Inconsistent. Flaky. You never know which team will turn up! Aside from Saw Doctors songs, a Supermacs meal and maybe even Arts events that you pretend you understand but you really don’t, those are the first thoughts that comes to any GAA persons mind when someone mentions Galway.
The Tribesmen haven’t won an All Ireland since 1988 but they do have recent achievements to speak of by winning the Leinster final in 2012 and reaching that years All Ireland final only to lose after a replay. If you speak to any Galway supporter about that day and you’ll be reminded Cyril Donnellan was sent off (they may neglect to say he was rightly sent off) but before that, they controversially had a goal disallowed. It’s been a tail of woe and inconsistency, since losing to Clare in the 2013 qualifiers after a non performance. The side came back the next year to draw with Kilkenny in the Leinster semi final, then losing the replay before crashing out against Tipperary, despite being on top for most of the game.
David Collins has provided consistency in an inconsistent county. The Liam Mellows defender has been around for over a decade. He was named Young Hurler of the Year in 2005 losing a Senior final but the blow was softened by winning an Under 21 title, just a week later. He’s been consistent but not ever present, thanks to an ankle injury that ruled him out for nearly two seasons. He says though, that time away made him more team focused and more mature.
With his relaxed friendly manner it’s difficult to put an age on Collins and he laughs and says “that’s some question to star with” when I put it to him, that he’s been around for a long time. You can understand why Ger Loughnane made him captain. He doesn’t look for excuses or try to spin a line on why Galway haven’t won an All Ireland since 1988 or why their last two Championship campaigns have ended in disappointment.
He says they’re to blame for being a side that no one knows what to expect from. Their plantation into Leinster was supposed to eradicate the inconsistency but that takes time and he knows it, although he doesn’t foist the blame to any one but the current crop, while calmly steers the discussion to recent seasons rather than those of the past.
“People are looking at Galway and they don’t know what team is going to show up. We’re at fault for that. Look at the league this year. We beat Clare, beat Kilkenny and then lose to Tipp, Dublin and Cork and then go and do what we did against Waterford."
Collins wants to see the team play the cream of the crop as early as possible every summer. "If you’re not pitting yourself against the best at this time of year you’re going nowhere.”
Anyone who’s been to Pearse Stadium on a big Championship day will know how great a venue it is, but Galway don’t have that pleasure or even advantage as their invite to Leinster doesn’t extend to home games, but Collins isn’t bitter: “It’s a big disadvantage but the players don’t look at it as a big disadvantage we’re playing Dublin in Croke Park on Sunday and that’s the be all and end all. If it was played in Tullamore, if it was played in a field in Athlone we don’t care as long as we’re driving on for the All Ireland series. It would be fantastic to get a game in Galway but it’s not the be all and end all”.
Aggression and intensity are words that keep coming up when talking to the defender but focus is also on his mind. He doesn’t get to in depth about systems when we bring it up preferring to talk about working hard and every player doing his job. If every player does his job then Galway won’t be far away on Dublin but as always you just never know what to expect form the mercurial men of the West.
David Collins was speaking at the launch of the Liberty Insurance GAA Safe Driver Campaign.
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