Former Galway captain Ray Silke believes Galway have shown signs of being capable of competing with all-conquering Dublin.
Silke joined Off The Ball’s Nathan Murphy for Saturday’s Panel, where he reflected on his 1998 All-Ireland triumph as well as touching on the progress of the current team.
The Tribesmen missed the chance to add the league crown to their Division 2 title after losing out to Jim Gavin’s side at Croke Park at the start of April.
Galway’s return to the top flight after a seven year absence has helped to foster belief success is just around the corner.
And Silke believes manager Kevin Walsh is helping his county towards a brighter future.
“The Dublin match was impressive; I don’t think they’re too far away,” Silke told Off The Ball.
“What Kevin has done is he’s got everyone buying into it and everyone working hard.
“I think Kevin has Galway working very hard, but in the last few minutes against Dublin they didn’t seem to be able to go full-court press, maybe it’s something they need to work on.
“But if you compare that to where we [Galway] were last year winning Division 2. Being up in Division 1, there’s three Connacht teams up there which I think is a positive.
“Kevin has worked really hard with his backroom team, but I think it’s about who is going to finish second, third and fourth because I think Dublin are that far ahead.
“That’s just the reality of the situation. Are they going to get caught this year? I wouldn’t think so, but we are making significant progress and that’s all a coach can expect.”
Listen to the full Saturday Panel podcast below with Ray Silke and the famous All-Ireland Galway panel of 1998.
Written by James Hopper
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