PICTURES: Galway Jubilee team honoured at Croke Park

25 years on from winning the All-Ireland SFC title, the Galway 2001 senior football team were honoured at GAA headquarters. Each member of the Galway team entered the pitch on Sunday and received a standing ovation.

There was two notable figures dearly missed on Sunday. Galway manager at the time John O’Mahony was honoured by his wife Geraldine, while wing forward on the Galway team in 2001 Paul Clancy who recently passed away was represnted by his son Finn.

The Mayo man who brought pure liquid football to Galway, the late John O'Mahony, and the amazing half forward who popped up with two points on that fine September day 25 years ago, the late Paul Clancy who died only last month.

John O'Mahony’s golden generation of Galway men reached three finals in four years during the late nineties and early noughties bringing the cup back west in 1998 and 2001.Gunning to right their wrongs after forcing Kerry to a replay the previous year but falling short against the Kingdom the second day out, the year did not start out too well for Galway.Losing to eventual Connacht champions Roscommon in the provincial Semi-Final would have normally been a year ender in any other year.

But this wasn’t any other year. It was Galway’s year and a new year which showcased a new format - the back door qualifiers. A match that would have never seen the light of day the year before was cooked up as Galway went to Aughrim to face Wicklow, winning well.The Tribesmen had already had two days out in Croke Park before there was even talk of a Quarter Final. Narrowly scraping past Armagh in a one point nail biting round three before relinquishing the Rebels’ chances of a round of last eight.

From Rebels to Rossies and in a rare chance of getting to replay a losing game, Galway now had the chance to knock out their noisy neighbours which they did in emphatic style.

It was eerily starting to look like 1998 all over again where Galway meet and beat Derry in the Semi Final and defending champions Kerry - just like they were in the 1998 season - were the other losing semi finalists. Much like Galway, Meath too had reached a third final in five years but unlike Galway - they had won their first two.

Meath were Leinster champions and had blown Kerry away in the Semi Final by 15 points in one of the Kingdom’s darkest days, so it was no surprise who the favourites were coming into the game. Chances of a rare GAA double were squashed weeks previous when Galway’s hurlers lost to Tipperary.And then the world changed forever.

The hurling final was soon forgotten about as just days later 9/11 took place which led to a more quietened build up to the football final than normal.Both sides went in at half-time six apiece but the second half was anything but close, Galway producing a Royal(s) rumble against Meath outscoring them eleven points to two including a missed Meath penalty. As the confetti rained down over Croke Park, it spelt the beginning of the end for that famous Galway Galácticos gang with Tomas Mannion announcing his retirement after that game.