Galway can be All-Ireland champions this year, but they need all their best players on form to get there according to two-time Celtic Cross winner Peter Canavan.
The Tribesmen defended their Connacht SFC title yesterday with a straightforward, 14-point victory over Division 4 Allianz League champions Sligo.
Afterwards manager Pádraic Joyce told RTÉ Sport that they were on a hiding to nothing in the game, but commended his players for getting the job done, adding that he "couldn't ask for more."
Matthew Tierney was astounding for Galway, hitting 2-05 from play, while Damien Comer linked the play well. But Joyce was without the injured Paul Conroy, while a reported bug saw Shane Walsh put in a decidedly average display before being withdrawn just after the restart.
Canavan, speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, said that if Galway can get all their best players on form come June and July, they'll be very hard to stop.
"They always had the potential, they always had stylish footballers," he began.
"They always wanted to play the Galway way but now they are becoming more clinical up front. Yes, you can argue it was a Division 4 side that they were playing against and they were always going to win.
"But 27 shots, 22 scores; the manner in which they can go for goals and be clinical... You have Damien Comer playing full-forward, but the occasions he went out of that position, Mattie Tierney, another six-foot-four fella goes into the edge of the square.
"And they know when to kick the ball in, so they're playing a really smart game at the minute.
"What has been levelled at them is, 'can they all click on the one day?' We've witnessed Comer and Walsh at different stages last year putting in brilliant individual performances.
"But we're waiting on the day that these two men hit it off and really gel. Did we see that against Sligo? Probably not."
Next up for Galway is a meeting with Canavan's native Tyrone in the first game of the All-Ireland group stages at Pearse Stadium on Saturday week. Westmeath and the beaten Ulster finalist will make up that foursome.
Sligo are seen to have the easier group, going in alongside Roscommon, Kildare, and the winner of Sunday's Leinster final. But Canavan says that the thought of losing the provincial decider so as to have an easier All-Ireland championship group would never have entered the minds of the Galway players.
"Isn't that what you want, to learn about yourself in competitive games, knowing there's not that do or die aspect to it," he added.
"Absolutely down in Salthill, both sides will be going hell for leather trying to win it. You'd expect that they [Galway] will definitely come out of that group.
"At the start of the year if you gave them that option, they'd be happy to win a Connacht title and be in a tough group."
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