HURLING TIME MAY YET COMER
GALWAY football attacker Damien Comer has admitted that promotion to Division 1 for 2018 convinced him not to throw his lot in with the hurlers.
The 24-year-old has developed into one of Galway’s most important footballers as they seek to re-establish themselves as a national force. But the Annaghdown club man is also a talented hurler and admitted he was sounded out about a switch by All-ireland winning hurling boss Micheal Donoghue (inset). Comer may have even pursued the idea if the footballers hadn’t earned promotion to the top flight, guaranteeing attractive games against Dublin, Kerry and Tyrone. He said: “There would have been talk of joining the hurling panel for the last two years. But the days of a dual player in a county are gone, it’s just not sustainable with the way it’s gone, the demands are too high. You’d need to have two very compromising managers who would know you inside out.”
Comer said jumping ship to the hurling set-up at some stage in the future is a possibility. He continued: “Possibly, yeah. I maybe would have thought about it this year if we hadn’t got Division 1 status. With Division 1 now, it’s going to be a hectic schedule.
“I’ve talked to him (Donoghue) a bit. It’s just that I’d have a lot of work to do to be honest. Hurling wouldn’t come as naturally to me as other lads who have been playing it all their life.
“I’d have had to be in the handball alley a lot more, working on skills and that. It’s something that’s possibly there in future years.” Meanwhile, Comer has hit out at the decision to make Galway play Roscommon twice in the FBD Connacht League.
The counties are due to meet in Round 5 of the pre-season tournament on Sunday but it’ll be a dead rubber as they’ve both already qualified for the February 18 final. Comer believes sense should prevail and that Sunday’s game in Tuam should be turned into the actual final, leaving them free to concentrate on the league.
He said: “That’s what we’re hoping they’ll do. We’re hoping that common sense might prevail and that they’ll double up the game and play it as the final. I think it just makes sense to play it off now and have it done in January.”