Galway are just 60 minutes away from claiming their second All-Ireland U21FC title in three years, but corner forward Shane Walsh reckons they have it all to do against Cork at the Gaelic Grounds tomorrow evening.

Walsh, who's still only 19, has been in sparkling form for the Tribesmen, scoring 0-24 in their four outings to date. He was especially prominent in the dramatic Connacht final win over Roscommon when he kicked four points in the last four minutes to force extra-time, and in the All-Ireland semi-final when his three points from play helped Alan Flynn's side to a shock victory over Kildare.

Now only Cork stand between Galway and their fifth Clarke Cup success. It's a massive game for both counties, but you wouldn't think this was so from speaking to the GMIT first year business student, who is clearly an old head on young shoulders.

"Any All-Ireland final is a big occasion, but we're not getting too excited," the teenage star says.

"We're treating it like another game. There wasn't huge expectations for this team at the start of the year, so we've done well to get this far. Having lost an All-Ireland Colleges final with St. Jarlath's to St. Colman's of Newry and an All-Ireland minor semi-final to Dublin - both in 2011 - there is no reason for me, or any of us, to get carried away. It's just another game we'll be going out to try to win."

Galway beat Sligo, Mayo and holders Roscommon to win their 17th Connacht title in the grade, but it was their 2-10 to 2-5 victory over a much-fancied Kildare side in the All-Ireland semi-final a fortnight ago that made people sit up and take notice. The Lilywhites had won the Leinster championship in a canter, but left their shooting boots at home and were punished by a clinical Galway attack in which the fleet-footed Walsh, Sean Moran, Ian Burke and Cathal Mulryan excelled.

The Kilkerrin/Clonberne man (sub Conor Rabbitte hails from the same club), who accounted for six of his side's 10 points, is in no doubt that Galway's tougher provincial campaign stood to them against Kieran McGeeney's men.

"Whereas we had close games against Mayo and Roscommon, they hadn't been tested," he points out.

"They had beaten the likes of Meath and Laois easily, and were always in control against Longford in the Leinster final as well. All the talk beforehand was about how good they were, which meant that there was no real pressure on us. But because we had been in a couple of dogfights, we knew we'd beat them if the game was any way close going into the last 10 minutes.

"Thankfully, we came out on the right side, but we know it could have been so much different if they had taken half of the chances they created. They had 19 wides and, on another day, we would have been beaten out the gate."

Walsh admits that Galway also rode their luck when they went 23 minutes without scoring in the second half of the Connacht final before finishing strongly to force extra-time. In the additional 20-minute period, they finally got on top of last year's All-Ireland runners-up to win by 1-17 to 2-11.

"The Roscommon game showed the character that's in this team," he proudly states.

"We were in dire straits when we lost Eoin Walsh (corner back) to a red card early in the second half. They had a lot of chances after that to put us away, but didn't take them. Then they had Donie Smith - who was their best forward - sent off and that gave us a big lift. I can safely say that we wouldn't have beaten Roscommon if that hadn't happened."

Shane is full of praise for the Galway management team of Alan Flynn, Donal O Flatharta,Paul Clancy and Declan Meehan. Clancy and Meehan won All-Ireland senior medals in 1998 and 2001, with the latter also picking up the Footballer of the Year award 12 years ago.

"Alan is a brilliant young manager, and Paul and Declan were top inter-county players in their day. All of us would have grown up watching them play and it's good to see them back involved with the county again. We're learning a lot from them."

While other Connacht counties have traditionally struggled to make their mark when they emerge from the province, Galway always seem to thrive on the big stage. Why is this so?

The teenager explains: "A lot of it is to do with tradition. We always see ourselves as a top football county and that is why we have more belief than other teams in Connacht may have. When we come out of Connacht, we're able to express ourselves more. There is always pressure on us in the province, but once we come out, the pressure is off and we're able to open up."

The All-Ireland semi-final was the first time that team captain Fintan O Curraoin and Thomas Flynn had played as a midfield partnership since the facile 2011 All-Ireland final victory over Cavan at Croke Park. And Walsh believes their experience will be vital tomorrow.

"They were the two young lads in 2011, but now they're the two old lads!" he laughs.

"They are the only two players in our dressing room with All-Ireland medals and that has to count for something. They know what it takes to be successful at this level. Thomas came on a sub in the Connacht final after a long injury layoff and started at midfield the last day.

"Fintan was injured in the early part of last year, so it's great to see the two of them back fit and playing together at midfield. Galway has never lost an U21 game when they were the midfield partnership, and hopefully that record will still stand after the final."

Despite knocking out the All-Ireland favourites and beating Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final two years ago, Walsh insists that the Westerners will be underdogs against John Cleary's charges.

"Any team that wins three Munster titles in-a-row has to be strong," he reasons.

"Everyone was saying Cavan should have beaten them in the semi-final, but Cork have been one of the most accomplished teams in the grade for a long time now. The scare they got from Cavan will make them even more focused. It's theirs to lose. They won't miss the chances Kildare missed if they get them…"

Currently, Walsh is one of only three U21 players on Alan Mulholland's senior panel. But he expects that to change once the U21 championship campaign is over.

"At the moment, there's only myself, Fintan O Curraoin and Thomas Flynn in with the seniors," explains the corner forward, whose involvement in the Allianz Football League was confined to just one appearance against Wexford owing to a groin injury.

A lot of us are U21 again next year, but there are also a number of lads who are capable of stepping up to senior now. Alan Flynn is part of the senior management as well, so I'm sure he'll be keeping Alan Mulholland briefed on who's performing well in training and so on."

He continues: "As everyone knows, the Galway senior team is going through a transitional phase and you can't replace players of the quality of Padraic Joyce and Joe Bergin overnight. We have a big game coming up on May 19 against Mayo in the first round of the Connacht championship and there will be a lot of pressure on us to win that.

"But I wouldn't be too worried about the Galway senior team - it will come right with time and patience. The U21 team is all about building towards the future and it would certainly give the senior set-up a big boost if we could win on Saturday." Tweet

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