As Damien Comer prepares for a championship like no other, one of the GAA's most impressive forwards revealed what it is like playing under the Galway legend, Pádraic Joyce.
Due to circumstances beyond his control, Pádraic Joyce's first year as Galway senior football manager has hardly gone as he may have planned. For one of his leading players, however, the restructured inter-county season offered an unlikely ray of light.
Were things to have progressed as usual, Damien Comer isn't certain that he would have been completely over the worst of an ankle injury he sustained playing a game of five-a-side soccer in late 2018.
As things stand now, it is one week before Galway host Mayo in the National Football League and Comer is feeling all but back to his very best.
In a do-or-die championship year like no other, he is happy to be back.
What's more, the 26-year-old has been struck by what there is to learn from a manager who has "been there and done it all" in a Galway jersey, Pádraic Joyce.
"Anyone who knows Pádraic knows that he is a really confident man," explained Comer, speaking to OTB Sports at a remote GAA Roadshow in association with SuperValu.
"He instills that confidence in his players. With him coming in having been a marquee forward who has been there and done it all, his experience is massively telling."
One multiple All-Ireland winner who replaced another, Joyce's memorable triumphs with Galway on the field were secured alongside his predecessor in the role of county manager, Kevin Walsh.
During a five-year stint in charge of the Tribesmen, Walsh guided Galway to Connacht titles on two occasions and brought the county to within one game of an All-Ireland final in 2018.
Under Joyce's management now, Comer noted how the legendary forwarded has made his impact felt among the county's current crop of attacking talents.
"He is getting the best out of lads," suggested Comer. "Look at Shane Walsh now and he's playing the best football of his life.
"Pádraic has so much invested in Galway football and you know exactly where you stand with him. He will tell you what you're doing wrong and what you're doing right. He will criticise you and he will compliment you and there's no beating around the bush with him.
"If you're performing, he will play you. There's lads now coming in really hot off the club championship and they'll probably be starting against Mayo. His motto is that if you're playing well you will play for Galway."
Over what he will be hoping are a busy few weeks for Galway's footballers, Comer is feeling confident that the potentially adverse weather conditions of a Winter championship may suit his style of play.
"Winter football will probably suit bigger lads more than the smaller lads," he said. "Normally if it is wet outside forwards don't like playing in that, but I don't mind playing in the rain.
"That bit of physicality too can be enjoyable when it is pouring it down. There are going to be massive battles though and the skill level probably won't be up to what it was during the height of the summer.
"But look we've often played in July and it has been raining in Salthill, so I don't think the weather will influence things too much."
Galway's Damien Comer was speaking to OTB Sports at our remote GAA Roadshow in association with SuperValu. Catch the full interview with Damien and Donegal's Ryan McHugh and much, much more across OTB's social channels in the days ahead.
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