Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

grbear

Galway have better players.

Roscommon have a better team.

That's about a damning a statement as you can make unfortunately.

ShamNNspace

Same old story, its not gonna work with Joyce imv

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118874481#Comment_118874481

And that's down to Joyce. He's been useless for 3yrs now. 2 defeats on the trot to Roscommon heading into a Mayo game which if they by some miracle won we'd be back into a Roscommon team who won taking their foot off the gas through most of the 4th quarter today.

Girly Gal

Same old story, we always seem to find a way to lose. PJ not up to it I'm afraid, another year wasted. Mayo will beat us without breaking sweat

Green Peter

They should learn alot from today, Molloy is not a full back and many of our backs are not up to scratch, we had a few missing so maybe there's room for improvement. Too many went missing up front for large parts of the game, finnerty in particular, Matthew Tierney very quite. Good to see comer showing some form and taking scores. Conroy outstanding. I think there's the making of a good team, might not come soon enough for Conroy to get his recognition. Shay Walsh fully fit would make a big difference.

threeball

The only saving grace that gives us any hope in a few weeks time is that Mayo can't score for sh1t. We could and probably will give them 80% possession but there's a good chance we'd still be in the game. Only papering over the fault lines though.

Green Peter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118874944#Comment_118874944

Mayo are poor, O Hora thinks he's Rambo, Clifford skinning him, same old Mayo.

SqueakyKneecap

McLaughlin and Walsh really made big impacts off the bench in fairness. Conroy, Comer and Flaherty kept us in contention on their own really. We'll be up against a Mayo side looking to put this League Final disaster behind them.

The lack of kickout tactics 3 years into the role are criminal from Joyce and Co. No matter the keeper they'll be hung out to dry by static outfielders.

Always_Running

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118874481#Comment_118874481

The players are around the same quality. Roscommon was the better team today and the margin of victory didn't do them justice.

rossie1977

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118875414#Comment_118875414

Since 2010 Mayo/Roscommon and Galway have all won four u18/17 Connacht titles. Same time period Galway and Roscommon have won 5 u21/20 Connacht titles and Mayo have two.

Roscommon I understand are completely ignored by the media but the conveyor belt of talent they have brought through past decade is phenomenal for a small county.

briandebum

Kelly was wasted at midfield, which was a big issue for us, McLaughlin may be the answer but he's very young still. Finnerty & Dessie invisible for most of the game, really brings the absence of Michael Daly & Ian Burke into light. Way too soft at the back, fouling seemed to be the only way we could stop Roscommon.

One positive we've seen from the league is that they do seem to have a bit more of a clue about how to press a kick out, but once they broke that press the Rossies were able to move it up the pitch far too easily. Our own kickouts however... less said the better.

I'll be heading to Castlebar in 3 weeks but without too much hope, think Mayo will have too much physicality for us. There's a good Galway team to be found amongst those players however I'm not sure Joyce will be able to find it.

Avon8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118875414#Comment_118875414

Nonsense tbh. Galway were miles the better team in the first half yet Roscommon scored 7 frees (galway zero). That was a mix of bad defending and soft referring. Then Connelly crashes a good goal chance off the crossbar. Roscommon won, by a point in the end, by a wonderful finish by Murtagh after he took 9 steps. I'm disappointed but to say we were the worse team isn't totally correct

littlevillage

Watched the game on tv. I thought Galway had potentially the better players, but it was a disjointed performance... Roscommon on the other hand seemed to have more of a plan and cohesion about them. We finished up pretty strong ...and I think, we might have more room for improvement..... hopefully 🤞

windy shepard henderson

Conroy, comer and Malloy had excellent games , hunger was on Roscommon's side today though i still see it as a rehearsal for the Connacht final though

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876090#Comment_118876090

I thought Molloy was taken to the cleaners but it was mainly down to poor protection of the centre back channel. Roscommon repeatedly ran it down our throat and we opened like the red sea. Its not rocket science to get 7 defenders protecting the edge of the D and pushing an attacking team into the corners for low percentage shots. Management is completely inept in both defending and kickouts and you can't win anything without those two areas sorted.

MattressRick

For Galway to even be competitive in games for the last 10 odd years is actually a miracle considering every county including lower ranked ones retain most of their own kick outs and we give them a decent chance of winning our kick outs.

I thought Cian o Neill would be a bit more familiar with the modern ways and how to actually implement a kick out strategy. So how the fook is it as bad as ever? Himself isn't the answer we thought he'd be as manager.

Murtagh might've taken steps today but he still should've been stood up. Same happened for Connacht final last year.

Still think with about 40% possession they'll give mayo a good rattle. I think they'll love a full house up there and trying to stick it to them. But the usual failings above will be the difference in the end

Avon8

Molloy had a nightmare. That's on Joyce. He was giving it the big one after the league game last year that Molloy had taken Enda Smith out of the game. Smith destroyed him today physically and nothing was changed.

What on earth was John Daly brought off for either? Is that an actual joke, unless injured (didn't look to be). Our only competent defender

DDC1990

I'm a Kerryman but Molloy on Enda Smith was a bizzare call and to leave him on him for the 70min when Smith beat him to every single ball was baffling.

Every substitution I was expecting Molloy's number to come up (or at least a positional change as he is a fantastic footballer). I'd like to know Joyce's thinking on that.

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876329#Comment_118876329

sorry i am too busy watching ball carriers from the back , i agree with the kick outs though , o'niell was with us a few years ago and like myself is not defensive minded ,but i still think if galway went up against kerry today they would have showed better then mayo thats why i give ye the nod in castlebar conroy was excellent today

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876460#Comment_118876460

Our biggest flaws are the inability to stop runners and not being able to come out on top on our own kickout. This is mayos two strongest assets, their runners and their press. If we could manage to do one competently then Mayo don't have the players to punish us on the scoreboard and the balance tips back in our favour. However, I've seen no evidence under Joyce that we'll be able to ever get parity in one of these areas.

Utopia Parkway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118875766#Comment_118875766

Wasn't really much between the teams today. Roscommon took their chance pretty much in injury time. While Conneely rattled his off the crossbar in the first half. Galway probably with a bit more room to improve given that their best player only played 25% of the match off the bench and the likes of McHugh, McDaid, Paul Kelly and possibly even McLaughlin might all be on the team to play Mayo.

The big worry was some very soft defending again. No serious side would concede that Murtagh goal. When would you see Tyrone for example concede a goal like that where 4 players barely put a decent tackle in? Too much lazy arm defending when you've got to get your body in the way of the attacker. Molloy has been very poor in both games against Roscommon but in fairness to him he's being played out of position. Some players can do it but it's not working with him. Glynn is still small and light. Not much can be done about that until he gets bigger and stronger. That takes time and work.

On the plus side while it looked like a typical Galway 2nd half collapse after half-time they actually did battle back very well to take the lead again. Then one of the Rossie Daly's conned the ref with a dive that led to the equaliser. And the goal in injury time came after that. Even then Galway almost got it back level again so you couldn't say they packed it in at any stage.

Mayo will definitely be favourites in 3 weeks but Galway are not without hope. Some of those players back in and a few positional switches like I think Sean Kelly will have to go back to pick up Ryan O'Donoghue. Keep O'Donoghue relatively quiet and Galway will give themselves a right chance. As Mayo have become quite dependent on him with no Conroy and O'Connor only back today.

Green Peter

Owen Gallagher should be on that team come championship, I presume he was injured.

Happyilylost

Very hard to judge today. Hearing we were starting without McDaid and McHugh (2/3 of out half back line) was going to make life tough.

Molloy. Just random. I don't know him well but I know (as he has said it) he HATES man marking. Liam Silke, Jack Glynn and the main man himself Sean Kelly thrive on this. Why Molloy ended up with this task is very strange.

On Sean Kelly. He's ending up trying to be all people to all men. PJ needs to go back to making him one of the best players in the country by playing him in position. This is in defence. He is an exceptional man marker and once he has the defensive side done he bombs up the pitch to add to offense. Playing in midfield he is doing neither.

Fla made three great saves but lack of meaningful movement is a struggle for our kickouts. Now. I'm going to be a bit fairer. PLENTY of teams are now struggling to get kicks away including top teams. Even today Mayo/Kerry were forced to just go long. Teams are getting much much better at pressing including Galway.

PC. What can be said. Masterclass. Good to see Shane back. Damo strong again. Finnerty ball retention getting better.

Utopia Parkway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876670#Comment_118876670

Started the league well but seems to have fallen out of favour the last few games. Don't think he's injured but could be mistaken.

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876392#Comment_118876392

Daly was injured, was hobbling for a while before being replaced. I said earlier the HB line picked itself; 2 of them didn't line out and it showed eventually. I also posited that Sean Kelly would probably have to be moved back for the Mayo match - this is now true. We have to have a defence that can stop and tackle without fouling. Rossies kicked scores today and last week that never before or again against any other opposition will they have a hope of getting - they couldn't even beat Derry or Clare at home. Tierney very poor today and the midfield/HF line again needs critical examination. McLoughlin may play himself into contention in 3 weeks time. Dessie wasn't the worst but needs to back himself more and take on the score instead of turning out and recycling it.

Rossies biggest winners after today but hard to see them getting any better, Mayo biggest losers, us most to work on.

Happyilylost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876771#Comment_118876771

Kelly I imagine will pick up AOS no matter where he plays. Last year he didn't have a kick till Kelly went off injured and AOS managed to turn the game on its head inside the first 10 mins of the second half. Tightest marker will have ROD so I'm guessing its Glynn (if he starts) or Silke. Jonathan McGrath is probably the best man marker but this season may come too soon.

For me who is matched with D. O'connor (if fit) and Ruane are the two biggest battles on the pitch.

Be interesting to see who Mayo pitch against Comer. He's in great form and not sure they have an ideal marker for a player of his size and physique.

BENDYBINN

Complete new full back line urgently required for that team...

White lighting

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876771#Comment_118876771

We kicked scores yesterday we have kicked all through the league. We couldn't beat Clare because it was the worst days wind i have ever witnessed and it evened it up for both teams. We would have beaten Derry by a large margin had it not been for a ref who rode Roscommon for the whole day and basically got Derry a draw.

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118879530#Comment_118879530

Everything you kicked in the second half went over the bar, with nary a wide. Seldom seen that before from a Rossie team. If you maintain that form, you will be playing Kerry in the AI final.

White lighting

Don't think we will but if we keep up current conversion rate will give us a chance against most sides. Bar The kerry Dublin and Tyrones anyway.

In our last 3 games we have scored 4-58 and kicked something like 6 wides accumulated between the three games. Phenomenal accuracy. Galway shooting wasn't too bad either yesterday some cracking scores