Galway GAA discussion thread

spideog7

Martin567 wrote: »

Back in 2005, Galway beat Kilkenny in the U21 All Ireland. That Kilkenny team included John Tennyson, John Dalton, PJ Delaney, Michael Fennelly, Michael Rice, Cha Fitzpatrick, Eoin Larkin, Richie Power & Eoin Reid. How many players have come through from that Galway team as they should all be in their prime now, aged about 26-27?

They probably all had to emigrate, much better land down in Kilkenny and Tipperary, unless you can start selling stones you won't make money farming in Galway!!

I haven't seen any of the games this year unfortunately, hopefully I'll see the championship matches. You wouldn't be too concerned about a poor performance in the league if they were putting together a good team and doing a bit of experimenting to figure things out. But if they're going to field the same lads in the same positions or worse yet they don't even know who they're putting where then we're in trouble alright. There's no guarantees in Leinster this year either, we might end up wishing we stayed in Connacht.

spideog7

spideog7 wrote: »

I haven't seen any of the games this year unfortunately, hopefully I'll see the championship matches. You wouldn't be too concerned about a poor performance in the league if they were putting together a good team and doing a bit of experimenting to figure things out.

There hasn't been a ''Connacht'' for years, we were only being shafted for years before that being put straight into the qualifiers with teams who already had used their ''extra life''.
We weren't getting a second chance as it was(Unless we lost the first game against a Laois/Antrim :rolleyes:).

The problem isn't the losing as such.
It's the manner of the losses.
It was akin to watching the footballers for years, constant kickouts to the middle where 90% of the first ball and breaking ball was just picked up by the opposition with no alternative being sought(then you can add it all the space we give the oppositions backs while we're getting swamped and hooked and blocked all over)

Also bar injuries we went with our strongest team for all games, we prob' took the league serious in that regard more then any other county.
Next to no new players were tried out bar one or two U21's from last year.

Martin567 wrote: »

Back in 2005, Galway beat Kilkenny in the U21 All Ireland. That Kilkenny team included John Tennyson, John Dalton, PJ Delaney, Michael Fennelly, Michael Rice, Cha Fitzpatrick, Eoin Larkin, Richie Power & Eoin Reid. How many players have come through from that Galway team as they should all be in their prime now, aged about 26-27?

Pardon my ignorance on any of these who haven't being involved in senior, I hail from the hurling stronghold of the city centre :rolleyes:

A Ryan - Never heard off him
P Flynn - Never heard off him
A Gaynor - Never heard off him
K Briscoe - Never heard off him
G Mahon - Featured in this yrs league after a year or two off the panel
B Cullinane - Failed footballer
D Collins - Mainstay in the team
B Lucas - Never heard off him
A Garvey - Never heard off him
J Gantley - Gets runs as a sub
A Callanan - Usually starts but does to invisible for most games.
E Ryan - Getting game time since last year
N Healy - Former starter now sub(where he's even lucky to be IMO)
K Burke - Never heard off him
K Wade - No longer wants to play for the county afaik

Diabhal Beag

I'd like to know more about why Keril Wade doesn't want to play. What's the scéal there?

ShamoBuc

Kojak wrote: »

According to Galway Bay FM yesterday, the final will be played in Marckeviz (sp?) Park in Sligo on the weekend of the May bank holiday.

The U-21 football final is the curtain raiser at 2 for the NHL final at 4 Croke Park May 1st

aidan24326

ShamoBuc wrote: »

The U-21 football final is the curtain raiser at 2 for the NHL final at 4 Croke Park May 1st

Really? I heard it was Markiwiecz Park. A Croke Park double header would be great.

Hulk Hands

Absolute disaster of a decision. Making both sets of fans head up to Dublin, and all the expense it brings? Shocking.

They'll end up charging €25-€30 now as well, where it would have been about a tenner in Sligo. They'll give the excuse of getting great value with a double header, but to be honest I can think of a whole host of things i'd rather be doing than watching Kilkenny and Dublin in the league, a game we already get to see 3 times a year as it is.

If the game was in Sligo I could probably sell it to the parents to let me take a few hours of studying for my final year exams starting the week after. Not a hope now

Starie1975

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Absolute disaster of a decision. Making both sets of fans head up to Dublin, and all the expense it brings? Shocking.

They'll end up charging €25-€30 now as well, where it would have been about a tenner in Sligo. They'll give the excuse of getting great value with a double header, but to be honest I can think of a whole host of things i'd rather be doing than watching Kilkenny and Dublin in the league, a game we already get to see 3 times a year as it is.

If the game was in Sligo I could probably sell it to the parents to let me take a few hours of studying for my final year exams starting the week after. Not a hope now

Same as buddy. I was going to take my mother to it. Sligo would have been perfect for both teams. Why do the GAA keep shoting themselfs in the foot. Fecking money money money.

I somewhat disagree with ye.

Firstly this is about the players, and I'm happy these lads are getting to play in Croker, I'm sure they'd have picked it themselves.

Also Sligo wouldn't be closer for everyone, you're assuming everyone's travelling from North Galway, I'd imagine that West would be the same as the city and that Dublin would be quicker.
If it's not then I'll just speak for the City and Dublin is closer.
And what about any fans from East Galway?.
Sligo over Dublin wouldn't suit everyone in the county

Lastly it's one day.... it's a final.
When was the last time an adult(Minors aside) football team from Galway played in Dublin?... some of ye should consider yourselves fortunate ye don't follow Galway United as the closest match is in Sligo and that's a fortnight travel.

Starie1975

gilberto_eire wrote: »

I somewhat disagree with ye.

Firstly this is about the players, and I'm happy these lads are getting to play in Croker, I'm sure they'd have picked it themselves.

Also Sligo wouldn't be closer for everyone, you're assuming everyone's travelling from North Galway, I'd imagine that West would be the same as the city and that Dublin would be quicker.
If it's not then I'll just speak for the City and Dublin is closer.
And what about any fans from East Galway?.
Sligo over Dublin wouldn't suit everyone in the county

Lastly it's one day.... it's a final.
When was the last time an adult(Minors aside) football team from Galway played in Dublin?... some of ye should consider yourselves fortunate ye don't follow Galway United as the closest match is in Sligo and that's a fortnight travel.

I'll give you that one.:D

Good luck to the boys.

spideog7

gilberto_eire wrote: »

There hasn't been a ''Connacht'' for years, we were only being shafted for years before that being put straight into the qualifiers with teams who already had used their ''extra life''.
We weren't getting a second chance as it was(Unless we lost the first game against a Laois/Antrim :rolleyes:).

Yea but they shouldn't be needing the second chance because they'd essentially "won" the games that the other teams had lost. I was and still am all for going in to Leinster, but it was meant to develop the team and it hasn't done that. The Kilkenny vs Galway Leinster final was the big one everyone was looking forward to and now it's been and gone and we haven't come within an asses roar of Kilkenny.

We've had great challenges in Leinster and everyone expected that to stand to team but we've only ended up in the same place, getting so far and showing some real class, then just not showing up for a big match or not showing up for the last 10 minutes of it. I still think the team has great potential but they need to show up for 100% of the championship, they won't and don't deserve to win it otherwise.

premierstone

spideog7 wrote: »

Yea but they shouldn't be needing the second chance because they'd essentially "won" the games that the other teams had lost. I was and still am all for going in to Leinster, but it was meant to develop the team and it hasn't done that.

You were hardly expecting it to have a huge effect overnight, the benefit of being in Leinster will take time and untill they move the minors and U-21 in aswell its a joke of a system.

spideog7

spideog7 wrote: »

Yea but they shouldn't be needing the second chance because they'd essentially "won" the games that the other teams had lost. I was and still am all for going in to Leinster, but it was meant to develop the team and it hasn't done that. The Kilkenny vs Galway Leinster final was the big one everyone was looking forward to and now it's been and gone and we haven't come within an asses roar of Kilkenny.

We've had great challenges in Leinster and everyone expected that to stand to team but we've only ended up in the same place, getting so far and showing some real class, then just not showing up for a big match or not showing up for the last 10 minutes of it. I still think the team has great potential but they need to show up for 100% of the championship, they won't and don't deserve to win it otherwise.

Why in Gods name would we not need a second chance?...
You do realise Tipp won it last year after losing, you don't see them asking to leave Munster so they end up in a situation where that loss would have finished their year.

So it's better to have to win 4-6 games on the bounce then have a shot at Leinster which brings you straight into a semi final if you win it, or into a 1/4 if you come runner up, or still even 1 step ahead of our previous route by losing a semi final.

Sorry there's no logic to that, it doesn't matter if we haven't won the AI yet, can't expect that after 3 years we'd have won the thing.

The bottom line is we get the same chance that any other team gets, we lost a game before the 1/4's we get a second chance, how having none is just as good beggers belief

You're also forgetting one thing, in the 3yrs in Leinster we've had one manager, we're not there 20years with 4/5/6 managers, maybe McIntrye is the problem.

You can't expect that from entering Leinster we should have been guaranteed an AI after such a short space of time.

premierstone

premierstone wrote: »

You were hardly expecting it to have a huge effect overnight, the benefit of being in Leinster will take time and untill they move the minors and U-21 in aswell its a joke of a system.

Agree.... I don't see his logic.

It's not as if we leave we're back to the old days of a Semi-Final, if that was the case I'd agree with him. Leinster gives us a second chance, the older system didn't.... no brainer really.

We're thrown into the 1st round of qualifiers and we have to beat 5-6 teams on the bounce which no-one else has to do unless they lose a game in their province.,.

spideog7

gilberto_eire wrote:

Why in Gods name would we not need a second chance?...

Because it's their second chance on games we didn't even have to play, it's not the second chance that's the benefit it's the extra game.

gilberto_eire wrote:

You do realise Tipp won it last year after losing, you don't see them asking to leave Munster so they end up in a situation where that loss would have finished their year.

They wouldn't have ended up in a situation where that match finished their year, they would have ended up in a situation where they never had to play that match, they still had to win every match after that.

Although I suppose in one way you have a point because even though we didn't have to play the extra match we "lost" it by default.

premierstone wrote:

You were hardly expecting it to have a huge effect overnight

No I don't expect huge changes after 3 years in Leinster, if they never went into Leinster I'd still expect them to be in the All Ireland. I don't think that's unreasonable for a team that claims to be in the top tier and who would be third in the country by many peoples standards.

spideog7

spideog7 wrote: »

Because it's their second chance on games we didn't even have to play, it's not the second chance that's the benefit it's the extra game.


They wouldn't have ended up in a situation where that match finished their year, they would have ended up in a situation where they never had to play that match, they still had to win every match after that.

Although I suppose in one way you have a point because even though we didn't have to play the extra match we "lost" it by default.

Have you been following the All Ireland the past 10 years?.
I'm not trying to be smart and I'm not really sure what your point is but it sounds to me you like you think we gave up having an automatic semi final place to join Leinster?

That hasn't been the case for years.

We either had to win through a number of rounds of qualifiers WITHOUT a second chance (unlike the Leinster and Munster lads) or there was a two year period where we had to come through a four team group(we got the easier one, but again all the other teams had a chance in their provinces before entering that)

So your take on entering Leinster is so way off the mark, we've been forced into the losers qualifiers since 2002.

The only way we accepted the invite into Leinster was because the clubs and players realised we were handicapped having to enter do or die games against teams that already had a loss behind them.

Trust me there wouldn't have been ANY chance we'd have voted to enter Leinster if it meant giving up a semi final place.

We voted to enter Leinster as it gave us the same chance as any other team, instead of one loss meaning exiting the championship, it meant entering the competition where we were the previous 6 odd years.

A Leinster final means either a semi place or at worst a 1/4 final place, whereas in the old system for us, we'd have had to win 2 on the bounce to just make the 1/4.

spideog7

gilberto_eire wrote: »

We either had to win through a number of rounds of qualifiers WITHOUT a second chance (unlike the Leinster and Munster lads) or there was a two year period where we had to come through a four team group(we got the easier one, but again all the other teams had a chance in their provinces before entering that)

My point is here, you said that we didn't get a second chance, the way you put it made it sound like if we lost the qualifier we were out, but if the other team lost the qualifier to us then they got a second chance, which is not the case. We joined at a stage where no matter which team lost they were out, so neither team in that game had a second chance. Now granted the other team got there by losing and we got there by default (so essentially I see what you mean but we have a semantic disagreement).

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Have you been following the All Ireland the past 10 years?.
I'm not trying to be smart and I'm not really sure what your point is but it sounds to me you like you think we gave up having an automatic semi final place to join Leinster?

That hasn't been the case for years.

To be honest they've changed it around so many times that half the time I wasn't sure what format it would take until they were making the draws. I was aware that we weren't guaranteed a semi-final (but even if they were I'd still rather see them in Leinster than not have a competitive match until August).

Starie1975

From Twitter today.

@GalwayFootball Galway Football
Galway footballers will have Cancer Care West on the front of their jerseys after failing to find a replacement sponsor to Aer Arann

My heart...

When I saw Cancer and footballers... I taught it was announcing a current squad member was sick.

Good cause.... better to promote something positive then leave Gaillimh on it.

Diabhal Beag

Fair play to them. That's a very nice gesture and looks a lot better.

Starie1975

I agree, good cause and hopefully get people fundraising for them. I know I will.

c_man

I think it's a great move. Cancer Care West is a fantastic organisation. Hopefully it raises awareness of it, I know I wouldn't be familiar with them only for all the good they've done a close family member of mine over the past few years.

RightHalfBack

I wonder will the new Jerseys be in the shops in time for Sundays game? ill be upgrading from the old Tommy Varden one.

Kojak

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Fair play to them. That's a very nice gesture and looks a lot better.

Agree 100%. It will hopefully bring a lot more attention/support to this great cause.

Starie1975

Here it is lads. Sorry about the poor quality.

Diabhal Beag

Not a fan of the jersey overall.

Starie1975

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Not a fan of the jersey overall.

My main problem is the funds. Sponsorship money was on the table at the start of the year by a super Galway business man but it was refused. The county football board want 2,500 of every club as a levy.

Good cause and a great idea but is it a cloaking device? What does everyone think?

I wouldn't bet on that being the actual jersey too.

Maybe it was just put on an old maroon shirt to get some perspective.

That jersey, material and all looks about 20yrs old.

If it is the jersey though it's at least some change, the past 3 odd have been identical.

I didn't upgrade since the second last Tommy Varden one, the following one was the exact same but with massive writing of Tommy Varden, and the Aer Arann ones weren't much different either.

Starie1975

gilberto_eire wrote: »

I wouldn't bet on that being the actual jersey too.

Maybe it was just put on an old maroon shirt to get some perspective.

That jersey, material and all looks about 20yrs old.

If it is the jersey though it's at least some change, the past 3 odd have been identical.

I didn't upgrade since the second last Tommy Varden one, the following one was the exact same but with massive writing of Tommy Varden, and the Aer Arann ones weren't much different either.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0426/1224295459770.html

Starie1975

new.jpg

This is a better photo.

Giving them a good beating already.

Looked over when the first goal went in, I hope we keep it up and bury them so far they don't believe it's even worth trying to come back.

11 points at the minute, but teams have thrown that away before, two goals and it's game on again.
So we need to keep up this intensity... KK hurlers style ruthlessness