Galway GAA discussion thread

InchicoreDude

nagirrac wrote: »

Conor Whelan was brilliant today and made the difference in extra time with a few lovely scores. A lad whose first touch and pace we could have done with on the senior team a few weeks ago. Hurling is now a young man's game, look at Tony Kelly running rings around Limerick today. Although AC went with youth when he came on board as manager, we were very lacking in pace this year. Where are lads like Ritchie Cummins who has serious pace?

He was fantastic in extra time. A wonderful player to watch.

I also suspect that Shane Cooney has a big future.

The Limerick number 10 was also outstanding, so much so I thought Galway should have dropped a 2nd player back on him.

InchicoreDude

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Talk on TSG of Limerick appealing the result because of the point that wasn't given. In fairness the ref evened it up with that ridiculous free right at the end. Not sure Limerick will see it that way though.

The re made a lot of dubious calls throughout though. That last one was just consistent with his other dubious calls!

However, if Limerick were good enough to beat Galway, they would have done it in extra-time and therefore, I dont think they should appeal.

Diabhal Beag

There were a lot of good showings. Molloy, Whelan, Conneely, Shane Cooney as mentioned and especially the subs Branningan and Hastings who made a big difference.

The hawk-eye stuff was ridiculous to be fair to Limerick but the free to bring the game to ET was such a gimme considering how free flowing he allowed the game to be and how physical it was in the 1st half. You could tell he didn't want the game decided on a points difference.

Just a small note that I mentioned on here already but I was delighted that Eanna Burke knocked over the point at the end after he was jeered relentlessly taking a free/65 by the Limerick fans.

InchicoreDude

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

There were a lot of good showings. Molloy, Whelan, Conneely, Shane Cooney as mentioned and especially the subs Branningan and Hastings who made a big difference.

The hawk-eye stuff was ridiculous to be fair to Limerick but the free to bring the game to ET was such a gimme considering how free flowing he allowed the game to be and how physical it was in the 1st half. You could tell he didn't want the game decided on a points difference.

Just a small note that I mentioned on here already but I was delighted that Eanna Burke knocked over the point at the end after he was jeered relentlessly taking a free/65 by the Limerick fans.

All the subs were superb. Hastings made a huge difference at midfield and should certainly be pushing for a start in the final.

I didnt like the jeering either. Was particularly bad in the first half. I also never understand fans who applauad a miss by the opposition. What is there to applaud???

gammygils

Very proud of our Minors today. They did very well.
In all sincerity I didn't give them a chance today - not after what I saw in
Semple Stadium v. Laois. I was hoping Mattie would have his homework done

In fairness he did. Matties's the man

Toplink

Looking at David McInerny for Clare yesterday... its hard to see why Niall Donohue hasnt made the same transition as our automatic number 3.

Cunningham simply has to allow lads to settle into positions in the spring and let them make them their own.

onefourreal

Toplink,Clare play a different style to galway. eg. Mulcahy broke through in the first half and rounded McInerney, Donnellan ran back and helped him out.In Galway they dont play as a team to help each other out.So if that was Niall Donoghue rounded no galway player would get back to help him.

So disheartening to see Clare/Cork competition in this years final. A repeat of the relegation play-off.
Neither team became great over night and the next few championships will prove that.
We ran them close after about as bad as a first half you're likely to see, really it was nearly a carbon copy of yesterday.

Limerick started well, their FF had a howler and left frees behind, they went in 7 down after a sloppy goal.... got close but the gap was too much for points alone and like ourselves they couldn't get the goals they needed.

Another minor final as well to rub salt into the wounds.
Ive been thinking about the complaints we hear in relation to our underage playing less games.
While i can see where people are coming from, it has to be noted we'd be playing in Leinster which isn't exactly a competitive province.
Chances are we'd make the 1/4s more often than not.
If the team can beat provincial finalists in the 1/4 and 1/2 finals then the chances of us losing to a Carlow or Offaly are minimal.
The U21s are in a slightly different set up, winners only progress(minor second chance for provincial final losers only) but if winning the 2/3 games was that easy, then why didn't we win more AI's at senior over the years?.

If we were talking about football I'd agree 100% but the pool of counties competing in hurling means it's much muchness about nothing really.
These young players future development isn't impeded by playing one or two less games at this age in their lives, and we can't be the only county who are the exception to the rule in terms of lack of interest after success(i.e players get big heads after winning a minor and lack drive for senior is banded out a lot which is ridic really).

Its also worth noting we didn't go into Leinster for more games, but for the fact that we were being shafted with tricky qualifier draws meaning we were the only contender not receiving a second shot.... some years it meant winning 5/6 tough games on the spin. If the seniors had straight passage to a 1/4 we wouldn't have taken the offer and rightly so, not our fault Connacht counties are unable to compete(Dublin footballers and Cork/Kerry have much the same situation).

On the minor game itself, it's good to see a CB perform as that's exactly what we need. I thought we had that position covered when Daithi Burke played minor there but alas he's sticking with the football it seems.
Was interesting to see that we had a FF much the same size and look as JC and unable to use him to effect... he kept drifting out the field and hadn't the pace to cope. He should have been left in on the square where he almost grabbed a goal in the second half.
On the point that wasnt it's impossible to ever tell if it was, seems people are basing it strictly off the image but who knows what part of that was the correct piece(image or result).
I guess the only way to ever end the debate would be to put another bar along the top and a net running down, ball doesn't end up in the sack then it obv wasn't a score.

MfMan

gilberto_eire wrote: »

On the point that wasnt it's impossible to ever tell if it was, seems people are basing it strictly off the image but who knows what part of that was the correct piece(image or result).
I guess the only way to ever end the debate would be to put another bar along the top and a net running down, ball doesn't end up in the sack then it obv wasn't a score.

Judging by Galway keeper's reactions though, it seems as if it was almost certainly a point. He tapped the crossbar as the ball passed overhead.

I'd be pretty sure someone had a word in the ref's ear at HT to say that be sure LK don't lose by a point.

MfMan

MfMan wrote: »

Judging by Galway keeper's reactions though, it seems as if it was almost certainly a point. He tapped the crossbar as the ball passed overhead.

I'd be pretty sure someone had a word in the ref's ear at HT to say that be sure LK don't lose by a point.

I saw them say that on the Sunday game, but that's assuming that every keeper is vocal in terms of calling for wides.
He could be a quiet lad who just gets on with the game, and realistically jumping around the place signalling it was wide isn't going to change an umpire/refs decision by and large(also you can say it was 30secs into the game so both teams were just settling).

I guess the moral of the story should be for players to keep the ball under the posts, if you start hitting balls over the top you're liable to get caught out with a dodgy call.

They can feel aggrieved by it, but he also gave them an extra minute to draw level and one of their players should have walked for a wild pull near the end of normal time.... he didn't even concede a free for it either.

nagirrac

onefourreal wrote: »

Toplink,Clare play a different style to galway. eg. Mulcahy broke through in the first half and rounded McInerney, Donnellan ran back and helped him out.In Galway they dont play as a team to help each other out.So if that was Niall Donoghue rounded no galway player would get back to help him.

The galling part is that was our style of play in 2012. We played Johnny Coen as a sweeper and he was excellent all year. Leaving aside how poor our intensity was against Clare in the first half, we got the tactics all wrong by leaving 2 on 2 against Honan and McGrath, which is why we conceded the goal. Once Hynes was turned by McGrath he had a clear run on goal. Johnny Coen was marking Tony Kelly who spent the first half at MF or in his own HB line, pulling Coen with him. We played right into Clare's strengths, and funnily enough Limerick did the same yesterday and seemed just as clueless on the sideline to react to it.

Clare are going from strength to strength and have become a very good side by changing their lineup and tactics as the season went on. A lot of people both within and outside Clare with egg on their faces who were belittling Davy earlier in the year. He has proven to be an excellent manager, reacting between games and during games and getting superb return from his panel. They are a bunch of kids playing like veterans.

InchicoreDude

While i can see where people are coming from, it has to be noted we'd be playing in Leinster which isn't exactly a competitive province.
Chances are we'd make the 1/4s more often than not.
If the team can beat provincial finalists in the 1/4 and 1/2 finals then the chances of us losing to a Carlow or Offaly are minimal.

How is it not competitive? Kilkenny and Dublin have both won it in recent years. If you put Galway in there, you have 3 competitive teams. Not too different from senior at the moment.

If we were talking about football I'd agree 100% but the pool of counties competing in hurling means it's much muchness about nothing really.
These young players future development isn't impeded by playing one or two less games at this age in their lives, and we can't be the only county who are the exception to the rule in terms of lack of interest after success(i.e players get big heads after winning a minor and lack drive for senior is banded out a lot which is ridic really).

I disagree with you here. I really think good tough matchs for 18 year olds is crucial to their development. Games improve players more than training ever does. The more competitive a game, the more it will improve a player. And in your late teens, you are at a pivotal time in your development as a player.

Its also worth noting we didn't go into Leinster for more games, but for the fact that we were being shafted with tricky qualifier draws meaning we were the only contender not receiving a second shot.... some years it meant winning 5/6 tough games on the spin. If the seniors had straight passage to a 1/4 we wouldn't have taken the offer and rightly so, not our fault Connacht counties are unable to compete(Dublin footballers and Cork/Kerry have much the same situation).

Why on earth would a straight route to an AI q/f be preferable to playing in Leinster? Yes sure, Its not Galway's fault that there is no other hurling county in Connacht at their level. However, the provincial system is skewed when it comes to hurling. Hurling in Galway is south Galway, attached to Munster and Leinster hurling areas. So it ABSOLUTELY makes sense that Galway compete in one of those provinces.

I do not see any valid argument for Galway not competing in Munster or Leinster.

onefourreal

Nagarric,
If you recall in the Galway VS. Clare game, Grealish was the spare man in the half back line like Donnellan was yesterday,and did he get back for the McGrath goal like Donnellan did on Mulcahy yesterday?Its called team work and making yourself available,its not rocket science.

nagirrac

onefourreal wrote: »

Nagarric,
If you recall in the Galway VS. Clare game, Grealish was the spare man in the half back line like Donnellan was yesterday,and did he get back for the McGrath goal like Donnellan did on Mulcahy yesterday?Its called team work and making yourself available,its not rocket science.

A spare man in the HB line is not a sweeper. Clare completely bypassed our HB line and went directly to Honan either with high ball where he had an advantage over Moore, or McGrath with low ball into the corners where he had a speed advantage over Hynes. The problem was where Grealish was positioned, if we were playing with a spare defender he should have been closer to goal. In reality we effectively played with 6 defenders as Coen was not in the defense for the first half at least, and then was mysteriously substituted at the half. Taking off one of our paciest players against a team based on pace??

Yes, our workrate was poor all over the field but our tactics were abysmal.

onefourreal

Nagarric,
A spare man is a sweeper.look at the two clips i mentioned. very similar ball played in both.Clare got back Galway did not.
Secondly if Clare lined out in an orthodox formation they would have still won given Limerick's lack of hunger for battle.

nagirrac

onefourreal wrote: »

Nagarric,
A spare man is a sweeper.look at the two clips i mentioned. very similar ball played in both.Clare got back Galway did not.
Secondly if Clare lined out in an orthodox formation they would have still won given Limerick's lack of hunger for battle.

I don't want to argue this one to death but look at where Donnellan was positioned versus ourselves and Limerick yesterday, and look where Grealish was positioned versus Clare. An effective sweeper plays across the full back line as Coen did last year and Donnellan has done for the past two games. Either Grealish did not know how to play the role or was instructed to play further out.

Hunger wasn't Limerick's problem yesterday, they were a bag of nerves, probably because of being hyped in Limerick for 5 weeks. Clare were relaxed which is a massive advantage in hurling.

onefourreal

Nagarric,
Its all in the top 4 inches,Galway believed in 2012 and Clare are believing in 2013.

Rightwing

Are Galway going to grant us a replay ?

InchicoreDude

InchicoreDude wrote: »

How is it not competitive? Kilkenny and Dublin have both won it in recent years. If you put Galway in there, you have 3 competitive teams. Not too different from senior at the moment.

Kilkenny are the only county who consistently turn out competitive teams, the rest come in dribs and drabs.
If we were in Leinster we'd make the final 9 years out of 10 which would put us into a 1/4 final either way.
Any of our teams who won the AI over the past 15years bar a freak game would still have gotten out of Leinster.

Munster is a different story though.

Obviously different considering ye get a second chance 100%, but just look at how we've been at senior since 2000 and how many years have we failed to make a 1/4 final?.

I disagree with you here. I really think good tough matchs for 18 year olds is crucial to their development. Games improve players more than training ever does. The more competitive a game, the more it will improve a player. And in your late teens, you are at a pivotal time in your development as a player.

Not going to argue there, but my point is an extra 200minutes of minor county isn't going to make or break a young lads career.
They're hurling far more at club level. The benefits they get will be got through club and county training. And for the lads who hit the legend heights that work is done alone(or if lucky enough with friends/family) in your spare time, you don't reach perfection without hours a week of dedication.
Two or three extra games isn't going to turn a lad up a few notches in long term ability is what I was getting at.
We're still getting the experience in Croke Park and playing the better teams at the grade, that's the most important thing.

Why on earth would a straight route to an AI q/f be preferable to playing in Leinster? Yes sure, Its not Galway's fault that there is no other hurling county in Connacht at their level. However, the provincial system is skewed when it comes to hurling. Hurling in Galway is south Galway, attached to Munster and Leinster hurling areas. So it ABSOLUTELY makes sense that Galway compete in one of those provinces.

I do not see any valid argument for Galway not competing in Munster or Leinster.

I'm not disagreeing with you, it wouldn't kill them to enter.
My point was only I think people blow it out of proportion. You hear lines like ''How many AI's would they really have won''.... the fact is we're still going into the crunch rounds against the top teams of the age grade, if anything we're at a disadvantage.
If it was any easier we'd have 20+ senior's.
If the team is good enough to beat two provincial winners coming in cold, then 9/10 they'll have walked over the weaker teams in Leinster.

My point was only too much is made out of it.
Its all just excuses to try to justify the lack of senior success. We've never lacked ability in any grade, it's mainly been application and work rate.
How many blocks and hooks did we see yesterday and compare it to the senior game.

Mars Bar

Wonder are these lads any good?



It's from The Alan Kerins Project in Zambia.

Toplink

Don't underestimate the influence of Fitzgibbon hurling. A good coach/mentor at this juncture can make a huge difference in a players career.

InchicoreDude

Not going to argue there, but my point is an extra 200minutes of minor county isn't going to make or break a young lads career.
They're hurling far more at club level. The benefits they get will be got through club and county training. And for the lads who hit the legend heights that work is done alone(or if lucky enough with friends/family) in your spare time, you don't reach perfection without hours a week of dedication.
Two or three extra games isn't going to turn a lad up a few notches in long term ability is what I was getting at.
We're still getting the experience in Croke Park and playing the better teams at the grade, that's the most important thing.

I agree it wouldnt make or break him but I certainly think it would aid his development. Playing club matches where you are the main man doesnt develop a player at inter-county level.

I think those 2 or 3 extra games could actually be very crucial. When you only play 2/3 games, you are not building a team. players dont get the opportunity to push hard for a place in the way they should be allowed to (and a player on the team doesnt get the chance to work harder for his jersey). Do Galway even take part in a minor league?

Maybe I am over estimating its importance, but I really do not see any good reason for Galway to enter the championship at provincial level. I felt exactly the same as when the senior team did not play in Leinster

MfMan

Rightwing wrote: »

Are Galway going to grant us a replay ?

In principal, I hope not. The context of the match has to be taken into account I feel. The incident happened in the early minutes, giving Limerick plenty of time to make amends for it, which they did as they moved into a 2-point lead shortly afterwards. Fair enough if it occurred in the dying minutes, then LK would have a much stronger case. I'm sure they would have been briefed / counselled at HT not to take any notice of the point / wide. In any event LK didn't lose the match, they drew it. Extra-time is a separate game in the GAA by their rules. Had Galway lost that game, could they have appealed the result on the grounds that faulty technology was being used at the time? Galway minors themselves have lost a couple of finals to KK due to harsh decisions given against them at crucial late stages.

This is not to be hard on a very good LK team led by a very gracious manager; it's not too often where you see two teams that are neck-and-neck all through a match with no inkling of who is going to triumph.

antoobrien

MfMan wrote: »

Had Galway lost that game, could they have appealed the result on the grounds that faulty technology was being used at the time? Galway minors themselves have lost a couple of finals to KK due to harsh decisions given against them at crucial late stages.

There is no grounds for appeal over a score not being given/given in error:

Rule 7.3 (gg)

No decision made on foot of any Hearing shall affect the validity of any decision of the Referee with regard to the allowance or disallowance of a score

Mountainlad

What's the story with the Galway hurling championship?

Went onto the website and all it did was confuse me. What stage are they at?

antoobrien

Mountainlad wrote: »

What's the story with the Galway hurling championship?

Senior & intermediate are at 1/4 final stage

Mountainlad wrote: »

Went onto the website and all it did was confuse me.

Rather crap site isn't it.:mad:

Mountainlad

antoobrien wrote: »

Senior & intermediate are at 1/4 final stage



Rather crap site isn't it.:mad:

Cheers, you wouldn't by any chance have the pairings for the Senior?

Well it's a bit convuluted alright. Seems like its reasonably well updated, but they could do with a bit more clarity around the structure of the competitions and that.

premierstone

InchicoreDude wrote: »

I do not see any valid argument for Galway not competing in Munster or Leinster.

InchicoreDude wrote: »

Maybe I am over estimating its importance, but I really do not see any good reason for Galway to enter the championship at provincial level. I felt exactly the same as when the senior team did not play in Leinster

They haven't entered the provincial set up at minor, U 21 and Intermediate because the existing Leinster countires don't want them there as it would decrease their chances of coming out of the province.

antoobrien wrote: »

There is no grounds for appeal over a score not being given/given in error:

Rule 7.3 (gg)

The rule you have quoted is outdated now though and not relevant here as it wasn't the referee who disallowed the score it was Hawkeye.

I do agree with the general consensus here though that a replay is not appropriate.

Diabhal Beag

The Galway team to face Clare this Saturday eveing

Shane Mannion
Paul Kileen
John Hanbury
Barry Keane
Paul Hoban
Daragh Burke
Mathew Keating
Adrian Tuohy
Paul Claffey
Jonathan Glynn
Conor Cooney
Thomas Flynn
Padraig Brehony
Cathal Mannion
Jason Flynn

That's a big half-forward line. Will be interesting to see how Tom Flynn gets on. They've their work cut out for them unless Clare do what Galway U-21's did last year.

fearruanua

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2013/0822/469760-cccc-reject-limerick-haek-eye-appeal/

Limerick appeal thrown out for the moment. It seems they are going to go the whole way to the DRA with it though!!