Galway footballer Paul Conroy hasn’t decided whether or not he will be playing for the Tribesmen in 2025.
Speaking at the July PwC Player of the Month awards, the midfielder admits he is still thinking about his future and whether he can mentally go again for another campaign. His body is physically prepared to go, and he doesn’t want to make up the numbers if he does return.
"I don't think it would be the right time to decide in terms of going forward, so I'm just I just going to decide over the next few weeks,” Conroy said.
"Yeah, I haven't decided. I really enjoyed the last game, apart from the ending, and I was happy enough with my performances and stuff, so yeah, I'll think about it and sit on it for a few weeks. I don't know about the mental side of the game, but physically, I enjoyed training. If I weren't playing next year, I would be training away myself and stuff, so it's to see the drive and the energy there has to be if you want to return to that level.
Sometimes, I can imagine players not returning; they're not mentally there and don't have the energy to return. There's nothing left in the tank, so you need to make sure that if you are going back, that's there drive because the last thing you want is someone who doesn’t want to be there. Hopefully, the next couple of weeks will make things clear."
Reflecting On All-Ireland Loss
Conroy reflects on the All-Ireland final loss to Armagh and believes that his side didn’t perform to their optimal level on the day and that next year's championship will be wide open again. The midfielder also believes that the three-week break since the decider was needed before they returned to club action this weekend.
"They got over the line on the day, and we didn't,” Conroy said.
"We didn't perform, I don't think, as we could. Our efficiency was down at the 50% rate, which is not enough. I would say the same thing: I think they probably expected that, too, and they missed some opportunities they shouldn't miss. Donegal was perhaps one win too many in the end. I think these thin lines emerge between getting over the line. We played the semi-final against Donegal and got a lucky goal, only won by two points. In the final, we missed opportunities that we usually wouldn't miss.
I think many teams will sit down at the end of the year and the start of next year. They'll say if they have not done this, if they tweak a little thing, they will be there or thereabouts for a final. Hence, there's very little between many teams. Yeah, it's been three weeks. I think that's needed. I think there is no point in being sorry for yourself and the best thing to do is to get back on the horse go back and train with the club and to be looking forward to the championship we're playing this weekend now, and the club, they need to get the best out of you as well. Hence, I think the break wasn't, but we needed three weeks away.”
Conroy is currently in contention for Footballer of the Year, so seeing him retire at the peak of his powers would be a shock.
