Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

Finnerty going off so early for Galway was the losing of it. Had a real ripple effect on the use of the bench / freetaking etc.

It has to be said though, what a dreadful spectacle that was. Hopefully the new rule changes help because that sport is on life support.

Have to agree with a lot of this. I was up high in the corner behind the Davin end goal and in the first half it gave a great view of the Armagh defence.

It was impossible to see a yard of space in there they had everywhere clogged up with bodies.

I would be guilty of watching on tv or from a lower level and asking why we aren't letting the ball in to the FF line but it was an eye opener yesterday to see how tight it was.

I must also mention it was crazy how fast they all got back every time. Unbelievable fitness levels. They were cute too as you need to be at that level throwing balls out on to the pitch beside the goal to stop us getting a quick kickout away and give an extra chance to get back when they had more men pushed up

You couldn't better 1-11.

That's the bottom line.

Was there a reason Matthew Tierney was not put on frees from Finnerty's side? He took them in the league up until he got injured taking a free in the Tyrone game. He scored a great free from near the sideline in the league game against Roscommon and has a great kick off the ground.

He should have taken them and once it was clear Walsh wasn't hitting his Conroy should have taken over. He was kicking well. But we've been one dimensional all season. We've never really changed the script at any stage and were found out when plan A failed.

Mistakes on the field and on the sideline, Finnerty Imv should have been replaced with Tomo (pressure point scored against Dublin, he's a bit raw but...) , Joyce himself said if they're good enough they're old enough, then comer should have been moved out the field bringing his marker with him creating space inside, take the free kicking duties off Walshe fullstop, he performs better without this duty, we have Tierney, Conroy and Gleeson there... Thirdly I was waiting for the clenched fist at the crowd, the passion, the torn jersey all the match from our lads but it didn't come, a curious match.. Next I'd stick with Joyce but the backroom team needs shaking up, the balance isn't right Imv.. He had a man high in the stand, was his advice on what was happening below going into the lads on the sidelines earpieces disregarded ? Or not acted on quickly enough, Mc geeney was better organised on the sideline and on the field.. It was the grain of rice that tipped the scales in Armaghs direction in the end.... Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.. There's much learning for all and I'm sure they'll take the lessons on board, they're not far off.. last night was dark but the dawn is coming, we will do it yet 🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻✊

You don't seem to be be grasping my point.

The point is Armagh got an AI against the grain.

I am not saying that this Armagh win be forgotten. I am saying it will be forgotten HOW they did it. Big difference. And the context of how the games were won, will be forgotten in time. And how the opponents would have/and should have won those matches normally, I believe the opponents helped Armagh. Again, just an opinion.

You have to admit that Armagh got plenty of luck, in a good few matches. The Galway group game keeper error, how often does that happen?, Kerry keeper error how often does that happen?

Drawing Rosscomon in the QF when they could have much harder draws. Roscommon getting a man sent off early. Still only winning by a few points at the final whistle.

Galway kicking it away in the final? Has Walsh had a worse game? How often does that happen?

To be honest I think it is a "one off" for Armagh they will do well to be as lucky again. Logically I think Galway have a better chance of Sam than Armagh have in the coming years. Given the style of play etc. Just my opinion.

The 2002 Armagh side was a miles better side than this Armagh team (IMO) and they only won one. So IMO I would be shocked if this Armagh side won another one. They will dine out on this, and that will be that.

The fact you said Armagh did it "the hard way" proves my point. Why did they make it look so hard?

Agreed had a great match both v Dublin and Aramgh, but all the replays of the end of the Final in future will show him losing the ball. Bit unfair on him considering the season he has had.

You're 100% right!

Havent heard anyone else say this, but the in the QF, SF and final, Armagh made star forward lines look like off-form Junior B's.

Just 7 days after the Rossie's forwards shot the lights out against Tyrone, Armagh made them look toothless in attack. The did the very same to Kerry and yesterday to Galway.

Thats certainly no coincidence.

They suffocate your attack and prompt the forwards to shoot from low % positions.

Just look at the positions Galway were shooting from yesterday. In reality they relied on Conroy and Maher's Hail Mary boomers from the 45 to keep them in it.

Galway's luck ran out yesterday too. They got the rub of the green against Sligo, to win the Connacht final, to hold out for the group game draw with Armagh and then Conroy's goal against Donegal.

Enough has been said about Walsh, but as a neutral, I felt bad for him. If the management hadn't the bottle to take him off, their leaders on the pitch should have made the call to take the dead ball kicks off him. Crazy stuff!

Armagh the better team - and after their heartbreak the last few years - hard earned!

Hugely disappointing. Armagh did deserve it. They were brave and some of their scores were well taken. Credit to them. They kept believing and going

How did this cein Darcy not start ?he was brilliant. McDaid was quiet I thought for what he can do. Tierney non existent. Although well marked and probably not his position. I don't know how many times he passed the ball back out. I've visions of Ja Fallon kicking points from out there.

They need to find a couple of more forwards like finnerty. I thought the 6 backs, Conroy Maher, Darcy died with their boots on. Walsh tried all day, injury must be affecting his free taking.

I don't know about that. If shane Walsh was on his game with comer and finnerty fully fit, we would have won. Comer didn't look fit at all and shouldve been hauled off at half time, when was the last time you seen him bottled up the corner. I hope pj learns some hard lessons from this, if lads aren't 100% fit leave them off. Mcgeeney made sure that all his players were 100% fit and if under performing were hauled off

I know that and agree with you but I still feel finishers are required inside that can loop around and move around a bit. I suppose I'm grasping at straws as I would hate for it to be the end of comer and Walsh, greats servants through lean years

Easy to say away from the heat of the moment, but the ball should never have been passed to him anyway. Was taking the thrust of the attack away from the danger zone and McDaid would be taking the ball looping around onto his weaker left foot. Similar to the earlier chance when Silke elected to pass back the ball back out to Walsh instead of continuing through on goal.

Hard to know where to start on this one. Obviously it's a devastating one to take, I'm still gutted after it so the players and managment must be, as PJ said, in an awful state. I was thinking back over the catalog of all ireland losses in both codes that I've seen in person and the only comparable one is the 90 hurling final. The only result I can think of that is worse was the 89 semifinal, which says something.

2 years ago, although we could justifiably complain about the free against John Daly that turned the game, that was the only 'what-if'. Kerry had the bench to win it, we didn't so sometimes you take the defeat but realise that there wasn't a whole lot more that could have been done. This one isn't like it, for a lot of reasons.

I've always said it - to win all irelands, you need to have a team capable of winning it (obviously) but also need things to fall your way. The modern, superficial, soundbite punditry talked about Galway building great depth due to injuries during the league and this would be the difference versus 2022. The truth is that depth was overstated because it included experience like John Daly and Kieran Molloy - where was the likes of Campbell, Oisin O'Neill or Killian Spillane to bring off the bench i.e. impact forwards? Most critcally, Walsh, Comer and Finnerty were patently not near 100%, so we did not have the forwards needed. Walsh played one free on about the 45 short rather than take it on - a fully fit Shane Walsh kicks that over 95 % of the time.

The reductive analysis is that we bottled it, but Armagh posed a question defensively that we coudn't answer. Our chances were from further out and under more pressure so credit has to go to Armagh. Straight after the match, my impression was that Armagh were the better team, better set up to nullify our (less that 100% fit!) full forward line and took their chances. I mentioned things falling your way to win an all ireland - Armaghs goal was an example of it - Campbell was looking at the posts when he punched it so it's clearly an effort for a point that fell well for them. But them's the breaks that you need. I'd just said to the lad beside me that a goal will be a winner about a minute before that, and so that's how it worked out, notwithstanding the chances we had after.

All that said, what makes this one sore is there are so many what-ifs - Finnerty going off, Comer shut down (he would have been brought out if fit), Walsh's chances (again, not fit), Armagh's goal (caught napping for it), Mchugh's effort off the post, that last chance where we butchered an overload on the right, Armagh's goal. As someone said above, we rode our luck earlier in the year, but managing the injuries finally caught up us. I haven't even mentioned Sean Kelly - what a difference he would have made at the top of his game in carrying ball in heavy traffic.

A bit of a long post, so apologies! I've watched snippets of the match since Sunday, but I think I'll just delete it now. A tough one to take, being realistic we have cycles in Galway where we have teams capable of winning all irelands and hope to sneak one or two. I think Sunday was the chance for this cycle, but hope the next one is not 20 years like the last time.

Agree with pretty much everything there but just on the Heaney point it looked from where I was sitting that Heaney played more as a half forward or around the middle third when he replaced Finnerty with Tierney pushed into the corner (he didnt seem comfortable in there either and it took him out of the game almost completely)

Was wondering about O Curraion myself too he kicked some fine frees in the league for us. Its easy to be wise in hindsight but I did wonder if Tomo coming in for Finnerty (a more straightforward change) would have made more sense?