JOHNNY, BE GOOD
Collins reckons Glynn is key to Galway hopes
FORMER Galway captain David Collins believes Johnny Glynn is central to the Tribesmen retaining the Liam MacCarthy Cup in Sunday’s eagerly-anticipated All-Ireland SHC final against Limerick. Powerful full-forward Glynn (below) has been the focal point of Galway’s attack this summer, scoring a wonderful goal in the semi-final replay against Clare and Collins reckons he will need to make his presence felt in Croke Park. ‘Johnny is key to Galway winning the All-Ireland this weekend,’ Collins said at the launch of the Fexco Asian Gaelic Games. ‘He is crucial to the Galway set-up in terms of the physical approach. If the low ball isn’t working, they can just give the high ball in. ‘Johnny is a fantastic guy in terms of his leadership in the dressingroom. He’s got the physical presence obviously, but he is
great with young fellas and that’s a real bonus.’ The towering attacker commuted from New York last summer, where he is working as a civil engineer, and has been going over and back to the US this year too, which underlines his commitment to the Galway cause. ‘That’s Johnny all over. I was chatting to Johnny the day after the Leinster final replay with Kilkenny. The boys were going on the beer on the Sunday night and he was flying back to New York on Monday morning and he was going to be back on Thursday to go training.’ And Collins feels that Glynn will give Micheál Donoghue a variety of options ahead of the challenge that awaits them this weekend. ‘When Johnny Glynn wasn’t there, the team were playing lovely sprayed ball into the corner for Conor Whelan, loose ball they were catching on the hand at palm level. ‘The gameplan has shifted after the first Kilkenny game when they had to bring Johnny to the edge of the square and lob high ball in. You see David Burke catches the ball, turns and drives it now. But to beat Limerick, I think they will need to mix it up. They will need to play some ball into Whelan but also drop the high ball into Johnny because of his strength and control.’ Collins also believes that claiming a second successive All-Ireland will cement Joe Canning’s status as Galway’s greatest hurler. ‘He’s touching on that territory,’ the former defender agrees. ‘Both him and Pádraic Mannion are being tipped for the Hurler of the Year award and if Joe wins that back to back, it will be an unbelievable achievement. ‘Joe will never take all the plaudits.It has always been a team game for him. And I think Micheál has instilled that in all the lads, that this is a team thing and not an individual sport, whereas previously it might have been individuals who were there for themselves and not for the actual team.’ Even though Galway have been undefeated in their eight Championship games this year, the consistent theme is that the All-Ireland champions are switching off in games and letting big leads slip away. Collins feels they will have to rectify this when they face the young Shannonsiders. ‘Limerick are going to look at that and think if we can hold Galway for the first 10 or 15 minutes, we are in with a serious shout here. Because if they [Galway] are not ahead by nine or 10 points, it will be game on,’ added Collins.