Gallagher"s Australian oasis

The names of the great Meath goalkeepers over the last 40 years just trip off the tongue. Sean McCormack, Ronan Giles, Jimmy Fay, Michael McQuillan, Donal Smyth, Conor Martin, Cormac Sullivan, Brendan Murphy. They read like a who"s who of the best goalkeepers in the country, not just the county. But one very significant name appears to be missing? Since he was brought onto the Meath panel at the age of 19, David Gallagher has had to battle for a starting position. He played second fiddle to Martin then Sullivan and, under Eamonn Barry, to Murphy. In 2004 and 2005 he made the number one shirt his own, then injury struck. A bulging disc and a groin operation restricted Gallagher for over a year, but in Sean Boylan"s eyes the giant goalkeeper never went away. Gallagher is a fierce competitor. He threw his all into regaining full fitness and recaptured some great form for his club Dunboyne. When he got the call to join the Irish panel for International Rules training he didn"t need to be asked twice. Initially, he believed he was just being asked to make up numbers, so there was no pressure. Gallagher threw himself wholeheartedly into training, especially the rugby aspect of it, and proved to the management that he could be in contention for a place. When Boylan announced his panel eyebrows were raised and the big question was - who is David Gallagher? Prior to joining some of the most illustrious names in GAA on board a flight to Perth at the weekend for the first International Rules test against Australia, Gallagher was glad the furore had died down and now he is looking forward to the games. 'I"m looking forward to it now. The training has gone on long enough now so we will be glad to get down there and get the games under way,' enthused Gallagher. 'I didn"t look too much into what some people were saying when I was picked by Sean Boylan. At the end of the day I have played county football for years and if it wasn"t for injuries I would be still at it. I"ve been there, done than after being with the county for eight seasons. 'I"ve played with some great players, but obviously the step up to this level is massive from club level. I"ve done well over the last few weeks at training and I"m happy with my form. 'I am confident in my own ability and the team are confident. Training has gone really well and we have some great players going. It is a different ball game playing amongst ourselves than it will be against the Australians. 'They are professional athletes at the peak of their fitness, but the last few weeks our lads have been jumping out of their boots and we are raring to go. Hopefully we can give it a good push and win the two tests. We are not going down there to make up the numbers,' said Gallagher. Tyrone"s All-Ireland winning manager Mickey Harte is a critic of the series and last week suggested the players will use the test series as a reward at the end of a long season. However, Gallagher doesn"t believe that any of the players are going along for the jaunt. 'I don"t believe that some players are using this as a chance to get a trip away. If that was the case I"m sure some of them would have gone somewhere else,' said the Ireland number one. 'The Tyrone and Kerry lads have had a long season and I"m sure if they wanted a trip away they would have organised something themselves, but everyone is committed to the games. 'What is the point in going down there just to make a trip out of it. There has to be a bit of pride involved and we are keen to do well,' he said. Some of the fears that people outside of Meath have about Gallagher being the Irish number one relate to the fact that he hasn"t played in goals for some time, but the job of a goalkeeper in International Rules is more than being just a shot-stopper. His performance in the Feis Cup final against Seneschalstown displayed a lot of the necessary skills and Gallagher believes that he has what it takes to be a success Down Under. 'It is a very difficult position to play. In Gaelic football as well, if a "keeper makes a mistake then it is always noticed more than if an outfield player makes a mistake, so the goalkeeper is crucial in the International Rules,' said Gallagher. If Gallagher does play a vital part for Ireland it is sure to propel him back into the shop window for whoever is eventually appointed as Meath manager. Murphy is the man in possession of the number one jersey, but Gallagher is an imposing figure and it would benefit Meath football to have two top class goalkeepers, just like Tyrone. However, Gallagher is not sure if his future lies with the Meath team. He has given great service for eight seasons and since leaving the Royal scene he has married, has a baby son and is very busy at work. 'I"m not sure if I would come back to the county scene. A lot depends on the new manager and what kind of ideas he has. At the moment I am not looking in that direction,' said the former Meath goalkeeper. 'I gave it eight seasons and a lot of them were spent sitting on the bench. I was lucky enough to play, but I wanted to play more in that time. I did enjoy my time greatly with the county, but it takes up a lot of time. 'I wouldn"t rule anything out. Maybe with the new regime we will see how things go. 'Maybe a change in attitude needed, I don"t know what went on this year with Meath. I"m just hearing what other lads are saying. 'I know they didn"t go down to Limerick to get hammered. 'When I left due to injury there was a panel of players that any county would be proud of,' said the Dunboyne man. After a roller coaster two years, Gallagher is about to embark on another brilliant journey, this time the eyes of the nation are on him. Ireland will play Australia at the Subiaco Stadium in Perth this Friday, 24th October and at the MCG, Melbourne on Friday, 31st October.