Although it is not often the case, Daithí Regan is in complete agreement with Ger Loughnane regarding Galway's central deficiencies.
Speaking to Shane Stapleton on Off the Ball's Hurling Show on Thursday afternoon, the two-time All-Ireland winning manager of Clare identified that Galway's problems went well beyond the loss of Joe Canning to injury.
"I think they have problems outside of the loss of Joe Canning, and I think they're a team in decline"
Ger Loughnane talked Galway with @ShaneSaint on The Hurling Show!
Full Hurling Show 👉 https://t.co/svYh4YcLp5 pic.twitter.com/YGfJxtNFCY— Off The Ball (@offtheball) June 6, 2019
Picking up on the point during Friday's OTB AM, former Offaly hurler Daithí Regan expressed similar concerns for the 2017 All-Ireland winners.
"I was down at the Galway-Wexford game," he explained, "and Galway were so anemic and inept.
"Wexford should have won that game."
Finishing a draw in Salthill, Regan believes he has identified numerous worrying factors in Galway's performances.
"From a Galway perspective, Niall Burke, a fella I coached a number of years ago, he's a guy who's very hot and cold," Regan stated.
"Niall's never been able to nail down one position on the Galway team consistently.
"Ger [Loughnane] alluded to it about Galway that you need a centre-forward who can unpick the lock and open up a back-line, but Niall had a bad day and was substituted in the second-half.
"Conor Cooney is another guy who I just can't figure out when it comes to his loss of form.
"Two-years ago he was one of the top forwards in the country, but its quite patently clear that he's suffering from a lack of confidence.
"Every time someone was being subbed [against Wexford], he was looking across at the sideline assuming he was coming off."
Despite what he perceived as the feeling among certain Galway fans that Joe Canning was no longer as decisive in determining how the county fared, Daithí Regan believes recent performances have demonstrated that this is not the case.
"The Galway team I saw were not substantiated by the belief that a win brings," Regan noted.
"Gearoid McInerney, I eulogised him a couple of years ago, he hasn't become a bad player but Ger Loughnane got it right.
"Teams aren't hitting it down on top of him, and when you don't hit it down on top of him, he's not a guy who's going to travel to pick up ball.
"He's a guy you can isolate and work around."
Ultimately, if Joe Canning can make a successful return, Regan nevertheless believes that the Tribesmen will be in with a chance of All-Ireland success.
Without him, however, their year could be over sooner rather than later.
