Once on the last line of attack, James Skehill's career took a turn at minor level to become the last man in defence and the current Galway Senior goalkeeper hasn't looked back since.

Times haven't been too bad for the now 24-year old who has picked up All-Ireland Minor and under 21 medals along the way.

The All-Ireland Minor success coming back in 2005 as Mattie Murphy masterminded yet another Under 18 triumph, on a day where Cappataggle clubman Skehill failed to leak a goal and Galway claimed a 3-12 to 0-17 win over a Gavin O'Mahony captained Limerick.

Just Skehill and Joe Canning have graduated all the way to this weekend's Senior starting line-up from the team which started on that September Sunday at Croke Park. Canning scoring 1-3 on the way to a four-point win.

Of course it wasn't all glory for the Tribesmen that particular afternoon, with the Senior's losing out their All-Ireland decider against Cork - Joe's brother Ollie among the starting line-up that afternoon.
Seven years on and Galway return to the All-Ireland final stage, with just three of the team which started that day.

Damien Hayes netting a goal, with Tony Óg Regan and David Collins also featuring in a game which Ben O'Connor scored a vital 1-7 for Cork.

An appearance in an All-Ireland Senior Final is a breakthrough for most of this Galway panel including Skehill and he says he's excited about the prospect of lining out in a showpiece decider.

"I'm excited more than anything else," he said.

"Obviously there are a bit of nerves and they will come just before the weekend and that's normal. I have had that in Minor, Under 21 and Fitzgibbon Cup finals.

"That's all a part of the game also. It's a good sign if you are nervous as it means you are hoping to do well and get success. I'm really excited and looking forward to the occasion."

Much has been made of the youth in this Galway squad, and while for many they are reaching an All-Ireland Senior decider early in their careers, there is a strong realisation that days like this don't come around too often and that there have been many good Galway players who have failed to appear in an All-Ireland final, let alone claim a medal.

"There have been very few players who have managed to play in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day and it's a big occasion for us," he said.

"We can't look at the past. We can't look at teams gone by, all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and look towards the future and try and emulate the teams of the 80's who managed to take success, and give pride to the supporters.

"There's a nice blend of youth as well as experience on our side and then the guys stuck in the middle like Joe (Canning) and I!

"Those Under 21's have to start somewhere and we all started somewhere. They are gaining massive experience this year and guys like Tony Óg Regan and Damien Hayes are sharing their experience with the younger guys and it is standing them in good stead also.

"The Under 21's have really revitalised the set-up and it's all good."

Skehill says that he has a solid bunch of defenders in front of him and that there is a good mix at the back.

"There has been no shortage of underage talent in Galway and it's now beginning to come to fruition in the Senior panel," he said.

"There are guys who not alone can play in the backs, but they can play in the forwards also. Johnny Coen can play anywhere and it's good to have guys like that in your artillery.

"There's a good mix and you would have full confidence in any of the backs if they are to feature on final day."

Skehill's a calm and collected customer, and standing in the Car Park of his and many of the Galway players Alma Mater St Brigids Vocational School in Loughrea you certainly get a feel for this.

Inside the walls of this famed school are adorned with the achievements of its students of the present and of times gone by.

He won an All-Ireland Vocational Schools title with the school in the forwards, but was asked to go into goals shortly afterwards and as he says 'I've been stuck there every since!"

He continues, "But I suppose I've always kept my eye on the spot. When I turned 17, I started to think about the senior ranks and trying to get myself into a minor team at an early age.

"I've played all my hurling for Galway in goals, and as I've moved up through the ranks you get used to it, and I think I am suited to it."

While he's had a reasonably successful time between the posts keeping clean-sheets in the All-Ireland Minor final of 2005 and the Under 21 All-Ireland win over Dublin in 2007 Skehill concedes he is still learning as a goalkeeper.

"I have a routine when I concede a goal," he says, "that's been practised throughout, since my minor days. You have to stay calm, physically and mentally, after a goal goes in. Puck-out technique is important too. You have to win the next puck-out, so I try to focus on that.

"With experience comes knowledge of how to deal with those situations. As I go further in my career I hope to improve mentally and really focus on the main problems of my game.

"But this would have been the first year getting specific training in that regard. John Commins, who was in goal with Galway in '87 and '88, has come in for sessions done, along with Nicky Quaid, with Christy O'Connor from Clare.

"I was also in Limerick IT, when Davy Fitzgerald was over us, and he worked not just on the physical side, but also on the mental side. He was in some high-pressure games in his career, and some of that rubbed off on me, helped me how to deal with that - all that has elevated my expectation and my willingness to win. They raised a standard that I had to match, whether in fitness, or conditioning. It adds to you hugely.

"I've read up on some stuff as well, like the American tennis coach, Brad Gilbert's book, which was very focused on the mental side of his tennis game. I took a few things from that and tried to implement them into my own game. If anything it's improved me 10 to 15 per cent in terms of the mental side of my game, and when you'are mentally right, you're physically right, in my view."

Galway won the mental battle against Kilkenny in the Leinster final - a historic day for the Tribesmen.

Skehill says it has provided a great platform for his side to build on this Summer.

"Obviously some people in Galway would have been critical of us entering the Leinster Championship, but for me as a player it gave us more games and it was definitely a learning curve," he said.

"In the Westmeath and Offaly games this year we learned things about ourselves that we carried for the Kilkenny game.

"In the Leinster final we learned a lot again which stood us in good stead for the All-Ireland Series. For me it has definitely been a success.

"Against Offaly as a team it was a good situation as we managed to stick a couple of goals in early. Personally we wouldn't have been as sharp as we would have liked to be, but that's all a part of it and we managed to come out the right side anyway."

Looking specifically at Sunday's game Skehill is fully aware that the Cats will be on a backlash following the Leinster final defeat.

"It's going to be supremely difficult to stop them. They are a proven team and they have been classed as the 'Greatest team of all time' which I do agree with.

"They have won a number of All-Ireland's in the last number of years so it's going to be a massive task for us. All we can do is concentrate on our own side of things and hope that we can produce a performance that can gain success."

Skehill is fully aware of the Cats strength in depth in attack.

"They have numerous All-Stars between them," he said.

"They excel in most areas and they can also play around the park in the forward-lines. It's a massive task for our back-lines to try and win the ball and hold them out.

"I have full confidence that they can do so." Tweet

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