Galway manager Pádraic Joyce is hopeful that his captain Seán Kelly will be fit to lead the Tribesmen out in the All-Ireland football final against Armagh on Sunday week.
Kelly, who has a disrupted season with ankle and hamstring injuries, did not play in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final win over Donegal. But Joyce is hopeful the Maigh Cuilinn clubman will be fit to feature in the showdown against Armagh.
Kelly trained on Tuesday night at Pearse Stadium along with other injury concerns such as Damien Comer, Shane Walsh and Rob Finnerty. Aside from Cian Hernon, Joyce is confident he will be picking from a full hand as the county bids to land their 10th All-Ireland title and first since Joyce led the attack in the 2001 final win over Meath.
“Seán is training away,” said Joyce. “He trained Tuesday night. Look, he probably wasn’t fully ready the last day so we are hoping to get another two weeks into him and we will check him out. Hopefully, he will be available for some sort of time anyway.
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“The boys are fine. The boys that came off, the nature of Shane’s injury is that he could not stay any longer on the pitch and we took him off and gave him a bit of rest. He needs to put a bit of work in now for a bit of rehab for the next two weeks and if we get as much out of him again in two weeks’ time we will be happy enough.
“Damien is the same, match fitness is the key there as well.”
Joyce said he’s very disappointed that Cian Hernon will miss the final. The Bearna clubman is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the county – Joyce rates him as the long-term successor to Paul Conroy in the middle of the field – but he suffered a wrist injury at the end of training last Tuesday week.
“You would be heartbroken for him, he just went over on his wrist here in one of the last plays. He got shouldered on the ball and I think his hand was trapped under the ball and he did quite a bit of damage to his hand.
“It is tough on him because he had been away all year on Erasmus from January to May. He came back in really good shape, he is a great young fellow, I would have great time for him. It is tough for him and his family that he is missing out on it.”
Meanwhile, Joyce said he has no issue with Tyrone’s Seán Hurson being appointed to referee the final.
Joyce was critical of the Tyrone official after Galway’s 2022 All-Ireland final loss to Kerry when defender John Daly was penalised in possession after Killian Spillane came in to challenge him and the players grappled. The sides were level at the juncture in the 66th minute but David Clifford pointed the resultant free and Kerry went on to win by four points.
“I haven’t seen a free given since that for that type of a free,” said Joyce, speaking at the Galway All-Ireland final media event at Pearse Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
“I don’t know, I don’t think it cost us the game two years ago. I’ve said that before. I think it just changed the momentum for us in that particular game.”
Joyce said he’s not surprised that Hurson, who refereed the recent drawn game between the counties in the All-Ireland group stages, has been appointed to take charge of the decider.
“I wouldn’t say surprised. But it is just that, I always say you can control everything bar the weather and the referee. Look, we have had Seán referee matches for us, I think this is his third or fourth game this year. He is a top, top referee. I can see why he got the final.”
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