GALWAY had to go from men about town to men at work, says Pádraic Joyce.
Joyce had been there and done it as a player before hanging up his inter-county boots in 2012.
He was the star of a Tribe side that delivered All-Ireland SFC titles in 1998 and 2001 and is widely regarded as a great.
Connacht crowns aside, the years have been lean since — but no one has come closer than the Killererin man since he took the Galway reins in 2020 and boldly declared: “Our aim is to win another All-Ireland — simple as that.
“Anything less will be seen as an underachievement.”
Joyce’s men lost the 2022 Sam Maguire showpiece to Kerry before Armagh denied them in the decider last July.
More than 5,000km from the scene of those heartbreaks, Galway get their Connacht SFC four-in-a-row bid under way against New York in The Bronx tomorrow night.
And Joyce revealed that he believed a change of attitude was needed when he took over.
The former attacker said: “I just felt in Galway over the years, there was a bit of a city culture. We had lads going around the town wearing a Galway top for the sake of it and that kind of craic.
“So we got rid of all that I think, a lot of it, and changed a lot of players when we came in. Some didn’t buy into what we were trying to do . . . some left, some stayed.
“It’s either for you or not. I’ve never begged anyone to play for me. I’ve maybe questioned one or two once or twice, but when lads decide to play, it’s a huge effort.
“It’s just that the focus has to be on football. We’re trying to leave it in a better place because we won’t be here forever.
“Some of the players are there for a while, we’ll be gone, players will be gone, but there needs to be an ethos in the squad that Galway is now competing probably in the top three or four teams in the country.
“We still haven’t reached the pinnacle and we’re trying to. You need standards in the group to achieve that. They are in place and we’re trying to improve them all the time.
“It needs to be a privilege now to play for Galway. I’m huge on the Galway GAA brand — that no one steps outside the mark on that, no one disrespects that.”
TOUGH START
Criticism in the county is never far away. Joyce had a baptism of fire as the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 and 2021 — losing the provincial showpiece to Mayo in both years of a curtailed Championship.
But as the world opened back up, something clicked in 2022. Shutting out the noise and creating a solid dressing-room culture have been crucial for the three-time All-Star forward, who admitted he loves every minute.
He said: “It’s a privilege to be doing it, I always say that. I don’t see it as work or a job. It’s very, very enjoyable.
“When you’re managing, it took me a long time. I had to adapt my way because I’d be old school and probably a little bit stout in a way and stubborn to a lot of degrees.
“I have said it from day one, the players give everything.
“People will complain about them when they’re having a few pints in the pub and complain about the manager and all that stuff.
“That’s part and parcel. It’s a bit of craic as well.
“Everyone has opinions on everything, which is great and we understand that people have to have opinions of it.
“Online has gone huge, it’s gone crazy. You only see it if you read it. Lads know themselves that people have opinions. It’s the way they are.
“When Pádraic Joyce leaves the Galway job, will they all be queuing up to take it? No, they won’t because they’ll just give an opinion and move on. That’s just the way they are.
“We’ll take the flak when we get it, we’ll take the pat on the back if it comes.
“There’s no airs and graces with anyone in the squad, thank God. We’re humble enough to know where we come from, wherever we go.”
