MEEHAN MACHINE
Former Tribe boss lavishes praise on retiring ace Michael
JOHN O’MAHONY has described Michael Meehan as a “once in a lifetime” player following the Galway marksman’s retirement.
Meehan finally drew a line under his stop-start inter-county career earlier this week having made a surprise comeback to the Galway panel earlier this year.
He made only one appearance off the bench in a qualifier win over Donegal having not been involved for three years prior to that as a serious ankle injury sustained in 2010, when he was just 26, wrecked the latter part of his career.
O’mahony was Galway manager when Meehan came into the senior panel for the 2003 season and he was also in charge of the under-21 side that claimed All-ireland honours the year before with the Caltra man, just 18 at the time, the star turn.
He first came to national attention earlier in 2002 when starring for St Jarlath’s, Tuam in an epic All-ireland colleges semi-final in which they beat Jack O’connor’s Colaiste na Sceilge in a replay after extra time.
O’mahony recalled: “It was basically a headto-head between Declan O’sullivan for Colaiste na Sceilge and Michael Meehan for Jarlath’s.
“Michael Meehan was absolutely superb in that. That announced his arrival really and he won the All-ireland under-21 title in 2002 as an 18-year-old, corner-forward.
“It was basically about trying to ease him in then into the senior squad.
“We didn’t want to rush it too much but he was such a good player that you needed to get him involved very quickly.
“After we won that under-21 All-ireland in October 2002, he was straight in then. I suppose he was only after doing the Leaving that summer.
“He was in at the earliest opportunity really but he was one of those players that come along once in a lifetime.
“Again, like everything that has happened since with the lack of success, his injury issues, if Michael Meehan had come through his career uninjured Galway would have won an awful lot more than they have in those years.”
Sadly, as O’mahony’s comments reflect, it’s near impossible to celebrate Meehan’s talent without expressing regret that his injury problems, and Galway’s falling status, meant that it wasn’t exposed to a wider audience on a more regular basis.
Mahoney (bottom) said: “He didn’t get the opportunity because of the injuries and I suppose Galway were away from the top table – but one of the reasons that they were away from the top table a little bit was because of his injuries.
“I remember I had left Galway at the time but the 2005 All-ireland under-21 final against Down in Cusack Park in Mullingar, six goals between himself and Sean Armstrong.
“That day I remember walking out of Cusack Park saying, ‘This is where the future is now’.
“At that stage it was only four years from Galway having won a senior All-ireland and walking out that day if somebody said you won’t have another one before 2017, you’d say that’d be wrong.
“I would have been hugely optimistic on that occasion but for Michael on a personal level it has been frustrating for him.
“The big disappointment for everybody was that he had an injury-ravaged career but he has been a superb talent.
“He was one of the best colleges players I ever saw and was developing into one of the best county players and showed flashes of it over the years.
“He’ll be fondly remembered as one of the great skilful forwards that everyone so badly needs.” May 10, 1984
Caltra
1 All-ireland Senior Colleges title (Hogan Cup) 2002. Connacht MFC title 2002. All-ireland under-21 titles 2002 ‘05.
Connacht under-21 titles: 2002, ‘05. Connacht SFC titles 2003, ‘05, ‘08.l1 Galway SFC title 2003. Connacht Club SFC title 2003. All-ireland Club SFC title 2004. Sigerson Cup (with NUIG) 2003.
42 senior Championship appearances for Galway between 2003 and ‘17,
Meehan scored 14-112 (154), an average of 3.7 points per game.
He was on of the best college players I ever saw. He was developing into one of the best county players and showed that in flashes over the coming years