate in Tuam but when pushed he said he was pleased with the ruthlessness of Matthew Clancy, Eoin Concannon and Nicky Joyce; the leadership of Joe Bergin; and the performances of Niall Coleman, Finian Hanley, Declan Meehan, Diarmuid Blake and with the return of Kieran Fitzgerald to the county set-up.
Of course, there is plenty of room for improvement and the gaping holes that seem to open up for opposition players who run at Galway’s defence, which was particularly evident against Cork and late on against Tyrone, is just one area that needs attention.
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.