Joe Rabbitte has faith in Galway to take down Limerick beast
“IN my view, it’s nearly the same as the Cork game,” was the feeling of former Galway star Joe Rabbitte as he gave his assessment on what to expect at Croke Park on Sunday.
“Cork went in as raging favourites but Galway showed up. Galway have a style of hurling that it’s hard to break them down. And they’re playing it very well. They’re playing very much as a team. And everybody is playing their role.
“You have to be doing runs off the ball and things like that. Every one of the guys are doing those runs, selfless runs are all working for the team. It seems to be working for Galway.”
The Athenry man joined the county set-up in 1990, just as the great 80s team were finishing their run and saw a transition in fortunes before a new team emerged at the start of the millennium and has noticed the improvement in the current set-up this year.
“Their run started back in April when they had the first round (win) against Kilkenny,” said Rabbitte. “After that game, a lot of people started looking up to see that things might be improving a bit in Galway and it has improved.
“But they’ll all come to nothing really if they don’t turn around on Sunday and have a good performance and put it up to Limerick.”
The two-time All-Star has three All-Ireland club titles but never got his hands on an inter county medal. He started in two finals, in 1993 and 2001.
The latter game was his last start in a county jersey and he couldn’t seem to catch a break from the match officials as Tipperary beat Galway 2-18 to 2-15. That same Tipperary team will be honoured on their silver jubilee anniversary this Sunday.
“I’d be here with the kids. We’d often look at a game on YouTube or whatever,” he says when looking back 25 years later. “There’s one game I forbid them to look at and that’s the 2001 All-Ireland Final because I wouldn’t look at it.
“It’s a day that for me personally, I felt that things didn’t go my way. I thought Pat O’Connor (referee) on the day just seemed to make decisions that weren’t in Galway’s favour or weren’t fair really basically I suppose.
“You can spend your life regretting things. And I don’t. To be fair, I move on. But the thing about that game was that I just wouldn’t look at it because I wouldn’t want to be reliving the memories again. Because of how hurtful they were for me personally.
“I had an alright hurling career with Athenry and then with Galway as well. But if we could have won that one, that would have been the icing on the cake for me. It wasn’t to be and that’s it. Move on. Life moves on. And 25 years on, hopefully we’ll be able to win one on Sunday.”
And speaking of the children, Joe and his wife Mary for the third consecutive year will be attending an All-Ireland Final in Croke Park as proud parents. Daughters Sabina and Olwen won the camogie last year after a final defeat in 2024.
This year, it’s the turn of son Jason who has made an instant impression at senior level, just one year after captaining his school Presentation Athenry to reach a national decider in Croke Park. The younger Rabbitte scored 0-3 in a man of the match semi-final display against Cork.
“He’s had a nice year and a good year,” was his Dad’s thoughts. “The one thing that I could say about the year that he had, he enjoyed every second of it. And that’s what sport is about.
The two Mannions (Padraic and Cathal) here in town, they live here in Athenry. They’ll give him a buzz, and he’ll hit off with them. There’ll be a car full there.
“And he comes back here after a training session or after a match and he’ll have a big smile on him because the craic is mighty. That’s what it’s about.”
So, what’s it like being a parent watching his children get the opportunity to play in such high-profile games.
“I don’t have any problem with my heart anyway I think,” laughs Joe. “As a parent sitting in the stand and last year’s All-Ireland camogie final, I suppose I was hysterical when the final whistle went.
“Myself and Mary are proud. We’re delighted but we sit back and say thanks to be to God. The number one thing is we have three kids that are healthy and able to play hurling or camogie.
“We’re just delighted that the three of them enjoy it and the three of them have such good friends out of camogie and out of hurling. It’s wonderful for us as parents to see they’re so satisfied with what they’re at.”
Finally, going back to Joe Rabbitte the hurler, who also managed Athenry to All-Ireland senior camogie glory back in January, can Galway deliver a sixth All-Ireland hurling success?
“Limerick are a team that seem to be able to win games that they shouldn’t be winning,” concludes Joe. “But in saying that, that’s not going to stay going forever for them either.
“The way I’d be looking at it, if Galway turn up on the day and have a good performance, I think it will take a good team to beat them.”