Galway GAA discussion thread

MfMan

jr86 wrote: »

I think some are being a little bit too sensitive about the dismissal of Galway's chances

Galway have developed into a fine team and if you took out Dublin they would be right up there. I wouldn't be overly surprised to see them make a final, although I still don't see them beating a Kerry or Mayo in August all things being equal, although there are question marks over Mayo now. I'd have it 60/40 to Tyrone, and I'd still be cautious of a few others given galway did lose to Tipp and Roscommon the last 2 seasons

However, I just can't see this Dublin team being beaten and certainly not by galway just yet. Dismissing teams' chances is not having digs or whatever it's just acknowledging we're in the era of one of the best (if not the best) teams of all time who know how to win All Irelands. Look how they dug out the final last September

In all honesty I think the most exciting thing this year will be to see who joins Dublin in the final. I hope I'm wrong and someone can ambush the Dubs but if you properly analyse it is anybody near good enough? Ok Mayo have really pushed them but it's now 6 in a row in Championship they haven't won against them in all fairness

Maybe a semi' is a better chance to ambush the Dubs.

BENDYBINN

Agree the dubs will take some beating.But sad really that mayo supporters take comfort in the fact that Galway won’t win Sam . It’s all we’ve been hearing from
the mayo immigrants here in Galway since Sunday.
Sad, since most Galway people always wish mayo well

muddle84

BENDYBINN wrote: »

Agree the dubs will take some beating.But sad really that mayo supporters take comfort in the fact that Galway won’t win Sam . It’s all we’ve been hearing from
the mayo immigrants here in Galway since Sunday.
Sad, since most Galway people always wish mayo well

You really think if Galway made it to the final that most mayo fans wouldn't be shouting for Galway? I'm sure the same mayo fans you're referring to in Galway got many a earful about last weekend's result this week. It works both ways! I'm one of them and that's certainly the way it was for me all week. But it's all just friendly banter! The same people were saying hard luck last September and saying delighted ye didn't win it though as we'd never hear the end of it! Banter again. Really sad isn't it?

djPSB

PCeeeee wrote: »

We all the the prettiest wife at home you know jr...

Who shot JR.

testtech05

Hey all. Anyone know where I might get a stand ticket for the Killkenny game or are they already sold out? Want to get one for my nephew for his birthday but seems to be none on tickets.ie where I normally buy my tickets. Usually go for the terrace myself so doesn't bother me...

Diabhal Beag

I think they sold out unfortunately. There's 2000 season tickets from Galway alone not includong KK season tickets or addition to players/board tickets. I think only a small amount might have gone on sale.

Your best bet would be to go into Pearse Stadium on Monday morning as they might have a seperate allocation to general sale.

testtech05

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

I think they sold out unfortunately. There's 2000 season tickets from Galway alone not includong KK season tickets or addition to players/board tickets. I think only a small amount might have gone on sale.

Your best bet would be to go into Pearse Stadium on Monday morning as they might have a seperate allocation to general sale.

Thanks for that. I'm sure he will be happy to go to the terrace but was just hoping to treat him for the birthday he's only 9 but loves going to the games football or hurling.
Thanks again

kala85

What will be the best way to travel to the match next Sunday. The traffic in salthill will be chronic I would say.

flatty

You'll have to drive, but if it were me, I'd get there early enough to get over the bridge and I'd park and walk. There are several back roads, but none avoid the dreaded bridge. Getting out won't be pretty either.

grbear

Standout result from the first round of the club championship is probably Annaghdown giving Tuam an absolute trouncing.

They got closer to Corofin than anyone else last Autumn and they've laid down a real marker with that result.

Utopia Parkway

grbear wrote: »

Standout result from the first round of the club championship is probably Annaghdown giving Tuam an absolute trouncing.

They got closer to Corofin than anyone else last Autumn and they've laid down a real marker with that result.

Can't see Corofin being beaten but yeah Annaghdown might be the only side that has a chance to dethrone them.

Was just reading the paper and seeing results from the Leinster MHC.

It went completely over my head at the time but they took Down and Antrim into the province.

I know Galway got a 3 team group with the provincial runners which is an improvement but they have no second chance in that format while the teams in their group used theirs.

While the Ulster teams are in the lower tiers in Leinster it still provides an avenue to the provincial finals.

That's farcical that they were taken in while we get the same rubbish the seniors were getting when the qualifiers had groups.

TCDStudent1

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Was just reading the paper and seeing results from the Leinster MHC.

It went completely over my head at the time but they took Down and Antrim into the province.

I know Galway got a 3 team group with the provincial runners which is an improvement but they have no second chance in that format while the teams in their group used theirs.

While the Ulster teams are in the lower tiers in Leinster it still provides an avenue to the provincial finals.

That's farcical that they were taken in while we get the same rubbish the seniors were getting when the qualifiers had groups.

They absolutely should never have agreed to that deal

macslash

Same team named for the Cats. Glad to see Concannon get another start.

Was just thinking, has Paul Killeen made any sort of comeback since his horrible injury last year? He was tearing up trees before it. It was against Dublin I think?

Happyilylost

macslash wrote:

Was just thinking, has Paul Killeen made any sort of comeback since his horrible injury last year? He was tearing up trees before it. It was against Dublin I think?

Came on as a sub in the last round of club matches.

macslash

Happyilylost wrote: »

Came on as a sub in the last round of club matches.

That's good to hear, thanks.

Assuming things go to plan and Dublin/Offaly win one between them it could very well come down to PD if we lose one of the next two(and the winner loses in the KK-Wex game).

So here's hoping Wexford don't come close to 12 tomorrow.

jr86

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Assuming things go to plan and Dublin/Offaly win one between them it could very well come down to PD if we lose one of the next two(and the winner loses in the KK-Wex game).

So here's hoping Wexford don't come close to 12 tomorrow.

Probably not the proper thing to say but I actually think the more matches they can get the better for this Galway side this year.

No harm at all not winning Leinster imho. It was a very rusty league campaign and given the mentally draining winter after winning the AI the extra matches could be ideal to get lads fully back into form

They'll beat Dublin anyway so top 3 won't be an issue. That said I do think galway will win tomorrow

Ray Bloody Purchase

We did a good job on KK yesterday. I think we were probably lucky to finish with 15 men. McInerney and Daithi could defo have walked.

Great to see a bit of steel though.

djPSB

Very good performance.

MD has a nice panel now with loads of options on the bench.

May need to freshen it up over the next two weeks.

jr86

That was incredibly comfortable, Galway looked as if they never got out of 2nd gear. So many passengers on that KK side, Wexford should certainly beat them

We'll probably learn more about Galway next week but there's 3 matches now left in Leinster to give lads more gametime and for lads (midfielders in particular) to play themselves into form again

Its early days but no-one is really tearing up trees in Munster - it's probably a bit early for Limerick too

Unless Tipp can rediscover their 2016 form (they've been awful for 105 out of 140 minutes so far) I can't see Galway relinquishing their title even if they do drop off a bit from last year

Daithi Burke is surely the best defender in the country

MfMan

jr86 wrote: »

That was incredibly comfortable, Galway looked as if they never got out of 2nd gear. So many passengers on that KK side, Wexford should certainly beat them

We'll probably learn more about Galway next week but there's 3 matches now left in Leinster to give lads more gametime and for lads (midfielders in particular) to play themselves into form again

Its early days but no-one is really tearing up trees in Munster - it's probably a bit early for Limerick too

Unless Tipp can rediscover their 2016 form (they've been awful for 105 out of 140 minutes so far) I can't see Galway relinquishing their title even if they do drop off a bit from last year

Daithi Burke is surely the best defender in the country

On yesterday's display alone Padraig Mannion would give him a run. Been good since he came into the team but now blossoming into a quite superb player. Midfield still not at full throttle but, like the Offaly match, David Burke came more and more into it as the game progressed, his tracking and covering back is excellent - an absolute thoroughbred of a hurler. Why was JC not nominated for MOTM? Terrific again yesterday, with some gems from play; Conor Cooney only got going in the closing minutes, well and all as he struck his points.

More later.

jacool

MfMan wrote: »

On yesterday's display alone Padraig Mannion would give him a run. Been good since he came into the team but now blossoming into a quite superb player.

He was my MOTM - did everything except missing one score in the first half. Credit to him when he got in the same position 5 minutes later he flicked it out to his left and put in one of the forwards (Corcoran?) for the score.

danganabu

jr86 wrote: »

Daithi Burke is surely the best defender in the country

He is hands down the best full back in the country and because of that probably the most valuable defender in the game, but is no where near the 'best defender'

jr86

Nowhere near? Who are better?

I even saw him render Joe Canning virtually anonymous in a club game at centre back last year (which would have always been his natural position)

Hulk Hands

danganabu wrote: »

He is hands down the best full back in the country and because of that probably the most valuable defender in the game, but is no where near the 'best defender'

Who exactly is that much better than him? Paudie Maher is the only comparable I can see. Remember that Daithi's a very good hurler and is being wasted to an extent at FB, he'd be better out the field but does such a solid job he's put there

danganabu

jr86 wrote: »

Nowhere near? Who are better?

I even saw him render Joe Canning virtually anonymous in a club game at centre back last year (which would have always been his natural position)

Cillian Buckley, Padraig Maher, Paul Murphy, Tadgh De Burca, Declan Hannon, Padraig Mannion, Noel Connors, Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Chris Crummey, Gearoid McInnerney...........all of course in my very humble opinion, sorry if I seem to have upset you!

MfMan

danganabu wrote: »

Cillian Buckley, Padraig Maher, Paul Murphy, Tadgh De Burca, Declan Hannon, Padraig Mannion, Noel Connors, Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Chris Crummey, Gearoid McInnerney...........all of course in my very humble opinion, sorry if I seem to have upset you!

Oh come on Dangan; Burke is better than Connors, Crumney, GMac on any day and currently better than Hannon, TDB, Buckley and Murphy. Mannion, as I've stated is consistently very good; Maher has had a great career for Tipp' but not without flaws; no great pace, not great to turn, has a tendency to drive the ball and lift the crowd but forget to deliver it properly, isn't suited to a central position etc. Daithi isn't flawless either but many in Galway believe he's already the best FB we've ever had.

He has (at least) one very simple but very great, nay priceless asset, -- he uses both hands on the hurl to lift the ball. Cost Cork the match in Thurles yesterday.

jr86

Why would I be upset,

I'm not even from Galway but am involved in club hurling here

I'm as delighted as anyone to see Mac's rise last year and he's proven to be a hell of an effective centre back but he's not in daithi's league, no way.

Most of the other names look like a case of just plucking out names for the sake of being contrary. Maher is the only one who I'd accept but as MfMan says he has his flaws too

Barring injury I've little doubt he'll pick up a 4th All star in 4 full seasons and yet there's apparently 10 better than him?

MfMan wrote: »

He has (at least) one very simple but very great, nay priceless asset, -- he uses both hands on the hurl to lift the ball. Cost Cork the match in Thurles yesterday.

Yeah, a natural right hander of course, playing with the citeog

danganabu

I think ye have both very selectively forgotten that I did say categorically that he is the best full back in the in the country and because of that he is the most valuable defender in the country.

Hulk Hands

danganabu wrote: »

I think ye have both very selectively forgotten that I did say categorically that he is the best full back in the in the country and because of that he is the most valuable defender in the country.

He's a better half back than basically every player you named also, with the exception of maybe Maher. Look at his 2015 season at wing back. You made a bold statement and are now trying to find silly ways of justifying it

danganabu

Hulk Hands wrote: »

He's a better half back than basically every player you named also, with the exception of maybe Maher. Look at his 2015 season at wing back. You made a bold statement and are now trying to find silly ways of justifying it

I simply offered an opinion, I apologise if this has caused so much trauma ,you obviously have a differrent opinion and thats perfectly fine and valid, there is no quantifiable measure for comparing players on different teams against different opposition etc so it will always be a subjective matter.

FWIW I wouldnt have Maher at the top of my list either and he has plenty of expoitable deficencies.

flatty

Joe Canning was absolutely outstanding yesterday. One of those games where just about every time he touched the ball he did something constructive with it. He is a Rolls Royce of a player at the top of his game. Motm for me also. But everyone played well. We held kk to two points from play. Remarkable effort. Delighted.

Ray Bloody Purchase

flatty wrote: »

Joe Canning was absolutely outstanding yesterday. One of those games where just about every time he touched the ball he did something constructive with it. He is a Rolls Royce of a player at the top of his game. Motm for me also. But everyone played well. We held kk to two points from play. Remarkable effort. Delighted.

He is a truly remarkable player. It would have been a tragedy for him never to have won an All-Ireland medal.

That's not the first time i've seen him flick a players elbow too for the yellow card that he got.

Nettle Soup

Is Canning ok? He seemed to get a smack on the hand and went off immediately.

flatty

Ray Bloody Purchase wrote: »

flatty wrote: »

Joe Canning was absolutely outstanding yesterday. One of those games where just about every time he touched the ball he did something constructive with it. He is a Rolls Royce of a player at the top of his game. Motm for me also. But everyone played well. We held kk to two points from play. Remarkable effort. Delighted.

He is a truly remarkable player. It would have been a tragedy for him never to have won an All-Ireland medal.

That's not the first time i've seen him flick a players elbow too for the yellow card that he got.

He's been battered from pillar to post since he was a minor. There's no malice in his play at all.

Ray Bloody Purchase

flatty wrote: »

He's been battered from pillar to post since he was a minor. There's no malice in his play at all.

There's no malice, just a bit of steel.

Robson99

flatty wrote: »

Joe Canning was absolutely outstanding yesterday. One of those games where just about every time he touched the ball he did something constructive with it. He is a Rolls Royce of a player at the top of his game. Motm for me also. But everyone played well. We held kk to two points from play. Remarkable effort. Delighted.

Should have been ahead of Conor Cooney in Motm nominations but P Mannion was our best player on Sunday. Superb throughout

grbear

The football match with Sligo isn't generating much buzz is it? I know Galway are heavy favourites but a few co-workers were genuinely surprised it was happening this week when I mentioned it yesterday. I suppose a lot of that is due to the understandable focus on the hurlers and their two big games but I can't remember such a subdued build up to a match for ages, especially considering people are excited by this Galway teams potential.

TCDStudent1

grbear wrote: »

The football match with Sligo isn't generating much buzz is it? I know Galway are heavy favourites but a few co-workers were genuinely surprised it was happening this week when I mentioned it yesterday. I suppose a lot of that is due to the understandable focus on the hurlers and their two big games but I can't remember such a subdued build up to a match for ages, especially considering people are excited by this Galway teams potential.

No printed tickets for season ticket hokders either - just use your card. So it seems they are not expecting a big crowd for it.

fearruanua

grbear wrote: »

The football match with Sligo isn't generating much buzz is it? I know Galway are heavy favourites but a few co-workers were genuinely surprised it was happening this week when I mentioned it yesterday. I suppose a lot of that is due to the understandable focus on the hurlers and their two big games but I can't remember such a subdued build up to a match for ages, especially considering people are excited by this Galway teams potential.

Agreed. Very low key alright!! I think a lot of supporters may be taking it for granted. 1/16 with the bookies.

blowitupref

Galway football team to play Sligo on Sunday. 4 changes and a few surprises

Ruairí Lavelle (Bóthar an Trá/Cnoc na Cathrach)
Declan Kyne (An Fhairche)
Seán Andy Ó Ceallaigh (Naomh Ánna)
David Wynne (Maigh Cuilinn)
Cathal Sweeney (Cill Ainnín)
Gareth Bradshaw (Maigh Cuilinn)
Seán Kelly (Maigh Cuilinn)
Paul Conroy (Naomh Séamus)
Thomas Flynn (Baile Átha’n Rí
Eamonn Brannigan (Naomh Micheál)
Shane Walsh (Cill Chloirín/Cluain Bheirne)
Johnny Heaney (Cill Ainnín)
Ian Burke (Corafinne)
Damien Comer (Anach Cuain)
Barry McHugh (An Creagán/Magh Locha

Gaillimh1976

blowitupref wrote: »

Galway football team to play Sligo on Sunday. 4 changes and a few surprises

Ruairí Lavelle (Bóthar an Trá/Cnoc na Cathrach)
Declan Kyne (An Fhairche)
Seán Andy Ó Ceallaigh (Naomh Ánna)
David Wynne (Maigh Cuilinn)
Cathal Sweeney (Cill Ainnín)
Gareth Bradshaw (Maigh Cuilinn)
Seán Kelly (Maigh Cuilinn)
Paul Conroy (Naomh Séamus)
Thomas Flynn (Baile Átha’n Rí
Eamonn Brannigan (Naomh Micheál)
Shane Walsh (Cill Chloirín/Cluain Bheirne)
Johnny Heaney (Cill Ainnín)
Ian Burke (Corafinne)
Damien Comer (Anach Cuain)
Barry McHugh (An Creagán/Magh Locha

Biggest surprise will be if that team starts

ClanofLams

They lined out as named against Mayo iirc. Although agree it’s hard to see that team doing likewise unless there is one or two injuries which aren’t public knowledge.

TCDStudent1

ClanofLams wrote: »

They lined out as named against Mayo iirc. Although agree it’s hard to see that team doing likewise unless there is one or two injuries which aren’t public knowledge.

Yeah, they started the team that was named v Mayo.

Kevin Walsh has constantly talked about building a panel this year and I get the feeling he is keen to utilise the panel. I suspect he is trying to do just that v Sligo to hopefully build some serious competition for subsequent matches. If that team does start, it seems strange to drop Duggan & Kerin after they both put in excellent performances v Mayo. Sean Kelly had a greta league and was unlucky to start v Mayo - probably being a bit light went against him v Mayo.

Happyilylost

TCDStudent1 wrote:

Kevin Walsh has constantly talked about building a panel this year and I get the feeling he is keen to utilise the panel. I suspect he is trying to do just that v Sligo to hopefully build some serious competition for subsequent matches. If that team does start, it seems strange to drop Duggan & Kerin after they both put in excellent performances v Mayo. Sean Kelly had a greta league and was unlucky to start v Mayo - probably being a bit light went against him v Mayo.

Kerin is injured. Didn't start for Annaghdown for some reason was then brought on and came off injured again. Not sure about Duggan. He doesn't deserve to lose his spot. Other than that it's a very "exciting" team.

TCDStudent1

Happyilylost wrote: »

Kerin is injured. Didn't start for Annaghdown for some reason was then brought on and came off injured again. Not sure about Duggan. He doesn't deserve to lose his spot. Other than that it's a very "exciting" team.

Aah ok, was wondering about Kerin alright as it is the one change that you can say definitely weakens the team. Kelly probably deserved to start ahead of O'Donnell for the Mayo game and did well when he came on, Burke also played himself into a starting position with his performance v Mayo. Brannigan needs to be in there as he has probably been on our 2nd best player this year. They are good options to have anyway.

basillarkin

Is duggan injured?

Borders no.2

Price is too dear for football. €25 for the stand and €20 for terrace is madness for what's likely to be a fairly drab game. Was cheaper for the hurling.

Good to see the squad has some options to choose from. Sligo have ambushed us in the past and the last two years have had some pathetic showings when fancied to win but Sligo don't look to be heading anywhere fast at the moment. Anything less than a relatively comfortable win on Sunday would be worrying.

Happyilylost

basillarkin wrote:

Is duggan injured?

Duggan is a strange one. Unless he's picked up a knock. He trained last week. You'd imagine he'd need the experience more than Conroy and lesser extent Flynn. Now that I think of it GOD was struggling in that club match too. Played a lot of it in the full forward line. Whether he is injured or not I feel Kelly deserves his chance.