Tribe’s conveyor belt of talent is in safe hands with Lynskey
WHEN Jeff Lynskey won his first All-Ireland minor title as Galway manager in 2015, he came into the press conference room in Croke Park and spoke about how his job was to facilitate these young hurlers, so they have every chance of representing the Tribesmen at senior level.
From that first team, Sean Loftus, Thomas Monaghan and Jack Grealish will all be part of the Galway panel who will attempt to win back-to-back senior All-Irelands this year. And just like in Lynskey’s first year, the county is sharing a double-bill in the minor and senior finals.
Galway have become such an under-age powerhouse that since they first claimed the All-Ireland minor title back in 1983, they have been in 18 finals, winning 10 and losing eight. No other county has a record like it.
And the drop in age grade to 17 doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent to their dominance, although Lynskey admitted they had to re-assess how they were coaching certain age groups. ‘We are dealing with 16 and 17-year-olds now, as opposed to 17 and 18-year-olds. And with the 16 yearolds, the information can take a little while to bed in. I come from a teaching environment so I am well used to dealing with kids like that. But the drop in age has meant that some of those lads are only second years in school. They haven’t even done their Junior Cert yet.’
Lynskey had an excellent pedigree as an under-age hurler in Galway (he won an All-Ireland minor title in 1994) but the Liam Mellows man never nailed down a place at senior level, so he invested his energy into coaching. And it has paid off. He is going for his third All-Ireland title in his four years as manager and it is based around a system that no talented young hurler in the county is left behind.
Apart from the minor panel of 24 players, Lynskey also has two squads for the Celtic Challenge competition of 24 players each. That means that 72 players are being looked at within the Galway system. But they still have to surmount obstacles that other teams don’t.
This All-Ireland final will be Kilkenny’s 10th game and only Galway’s fourth. Even allowing for their dominance at minor level, it is an issue that needs to be rectified.
‘Ideally, we would like to go into Leinster and be on the same footing as every other team,’ he explained. ‘It was better this year, with the round robin, And at this age, teams improve with each game they play. But it doesn’t hide the fact that Kilkenny are playing their 10th game of the year and we are only playing our fourth. We would like to have the same volume of games as every other county.’
The ease with which they brushed aside Dublin in the semifinal means Galway are going into this minor decider as heavy favourites – although favouritism is a concept that means little at minor level. But with the likes of Donal O’Shea, son of former Tipperary boss Eamon, up front, Galway look a polished outfit.
But it is not simply about silverware for Lynskey. It is about developing hurlers so they can have long and fruitful careers. The under-age conveyor belt in Galway hasn’t gone unnoticed and Lynskey is currently sitting on a committee in Croke Park, trying to devise a way of nurturing hurling talent throughout the country.
If the winning run continues he might be in the frame for the senior job some time in the future, but that doesn’t seem to be a burning ambition.
‘I am quite happy at academy level. You are in a teaching environment.
‘Your health is good. If I wasn’t off for the summer, I don’t know how I would do it. I don’t know how Micheál manages it. I have no idea, it is 60 hours of your week,’ he added.
For the moment, he is content with safeguarding the future of Galway hurling, ensuring that it becomes the powerhouse that many believe it can. This afternoon’s curtain-raiser should be more evidence of that.
All-ireland MHC final Kilkenny v Galway, Croke Park, 1pm. Live on TG4 from 12.30pm referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)