Galway GAA discussion thread

RegisteredMice

Kenny Park, 2 bells tomorrow (Sunday)
I really hope Turlough get a massive fine what they've done.
(1) Playing illegal player
(2) Holding up the championship for 7/8 weeks
Disgraceful

kala85

RegisteredMice wrote: »

Kenny Park, 2 bells tomorrow (Sunday)
I really hope Turlough get a massive fine what they've done.
(1) Playing illegal player
(2) Holding up the championship for 7/8 weeks
Disgraceful

Is this the semi final or quarter final

sporter1

kala85 wrote: »

Is this the semi final or quarter final

Quarter,winner plays Gort in semi.

basillarkin

Tannion broken finger will be a loss

Well done to Corofin. Today was going to be their first proper test and they came through with flying colours. I don't think they are good enough to win the All-Ireland but they are deserving of the tag of 2nd favourites at this stage.

Triboro

Is the connacht hurling clubs played out yet?

Triboro

Triboro wrote: »

Is the connacht hurling clubs played out yet?

Yes in the intermediate Cappatagle beat Ballyhaunis by 2 pts and in the junior Annaghdown beat Calry/St.Joseph's from Sligo.

Senior champions progress straight to All-Ireland semi-final.

On the senior championship Beagh caused a small surprise beating Ardrahan. They now face Gort in a local derby. Looks like a Portumna v Gort final and even though they haven't exactly convinced this year, I don't think the Gort defence will be able to hold up sufficiently against Portumna.

Triboro

Ahah,Portumna again,well maybe.. Thanjs for that!

Borders no.2

Borders no.2 wrote: »

I don't think they are good enough to win the All-Ireland but they are deserving of the tag of 2nd favourites at this stage.

Not good enough?.

What more can a team do than walk their provincial final?.

I suppose now people will say Ballintubber were only a poor side but many had tipped them to win and they do have a few class players in their ranks.

Vincents weren't exactly world beaters last year and Castlebar fairly gifted them a few goals.
I'd certainly fancy Corofin against them anyway.

Paddy Power actually have Corofin as favourites(unless they were your own 2nd favs and not the bookies) and rightly so IMO.

Their issues a few years back were they were back loaded in terms of county standard.

They now have a genuine county forward in Lundy, no disrespect to leaving Sice out in that regard but he's more a man of many positions as opposed to being an out and out forward.
Others like I.Burke are really putting their hands up as well in regards to county selection.

They'll be hard beat either way if somebody does stop them.

Fair play to them, some achievement when you think the area isn't even a town of note.
The Newtownshandrum of football.

TCDStudent1

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Not good enough?.

What more can a team do than walk their provincial final?.

I suppose now people will say Ballintubber were only a poor side but many had tipped them to win and they do have a few class players in their ranks.

Vincents weren't exactly world beaters last year and Castlebar fairly gifted them a few goals.
I'd certainly fancy Corofin against them anyway.

Paddy Power actually have Corofin as favourites(unless they were your own 2nd favs and not the bookies) and rightly so IMO.

Their issues a few years back were they were back loaded in terms of county standard.

They now have a genuine county forward in Lundy, no disrespect to leaving Sice out in that regard but he's more a man of many positions as opposed to being an out and out forward.
Others like I.Burke are really putting their hands up as well in regards to county selection.

They'll be hard beat either way if somebody does stop them.

Fair play to them, some achievement when you think the area isn't even a town of note.
The Newtownshandrum of football.

Corofin are a fantastic team, full of wonderful footballers and they seem to be very well organised this year. They are a club that have a winning mentality akin to Kilkenny hurlers.

But I cannot see why not having "a town of note" is relevant. They have a huge area to pick from. There really is a good argument to be made that Corofin & Belclare should not be one club. It is an advantage to them and puts other teams like Caherlistrane, Cortoon, Milltown, Kilererin etc. at a disadvantage.

In fairness to Borders no. 2, he placed them as 2nd favourites - thats not exactly bad! I really hope that we do see a Vincents-Corofin match because it has the potential to be a fantastic game of football, one which I hope Corofin will win :-)

Utopia Parkway

It's true to say that Corofin don't really have a "town" to pick from but they do cover a very large geographical area south of Tuam so they do have a big pick of potential players by most clubs standards.

gilberto_eire

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Not good enough?.

What more can a team do than walk their provincial final?.

I suppose now people will say Ballintubber were only a poor side but many had tipped them to win and they do have a few class players in their ranks.

Vincents weren't exactly world beaters last year and Castlebar fairly gifted them a few goals.
I'd certainly fancy Corofin against them anyway.

Paddy Power actually have Corofin as favourites(unless they were your own 2nd favs and not the bookies) and rightly so IMO.

Their issues a few years back were they were back loaded in terms of county standard.

They now have a genuine county forward in Lundy, no disrespect to leaving Sice out in that regard but he's more a man of many positions as opposed to being an out and out forward.
Others like I.Burke are really putting their hands up as well in regards to county selection.

They'll be hard beat either way if somebody does stop them.

Fair play to them, some achievement when you think the area isn't even a town of note.
The Newtownshandrum of football.

Take it easy. I said it was their first proper test and they came through with flying colours. They were 2nd favourites before yesterday's game. I didn't go checking the odds immediately after they won but to me St. Vincent's are a better balanced side. Weaknesss in Corofin weren't exploited to date but I think Vincent's will press them very high the next day and they will experience a level of pressure on the ball they have come nowhere near to experiencing yet. Any team who wins the ultra competitive Dublin championship two years in a row is a serious team.

Vincents had Castlebar in their pocket last year, I never doubted for a second that they'd win that game.

I was surprised how easily Corofin won yesterday. Ballintubber were well hyped before this game and had beaten some good teams in Mayo comfortably so I'm not going to suggest they were poor. Corofin tied up their key players impressively but Ballintubber were very naive in all honesty.

If Corofin can get over Vincent's you'd have to put them as favourites but another consideration at that stage is that very few of the Corofin side will ever have won a game at Croke Park.

If Corofin go on and win it I'll be pleased for them as they have kept coming back through some disappointing defeats and I'll gladly eat my words.

In relation to Corofin being a small area, the village is small but it has a huge catchment area for a rural team, they have made the most of it over the years and have a great setup in place but in terms of past winners I'd put Caltra in the sort of group you are talking about, they genuinely have a small pick.

From a Galway perspective Micheal Lundy's continuing development is a major positive, he's the type of player we have badly missed in recent years and Ian Burke showed the sort of form he displayed at u21 a couple of years ago and hopefully Kevin Walsh will bring him in.

wonder88

Spot on about Lundy and Ian Burke borders. I would give Corofin a good chance to win it now. You always need a bit of luck and they have not used any so far. Also Vincents big star will be playing constantly for 2 years now and even he (a great player) could have an off day if the 2 teams meet.

homeofhurling

Borders no.2 wrote: »

Take it easy. I said it was their first proper test and they came through with flying colours. They were 2nd favourites before yesterday's game. I didn't go checking the odds immediately after they won but to me St. Vincent's are a better balanced side. Weaknesss in Corofin weren't exploited to date but I think Vincent's will press them very high the next day and they will experience a level of pressure on the ball they have come nowhere near to experiencing yet. Any team who wins the ultra competitive Dublin championship two years in a row is a serious team.

Vincents had Castlebar in their pocket last year, I never doubted for a second that they'd win that game.

I was surprised how easily Corofin won yesterday. Ballintubber were well hyped before this game and had beaten some good teams in Mayo comfortably so I'm not going to suggest they were poor. Corofin tied up their key players impressively but Ballintubber were very naive in all honesty.

If Corofin can get over Vincent's you'd have to put them as favourites but another consideration at that stage is that very few of the Corofin side will ever have won a game at Croke Park.

If Corofin go on and win it I'll be pleased for them as they have kept coming back through some disappointing defeats and I'll gladly eat my words.

In relation to Corofin being a small area, the village is small but it has a huge catchment area for a rural team, they have made the most of it over the years and have a great setup in place but in terms of past winners I'd put Caltra in the sort of group you are talking about, they genuinely have a small pick.

From a Galway perspective Micheal Lundy's continuing development is a major positive, he's the type of player we have badly missed in recent years and Ian Burke showed the sort of form he displayed at u21 a couple of years ago and hopefully Kevin Walsh will bring him in.

whats all this Vincents talk Rhode will win leinster wait and see.

Always_Running

homeofhurling wrote: »

whats all this Vincents talk Rhode will win leinster wait and see.

Because they are the defending Dublin,Leinster and All Ireland champions. Would Rhode have even reached the Leinster final if they played portloaise,Garrycastle on their side of the draw? I doubt it.

homeofhurling

well they would be in a connacht final if they had to play the sligo or leitrim winners, this is their 4th final, and yes they beat portlaoise a few years ago alot better portlaoise team that is there now.

Hulk Hands

Rhode aren't actually a bad side. Id find it hard to see Corofin being stopped with what ive been hearing out of their training sessions etc. A semi between Corofin and Vincents will be the real final. Winner will go into the final as over whelming favourites,

aidan24326

I was sceptical of Corofin before Sunday because the ease with which they were hammering everyone in Galway suggested some poor opposition. But Ballintubber came with genuine credentials as a team that had beaten teams who contested the last 2 All-Ireland Finals.

But Corofin blew them away and the result was probably even more clearcut than the final scoreline suggests. To me they were as impressive as I've seen from a club team in a long time. A semi final between themselves and Vincents has the makings of a cracker, two serious teams. Ian Burke definitely looks like a guy that should be on Kevin Walsh's radar, and Gary Sice is surely playing himself into contention for a recall also.

threeball

aidan24326 wrote: »

I was sceptical of Corofin before Sunday because the ease with which they were hammering everyone in Galway suggested some poor opposition. But Ballintubber came with genuine credentials as a team that had beaten teams who contested the last 2 All-Ireland Finals.

But Corofin blew them away and the result was probably even more clearcut than the final scoreline suggests. To me they were as impressive as I've seen from a club team in a long time. A semi final between themselves and Vincents has the makings of a cracker, two serious teams. Ian Burke definitely looks like a guy that should be on Kevin Walsh's radar, and Gary Sice is surely playing himself into contention for a recall also.

Burke is a nice player but as with most of the galway team he needs to put in some serious S & C between now and April. He won't survive at county level unless he at least can reach a compact but powerful physique like JOD.

I think Sice would be a great option as wing forward with Lundy on the other side. His defensive qualitys would mean he would track back well and he has the power and engine to mix it in the middle third also.

If we had a front six of Sice, Walsh, Lundy, Burke, Meehan (if he returns), Armstrong we'd have serious firepower. Develop a good tight defensive system and we could have a very good year next year.

Utopia Parkway

Ian Burke does look bigger than his U-21's days so I'm sure he's already on the weights. I think his transition to senior football was always going to be slower because of his size. He was small even at U-21 level.

I think a good comparison with him is Cillian O'Connor. Neither of them are particularly quick but both have great movement and ball skills. O'Connor is a bit bigger though which is a definite advantage for a young player breaking through.

threeball

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Ian Burke does look bigger than his U-21's days so I'm sure he's already on the weights. I think his transition to senior football was always going to be slower because of his size. He was small even at U-21 level.

I think a good comparison with him is Cillian O'Connor. Neither of them are particularly quick but both have great movement and ball skills. O'Connor is a bit bigger though which is a definite advantage for a young player breaking through.

He was always going to be a bit bigger than at U-21, we all do. The issue is, for a guy that should have designs on being intercounty he needs to be much stronger than he is. That fact that he is slower makes this even more important. If you can't outrun them then you'll have to out muscle them as skills are only part of the package you need to compete these days. Even the Gooch threw on a good bit of lean mass.

MfMan

threeball wrote: »

Burke is a nice player but as with most of the galway team he needs to put in some serious S & C between now and April. He won't survive at county level unless he at least can reach a compact but powerful physique like JOD.

I think Sice would be a great option as wing forward with Lundy on the other side. His defensive qualitys would mean he would track back well and he has the power and engine to mix it in the middle third also.

If we had a front six of Sice, Walsh, Lundy, Burke, Meehan (if he returns), Armstrong we'd have serious firepower. Develop a good tight defensive system and we could have a very good year next year.

'Probably not' and 'No'. Paul Conroy retire? ;-) Don't forget Damien Comer, though I'd like to see him getting a run at no. 6. Also, I'd like to see if Peadar O Griofa is at last injury-free and how Williamstown's Gary Kelly is shaping up.

Hulk Hands

Not sure if Ian Burke is totally cut out for inter county at this stage, he did take his time breaking into the Corofin team this year remember and bar that game in the U21 final, has never really stood at at county level. Wait and see hwoever, if he puts in more performances like Sunday he'll be sniffing around the team for sure. Sice, Walsh and Lundy would be a very nice half forward line. Conroy's still a lock for FF, while i'd say Danny Cummins is close to that too. It's been slow steps with Danny but to be fair he's improved year on year and is a decent intercounty player at this stage.

Hulk Hands

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Not sure if Ian Burke is totally cut out for inter county at this stage, he did take his time breaking into the Corofin team this year remember

Not 100% on this but think he was away in summer for some of the early rounds. May have been last year though.

Always_Running

Borders no.2 wrote: »

Not 100% on this but think he was away in summer for some of the early rounds. May have been last year though.

he was American this Sumner and was a starter for Corofin last year and was named the u21 County footballer of the year.

Diabhal Beag

Hulk Hands wrote: »

It's been slow steps with Danny but to be fair he's improved year on year and is a decent intercounty player at this stage.

I dunno would I agree on this. Thought last year he was very disappointing. Between Meehan, Conroy and himself they were the only consistent forwards the previous year but he didn't carry that on last year. Himself and Martin are lethal for going missing for long spells of the game.

Rob Thomas

I can't see Danny Cummins making a consistent county performer at this stage. IMO his decision making is very poor and I agree he goes missing for long periods. To me he is the perfect example of a good player at a weak club who is too used to doing it on his own and has never been in a position to play with and trust good players around him. Bradshaw is another and it shows in his game too.

Lundy has come on in bounds over the past couple of years. He was only a sub on the Corofin team which lost to Castlebar last year, (although he had been on the team the previous year). He's a great talent for Galway to have now. I think it's obvious that Sice will be back too. Brian Silke is in as a selector and that should smooth any issues with him returning. Anyway, Kevin Walsh is going to want to see everyone for himself, he would be silly not to.

Ian Burke needs to be brought in and used in the league once Corofins year is over. If we don't use young guys in the league they will never get to the standard needed. Ronan Steede is another who should be called in as soon as he is available. He has athleticism which has been missing around midfield for Galway for a long time.

Armstrong is no longer up to it at county standard, he has shown that over the past 2 seasons and there is little point in my view persisting with him. For different reasons, not all down to himself, he has never fulfilled his promise really.

Corofin were exceptional last Sunday, their skill fitness and aggression levels are off the chart for a Galway club side. They have a great chance of winning the All Ireland. Vincent's are a strong outfit themselves but they won't have it all their own way against Rhode the next day.

RobbieRuns

Have to say that Danny Cummins is one of the few players that makes me want to go and pay to see the county team these last few years. He is probably the fastest forward in Galway and one of the quickest in the country, he is a true two footed player, leaps like a salmon. His performance in the U21 all Ireland final in '11 was brilliant, he was the only player who never stopped trying in the debacle of the Mayo game in Pearse stadium two years ago.

He was not served well last year by Mulholland constantly wanting to play Armstrong, who was returning from injury. Cummins scoring record per game was very good which meant that he could not drop him, so he kept taking him off which never installs confidence. Not playing him in the second half of the Kerry game last year in Croker was a huge mistake (bringing Armstrong on). He barely touched the ball in the first half as we were lobbing loads of wides from distance due to a blanket defence, ridiculous decision to bring a player with his pace off on a big pitch like Croker.

I actually like the fact that he prevails even though he is small in size and plays for a small club. He has lots stacked against him, what is he now 24?

Who was the Cork player in the game in Croker two years ago after Cummins skinned him early on and got a great point said "I was never so glad to see a player go off injured" ? After Shane, he would be the next name on the sheet in the forwards for me, the lad is a class act who has been fighting hard despite his size and his club. I really hope that he keeps fighting and proving to people that size does not always matter.

MfMan

RobbieRuns wrote: »

Have to say that Danny Cummins is one of the few players that makes me want to go and pay to see the county team these last few years. He is probably the fastest forward in Galway and one of the quickest in the country, he is a true two footed player, leaps like a salmon. His performance in the U21 all Ireland final in '11 was brilliant, he was the only player who never stopped trying in the debacle of the Mayo game in Pearse stadium two years ago.

etc.

Hard to agree with this. No doubting his speed or good attitude, but as a putative inter-county corner forward, his finishing is very lacking. I don't know how many times he has failed to score goals from one-on-ones or glaring positions in front of goal. Has a bit of a habit of hoofing it up in the air also and his decision-making and awareness of players around him isn't always the best either, see 2nd half v Mayo this year.

Utopia Parkway

Danny is a good player but an inconsistent finisher. He could easily have had 5 or 6 points from play against Mayo this year but ended up with just one I think. Constantly won the ball out ahead of his marker and turned him but just couldn't finish to save his life. Hit 3 or 4 terrible wides.