Former Down forward Danny Hughes believes that Galway have cause for belief in themselves now that they have Paddy Tally on their coaching staff, who he rates as the best he has ever played under.
Speaking to Ger and Eoin on OTB:AM, Hughes went into detail about the personal and professional characteristics that he believes Tally will bring to the Tribe.
“I would say for me he was the best coach I ever played under, and I would definitely put him down as one of the reasons why we started to compete at that top level for a couple of years.
“Paddy has a rich history in coaching having taken Tyrone to the 2003 All-Ireland final. They won it, starting that great run that went on over the decades.
“That bit of nastiness that I suppose has always been in Ulster football, you can see that coming through in Galway... [he] is one of the biggest reasons why I think Galway can go forward with a bit of expectation and a bit of confidence.”
On his particular coaching and management style, Danny gave us an insight into the type of soft skills that Tally will be looking to bring to Galway, and how it will bring on their top players:
“Paddy Tally first and foremost is a football man. He’ll demand honesty from all the players, he’ll demand that they go and front up and there’s no excuses. But he’ll do it in the right manner - but he’ll not talk down to them.
“Paddy Tally doesn’t really have a problem with anybody that has a different opinion – he’ll accept it and he’ll try and take it forward. But you will see players like Comer, like Shane Walsh – they will get better decision-makers and that bit of Ulster edge and nastiness... he’ll not shy away from that either.”
For more interviews like Danny’s, and daily updates from the sporting world, subscribe to Off the Ball’s YouTube channel here.
