Galway GAA discussion thread

CastingCouch · 20-07-2013 07:01PM

audman wrote: »

Of which county do you hail from CC?

Galway audman.
I haven't been fond of this team the last few years as the performances have been poor but you have to hand it to them today. Not sure how good Armagh are but they aren't bad.

audman · 20-07-2013 07:06PM

CastingCouch wrote: »

Galway audman.
I haven't been fond of this team the last few years as the performances have been poor but you have to hand it to them today. Not sure how good Armagh are but they aren't bad.

A lot of us haven't been but sure the craic will be had tonight :P We'll see next Saturday

I'm working so I won't make it, same situation today. Heading down to Thurles on Sunday though

€247.39 on a Galway double.

c_man · 20-07-2013 07:09PM

Great stuff

Diabhal Beag · 20-07-2013 07:34PM

Great championship match. Delighted for the lads but also delighted for us who've seen so many bad days, especially in the qualifiers. The Wexford match, Westmeath, Donegal twice, Antrim and Meath. Wouldn't lump in the Tyrone match there because they were a different level of quality at the time.

My MOM was Tom Flynn. He was outstanding today and really showed his potential. He seems to be a tougher player than last year, he's not a McFadden build but he isn't thrown around anymore. John O'Brien and Martin were fantastic when it come to their work ethic. Martin was dragged into the backs a lot and just showed a lot of drive and determination that we didn't see for a long time. Meehan was very good too but his slowness was shown up bigtime and he was not necessarily Mother Theresa but those frees were vital. Gary Sice was an absolute rock of motivation. Not afraid to knock that dirty Armagh fella on his arse. GO'D was good. Conroy was a lot quieter and he was almost caught out a few times with the backwards passing but his free got Cummins his goal (FINALLY!). Only player I'd have my complaints about would be Breathnach and his short kickouts but I'm sure he's told to play it short as much as possible. During the downtime after HT they could have conceded 6/7 points. Denvir and Doherty were good. Really impressed by O'Neill too. Army was awful at times though. Was fouled an awful lot and the ref had a shocking 5 minute spell where he didn't give about 4 stonewall frees and Armagh got the ball right up to the forwards. Even the subs like Walsh adn Varley made positive impacts.

To keep Clarke from goal was a big deal and swung the match in our favour. Beating Cork is a massive order and I'm going to head up in hope of a strong showing. Nice to be heading to Croker again. I'm fairly confident the worst is over and this side will progress. Not expecting All-Ireland glory or anything but there's enough in that side to be a top 10 side.

Keep in mind this is mostly the same side that lost to Sligo and Antrim. Losing Joyce and Bergin was a big challenge to overcome. That's some improvement and long may it continue. They finally played with passion which they didn't in the 5 previous championship games.

Just another note: Great turnout from Armagh and their fans were very gracious in defeat especially considering it's a long drive home. Grimley is probably gone too which will delight Mr. Brolly.

Diabhal Beag · 20-07-2013 07:40PM

One last thing: Trips to Dublin and Thurles for Galway and Cork supporters is not really fair, granted they've made the fixture for Croker in advance for Saturday. Costly weekend.

audman · 20-07-2013 07:45PM

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

One last thing: Trips to Dublin and Thurles for Galway and Cork supporters is not really fair, granted they've made the fixture for Croker in advance for Saturday. Costly weekend.

As said above I'll only be able to make Thurles but I'd love to make both but can't with work. You heading up and down? Fair play to ya. I imagine it will be one or the other for a lot of people. South Gakway heading South and the rest heading East.

Diabhal Beag · 20-07-2013 07:55PM

audman wrote: »

You heading up and down? Fair play to ya. I imagine it will be one or the other for a lot of people. South Gakway heading South and the rest heading East.

I'd love to do both alright but I'd say I'll have to stick with the footballers. Two great games on the Sunday but if Galway get a bit of luck on Saturday..........

FlashD · 20-07-2013 08:04PM

Fair play to the lads this evening...wasn't expecting it.

You just never know when a Galway team starts rolling.

kraggy · 20-07-2013 08:04PM

What's parking like in Thurles? And how long of a drive is it? Been going to Croke Park since 1985 but never been to Thurles!

audman · 20-07-2013 08:06PM

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

I'd love to do both alright but I'd say I'll have to stick with the footballers. Two great games on the Sunday but if Galway get a bit of luck on Saturday..........

Saturday: Galway beat Cork
Sunday: Galway beat Clare
Monday: Race week.

... and all of this happening during this fine weather in beautiful Galway.

IMAGINE

kraggy · 20-07-2013 09:15PM

audman wrote: »

Saturday: Galway beat Cork
Sunday: Galway beat Clare
Monday: Race week.

... and all of this happening during this fine weather in beautiful Galway.

IMAGINE

Tuesday pregnant

spiritcrusher · 20-07-2013 09:22PM

Tom Flynn.... Where has that performance been?! Could not believe how much work that man did all across the pitch on such a scorcher of a day. He was getting his hands on so much high ball all day Armagh got no easy midfield possession really as a result. His tracking back and tackling was fantastic also. Always felt he just needed a confidence boost and today he showed bags of confidence. I reckon Conroy was delighted to have him to work with as he'd been left to do the vast majority of the playmaking and fielding in the previous two games. Conroy was noticeably quieter today but I'd say that's mostly due to the fact he had real help beside him. Flynn definite MOM, as Diabhal said.

Donal O'Neil was a complete shock for me. Massive game from him too. Clarke got nothing soft off him and got a couple of tough hits from him too. Very impressed. Backs in general were quite good but I thought GOD was very poor in the first half, don't think he beat his man once. It looked like he was carrying a knock or something, no pace and no real breaks either and he'd usually be good for a few of them a game. Doherty did a ferocious amount of work and put in a huge effort but his end product needs a lot of work. Lot of wasted ball but he's certainly getting better. And it's been said before but it needs saying again, Hanley is f*cking class.

Forwards did a lot of hard work too but there was no real flashes of brilliance other than Martin's fantastic point from a ridiculous angle. He definitely claimed his position today I reckon. On the other end of the scale Armstrong had another poor game. His solo in particular is killing him. He shows well for ball but just takes way too much out of it and loses possession. Meehan's presence was great today but he's lost his pace and quick turns. Cummins's goal must've been the most overdue score in country

Also, Shane Walsh is ridiculous. His huge stride makes him look like he's running in slow motion or something, but I've yet to see a defender keep up with him. I'd say Mullholland is protecting him a bit just giving him tastes of championship football at a time instead of firing him in from the start.

Needs to be said though that Armagh were poor, especially their free-taking and horrendous tackling. To be honest I thought their tackling was borderline disgraceful at times, their aim seemed to be to tackle as close to the neck as possible. Doesn't matter now anyway. Certainly wouldn't carried away for next week. First glimpse of future potential in years but realistically Cork should be a step to far.

InchicoreDude · 20-07-2013 09:35PM

It was good to see an tough intense championship match at Pearse. It is a long time since we have seen one.

Galway certainly improved today. But Armagh were very very poor. Some of their wides were just awful.

For Galway, Flynn was excellent at midfield. The tactic of playing Duane in front of Clarke worked out (why didn't Armagh just put another forward up there to occupy him????). I was hugely impressed by Michael Martin. He scored 3 superb points at important times in the match. He tracked back a lot as well. I like that he never 'hides' in a match. He is not afraid to go for a score when he has the chance. Somebody said in an earlier post that Hehir wasnt dropped because he played badly, but more because he never really got involved. That most definitely was not the case with Martin today who was involved in most good things Galway did. Cummins played with an unreal amount of heart too. Meehan definitely looked slow going for some 50/50 balls but his free taking was pretty good and he is dangerous when he can get on the ball in space. Thought Denvir did very well too actually. And I would be very tempted to start Walsh for Doherty the next day.

I dont think Galway have a hope against Cork but it was great to see them play with some fight today. After the Mayo match, a lot of people criticised Duane for not standing up to Dillion when Dillion shouldered him to the ground at the beginning of the match. Today, none of the Galway players were taking that. They did not shy away from the fight today. Today, Galway should be proud of their performance. It was a performance they can use to build on

MfMan · 20-07-2013 09:36PM

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Great championship match. Delighted for the lads but also delighted for us who've seen so many bad days, especially in the qualifiers. The Wexford match, Westmeath, Donegal twice, Antrim and Meath. Wouldn't lump in the Tyrone match there because they were a different level of quality at the time.

My MOM was Tom Flynn. He was outstanding today and really showed his potential. He seems to be a tougher player than last year, he's not a McFadden build but he isn't thrown around anymore. John O'Brien and Martin were fantastic when it come to their work ethic. Martin was dragged into the backs a lot and just showed a lot of drive and determination that we didn't see for a long time. Meehan was very good too but his slowness was shown up bigtime and he was not necessarily Mother Theresa but those frees were vital. Gary Sice was an absolute rock of motivation. Not afraid to knock that dirty Armagh fella on his arse. GO'D was good. Conroy was a lot quieter and he was almost caught out a few times with the backwards passing but his free got Cummins his goal (FINALLY!). Only player I'd have my complaints about would be Breathnach and his short kickouts but I'm sure he's told to play it short as much as possible. During the downtime after HT they could have conceded 6/7 points. Denvir and Doherty were good. Really impressed by O'Neill too. Army was awful at times though. Was fouled an awful lot and the ref had a shocking 5 minute spell where he didn't give about 4 stonewall frees and Armagh got the ball right up to the forwards. Even the subs like Walsh adn Varley made positive impacts.

To keep Clarke from goal was a big deal and swung the match in our favour. Beating Cork is a massive order and I'm going to head up in hope of a strong showing. Nice to be heading to Croker again. I'm fairly confident the worst is over and this side will progress. Not expecting All-Ireland glory or anything but there's enough in that side to be a top 10 side.

Keep in mind this is mostly the same side that lost to Sligo and Antrim. Losing Joyce and Bergin was a big challenge to overcome. That's some improvement and long may it continue. They finally played with passion which they didn't in the 5 previous championship games.

Just another note: Great turnout from Armagh and their fans were very gracious in defeat especially considering it's a long drive home. Grimley is probably gone too which will delight Mr. Brolly.

Joyce, definitely, Bergin, not really. Great respect to Joe but he actually seldom if ever produced performances like Conroy has been doing or Flynn (at last) did today. Agree big time about Armagh fans, very gracious and loyal to their county.

My MOM was perhaps O'Neill who played like a tiger on his big game debut, but in fairness all players put their shoulder to the wheel. G O'D got a fair roasting though from probably Armagh's best player Dyas, but finished strongly. Would have taken Meehan off after 10 minutes into the second half; ball just falling off him too much. Varley could have done the same job but with more pace. Shane Walsh showed that we now have more options off the bench.

All in all, a galaxy ahead of what we produced against Tipp and W'ford - nothing's goin' to stop us now!

Stanza2 · 20-07-2013 09:43PM

RobbieRuns wrote: »

Agree mostly with this, Tom Flynn was a very good addition v Waterford, just hope that he gets involved and looks for the ball. Hehir had to be changed, he just fouled everytime and was going to get sent off, never looked like scoring. Cummins is by far the liveliest of the forwards and his speed continues to give backs problems, I think that he just needs to take those points and forget about goals, people making to much of it. He always hits the target and he always gets into the right position to give himself the chance. He also collects a lot of high ball for a relatively small man. Meehan has lost pace for me, but class is there permanently!! he is a great player who sometimes drifts a bit to far out, but he does score and him and Cummins are key to winning the game. Armstrong..... not sure how how keeps getting picked

I have to say that this was a very good post, prior to the match as well !

Meehan is class, but has lost his pace a bit, but he is a talisman and great free taker. Armstrong was poor and has been all campaign really. I would throw O'Currain in with Flynn and put Conroy at 11.Cummins is lively and won lots of frees, the goal did come....... And off a high ball ! His pace is incredible and he can turn on a sixpence. He creates space. Martin did a fantastic job and has nailed down the other corner berth, he was great especially defensively at times. Flynn was just terrific, he did get his hands on the ball and influenced the game in Galway's favour. Top performance.

They are not going to win an All Ireland, but they are not the worst team in the country as everyone was suggesting and they kept AM in the job today. They showed real pride. Fair play to each and everyone of them.

20-07-2013 10:29PM

A good evening. The sun shining and a much needed win for Galway football. I'll take that any day. We can think about Cork tomorrow but its a step in the right direction this evening.

At last there was a big of fight, hunger and team work within the Galway team. It was far from perfect but the team were fully committed to the cause and were determined that they were going to inject some pride back in the jersey and thats all the supporters can ever ask for.

I was saying yesterday evening that Mulholland had made a step in the right direction towards his best team and he can take some credit for his changes. Donal O'Neill, Tom Flynn and Michael Martin all did very well. Sean Denvir also had a decent game. Ironically we won with Meehan having a poor game. Armstrong wasn't too hectic either.

Big issue that emerged for me today was how badly Gary O'Donnell struggled. I never believed he was good enough to be centre back at this level. He did ok the last couple of games but that's his level really and he was found out big time today. When he gets turned he's done for. Gary Sice also struggled. Whether these lads can be replaced from within the current panel is debatable. The best options to replace them either aren't around or aren't on the panel.

However, thought everyone else held their ground quite well, John O'Brien is a limited footballer but he worked hard for the team, Doherty was a mixed bag but got through a lot of work. Conroy dug us out of jail the last day and although outshone by Flynn put in a good shift again today. Walsh gave us some pace off the bench when players were starting to tire.

We didn't get going in the first 12-15 minutes of the 2nd half and really Armagh should have taken control but hit some bad wides but the Galway team showed some character to work their way back into the game.

Armagh were weak, Roscommon and Cavan were the two teams to beat them previously and they struggled in a very weak division 2 so like Galway they aren't in a great place. Donal O'Neill can take credit for keeping Clarke quiet and Aaron Kernan looks on the way down. Dyas was handy but I think that had as much to do with his opponent as anything else.

If we had lost to Waterford it would have been hard to know where to go but at least these few wins have given us something to build on. Mulholland looks safe for another year. He needs to learn from the mistakes he's made but he has done enough for another year with this result I'd reckon. Cork will be a tough proposition next Saturday, they are one of the top group of sides and my expectations would be very low but lets hope we can bow out of the championship with our heads held high and build towards next season.

Hulk Hands · 20-07-2013 10:42PM

As Flynn (and o'currains) biggest defender, and being adamant that we weren't a terrible side, im very happy to gloat in that performance!. Young players are inconsistent. Look at Meehan back in the day. Good performances will follow bad will follow good. It's the nature of a twenty year old.

Anyways, as happy as a pig in shiite this evening. It wasn't heart or passion or any other bluffers language we won through good football ability. Football hurling and the races to follow, can't wait for next weekend

20-07-2013 10:46PM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

As Flynn (and o'currains) biggest defender, and being adamant that we weren't a terrible side, im very happy to gloat in that performance!. Young players are inconsistent. Look at Meehan back in the day. Good performances will follow bad will follow good. It's the nature of a twenty year old.

Anyways, as happy as a pig in shiite this evening. It wasn't heart or passion or any other bluffers language we won through good football ability. Football hurling and the races to follow, can't wait for next weekend

Yes it was footballing ability which got them the victory but if you aren't up for the fight you can have all the footballing ability in the world it won't make a difference.

In the Mayo match the Galway lads were bullied from the start but as soon as I saw John O'Brien tear into the Armagh wing back when he tried to rough him up I knew Galway were up for this one.

Syferus · 20-07-2013 11:15PM

Absolutely ecstatic Meehan will get to play in Croker again. It looked like he mightn't ever compete a game again a few years ago and it makes for some turnaround.

Cork are such a cumbersome side when it comes to defending and if they try to pull off their bizarre version of blanket defence again Galway have a live chance. Counihan isn't a particularly astute manager and it's really starting to shine through this year.

porterbelly · 20-07-2013 11:27PM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

As Flynn (and o'currains) biggest defender, and being adamant that we weren't a terrible side, im very happy to gloat in that performance!. Young players are inconsistent. Look at Meehan back in the day. Good performances will follow bad will follow good. It's the nature of a twenty year old.

Anyways, as happy as a pig in shiite this evening. It wasn't heart or passion or any other bluffers language we won through good football ability. Football hurling and the races to follow, can't wait for next weekend

I have always said Flynn will come good. O Curraoin won't, hasn't any fire in him.

Flynn is hugely athletic, naturally fit and has a serious competitive edge. He will never give up, it's just the way he is.

Can't say I had seen a whole lot of Donal O Neill but fair play to him, welded himself to Clarke. Great to see lads like himself, Denvir and Cummins rise to the challenge.

However, the problem is that Cork have 6 forwards who can all throw up big scores and probably 3 or 4 more on the line. And our centre back got the run around today. Need to shore up the centre the next day out

Diabhal Beag · 20-07-2013 11:47PM

Say what you will about FÓC but at the very least he's an improvement on Cullinane and Coleman. I've no doubt he'll come good like Flynn did today, although he had a 10/10 game in the U-21 final this year already. Himself and Flynn could have big careers ahead of them and it'll be interesting to see will Conroy stick in midfield or be moved into the forwards.

Also agree completely with Syferus that it is fantastic that, fingers crossed, Michael Meehan will get to play in Croker again. He had a fantastic game against Kerry in a match that was played underwater near the end. I know personally that his shot that hit the post was a moment I still wonder what couldv'e been to this day. Probably just sold me on heading to Saturday game over the hurlers.

I also see that people are reminding us that Armagh were very poor, which is true, but Galway still struggled to beat teams of Armagh's quality for so long that a weight is lifted off their shoulders at this stage. They also showed nothing in the way of the passion or determination that was on display today. It'll be a fairly pro-Galway crowd on Saturday too hopefully.

sean555 · 21-07-2013 12:02AM

Did well today, kick outs worked well in the main with just one going astray, o neill did well but he was fouling Clarke a lot of the time especially int he first half just Clarke couldn't buy a free, FH was excellent again, JD had another very good game just like against Waterford , Sice was good enough but he is an excellent player who needs to show more, take the ball on more, O'D was roasted all the way until Dyas got tired from carrying Armagh on his back, Sean Denvir went for the ball well and won a good free at the end but he is very limited. Both midfielders were excellent, won good ball and PC delivered some fantastic ball into Cummins in particular, JO'B did ok won some hard ball but as with Denvir is limited.Army did very well today, roasted McK and also no. 18 was moved off him, showed well , took them on and also laid off some nice ball, Conor worked hard all game , covered a lot of ground and kept AK very quiet which I presume was his job and well done to. MM had a very good game , really wanted the ball and showed what he can do with it. Mikey was probably our poorest forward today, lacking in pace and ball spills a bit too, probably heresy to say this but maybe AV would suit Croker better, Danny as he has done all this year , shown well, makes good runs, always brave and a great goal but somebody tell him to let the ball hit his chest first then it wont spill.

porterbelly · 21-07-2013 12:31AM

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Say what you will about FÓC but at the very least he's an improvement on Cullinane and Coleman. I've no doubt he'll come good like Flynn did today, although he had a 10/10 game in the U-21 final this year already. Himself and Flynn could have big careers ahead of them and it'll be interesting to see will Conroy stick in midfield or be moved into the forwards.

Also agree completely with Syferus that it is fantastic that, fingers crossed, Michael Meehan will get to play in Croker again. He had a fantastic game against Kerry in a match that was played underwater near the end. I know personally that his shot that hit the post was a moment I still wonder what couldv'e been to this day. Probably just sold me on heading to Saturday game over the hurlers.

I also see that people are reminding us that Armagh were very poor, which is true, but Galway still struggled to beat teams of Armagh's quality for so long that a weight is lifted off their shoulders at this stage. They also showed nothing in the way of the passion or determination that was on display today. It'll be a fairly pro-Galway crowd on Saturday too hopefully.

There were probably 5 Galway players better than him on the day, convenient that it was a Connemara man who was selecting mom. He caught a few kick outs, as he should be doing for a lad his height, and it's his only real area of strength

21-07-2013 01:23AM

porterbelly wrote: »

There were probably 5 Galway players better than him on the day, convenient that it was a Connemara man who was selecting mom. He caught a few kick outs, as he should be doing for a lad his height, and it's his only real area of strength

I'm not sold on O'Curraoin before or since that day but he won a mountain of ball that day which gave the lads inside the ball they needed to wreak havoc. We certainly wouldn't have won the u21 final without him.

I'd agree with Diabhal Beag in that its time to stick with these lads rather than go messing around with lads who haven't delivered at inter-county level like Niall Coleman or Greg Higgins for example.

Stanza2 · 21-07-2013 01:38PM

Gareth Bradshaw.......... wish he was there

InchicoreDude · 22-07-2013 01:48PM

Is Coleman still on the panel? I didnt notice his name on the programme

RobbieRuns · 22-07-2013 02:49PM

Coleman is in the States with Bradshaw as I inderstand it

basillarkin · 22-07-2013 03:50PM

I'm not sure I agree re. Bradshaw, the man walked away when the chips were down and went to America which I have no problem with by the way. But calls for his return or people wishing he was here are ridiculous, it's better to give the jersey to a lad that has fight and a bit of bottle in him. O'Brien, Flynn and co are going well but Cork will be a different ball game all together. The bookies got the Donegal game wrong and if anyone fancies Galway they are available at 11/2. I hope i'm wrong but I think this one is a bit beyond them.

22-07-2013 04:10PM

Not happy to hear today they decided to throw on Donegal/Laois at 5pm aswell.

I'm at a wedding next Saturday so can't travel(already causing me enough heartache in getting to Thurles Sunday

) and as of now there's only confirmed coverage of the 7pm game.
Putting the AI champs on at the same time really hurts the chances of the game being covered.
However I think Cork/Galway has more appeal for a number of reasons.

Hoping RTE confirm it for at least RTE.IE.... would be a shambles if it wasn't shown being played in HQ.

premierstone · 22-07-2013 04:22PM

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Not happy to hear today they decided to throw on Donegal/Laois at 5pm aswell.

I'm at a wedding next Saturday so can't travel(already causing me enough heartache in getting to Thurles Sunday ) and as of now there's only confirmed coverage of the 7pm game.
Putting the AI champs on at the same time really hurts the chances of the game being covered.
However I think Cork/Galway has more appeal for a number of reasons.

Hoping RTE confirm it for at least RTE.IE.... would be a shambles if it wasn't shown being played in HQ.

Won't be televised anyway, AFAIK they are only permiitted to show one game from each round of the qualifiers, and they have already announced they are showing Tyrone v Meath.

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