New Galway football manager Padraic Joyce says 'aim is to win an All-Ireland'
Tuesday 5 November 2019 17:39, UK
New Galway manager Padraic Joyce has set a high bar, as he prepares for his first season at the helm of the Tribesmen.
The Westerners made forward strides under Kevin Walsh in recent seasons, reaching the 2018 National League Division 1 final, claiming two Connacht titles and reaching the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final - the county's first appearance in the final four since 2001.
Joyce now takes the reins, looking to take the county to the next level.
In an interview with Galway Bay FM, the two-time All-Ireland winner said success in his stint in charge will only be measured by one barometer.
"I'm a Galway man by heart and by nature. I want to do the best I can for Galway, and our aim is to win an All-Ireland. Simple as that," he said.
"Anything less would be seen as underachieving."
"Our aim is to win an All-Ireland. Simple as that... Anything less would be seen as underachieving."
Joyce is regarded as one of Galway's greatest-ever footballers, and he is relishing the challenge that awaits.
He continued: "I'm delighted, honoured and privileged to be given the position of Galway senior football manager. It came around very fast for me, and probably a bit quicker than I anticipated. But look, the chance came up, and I had to put my name in the hat for it. Thankfully I was successful."
Much has been made of Galway's playing style in recent seasons, with many commentators opining they should have set up more expansively, akin to Corofin. When asked about his own philosophies, the Killererin club man stated he is keen to move the ball quickly, employing a direct style.
"You'd always look at successful teams. I'd look at a lot of teams outside Gaelic football... the All Blacks in rugby, the Patriots in the NFL games, you try and get nuggets out of that," said Joyce.
"[Football] has changed a lot, but deep down it hasn't changed a whole lot. You still have to score more scores, you still have to be fitter and stronger than the team you play. It does get complicated, no doubt it has over the years with defensive systems and that kind of stuff.
"But you as a manager have to work around that, but at the end of the day you still have to get your 1-16, 2-16, 1-17 to win games, and that's what we'll be training towards. Obviously we'll have to keep it out the far side, we can't go back to the Galacticos in Madrid where 'you score four, we'll score five'.
"We have to keep it basic as well. A lot of the foot [passing] has gone out of football as well. I played full forward for years. I would be hoarse after most matches from shouting for the ball to come in!
"As a forward, I didn't care how the ball came in, once it came in. That's your thing as a forward. You want to see the ball in early. That's something we're going to try improve on here, and try and get that in. If it's slow coming, there's going to be more bodies back there, and on the football pitch nothing travels faster than the ball."
Galway suffered a premature exit in 2019, failing to reach the Super 8s with losses to Roscommon and Mayo. They'll be hoping to bounce back in 2020, as the Joyce era dawns.
