Galway's 1998 All-Ireland winning captain Ray Silke lauded former teammate Michael Donnellan's pace as a key element of their Championship victory. 

Silke joined Seán Óg De Paor and Ja Fallon on Off the Ball's Saturday Panel to reflect on their 1998 title win. 

"Corrofin were playing Dunmore in a league match in 94/95 so I was centre back and this young lad, Michael Donnellan was there and I was saying 'Let's see what you've got here buddy" and he just went by me like I wasn't there. 

"The pace - the real raw pace he had and the Meehans were there. Deccie Meehan, John Concannon was a bit unlucky not to be in the squad I suppose, for different reasons - and Tommy Meehan, there was a serious crop like that.

"So, I was at the Hogan Cup final and I remember thinking 'These guys are serious' and Michael Cloherty who was on our panel was midfield on that Jarlath's team and I think sometimes, and this is unfortunate for the subs - if you're in the 1-15, people remember that. 

"And on our '98 team - the only positional change in the six Championship matches, including the reply was right-half forward. That was the only position that was changed in those six games.

"So we had some fantastic subs as well - Shay Walsh, Fergal Gavin but number ten changed all the time when Paul Clancy got injured. But, those Jarlath's players, and god rest Ollie Hughes and Joe Long and these guys - they were serious talent," he added.  

Seán Óg De Paor agreed with his former captain's sentiments on Donnellan - "Just going back to Donnellan there - the Connacht campaign for Michael in '98 - he was fine, he wasn't brilliant. He didn't set the world on fire.

"But, you could see that once we qualified for Croke Park - the kind of self confidence that he had - if every player is honest with himself maybe the first couple of times they play in Croke Park, there's always a small element of 'Will I perform on the big stage?' but him - the self confidence came from his family tree. 

"I mean, his dad had done it. His grandfather had done it!'"

The full Saturday Panel can be heard here: