Joe Canning is still convinced Galway can beat Kilkenny in an All-Ireland final, despite losing their last two appearances to Brian Cody's all-conquering Cats.
The replay heartache of 2012 was repeated in September for Canning and Co as Kilkenny, who have secured seven of the places in this year's All-Star team, lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the 11th time in 16 years.
“They’re the best team that has ever played the game. But any sportsperson would always think that on any day you have the ability as a team to beat them," Canning told RTÉ Sport at the Web Summit.
“That’s not saying that they’re getting any weaker but you have to have that belief or you might as well give them the cup at the start of the year.
“If you don’t have that competitive streak you’re no good to the team or yourself."
Though Canning missed out on a fourth All-Star in today's selection, his team-mate Cathal Mannion has secured his first award.
21-year-old Mannion was one of an exciting trio of young attackers to break through for Galway this season that also included Jason Flynn (20) and Conor Whelan (19) and Canning is excited by their potential.
“Jason and Cathal are there the last two years and kind of found their feet this year. Conor Whelan came out of nowhere really, he wasn’t even in for the League. Anthony [Cunningham] threw him in at the deep end and he swam.
"The pressure isn't eased just because they [team-mates] had a good couple of games. You don’t want to be just tagging along with the couple of boys who are performing"
“These guys are well able to hold their own and it was good for us this year that we got a run of seven matches. That will only stand to guys like that. They’ve more talent than anyone on the panel.
“You need one or two every year. We had nine lads starting in 2015 who didn't start in 2012, which is a big turnover in three seasons. It’s a learning curve for these guys and hopefully it’ll help them for next year."
The 27-year-old rejects any suggestions that having a new crop of forwards reduces the pressure on him to perform, however, and revealed that despite many considering him the Tribesmen's star man he never takes his place in the team for granted.
“The pressure isn't eased just because they had a good couple of games," said Canning. "It’s even increased because you want to add something to the game, you don’t want to be just tagging along with the couple of boys who are performing.
“When you don’t perform it’s zoned in on but if the guys are playing well, you want to play well and help them out as well.
“So I feel there’s more pressure to perform every day, even though the lads are stepping up. They have to – it’s a team sport at the end of the day and I don’t expect anything less from the younger guys."
“People say you learn to deal with the pressure better as you get older but I actually find it a lot harder than when I first started.
“I was young, and people didn't have much expectation. Whereas when you’re a senior or more established player, you always have to perform or else you could be gone the next day."
Canning admitted that he feels the intensity of expectation from Galway fans desperate for the side to bridge the gap to the county's last All-Ireland victory in 1988 but insisted that it wasn't something the team ever discussed.
"If you won one, you’d end all that talk and you might get a few lads off your back as well."
“There is always that expectation," he said. "Because there’s such a gap, of 27 years, if you won one you’d end all that talk and you might get a few lads off your back as well.
“But we never spoke about it really. That was more the supporters and the media. We were just concentrating on the next game and that’s the way you have to approach it.
“No matter what you say, it’s always in the back of your mind. You hear all this stuff and people who say they zone out from it, I don’t see how they can. It’s Ireland.
“[Hiding away] isn’t good for you either. You have to embrace it and when I was younger I was able to do that a bit more. Now I’m getting older and there’s a bit more pressure you’re less inclined to engage and you try to keep in your own little world.
“I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. If you were more engaged, you might be able to express yourself a bit more but then if you lose people might say ‘why were you talking to us?’."
