Joyce late injury blow to footballers

Date Published: 24-Jun-2010

FRANK FARRAGHER

IF Galway footballers have one thing going for them in the run-up to Sunday’s Connacht semi-final clash against Sligo in Pearse Stadium (2pm), it’s the fact that their shoulders won’t be over-burdened with any giant yoke of expectation.

Galway have endured a chastening league campaign and although league victories over Monaghan, Dublin and Tyrone kept them in the top flight, Joe Kernan’s side took bad beatings at the hands of Mayo, Kerry and Derry.

And the news from Wednesday night’s team selection won’t lighten the load for Galway with Nicky Joyce ruled out of action following a kneecap injury he sustained in training on Friday evening last.There had been hopes that Joyce might have recovered in time but he will join colleague Michael Meehan on the sideline – the latter is on the verge of being back to fitness after the knee ligament injury he sustained against Kerry last April.

Should the need arise, Meehan could be introduced at some stage on Sunday but the loss of two free scoring forwards does represent a major blow for Galway, although their attack does still retain a fair amount of punch. The pace and scoring power of Sean Armstrong on the ‘40’ will pose a threat while on the edge of the square, Padraic Joyce is still a wily campaigner who can unhinge any defence.

The Galway management have opted to give Joe Bergin a wing forward role at no. 12 with Gary Sice on the other flank while Eoin Concannon and Matthew Clancy are given the corner forward roles.Niall Coleman has recovered from an ankle injury to partner Paul Conroy in the middle of the field while further back, Alan Burke fills the corner back role in the absence of his cousin Damien Burke, due to a nagging groin strain. Burke is likely to be given the difficult assignment of keeping tabs on Sligo dangerman David Kelly.

Adrian Faherty is given the goalkeeping role ahead of Eoin Ó Conghaile in what must have been a tight call. Kieran Fitzgerald and Finian Hanley, as expected, complete the full back line with Alan Burke. Gareth Bradshaw, Dairmuid Blake and Gary O’Donnell make up the half back line.

Apart from the serious double loss of Meehan and Joyce to the attack, the team selection is along expected lines although players like David Reilly, Fiachra Breathach and Cormac Bane must have been pressing hard for a starting place.

All in all a tough early summer task for Joe Kernan, the man charged with the task of metaphorising Galway from a team on the fringes of the ‘big boys’ to genuine championship contenders, but like a lot more good men before him, he hasn’t found this an easy task.

True, there was some hope in the spring victories over Tyrone in Tuam Stadium and Dublin in Parnell Park, but the reality is that Galway have struggled desperately since the long nights to assemble a settled side and to develop any acceptable level of consistency.The Titanic nearly sunk for them in Gaelic Park when they came tantalisingly close to crashing out of the championship at the hands of New York, and while such trips can be prone to ‘travel sickness’, the nature of their struggle to eventually win out wasn’t a good omen.

Manager Kernan is keen to adopt a positive approach in the aftermath of the New York game, pointing to the fact that they ‘set sail’ without seven of the panel due to exams and injuries.“A lot of things didn’t go well for us in New York but we were short a lot of players and it was hard to get the preparation right over there.“As far as players that are gone from the panel are concerned, I want to stress that the squad is an open one with the door not close to anyone.