University of Galway footballer Tommy Conroy poses for a portrait with the Sigerson Cup before the draw for the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Championships at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Tommy Conroy watched the 2024 Sigerson Cup Final draw in Croke Park yesterday like a hawk.
Now in his final year in the University of Galway, this is his last opportunity to win one of the most coveted medals in Gaelic games.
He already has one from 2022, but the Mayo star doesn’t quite feel like he won it because he tore his cruciate ligament in the quarter-final of the competition that year.
“It was brilliant to win but it was tough at the same time looking on from the sideline,” says Conroy.
“Terrific win, but it is my final year in Sigerson and it would be nice to win one on the pitch, even though I have the medal.
“When you are not playing in the final or semi-final it’s slightly bittersweet.”
That knee injury put paid to Conroy’s 2022 season, but after a year back now playing for club, county, and college, his career is very much back on track again.
“Thank god, touch wood it’s feeling great now and i don’t really think about it anymore, I’ve built that confidence again,” he says.
“I think gradually throughout the season more so than anything, the confidence just starts coming back.
“Even just in training like, we have some really good defenders so when you are marking some of them in training, it really tests you.
“By the time you get back into playing games, you kind of know you are ready.”
Jack McCaffrey of Dublin in action against Tommy Conroy of Mayo during the 2023 GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile.
Conroy thinks his enforced break from the game might ultimately have done him some good. He came back feeling fresher and with a renewed appetite for playing football at the highest level.
“I suppose it kind of gives you that step back from the intensity of kind of going from training session to training session all the time especially when you are 21, 22, you are playing with so many teams as well.
“There is very little time to step back from sport. It did give me that bit of breathing space.
“I think the big thing I took away from it was how privileged you are to be playing at the highest level, because once it’s all taken away from you, you kind of realise how cool it is to be playing football at the highest level.
“It’s only really when you step back and you start missing it, that’s when it starts dawning on you.”
Conroy started back training with Mayo last weekend and is looking forward to trying to right some of the wrongs of an up and down 2023 season that saw them beaten heavily by Dublin in the All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final.
“We were definitely disappointed at the end of the season," he says.
“I suppose looking back on it, we were going really well in the League.
“Disappointed against Roscommmn. I think we regrouped really well after that. Went into the Kerry game down in Killarney, done really well down there, done okay against Louth.
“I think the big slip up really was we didn’t finish well against Cork, lost that game and that put us in a tough position I suppose to approach the rest of the season. We had to play three games in three weekends.
“That probably made it tough on ourselves. We have definitely a lot of learning to take from last year.
"There are a lot of younger lads there too that will be that bit more experienced this year.
“So, yeah, I think we will hopefully go into the year a bit stronger.”
