"If I had a euro for every time Paul Galvin's name was mentioned"

Taking a retrospective look back on his career with Cork's Gaelic footballers, Noel O'Leary recounted his fractious on-field relationship with Kerry's Paul Galvin. 

Of his many encounters with Paul Galvin, Noel O'Leary vividly recalls the peak of their rivalry.

A 2009 Munster semi-final replay in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the Cork half-back allowed his emotions get the better of him and feared the worst after a coming together with the Kerry star.

"Of all the things that happened between us," the 2010 All-Ireland winner recalled at OTB's remote GAA Roadshow in association with SuperValu, "we both got sent off that day.

"I remember before the game that Conor Counihan had told me I would be on Galvin and to keep a cool head. Of course, I nodded away and agreed with him.

"The game went on and the usual argy-bargy started and, well, without describing it too roughly now, Galvin gave me an elbow into the face and I gave him - what could we call it? - a slight hand back...

"Of course, [the referee] turned around when my hand was about to do the business and I got caught rotten."

A first-half scuffle in a game that would have ruled either man out of the Munster final to come, for a brief, horrible moment Noel O'Leary reckoned he would be made an example of while Galvin walked free.

"Jesus, I knew I was getting the line," he admitted, "but all I could think about was that Galvin would stay on the field and ah, Jesus, I would have to walk in front of the crowd now on my own.

"I can tell you now, the relief, the relief when I looked around and saw your man getting the red card - I swear, it was fairly depressing but that made it awfully easier."

13 June 2009; Noel O'Leary is shown a red card by referee Pat McEnaney. Picture credit: Sportsfile

In the end, that day went in Cork's favour before Kerry eventually got the better of their Munster rivals in the All-Ireland final later that year.

Frequent opponents year on year, Noel O'Leary and Paul Galvin had plenty of time to become acquainted with one another. Although both enjoyed tremendous success, the legacies of both are inextricably linked.

"If I got a euro for every time that man's name is mentioned," remarked O'Leary, "I'd be a very wealthy man. Whenever Kerry are brought up, sure obviously he's brought up."

After first crossing paths when O'Leary was a young member of the Cork senior panel and they took on Galvin and UCC in a challenge game, the relationship grew.

"There was always a bit of a spark there between us," recalled O'Leary of the regular marking job he had. "Paul Galvin was a guy who if you gave him the ball all day long he would do damage.

"He definitely brought the best out of me, defensively. But when I look back on it now, to a certain degree I'd like to have expressed myself more on him.

"My game against Galvin was to get up on top of him and shut him out of the game as much as I could, but in doing that I probably cut myself short on the football front.

"Look though, he was that sort of a player where you just had to zone in on him and shut him out as best as you could because he was so good at finding space and pick up the breaking ball.

"I do slightly regret maybe going so far back following him in games, but he was that fecking important to Kerry, that's choice I made at the time.

"In order to go out against Paul Galvin, you had to be ready to empty the tank. If you weren't tuned in, it was game over with him."

10 June 2012; Paul Galvin, Kerry, in action against Noel O'Leary, Cork. Picture credit: Sportsfile

On reflection, the impressive Cork back cannot fully understand why his on-field battles with Galvin necessarily tended to escalate.

"Look, there was just a bit of friction that was there," he reasoned, "and feck it, no matter what day we went out we just rubbed each other up the wrong way.

"It never went off the field or anything like that, but I just knew I had to mark that man tightly and that meant getting in his face."

Indeed, after a number of years watching Galvin and Kerry win All-Ireland medals, Noel O'Leary wasn't too surprised when he received an unexpected text message shortly after Cork broke through and won the Sam Maguire Cup in 2010.

"It was a surprise," he admitted after seeing a message from Galvin, "but with the make-up of the text, I just knew it was him alright.

"Look though, it wasn't really a surprise because if the roles were reversed I probably would have reached out to him as well.

"I was waiting a long time to win and All-Ireland and if it was the other way round I would have done the same for him."

Keep an eye on OTB's social channels over the coming days for more great stuff from our Kerry vs Cork Roadshow in association with SuperValu

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