Recently retired Gary Sice has given his thoughts on Galway’s fantastic start to the National Football League believing they have the potential to trouble the top teams over the year ahead.
Currently preparing for Corofin’s All-Ireland Senior Club Football Final against Cork’s Nemo Rangers on St. Patrick’s Day (2pm Croke Park), Sice isn’t surprised at the start they have made to 2018 and thinks they could be even more dangerous when the summer arrives.
Extra-time points from Gary Sice and Jason Leonard gave Galway's Corofin the Connacht SFC club title for a record seventh time! #GAA #TheToughest pic.twitter.com/Lyhn1aPW6g
— Sportsfile (@sportsfile) November 27, 2017
“It’s early days but I think they have the potential to do awful damage,” said Sice to assembled media at the launch for Saturday week’s club football final. “I think if they all clicked on the one day it would be frightening.”
“It would be fantastic and it would be exciting for Galway supporters, myself included for the next couple of months to see them evolving and getting the hard ground and letting loose on teams.”
While Galway’s defensive approach has been noted by many pundits (they haven’t conceded a goal and have only dropped an average of 12 points per game), it’s their attack that could be the difference with Damien Comer and Shane Walsh standing out.
“Damien is just a wrecking ball,” added Sice. “But we get sidetracked by his wrecking-ball status. He is actually a very, very good footballer. As the ground hardens and the weather gets better, he is only going to get better.
“Shane is absolutely frightening when he gets everything together. If the day comes when he clicks for 70 minutes he’s going to destroy someone. At the moment he’s doing it in 10-, 15-minute bursts. He’s 24, he’s developing. You can’t expect him to drop into inter-county football and just to explode.”
@murphysgloves Day for a snowball fight!!!! pic.twitter.com/UUxtTgzeSh
— Gary Sice (@gsice) March 1, 2018
Should Galway beat Monaghan on Sunday and Kerry fail to get the better of Dublin in Croke Park, the Tribesmen will reach their first Division One League Final since 2006.
“I don’t know is it dark arts. It’s just a little bit of experience,” concluded Sice when asked about Galway evolving from a full attacking style to mixing it up with the top teams.
“They’ve went shoulder to shoulder with some of the bigger teams now and they are matching up in every way, so whatever the dark arts are they must have done something, because they are matching up to Kerry now, to Tyrone and these guys.”
Corofin meet Cork’s Nemo Rangers in the AIB All-Ireland Club Football Final on Saturday, March 17th. Throw-in at Croke Park is 2pm.
Galway take on Monaghan in the Allianz National Football League this Sunday (11th March). Throw-in at Pearse Stadium is 12.30pm.
