Galway looking Whel-y good as summer begins
CONOR Whelan says there’s “a massively positive feeling” around the Galway squad — and he reckons they’re building a squad for the fans to really get behind.
The Tribe have made back-to-back AllIreland semi-finals but ran into the all-conquering Limerick side on both occasions.
Henry Shefflin’s team pushed the Treaty to the wire in 2022, but were wiped out in 2023.
Many believe it’s now or never for Shefflin’s Galway this year, with the addition of renowned coach
Eamon O’Shea, the return of Johnny Glynn from America and
David Burke’s recovery from injury galvanising them.
Galway’s League was underwhelming, but speaking ahead of this weekend’s Leinster Championship opener against Carlow, Whelan says he’s “not overly panicked” about it.
The 27-year-old Kinvara forward added: “Did we build a stronger group for the Championship? I think so.
“Do we have a more cohesive group now of young and old building towards Championship? I think so. That’s all you can ask for, really.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be around for a while and you never really know until you go out and play.
Group
“You can feel like the group is in a good place and I feel like it is.
“We’ve blooded a good few players and we have a strong, cohesive group. I think there’s something there for the fans to really get behind and look forward to.
“We’re hoping for a big turn-out against Carlow.”
Whelan is viewed as Galway’s go-to man but that’s not how he sees it.
“I think you’ll always kinda back yourself and believe you’re part of a group, really,” he said.
“I think the players Galway have are a very talented bunch and I’m definitely not the most talented in the group. I think we’re in a good place.
“We’ve got a couple of pieces back together and Eamon O’Shea is on board and there’s a massively positive feeling around this group.
Energy
“We’re hoping we can bring some excitement to the fans and the fans can give us something back as well. We’ll see how it goes.
“I think Eamon has brought energy. If you know Eamon, the one thing that stands out is his energy, the enthusiasm he has for the game and a genuine love and excitement for it.
“He’s definitely brought it into us as a group to bring a bit of excitement to it and we’re hoping to bring that to the fans, I suppose.”
Whelan generally comes in for close attention and has learned how to look after himself.
“I think you have to be able to mix it,” he says. “It’s something that my father would always have been strong on — being able to adapt your game.
“Not necessarily the dark arts but being able to look after yourself out there is very important too.
“It’s every man for himself. Johnny Glynn was always minding me when I started out.
“He was almost like my older brother backing me up. That’s definitely part of it and that’s definitely a challenge.
“Somedays, you might end up taking it too far and crossing a line and I suppose I learned that lesson a couple of weeks ago (red card against Dublin). That’s just part and parcel of it, really.”