By Cian O'Connell

On Stephen's Day in 2015 Noel Larkin's phone rang; Micheal Donoghue was on the line. A new Galway backroom team was being formed.

Larkin was delighted to embrace the role of selector. Having impressed on the club circuit and with Roscommon, Larkin wanted to take the next coaching step.

It was a logical progression as the planning and plotting continues. "I was after doing a muck run, so I was at home freezing my ass off waiting to get into the shower when the phone rang," Larkin recalls.

"It was Micheal and he asked ‘can I meet you tomorrow?’ So I went down to his house on the 27th of December and that was it."

Donoghue managed Clarinbridge to AIB All Ireland Club glory, Larkin trained Portumna to a similar feat in 2014, while Francis Forde was involved in successful Galway minor outfits.

There is plenty of Croke Park winning experience on the Galway line. "Yeah, myself and Micheal with the club and Frannie had success with the Galway minors," Larkin says.

"So we’ve all been lucky enough to be in Croke Park for different finals. We all have a win under our belts.

"This is a different ball game, but it’s still only 15 against 15 on the same pitch so hopefully we’ll get a performance."

Having worked closely with Joe Canning at club level Larkin is thrilled that Galway's talisman is delivering on the grand stage.

"I’ve been lucky enough to work with him for a few years," Larkin admits. "This is my fifth year working with him between this and the club. It’s no big secret, it’s just hard work.

"With the club, he’d be with Galway maybe that morning, but he’d come training, it could be March, and you’d have to stop him, tell him to sit down and relax, which he doesn’t do very well.

"It’s just hard work, there’s no big secret. He always has a hurl in his hand, hitting it against the wall every day, 10 minutes here and there – that makes an unbelievable difference."

A point for the ages in the Semi-Final win over Tipperary highlighted Canning's class and clinical finishing ability. "I’ve seen him do some special things through the years between the club and with Galway," Larkin acknowledges.

"He got the goal in the 2015 final, the goal in the 2015 Leinster final on the swivel. I’ve seen him do special things, but special players do that – no more than Austin Gleeson or Seamus Callanan. These guys just seem to have a bit of X factor."

Canning, judged by the highest standards possible, is frequently blamed when Galway fail to prevail in matches.

"Yeah I suppose he does, but I suppose he has been in the public eye since he made his debut in 2008 under Ger Loughnane," Larkin states, trying to make sense of it all.

"He scored 2-11 or 2-12 or something ridiculous. Yeah, he gets a lot of unwarranted and unfair criticism. But I think you’ve seen over the last couple of years there is a fair different spread of scores now.

"If Joe now has a game that is quiet by his standards it is no big drama anymore because Conor Cooney is pitching in or Conor Whelan or somebody else.

"I just think it’s the standard and high esteem he’s held in, that if he’s not shooting the lights out everybody thinks he hasn’t had a good game.

"But some of his best games for the club when I was there he was midfield, mightn’t score from, play but he’d have 20 or 30 possessions, you know." That mix of spirit, skill, and stamina is serving Galway well.