CONDUCTOR IN CHIEF

Banner’s hopes of repeating 2013 feat rest on their inspirational driving force from Clonlara

Galvin led the Clare orchestra just like a quarterback in American football

IN the 10th minute of last Saturday’s extraordinary contest at Croke Park, Conor Whelan grabbed a puck-out intended for Séadna Morey and split the posts. It was the fourth of Donal Tuohy’s puck-outs that had been intercepted by a Galway forward. Had the All-Ireland champions been more clinical, they would have fired 1-3 off those interceptions, rather than just two points.

It was clear to all that the Clare management team needed to do something. Quickly.

Their solution, though, nobody saw coming. To stem the bleeding, they deployed Colm Galvin, rather than as a defensive-minded player, as their sweeper. It was a courageous move by Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor. And it worked — altering the complexion of an All-Ireland semi-final that has now been consigned to the folder reserved for all-time classics.

It took Galvin a wee while to get to grips with the role. In truth, he should have mopped up the danger when Conor Cooney pounced for Galway’s goal but it was soon obvious what Galvin could do sitting between the full-back and half-back lines.

Not only did he disrupt supply-lines to Cooney and Johnny Glynn, Galvin became the conductor of the Banner orchestra, akin to a quarterback in American football.

Remember Shane O’Donnell’s inspirational point in the 18th minute, when he shrugged John Hanbury off? That came from Galvin’s pinpoint pass.

A few moments later, Galvin’s deep understanding with Tony Kelly was apparent when the former Hurler of the Year popped up with a score.

This was the much-maligned role of sweeper, but not as we have known it. In the rush to declare the position dead after Wexford limped out of the Championship, it was forgotten that the sweeper can be used as a creative force just as much as being destructive.

From his place on his own team’s 45, Galvin brought Kelly and Peter Duggan into the team.

He produced the ball for Aron Shanagher’s goal in extra time and the chance for John Conlon a moment later. As sweeper, he set up 1-4 and scored a point himself.

Given the range of his hurling abilities, the surprise is that Clare have never previously tried him in that role. Galvin is ideally suited to it. Not simply because of his understanding with Kelly — one of the traits of their 2013 All-Ireland triumph — but because of his intelligence.

He rarely takes the wrong option. And he has that priceless quality of all great midfielders, the Roy Keane-esque ability of being in the right place at the right time.

Galvin was only 20 when Clare captured the 2013 All-Ireland in thrilling circumstances.

It was his second season as a senior hurler and he earned himself an All-Star at midfield. Had it been any other summer, Galvin would have been earmarked as a potential great.

But in that dazzling Clare team, he was only one of a number of youngsters sprinkled by a special kind of stardust and Kelly, with his genius, O’Donnell with his goals and the electricity of Podge Collins garnered more attention.

He may have only been one of many blinding lights that summer but, within Clare, they knew this was a talent worth cultivating.

Moloney and O’Connor were over the Under 21 team that would win three All-Ireland titles in a row and even in a side that included the wondrous Kelly, they made Galvin the midfield linchpin.

Moloney and O’Connor have been with Galvin for every step of his development. The managerial pair first spotted him as a raw 16year-old brought in for county trials with their minor team ahead of the 2009 championship.

By the following summer, he started the first Munster game against Waterford at corner-forward. He was moved to midfield during that game and has stayed there, more or less, since.

IN THE years following 2013, as Davy Fitzgerald tried desperately to rediscover the magic potion that propelled the team to glory, Galvin occasionally had a different number on his back. He wore 11 at times, most notably in the 2016 League final against Waterford when he was the best player on the field.

Even when he was nominally a centre-forward, Galvin usually found a way back to where he is most comfortable – a deep-lying, orchestrating midfielder.

There have been bumps on the road. In April of 2015, he took off to Boston for a few months with the aim of living the J1 lifestyle. Lines of communication remained open with the Clare management and when he returned home in the middle of that summer, he was plunged right back into the team for a qualifier against Cork.

An illustration that Galvin offers something that few others can.

He was also dropped from the squad for most of the National League last year for a breach of discipline. At the same time, he was tearing up Fitzgibbon Cup pitches with Mary I (Galvin has been the best Fitzgibbon player in the country for the past three years), which led to the calls for him to be re-instated.

And, when he was, Galvin did not disappoint. Aside from Shane O’Donnell, Galvin was Clare’s most consistent player in a poor enough campaign last summer. Galvin, considered the life and soul of the party by his Clare team-mates, comes from a strong hurling family in Clonlara, the club of Hurler of the Year contender John Conlon.

His father Kevin has managed the club’s senior team while his younger brother Ian made a massive difference when he replaced David Reidy in Croke Park on Saturday, scoring two points and almost winning the match in normal time but for Cathal Mannion’s heroic block. It is hard to follow in the footsteps of a brother so talented, but Ian certainly proved that he’s up to the task last weekend.

It’s the older Galvin that is key to Clare’s hopes.

If the Banner dare to dream of a repeat of 2013, Galvin will need to have baton in hand again on Sunday.