OLD enemy Mayo finished them off last year but it was losing to Armagh in their final Super 16 group game that derailed Galway’s season, says Damien Comer.
All-Ireland finalists in 2022, the Tribesmen had been in a Division One final and won the Connacht Championship by the time they faced the struggling Orchardmen in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Armagh had not impressed when losing to Tyrone in their previous game and went into the fixture minus Rian O’Neill and ranked as distant underdogs. Galway were expected to win, top the group and advance straight to the quarter-finals.
But Ethan Rafferty’s penalty save and a nerveless free from man of the match Rory Grugan meant Kieran McGeeney’s side won by a point and took pole position meaning Galway had to face Mayo the following weekend. They lost and bowed out before the last eight.
“Looking back, it’s a frustrating one,” said Comer who is fit and looking forward to Sunday’s Division One clash with Mayo at Pearse Stadium (1.45pm).
“I wasn’t playing in that game, I was watching it on the sideline. We missed a lot of chances, between different opportunities from play, from frees, a penalty and different things that could have put the game to bed and made sure that we topped the group.
“Look, we didn’t and we put ourselves in that situation more than Mayo did and we ended up being out a week later again. It wasn’t an ideal situation but it was of our own doing.”
Injuries took their toll last year but Comer admits that “something just didn’t click” with the team despite their appearance in the Division One final. Even after a comprehensive victory over Sligo in the Connacht final, Padraig Joyce’s side struggled for fluency in wins against Tyrone and Westmeath.
“Injuries obviously didn’t help but during the league a lot of our younger lads stepped up and I suppose older lads stepped up too,” he adds.
“I didn’t play many of the League, Shane (Walsh) was missing for a good bit of it and Seán Kelly missed a few games as well.
“A lot of the younger lads stepped up during the League when injuries kicked in but we just didn’t seem to get the balance right or we just didn’t seem to click together as well as we probably did the year previous during the run to the All-Ireland final.
“Even the games that we won, we beat Tyrone when they were down to 14 but we didn’t play overly well.
“We got over Westmeath in the other group game but again not playing overly well. The Armagh game was obviously the game that let us down. We played okay at times, we just didn’t score enough. I think that was a pattern throughout all of our games. Our scoring efficiency was probably below where we wanted it to be. That’s probably something we’ll look to rectify.
“It’s disappointing knowing you’re in an All-Ireland (final) the year before and you get knocked out in the preliminary quarter-final.
“It would be well below the expectations of our group. It’s disappointing but it was our own doing that we have to reflect on as a group of players and try and improve on that.
“For one reason or another, it just didn’t happen and it’s get back to brass tacks.
“You start off at the bottom of the pile and you just have to earn your right to get back up there again. Like any other year, we’re down at the bottom and build from there and see if we can there.”
Comer suffered a knee injury in the second Division One game of last season and endured a stop-start time of it afterwards. It was “fairly frustrating” he says with a dollop of understatement but the 30-year-old has a full pre-season behind him now.
“At the start of the year, with the knee injury initially, I missed most of the League,” he recalled.
“I got back and played a part in the League final and I got some games under my belt in the Connacht Championship. But when it came to the group stages, the hamstring injury started niggling and I wasn’t able to get fluid training done. It hampered me a good bit.
“But I’ve got a good pre-season under me now so I’m looking forward to the League and trying to get back to where I was a couple of years ago. Hopefully all the injuries are behind me.”