Galway GAA discussion thread

hardy_buck

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Sorry I said that wrong, I meant to say ball runner.
Someone like him should not be running long distances through the defence.
He runs in straight lines, doesn't side step etc.
.

I think it's a case of trying to stop a freight train.. stand in his way and you'll just be flattened.

RobbieRuns

or if you touch him at all he will go to ground very easily for a big man............

threeball

T0001 wrote: »

Certainly a better performance by Galway than the last 2 years even if the football wasn't of the same quality. Personally I thought we could have had 2 frees from long balls where Comer was fouled before the ball came in. Hanley should have been moved after 15-20 mins and a stronger player put on O'Shea. The goal was just................... I'll say no more. 8 points is a shoking tally given that we had good possession. A lot of times we went for goal rather than take our points. Mayo were quite poor today but still took their scores easier than us. Overall the game was there for the taking but for bad mistakes from us in the 2nd half paticularly.

I think our goose is cooked for this year. We are on the same qualifier draw as Tyrone, Armagh and Down and unless we get drawn the winner of Louth/Leitrim we haven't much of a chance I'm afraid.

Maybe we won't beat Tyrone, but I'd fancy our chances of putting Down or Armagh to the sword.
In fact I think we'd give everyone a game bar Kerry, Dublin and Donegal. This team has a nice mix of bite, work ethic and footballing ability. I wouldn't write them off so quick.

As for the posters saying AOS was left isolated, that's because our half back line pushed up on their half back line to prevent the runners that Mayo utilise so well and it was a tactic that worked but the downside is your full back line gets isolated.

Your defence can't be everywhere though and I'd preferred to have AOS inside than the entire Mayo back six running at us. If we hadn't been so silly with the fouling we'd have put them to the pin of their collar if not won.

threeball

threeball wrote: »

Your defence can't be everywhere though and I'd preferred to have AOS inside than the entire Mayo back six running at us. If we hadn't been so silly with the fouling we'd have put them to the pin of their collar if not won.

I hear what you are saying but all I've heard all today is if it wasn't for the silly fouls we gave away we'd have had a chance. While some of the fouls were unnecessary, the majority were as a result of 1 on 1 mismatches developing in the inside forward line. The full back line can't solely get the blame for that. While I agree that we did limit runners cutting through us to some extent, we were still extremely open every time we turned over the ball. The Mayo inside forwards were getting ideal ball into them and 1 on 1 you are always going to give away frees like we did especially when you get the wrong side of the ref within the first few minutes.

threeball

Borders no.2 wrote: »

I hear what you are saying but all I've heard all today is if it wasn't for the silly fouls we gave away we'd have had a chance. While some of the fouls were unnecessary, the majority were as a result of 1 on 1 mismatches developing in the inside forward line. The full back line can't solely get the blame for that. While I agree that we did limit runners cutting through us to some extent, we were still extremely open every time we turned over the ball. The Mayo inside forwards were getting ideal ball into them and 1 on 1 you are always going to give away frees like we did especially when you get the wrong side of the ref within the first few minutes.

Most of the fouls were panic fouls, trying to get too tight when standing a metre off and shadowing while waiting for back up or making them shoot from play. Instead we dragged down people leaving frees than an u-14 player would tap over in their sleep. I think we got maybe two tap over frees over the course of the game.

MfMan

And so the attention turns back to the hurling Saturday evening. Will Laois continue their recent trend of worrying Galway greatly for an entire match, or will Galway reproduce the momentum shown against Dublin on the same pitch a fortnight later? What Galway team will line out? (There will be one enforced change in the forwards.) Saturday's match offers management a reasonably good, last chance of tweaking the line-up a bit more, *assuming* they overcome Laois the window for trying out new things gets smaller as the games get bigger. Personally I'd like to see Daithi Burke given a run at FB, outstanding there as a minor winner, with maybe Greg Lally coming in at wing-back. Joe Cooney may well lose out to David Burke in midfield, where we'd hope to see Aidan Harte continue his recent good form. Can see the HF line staying the same, some would suggest Brehony in for Glynn, but it's not a like-for-like switch to be honest. (How far away are Conor Cooney & Niall Burke from being fit?) Never Glynn's biggest fan but his replay performance was a fair improvement from the drawn match; main thing is that he and Donnellan concentrate on winning primary ball and distributing it properly immediately - no skying shots wide or embarking on pointless solo runs that usually result in the ball being lost in contact. Will Niall Healy / Shane Maloney / Brian Molloy further claims for a starting spot?

Should be a good crowd there anyway if it's a fine evening in what's becoming a home away from home for Galway fans.

T0001

Ah lads! Surely its that the opposition is poor and not Galway are impressive? 2 hammerings on the bounce a Leinster Final to look forward to!

Laois tbf were poor but had some good attacks and at least tested the defense. Our forwards played fairly well and moved well. Canning had a great game tbf to him and deserved MoTM. Full Back line contributing 1-03 was the highlight of the game for me!!

Nothing else to take from that game. A walkover if nothing else. Despite the nature of our wins I think we have good momentum going into a Leinster Final and I fancy our chances against whoever we're playing. Certainly more optimistic than any other year of late

T0001

Also, Camoige players had a good game. Very close and exciting game. 2 down going into injury time and hit 0-03 showed great character. As the crows grew so did their confidence. Fair Play and looking forward to their games over the summer

sporter1

People were questiong our full back line before today on this forum, We have a good full back, he proved himself at u 21 and he is growing in confidence with each game, keep the faith!!!!!!

MfMan

sporter1 wrote: »

People were questiong our full back line before today on this forum, We have a good full back, he proved himself at u 21 and he is growing in confidence with each game, keep the faith!!!!!!

No, we were questioning our full-back, and I still think he could be a weakness to be exploited. This evening was no test whatsoever.

Wasn't at the match so can only comment from what I saw on TV. Our defence was only under very moderate pressure all through and Tan hit any amount of ball unhindered, still vulnerable when run at and turned though. Padraig Mannion continues to impress, though Collins seemed to have a surprisingly ordinary match, given the opposition. Midfield still going well and supporting both defence and attack nicely. Davy Burke got an easy return but will need to up the pace of it more from now on. Donnellan put himself about as usual but not as prominent as v Dub. (Christ, he's awful awkward though!)
Glynn always at the breakdown and worked hard also but not a lot coming off him, (nearly put the Laois keeper in hospital with the poor pass to Glennon), and his aerial fetching is still poor. Was hoping Niall Healy would have a better game and could be under pressure as a first-choice forward sub from Glennon who showed well. JC nicely in form and Cathal Mannion will only get better again. Of the subs, Joe Cooney won possession quite well but did some headless things with it. Brehony still not doing enough to be a starter IMHO. Anyone know if Shane Moloney was named in the 26?

Incremental improvement needed again for the Leinster final, regardless of opposition, but it's nice to be there again.

Getting the wind was hugely significant. With the scores flowing relentlessly in the last 15-20 minutes of the half it was hard for Laois not to become demoralised. Once Galway got over the opening 10 or 15 minutes where we looked a bit directionless and got the goal it was all too easy, the defence had absolutely no trouble after the first few minutes for the rest of the half.

Shane Maloney was on the 26 as was Conor Whelan. Was hoping for a bit more from Niall Healy but chipped over a couple of nice scores. Cathal Mannion was quiet enough but Padraig Mannion is delivering every day he goes out. Hard to read anything significant into it.

Tough day for Laois, after the win over Offaly a defeat like that will make it difficult to pick things up for the qualifier game and the year could end on a real low for them.

Leinster final is only two weeks away. Will be interesting to see how Kilkenny fare tomorrow. I'm not sure of the balance in our backline but Kilkenny are sure to get some questions posed of them tomorrow particularly Conor McDonald on Joey Holden.

Hurling was a bit of a non event but good decision for Galway to have the camogie in Tullamore, it was an entertaining game. Galway looked well on course at half time, level with the wind to come but they really lost their way in the 2nd half. They finished strongly to claim an important win in what's a tough group. They have huge scope for improvement but showed some promise. Good to see a decent Galway crowd coming in for this match to give them the support they deserve but don't often get.

Diabhal Beag

No doubt he had a good game (great point too) but Hanbury and the FB line will come up against far tougher opposition in both the Leinster and QF/SF. Thought they played with the same passion seen so far in the championship which is really pleasing.

Very happy with that win. Granted Laois were killed off after that Coen goal it was still something to see the ease at which the scores came to even guys like Padraig Mannion. The usual suspects this championship turned up again like Canning and Smith but what pleased me the most was David Burke. I wasn't too impressed with him against Dublin but everything clicked today. The handpassing opened up big gaps and looked fresh on the ball. Glennon looked deadly when he came on, Tannian dominated, Harte was good etc.

Sky's really know how to pick one sided hurling games. Thankfully the Rossies put it up more to Sligo in the football.

cson

We're going to be doing well to get within 10 points of KK in the final.

They're going to destroy Hanbury based on today.

Diabhal Beag

Tbf Wexford put up one of the most limp performances against KK in many a year. Their fullback line makes ours look like guaranteed Allstars in comparison. Similar to Laois yesterday bar the confidence boost you learned nothing new about KK today.

donnem33

cson wrote: »

We're going to be doing well to get within 10 points of KK in the final.

They're going to destroy Hanbury based on today.

wexford were awful though!!! but i would agree hansbury is still suspect imo and hasnt been tested. Would much prefer Daithi burke full back and greg lally wing back.

Would be more concerned with what richie hogan could do to tannion though..tannion isnt exactly the tighest of markers!

T0001

So here's news - Kevin Walsh has reportedly approached Padraic Joyce about coming out of retirement for one more year :O

galwaylad14

Only in Galway could we manage to make the conclusion that because Kilkenny hammered one terrible team that they'll hammer us. All while completely ignoring the fact that we hammered two teams also to reach the Leinster final, one of whom, Dublin, are a far better team than Wexford. While I imagine if Laois and Wexford were to play each other tomorrow there wouldn't be much between them.

We have every reason to be positive going into this. Who do they have to mark Canning for example? Over the years they've always given JJ the job and generally him and Joe have been fairly even, but when JJ missed the 2012 Leinster Final and Tyrell and Murphy both tried to mark Canning, and Canning went to town on both. Got about 1-5 from play. Why does no one mention this when we talk about the next day?

I'm not 100% convinced on Hanbury either yet though but he has done okay so far.

It'll be interesting to see if we go man to man with the Kilkenny forwards or if our lads just hold their positions. Either way limiting Hogan and Reid's influence on the game is absolutely vital. That Aylward is nothing special, I've seen him a few times over the years at different levels and never thought much of him. Everything went right for him the last day against a dreadful defence. Now maybe he'll prove me wrong but I don't think he'll reach anywhere near the same level as some of the great Kilkenny forwards we've seen over the last decade and a half.

CloughCasey1

T0001 wrote: »

So here's news - Kevin Walsh has reportedly approached Padraic Joyce about coming out of retirement for one more year :O

On club champ performances himself and Mike Meehan two best on show. Poor Mike cannot even play league games.

danganabu

galwaylad14 wrote: »

That Aylward is nothing special, I've seen him a few times over the years at different levels and never thought much of him. Everything went right for him the last day against a dreadful defence.

Bit like Cathal Mannion so?? I also seem to remember Aylward destroying Galway in a minor All Ireland semi or final a couple of years ago.

Cosmo Kramer

T0001 wrote: »

So here's news - Kevin Walsh has reportedly approached Padraic Joyce about coming out of retirement for one more year :O

That wouldn't make you think that Kevin Walsh is too impressed with what he's seeing in the panel and on the club scene. Is there really much to gain from bringing Joyce back at this stage - no question if you give him the ball he'll kick you a score - but I don't think he's the answer to Galway's problems?

Besides, Galway's attack is decent, the backs would be a greater concern.

Hulk Hands

T0001 wrote: »

So here's news - Kevin Walsh has reportedly approached Padraic Joyce about coming out of retirement for one more year :O

I genuinely thought he couldve done an impact sub role for another couple of years. I said this to a friend recently about bringing him back, but half in jest as I assumed he was too old at this stage. If he can genuinely hold his own in training, then I think it'd be a great move. Strange to harp back to the ill fated Ja Fallon comeback, but I still maintain it was a masterstroke. Galway football was at a massive low ebb after being knocked out of Connacht, but I remember that day against Westmeath when he returned. The place was buzzing, far bigger crowd than was expected at a qualifier and we all lit up when we heard he was starting. It all went to pot when he got carried off after 5 mins, place deflated like a balloon. Freak occurance however, and he was still good enough to command his place the following year. I still think even PJ's presence there could kick start a bit of energy in the qualifiers

Edit: Where did you hear/see this?

Utopia Parkway

I don't believe Padraig Joyce was approached at all. The Hogan Stand article just says

Former Galway footballer Padraig Joyce may be getting a call from Kevin Walsh this week.

Because he played well for his club last weekend. Just seems like a throwaway comment from whoever wrote the piece.

citykat

galwaylad14 wrote: »

Only in Galway could we manage to make the conclusion that because Kilkenny hammered one terrible team that they'll hammer us. All while completely ignoring the fact that we hammered two teams also to reach the Leinster final, one of whom, Dublin, are a far better team than Wexford. While I imagine if Laois and Wexford were to play each other tomorrow there wouldn't be much between them.

We have every reason to be positive going into this. Who do they have to mark Canning for example? Over the years they've always given JJ the job and generally him and Joe have been fairly even, but when JJ missed the 2012 Leinster Final and Tyrell and Murphy both tried to mark Canning, and Canning went to town on both. Got about 1-5 from play. Why does no one mention this when we talk about the next day?

I'm not 100% convinced on Hanbury either yet though but he has done okay so far.

It'll be interesting to see if we go man to man with the Kilkenny forwards or if our lads just hold their positions. Either way limiting Hogan and Reid's influence on the game is absolutely vital. That Aylward is nothing special, I've seen him a few times over the years at different levels and never thought much of him. Everything went right for him the last day against a dreadful defence. Now maybe he'll prove me wrong but I don't think he'll reach anywhere near the same level as some of the great Kilkenny forwards we've seen over the last decade and a half.

It may be the case in Galway but it's not the case in Kilkenny. We're expecting 2012 all over again only this time hopefully coming out on the right side of the result. Wexford were so poor you couldn't extrapolate anything from the performance that day.
Presume if Canning is FF, Joey will pick him up. How they get on will depend on how much and what kind of ball Canning gets and how much space he's afforded.
On Aylward, the jury's out in KK pretty much. He's been knocking around the senior panel for the last three years. In fairness, I think the media are making a big deal of his performance against Wexford. Walter exploded on the scene in 2012 and hasn't lived up to the hype/expectation since.

Draw for the football on Monday morning. Wexford caused a bit of a surprise against Down this evening. Having said that Down looked poor against Derry a couple of weeks ago. Wexford and Louth have given us plenty of trouble in the not too distant past but both look to be in rebuilding mode. Armagh finished strongly after looking in a bit of trouble against Wicklow. You'd imagine Tyrone should comfortably account for Limerick tomorrow.

After the league and championship to date my expectations aren't particularly high for the rest of the year. Would like a home draw ideally to try and get back on the road but regardless of who we get we'll have to step it up if we want to progress much further.

T0001

A home draw against any of the four teams would be enough for Galway. Louth and Wexford aren't anything special, just had good momentum at home. Armagh are building well but can be overturned. Tyrone will be a different battle altogether but I'd be confident if we get them at home we can beat them.

So basically home draw = vital

Fr Tod Umptious

Away to Armagh.

Not ideal but winnable.

Diabhal Beag

There's no chance RTE would get an early game and Sky get the late throw-in? Be a long aul drive otherwise.

TCDStudent1

Tough draw.

While Armagh were not impressive against Donegal, I cant imagine there being much between the ability of the 2 panels. And being away makes it much harder for Galway. Will not be easy to get through this one.

T0001

Tough draw but a winnable one imo. They will have to adopt similar tactics to 2 years ago when they were superb in Salthill.

I'm afraid it doesn't matter who we get for the rest of the year if KW hasn't started working on a kick out strategy.

You will not beat a team like Dublin if they're winning 95% of their kick outs while ye kick yours willy nilly to some random area hoping ye win the roll of the dice.
Even Mayo have a strategy, not as successful as Dublins but they got at least one score direct from a short kick out in Salthill while we kicked at least 3 long balls where Mayo had an extra man arriving.

You're going nowhere without a strategy these days, teams like Dublin will get a shot at goal 4 from 5 of their own kicks while teams like ourselves may lose 4/5 in a row and hit dry patches..... Doesn't matter what players you have if on that one stat line you're going to be 4/5 points down.