Éamonn Fitzmaurice appointed Galway senior football manager on three-year term

Yeah, stream sports definitely going to be

valuable.

A new subscriber, I'd say.

All I'd say is if he is present for the next week's semifinals, might need a bit of a security crew there because there's going to be a lot of people who'd want to get chatting to him.

Just before we finish, you were at Culture and Lecture Moor.

You seen the Mannions feature at the weekend?

Yeah, I was.

I went into, at a great weekend actually, was into Perth Stadium on Saturday evening.

They're just, they're just class.

Like, they're just, they were, like, Conor in particular would really sicken you.

Like, he would really, as such a distinctly average player, and you look at a guy who doesn't kick a ball for three years and is able to come on and score a goal like he scored in the second half where... like probably just driving down the centre of Barry's ball into the top corner I thought in fairness to catcher they showed like just there's a I have a morbid fascination about relegation finals like there's just there's something so they don't get talked about this time of year nearly because there's nearly an awkwardness about talking about them but there's the the stakes are so clear to every single player and every single player and that manifests itself in all kinds of ways like the tension that is in like and I'm at some of the games I can remember most from a Gaelic club football perspective I'll never forget being out in Spiegel for Michael's Clannan like these games just stand out there I'm sure there's people screaming at their listeners that my own club has been involved in a couple of close calls ourselves over the last few years as well but to answer your question the both of them Parke came on in the first half went into McDonagh Cahill came on at half time actually should have had a goal just before the goal that he did score Calder showed a huge amount of heart Oren Lockery made some brilliant saves like really I mean like Leitmore could have poured it on early whether it be the penalty or some of the goal chances they had and even if they just tapped them over they actually could have could have been in there early but that's the reality of these games is that when you start to miss that you're not just compounding that game itself you're compounding the entire year and the frustration and all that that comes with it as well so to their credit Calder did deserve to win it I was sad to see let them all go I think it's it's not a brilliant thing for Galway football that we've got since 2020 Branagh, Scarrow, Spittle Michaels and now let them all have all gone not great and I know Last time I was on your show, I got an email from a really enthusiastic Galway guy who was talking, maybe he was thinking, does the county itself need to think outside the box and like a divisional system structure or stuff like that as well.

It's

something in particular, Sean O'Donnell, anytime he's been on the podcast, he's been sort of, I suppose, just singing, I suppose, from name sheet to consider divisional teams.

And look, there's pros and cons.

It's a hard thing to make a rally in a split season.

I've spoken to some counties that, you know, not a Kerry because they have their own history, like a Roscommon or a Cork, about why it didn't take in the same way there.

But again, I do think, you know, people like that particular character who are really enthusiastic and trying to drive this thing forward.

That is something that... that Galway football needs an insatiable appetite to push this on and channel it in the right way and yeah so definitely it is disappointing to see so many of those clubs drop down I could talk to a couple of weeks and Spiddle might win an intermediate title and maybe that picture changes pretty drastically but for the purposes of where we're at right now not a brilliant thing to see and Another reminder as the white Benny Hurls group about royalty population is so important for the GAA.

A very rambly answer to your question.

I actually can't remember how you started your second question there.

It was just about the divisional teams.

But in terms of Colin Mannion, do you think he'd be an inter-county footballer if he wasn't with the Hurlers, for

instance? Yeah, I remember during the summer...

I was asked this question by somebody involved in Galway Ireland the year that the Dublin game, the draw, I'm getting my skin across thinking about it.

After the All-Ireland, me and Donoghue went out, Galway didn't realise we were out of Leinster until there was literally standing people on the pitch trying to work out what had happened and then suddenly the summer was over.