Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123481476#Comment_123481476

Blocked 3 times on routine clearances. Wouldn't be fair to single him out. I dont think there was one single player who even looked capable there today. Same issue as all our underage. Glory hunting, no ability or intention to pass. Taking pot shots from the sideline when you're living on scraps and the game slips away.

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123481506#Comment_123481506

Those young lads have had the same coaches since under 14 and that will follow on to u20. Full of greedy bastards and glory hunters no team in any of those. I’ve said before the structure is wrong in the coaching in Galway. Chose your system of play and put coaches in place to do that job. Instead of coach moving up along with the age group they start with leave them in the age group they coach. Young lad starts u14 getting coached by X then up to u16 coached by Y. X stays and starts again with the incoming crop of under 14s.

cson

Great win up in Dublin to get the Parnell Park hoodoo off our back.

Definitely need to tighten up that full back line for the Leinster Final but it'll be a very good marker of where we're at given how the first game of Championship went. Hopefully our turn to rob one off them as underdogs!

SqueakyKneecap

Any win up there today was a positive result but was very impressed with some of the shooting. That second half breeze wasn't as easy to hit into as it might've looked on TV but Monaghan and Whelan scored some lovely dingers from distance.

Not gone on Fintan at FB and Daithi as a corner-back/sweeper but that was forced by a Morrissey injury in fairness. We're as open as ever when ran at directly, which is a worry, but the firepower is starting to come back a bit since the Wexford win.

I says

Unless daithi is in the fullback line we’ve very little else to offer. Grealish proved he’s not at this level today.Happy with the performance today, KK are there for the taking.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123485901#Comment_123485901

In fairness, Grealish blocked 2 goal chances which would have seen Dublin come back in to it much earlier. I'm not overly impressed with our back 6. Neither Daithi nor Mannion are corner backs, they just don't have the pace for top class inside forwards. The CB channel is still too open and our wing backs ball delivery is poor. They both work hard but the final product is sloppy a lot of the time which results in ball coming straight back in to an out of shape defence. Monaghan is almost a neutral type of player, in that for everything he does right, he does as much wrong to offset it. Took on far too many potshots yesterday that just weren't on, resulting in silly wides or balls dropping to the keeper. The goal that ignited Dublin came from a ball he got on the wing and just wellied over his shoulder straight to a Dub who delivered a ball directly inside for the goal.

Its an improvement over the first day vs KK, but that was a poor Dublin performance and can't see us improving enough to bother an average KK team.

Girly Gal

Would agree there, that while we have seen some improvement, haven't seen enough to suggest we'll beat what is an average Kilkenny team by their standards. Outside of Kilkenny the standard of the other teams in Leinster is really low, probably as low collectively as it's ever been.

While we are big underdogs, the big positive is that Kilkenny are very beatable, so if we can raise our game and hang in there, it's not out of the question that we could take them, but, we do need to really raise our game and fight for it.

SqueakyKneecap

It's great to see lads like Monaghan stepping up as leaders this year. We obviously won't have legends like David Burke or Daithi for much longer so it's essential that the likes of TJ Brennan stepping up. Those legends are irreplaceable but you need to see the Beano's and Whelo's of the panel taking charge.

All I ask is that these lads go out and give it everything they have for 70 minutes and since that Kilkenny match you can't say they aren't working like dogs.

cson

I think they'll go close given the fact non one will give them much of a chance and I feel this team goes well when they don't have the weight of expectation. I think a SF is the ceiling with the group though, win or lose.

littlevillage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489072#Comment_123489072

Would agree with that assessment. Galway are about 5th in the Senior hurling pecking order.. and that might get even worse before things improve again when the younger Niland and Jason Rabbite etc. come into the panel in a couple of years time.

For now they will give KK a good rattle in the Leinster final, but maybe still lose narrowly. Wouldn't fancy Galway against any of the Munster teams (not even Waterford).

I'd actually fear that ťhey would get a walloping against Limerick.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489565#Comment_123489565

I think you'll have a long wait if you're waiting for any of them lads to improve the situation. Cleaned out against Dublin and its not the first time. Galway need to stop earmarking lads at 15years old as the ones who are going to drive us back towards the top as they rarely come through.

testtech05

Not sure if it was mentioned here already but I just read this morning that Derek Savage and his backroom team stepped down from the U20s footballers over the weekend.

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489710#Comment_123489710

I hear things were not good in the camp with Savage and it looked really bad when savage wouldn't show up for the final game. you're either the manager or not

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489565#Comment_123489565

5th is probably too high, I think Kilkenny although not great are ahead of us and probably all the Munster teams, that would put us 7th. We could on our day with everything going well beat, Kilkenny, Waterford, Tipp and Clare ( on this year's form) but, I think in general they would tend to be ahead of us.

Realistically I wouldn't put us in the conversation for the All Ireland, we are around the same level as Waterford ( they have been more impressive against stronger opposition) and above Wexford and Dublin. It looks like we'll be outside the top 3/4 teams for a few years. We're lucky we're in leinster as I couldn't see us getting out of Munster if we were there, but, it's hard not to qualify from Leinster.

spurshero

nobody in there right minds is putting Galway hurlers in with a chance of all Ireland .if we could be competitive in a Leinster final that would be a good start .there is a world of difference between Munster and Leinster …. Offaly and Antrim are Joe mcdonagh level .

Avon8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489610#Comment_123489610

Niland didn't play well but he's coming off a serious long term injury that can set someone back a lot at that age. How was Rabitte cleaned out v Dublin? He was one of the very few who came out of the game with credit

Butson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123490155#Comment_123490155

Galway would easily hold their own against Waterford and Tipp.

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489565#Comment_123489565

Either way we’re still in the all Ireland no matter the outcome against KK. Win and semifinal against Cork. Lose and it’s q final against tipp. I’m sure MOD would love some sort of silverware this season. KK are no great shakes only they’re ferocious bastards to beat no matter how bad they are.

eastie17

yeah that system is poisonous, they form opinions of players at 14 and can’t see what’s in front of them 2 years later. Guaranteed way to waste a lot of talent. You need fresh eyes every so often

Tommybojangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495503#Comment_123495503

Poisonous ffs, no need for the drama. It has its pros and cons like any system, one definite con is that which you have pointed out. It's also a pretty recent change that we've been moving managers up along the grades at underage, one of many changes tried out to improve our retention and development. In theory it also should have the effect of developing coaches and managers so we don't have to go looking elswehere like we did in 2020 and 2022. Granted that doesn't always work out either. But it's a lot more nuanced than just picking one potential issue and calling the entire concept 'Poisonous'

Butson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495449#Comment_123495449

I think back to 2 years ago and the Leinster Final we threw away completely (the Padraic Mannion kick).

Kilkenny have gone backwards since then, not sure where we are. We still had GMac and a Joey Cooney on their last legs playing.

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495724#Comment_123495724

Joseph Cooney was far from his last legs. Better legs than David Burke imo

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495697#Comment_123495697

as I said on an earlier post moving managers up the grades is total bs. They’ve formed an opinion on players that they’ve selected or not picked and it won’t change. Managers should stick to age group so fresh eyes every year can drop or recall players it gets rid of complacency

eastie17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495697#Comment_123495697

being nuanced is poison also

ShamNNspace

Teams out for Sunday

Tommybojangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123496053#Comment_123496053

I don't think it's unfair on Joseph Cooney to say he was on his last legs in 2023. He was decent (After a really good 2022) and by last year I think we were flogging a dead horse. Not to mention that 75 minutes into that leinster final when the goal went in himself and Gearoid had clearly emptied the tank. A real Galway legend but it was time for him to move on, and by some accounts I've heard Shefflin had to after him last year to get him to commit for one more year. Agree with yu on David Burke unfortunately, deligthed to be proven wrong against Wexford and DUblin but I'd worry about his legs the next day. We've tried lots of options midfield though and no one has put any sort of claim on a jersey so that's where we are. Another good performance from David the next day and I'll happily contribute to the statue they're surely planning in Peterswell

Happyilylost

Comer into the 26

spurshero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123505105#Comment_123505105

well today is as good as knockout so no point in wrapping him up in wool for a game that mightn’t matter …. If there’s a decent 20 mins in him today is the day it’s needed .

threeball

Poor performance the last time they played up there, effectively finished their league title ambitions. If they repeat that today they'll finish their championship ones.

Looks quite windy, which seems to suit us in knocking together a few 2pointers. Without them we're struggling to shake anyone.

ShamNNspace

For christ sake would gaa+ quit the nonsense of talkin to analysts out in the middle of the field in the wind and rain