It’s a bumper weekend for Irish sport and unsurprisingly the Sunday papers turned blue today following Dublin’s defeat over Mayo.

In was all-GAA talk, as former Galway manager and Connaught Tribune editor, John McIntyre and Nick Foley of The Sunday Times chatted to Off The Ball’s Joe Molloy, broadcasting from Croke Park, ahead of the All-Ireland senior hurling final between Galway and Kilkenny later today.

McIntyre pointed to “an air of expectancy rather than hope” among Galway supporters who believe this could be the day they end their 27-year famine. The former manager remains “optimistic but guarded” and hopes the team will stand up physically to the Cats who, he wryly observes, find it “awful difficult” to lose All-Ireland finals.

The panel makes reference to a colourful piece by former Offaly hurler Michael Duignan in the Mail on Sunday, wherein he shares his memories playing All-Ireland finals – in particular against Galway in 1988.

Speaking to Off The Ball in Galway on Thursday, Duignan talks about being “shocking nervous” and how his father had some choice ‘words of encouragement’ before he headed to Croker:

The two journalists speak about the challenges that now exist for media in dealing with how press nights are managed in run-up to All-Ireland finals. With limited access to players and managers: “Everybody is trying to get an angle on the same interview”, McIntyre laments.

One angle that Foley spoke about was the approach Mayo nutritionist Ruth Kilcawley – who recently left the position – had taken towards players’ diet with better habits and how meals where better-timed and based on pie charts.