Peter Canavan Praises Padraic Joyce For Ballsy Galway Decision That Could Save Season

Having been viewed by some as one of the favourites to lift the Sam Maguire this summer, it's fair to say that Galway have not quite hit the heights many expected of them in the All-Ireland series up to this point.

The Tribesmen would produce a poor display in their round robin opener against Dublin, falling just short in a one-point defeat at Pearse Stadium. They looked to be going down a similar route last weekend, only to secure a draw against Derry on the back of a dramatic comeback.

Galway will hope that this result can kickstart their All-Ireland campaign, with one move from their manager late in the fixture turning out to be a potentially pivotal one.

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Padraic Joyce has never been afraid to make bold moves during his time as Galway manager, even if this means potentially upsetting some of his big names players.

In Sunday's game, he would substitute the likes of Shane Walsh and Paul Conroy during the second half of the game, with the team going on to improve in the final quarter as a result. Had they not done so, their season could have been over.

Speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, Peter Canavan praised Joyce for that move and suggested that it could be a pivotal moment in Galway's season.

Key leaders were taken off and they were brilliant in the last ten to 15 minutes; they easily could have thrown in the towel.

Pádraic Joyce has a lot to take out of it from that point of view, they have a chance to reset and there is no doubting in terms of their physique and their size around the middle quarter, they have the players to dominate teams in terms of kickouts.

Up front, if you have Comer, Finnerty and Walsh and if they hit form, I don't care, they can tear anybody apart. Tierney and Thompson are also playing brilliant football

They still have the personnel, the size, and there is no reason they can't turn it around.

Galway will take on Armagh in their final round robin fixture knowing that a victory will be required in order to ensure their passage through to the knockout rounds.

While that result is far from a guarantee, Joyce is sure to take some encouragement from the manner in which they finished off the Derry game.