All-Ireland Under-21 football finalGavin Cummiskey assesses Galway's chances as they prepare to take on Down in Saturday's final showdown
In the 2002 All-Ireland under-21 final Galway had Dublin beaten before most of the capital supporters arrived at O'Moore Park in Portlaoise. It was just one of those days when everything clicked, while Dublin couldn't buy a point.
This year's under-21 series brings Galway back to the decider on Saturday evening in Mullingar in a pairing with Down. Stephen Joyce was a selector under John O'Mahony three years ago and now returns under the new leadership of Peter Ford. This makes him an ideal candidate to make comparisons.
"Hopefully they are as impressive," says Joyce. "There are a lot of comparisons I suppose. Like this year, the 2002 team struggled early on especially in overcoming Mayo.
"The final against Dublin was the best display of the year. Only when this team does likewise and wins the All-Ireland can they say they are as good."
In previous years, there was a gap after the provincial finals until the autumn. It made form less relevant and decreased the competition's value as luck became too great a factor in how teams came out of an idle summer.
One problem from the tight new schedule is the greater propensity for injuries - Dublin suffered this fate last week and were swept aside by Down. Galway's defence has now been crippled by it.
In convincingly beating Cork last Saturday they lost their half back line and centre forward Damien Dunleavy. Wing back Darren Mulcahy is expected to recover from a head injury but Gary Sice (groin), Niall Coyne (ankle) and Dunleavy are heavy losses.
"It's not looking good at the moment. We will see how they go in training tonight but it is looking less than 50-50 that they will start."
Then there is the unknown quantity of Down. If they win, it means the three major trophies already up for grabs in 2005 have gone to Ulster.
It would also signify the return of the Northern Ireland football pioneers on the national stage, Down being the first of the six counties to capture Sam Maguire, in 1960, and only the second in Ulster after Cavan.
"We don't know an awful lot about them as all we saw was a few minutes on television against Dublin," Joyce admitted. "They have come through a tough campaign in Ulster. Tyrone and Derry were favoured to progress but Down seemed to come from nowhere in beating another more favoured side in Cavan.
"But we showed against Cork that we can cope in the tough games. We hadn't been tested before but we pulled away when we had to."
The injury-ravaged defence is compensated by the presence of senior intercounty forwards Seán Armstrong and Mícheál Meehan, who contributed a combined 15-points the last day. More of that and Down fans will have to arrive early to see any contest at all.
