Time to connect club and county

This county has enjoyed magnificent success in the All-Ireland club series but while Castlegar's inaugural title in 1980 coincided with Joe Connolly leading Galway to Liam McCarthy glory that year, it has not always been as easy in the subsequent years to connect club glory with the inter-county scene.

The Castlegar boss that year, Tony Regan, went on to manage the Galway footballers but the Roscommon native was always a predominantly football man.

The subsequent wins by Kiltormer, Sarsfields and Athenry, did not result in any of their managers going on to take charge of Galway, and the number of players going on to nail down permanent places has also been disproportionate. Why?

In recent weeks Ger Loughnane has regularly referred in post-match interviews that Galway would be stronger once a few injuries cleared up and the 'Portumna boys' returned.

But what Portumna boys? Damian Hayes was the only player to start in the All-Ireland club final on Sunday who is a regular on the Galway team.

Sure, it is hoped Joe Canning will finally start his senior inter-county career and there are hopes that older brother Ollie might give it another go. One or two others got a run here and there but for the most part the team which has won two of the last three All-Ireland club titles has been devoid of Galway players, or should that be the other way round?

Of course, there will be talk now that Portumna could have been the first team ever to win three All-Ireland club titles in a row if it wasn't for 'that match' when they were ousted by Loughrea in the county final eighteen months ago.

The manner in which they brushed everyone aside since then would suggest that they would have gone all the way a year ago had they come out of Galway.

It is to Portumna's credit that they eventually used the fall-out from that controversial game to drive them on last year. In almost 25 years of covering games in the county I, for one, have never seen a team so driven or focused.

Much of the credit for that must go to their manager Jimmy Heverin who now steps down after three years in charge. Three years in which they lost just one game. It is a remarkable feat. Surely Heverin, an accomplished hurler and footballer in his own day, must be considered the next time the Galway senior job comes up?

After all, if he can guide Portumna to a couple of All-Irelands surely he knows a thing or two about extracting the maximum from players and a team?