Galway manager Kevin Walsh has warned against the dangers of what he sees as uninformed commentary about how his team has been labelled in some quarters as over-physical and the said the facts from the recent national league tell a different story.
Galway, back in the top flight after a gap of seven years, not only survived in Division 1 but went through the campaign unbeaten in seven games until they were defeated in the final by Dublin.
The strength of Galway’s showing in that campaign has seen them emerge as serious championship contenders but Walsh has been concerned and annoyed that some commentators have accused of them of being over-physical.
"We know we are not yet at the intensity levels of the top sides. It seems to be an admirable trait to be aggressive and physical when you are successful and win something, but when such intensity is shown by an up and coming team it seems to be regarded as a negative in some quarters. But you can’t be a soft touch if you want to succeed.
"Of course, you can’t go round worrying about what people think of you but the danger is that if an inaccurate perception is allowed to develop then it’s possible that might influence referees and officials in a tight call.
"There is no doubt we are learning how to stand up for ourselves but we also have a long way to go. We have done a lot of work in the past few years in getting stronger, you have to if you want to compete with the top few sides.
"Sometimes, that standing up for yourself can be misinterpreted. The facts tell a different story. For example, we did not have a single player pick up a red card in the league and yet four teams that played against us all had players red-carded against us.
"We have played over 60 games since I came in as manager. We have had one straight red in four full league campaigns, one straight red in four FBD League campaigns and one straight red in three championship campaigns. And in that time our opponents have picked up a lot more red cards.
"You can understand then why we don’t accept when some people trot out this line about our physicality. You have to have intensity and physicality to be successful but that shouldn’t be misinterpreted," said the former double All-Ireland winning midfielder.
He is currently preparing his side for a possible third championship success over Mayo but despite their impressive league campaign he knows they will face a searching test in Castlebar on May 13.
"We are pleased with the way the league went overall but the final against Dublin just showed how much further we need to go. Dublin and Mayo have set the benchmark in recent years, in intensity, in skill and how to close out a match and it’s up to us and the other teams coming through to get to that level.
"One-third of the team we had in the league final have yet to taste or be tested in senior championship football. Some of them will get that test in Castlebar and hopefully they will rise to it.
"Mayo have been the strongest challengers to Dublin. A lot of their key men didn’t feature much or at all in the league, so they will be fresh, we know that.
"But we are all looking forward to it. There is a huge rivalry between the counties and it’s what championship football is all about. There’s no doubt that we will have to attempt to match Mayo's intensity to have any chance," added the triple All Star.
