Galway GAA discussion thread

Mr Velo wrote: »

I think unfortunately we're going to have another season of KW.

Pretty sure he has been officially ratified for another year at least so we're stuck with him now for good or bad.

djPSB wrote: »

KW did deliver a Connacht title, a division two title and beaten Mayo two years in a row.

Yes maybe some mistakes made but a little respect please.

Beating a below-par Mayo team is well and good but it doesn't excuse the alarming flops in the Tipp and Roscommon games, or the pathetic capitulation to an ordinary Kerry team.

Not saying all of it is KW's fault and the players have to be questioned too, but the buck stops with the manager and there's no sign that we've made any real progress tactically. There was no gameplan against Kerry other than put 14 men in our own half and hope to keep it respectable.

spurshero wrote: »

We are light years away from either of those teams . We caught mayo on the hop last year and somehow hung on this year despite playing 50 mins with an extra man . Roscommon and Kerry both wiped the floor with us . We haven't won a championship game in croker in 17 years . What we need to do is get the basics right for a start . Hopefully this year in division one will bring us on a bit .

It should certainly expose our players to a consistently-higher level of opponent with the attendant requirement of improvement to compete with them. Especially after this year however, I've lost a lot of faith in the team; midfield (Conroy/Flynn/FOC) has only ever been so good and has been shown up the last 2 years in CP as not being up to the task. Defence is a disaster and has been for pretty much of KW's tenure. The goalkeeping fiasco this year exacerbated things even more; it would be unheard of for a team to change keepers prior to a big c'ship clash at HQ.

(;-))

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

I have huge time for Kevin, Brian and the backroom staff but I felt like the reappointment is an indication they're happy where we are rather than him winning a hotly contested race for báinisteoir.

We've not really made clear progress since Mulholland left imo. We were always there or thereabouts in the League but Mayo didn't have the motivation in Connacht for the last couple of years they had going for the 5 in a row. The forwards seem to have plateaued, we don't have a consistent midfield and defensively we're terrible. An awful lot of hope is being placed on Sean Andy O'Conghaile and Sean Mulkerrin's shoulders before they've even played for the seniors.

My big worry with Galway football is that we're too comfortable being content with a poor showing in a quarter final at Croker after the 10 year period of losing to average teams in qualifiers like Wexford, Westmeath and Meath. It's not so much that the Tipp and Rossie hammerings don't sting but we celebrate the Mayo wins as far higher value than they were. 14 man Mayo in 1st gear nearly had us but for two beautiful bottles from Evan Regan.

Positivity is great but the undeserved hype eats this particular set of players up and instead of getting to semi finals they end up content with pats on the back from lads in Taaffes while our neighbours getting to finals.

Mayo had to be extremely motivated for the Galway match in Salthill. After what happened in 2016, they just had to be. They were not as good as they were come September - Aidan O'Shea & Colm Boyle were on the bench that day and went on to have very good seasons. If I remember correctly, they started a HF line of Boland, O'Connor, Coen. So it wasnt a great Mayo team. But I think it is unfair to Galway (& Mayo) to say Mayo were not motivated for that match.

I like to see lads performing at club level getting an opportunity at county level. One of the worrying things about our club championship is that the top performers seem to be older lads. For example, Joe Bergin & Kieran Fitzgerald are regularly MOTM for their clubs. Why aren't the inter county players standing out ahead of lads well into their 30's? From the club matches I have seen this year, the players of interest (who are not on the Galway panel) to me would be: Joseph Donnellan (Mountbellew), Anthony Pender, Ciaran Duggan (Annaghdown), William Finnerty (Salthill), Jason Leonard, Kieran Molloy (Corofin). I dont know what age some of these guys are. But going purely on club form, I think they are worth looking at if they are interested. Barry McHugh emerged from last years club championship and had a very good league. He faded towards the end of the league and wasnt making the 26 by the end of the championship. But it was still a reasonable year for a debut season. He is playing well again this year, so maybe that year will stand to him and he can improve. I still think he has something to offer at inter county level (worth sticking with for another year anyway).

I havent seen Sean Andy O'Ceallaigh play club this year but based on his U21 form, I'd like to see him given a run in the FBD and league. Same for Peter Cooke who badly needs a run of games to step up to this level.

Looking at the standard of club football in the county we're in serious bother. It's shocking how poor even the top teams are and the county players don't stand out one bit. In most cases they might not even be in the top 4/5 players on the pitch.

jr86 wrote: »

Is it? Outside of corofin, mountbellew are decent, everyone else is bang average at the very most.

I'd consider Corofin fairly average at the moment too. They are not the force they were and can't see them going far if they donwin Galway. Annaghdown should have beaten them, there's very little between Corofin, Mountbellew, annaghdown, Salthill at the moment. Then there is a gap to the next bunch of teams.

They need to reduce the senior clubs down to 16. They should implement the same system as Mayo then for championship- 4 groups of 4.

jr86 wrote: »

Annaghdown were well organised under Flynn but I'd doubt many would bat an eyelid if they ended up in a relegation playoff next year

You always have teams that have a good year and then fade

Salthill were being bet out the door by Corofin, with a late surge putting respectability on the scoreboard. Besides that they were hammered the last few times they played them

Corofin -- MB ---Salthill/K

---

the rest

I think 20 is fine if they do it right. 16 teams means you have a lot of "First teams" playing Junior or else a very clogged up intermediate Championship.

I like in the hurling how the Junior Championship is now mainly second teams of senior clubs. I think all top club players should be playing at least intermediate level

I think they should look at the system that's in place in Cork (and possibly elsewhere) where you have Senior, Premier Intermediate, Intermediate and then the Junior levels. Maybe have 16 teams at each level with a winner goes up and 1 comes down through relegation.

danganabu wrote: »

Don't Turloughmore have form here or am I mistaken the with someone else?

They have form. So stupid from them

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Fixtures for the league are out.

Sadly there's no Saturday night games for the footballers and we got Dublin at home so no trip to HQ.

Kerry away looks the highlight for a weekend break.

Hurlers got Dublin away and Limerick home, both at the end.
I have a feeling this was premeditated to avoid a repeat of this year where the league was over after two weeks.

County board delighted I'd say. Have Mayo at home and Dublin at home during Paddy's weekend. Bumper paydays for them.

Nuetral Leitrim Man here....

Have Mtbellew M. any chance v Corofin today?

jr86 wrote: »

Portumna looking devastating, they could very well be the team to beat again. Jack canning looks a top class prospect and I'm sure he'll be drafted straight into the galway panel

Bit of a surprise Thomas's getting knocked out but killimordaly are far from a pushover and while Thomas's have some top class players they have some weaknesses

Tom's defeat has fairly opened it up. Portumna could take beating but are not the force of old either I think. Gort will fancy their chances again, but a dark-horse team I think could be Mellows, providing they can field near enough their strongest available team. Lot of good players there. Turlough' should be fairly kicking themselves for being thrown out, would have had a really good chance I maintain.

Surprisingly, at time of writing, going through the All-Ireland winning team and subs, only Harte, JC, Joe Cooney, Flynn, (any more?) remain in the domestic championship. Not a bad augur for the county team maybe.