Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

Happyilylost

Interesting team panel.

With Galway starting collective training so it late the management team may have made a conscious decision to tap into the fitness levels of the Moycullen contingent who have been training hard since the summer. Could be a smart move.

Felt we were really struggling around the middle in the dome vs Mayo and not overly confident we are in any better shape here...

Enough ball into the full forward line we should do damage just worried about having enough of the ball to do it. Mayo played a 14 man blanket in the dome which took Galway a long time to figure out.

1Hard one to call simply as its hard to know where Galway are right now with training plans. As always against our wonderful neighbours it should be "edgey"

flazio

Not sold on those new jerseys if I'm honest.

threeball

Desperately need a new goalie. Gleeson isn't junior standard never mind senior IC. The amount of times he goes to punch dropping balls is criminal and his kickouts are worse. Can't see us winning anything with him in goal.

MattressRick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170707#Comment_120170707

They're very bad. Why the need to change every year if you're making it look worse.

MattressRick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170920#Comment_120170920

Agreed.

No forwards stepping up tonight. Conneelly taken off. Not much happening up front in second half.

BENDYBINN

Did well to get anything out of that... Poor performance

PCeeeee

Money

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170995#Comment_120170995

Conneely is a great club player but physically not powerful enough to play IC and doesn't have the pace to overcome the lack of size.

Daniel Flaherty and Kelly at CB had good outings for new blood.

Not bad to get the draw given the lack of match practice, lads missing and the fact its Mayo in Castlebar. They can target two games now, get safe the focus on the championship.

crusier

Mayo packed the defence, our forwards didn't really get going and the conditions didn't help our game. I'd be confident in summer conditions with Shane Walsh and Ian burke back we are. 4 or 5 points the better team.

cson

The Aer Arann football jersey is the best one we've ever had imo.

Avon8

Conflicting emotions. On the one had it's seriously annoying to have drawn having been 3 up in the second half, and also basically having it won at the end and kicking it away. Once again, our complete lack of composure late in games costs us. I'd say Joyce is absolutely ripping

On the other hand, I thought it was a poor enough performance and we didn't really deserve to win. Some good moments in the first half, albiet relying on individual brilliance. However the attack in the second half was very toothless. The good move from the goal aside, we created very few scoring chances.

I get that Mayo have been at it since September and so it'd make sense that they'd finish stronger, but still it's annoying to see them with the more impetus to go and win the game. I sense there's still an inferiority complex there when faced with Mayo which is annoying, it's high time we started acting like the adult in the relationship

Results wise, it's not bad to be fair. One of the tougher away games chalked off and if they get over Roscommon next week, should be set for a relatively comfortable league. The loss is Finnerty is galling, he was playing superb football recently and fingers crossed it's nothing serious

Avon8

Special mention to the Castlebar crowd, they never disappoint!

Booing freetakers - check, shouting inane abuse at the ref everytime an obvious free is given against - check. Cheering wildly for a point when every person who's ever kicked a ball knows it's dropping short or curling wide - think we had 3 of these tonight which is about average. Never fails to amuse our group

However, running onto the pitch with a flag wasting time while Mayo are a man up and hunting for the win? That is a new one now, il give them that. As entertaining as ever

Doctors room ghost

The tomeen varden jersey was the best of them.

northknife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171623#Comment_120171623

😂

Go to plan B.

Gooo tooo plaaaan B.

WesternZulu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171623#Comment_120171623

Surprised there was enough of a Galway crowd there to notice 😝

elefant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171603#Comment_120171603

Agree with all of this, and the only thing I'd add is concern over how we were totally annihilated off our own long kick outs. It was really, really bad.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171623#Comment_120171623

Ha ha. It had a bit of a Father Ted feel to it alright. The announcer advising people not to enter the pitch - and at the same time a couple of hundred are already out on the pitch.

Good nights entertainment though all around. I think a draw was the fair result.

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170920#Comment_120170920

In fairness, it was far from his worst performance I thought. He handled all the dropping balls well, correctly tipped over that point in the second half, he punched the ones he had to punch. Long kickouts were poor but that was as much the fault of those out the field who couldn't catch it or read the break.

Not a bad result in what is probably our hardest away fixture. Last 2 giveaway balls were very poor though, need to retain possession, and composure, in these situations.

crusier

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120172247#Comment_120172247

The football is all Mayo really have so they naturally get a good turnout. We have a lot more sport going on in Galway . Connacht rugby, league of Ireland soccer and also a recent all Ireland winning hurling team to support all Galway and lots of underage success like our all Ireland winning minor football team, that all divides our attention. On top of that we provide jobs in Galway city for half of mayo who then send money back to keep the other half alive so we are busy.

vid36

Result was not too bad Saturday , but I still worry about our Division 1 status. Donegal and Roscommon both had big wins today.At full strength, Galway beat Roscommon , I have no doubt about that but next Sunday we will be signifantly understrength particular in the forwards facing a confident Rossies. Will not be betting on the outcome.

homewardbound11

. .

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173534#Comment_120173534

to be fair there was some crowd at the sportsground last night i was surprised given both games on at the same time , must be a lot of sligo people working in the city 😛

WesternZulu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173534#Comment_120173534

All very well but Galway has twice the population of Mayo.

Connaught rugby don't play in the summer and it's not like Galway United are pulling drawing big crowds.

You talk like Galway is a sports mad county but while it has many sports on offer I don't think the Galway public are too invested in attending any of them.

I know many genuine Galway football supporters but the football team has been very poorly supported for as long as I remember.

This isn't so much of a dig but something that has alway puzzled me and something that has been highlighted many times on this tread.

Anyway, last night was a good game for the league and a draw was probably the fairest result.

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120175021#Comment_120175021

well to say 15000 were in castlebar and another near 10000 in the sports ground is serious ,

its the same in clare , its usually die hards for the league and free for all come summer

macslash

Unfortunately the figure in the Sportsground was under 5000, not near 10.

Any word on Finnerty? O'Flaherty impressed me on Sat. He has serious pace and that game will bring him on loads.

Also what's the story with Patrick Kelly? Must be injured, or what??

ShamNNspace

What's the story with Owen Gallagher? I'd have thought he'd have got more of a chance, maybe the management don't rate him too highly, looked a good linkman anytime I've seen him out for us, I know he's in the subs

mjp

Thought our defending and swarm tackling of the attackers on the ball were a huge improvement on what we have seen in the past. Showed a lot more smartness and game management especially when we had black card than the naivety we showed in Joyce's earlier years. All this seems to be since Cian o Neill came on board so will be crediting him with lot of this. Even when mayo went down to 14 in 2nd half we got little or no penetration from our forwards. Once again Matthew Tierney disappeared in the 2nd half and outside his goal had very little impact on the game.

Cillian Mc Said has to take serious flak for his clueless dragdown on Aidan o shea in his own full back line. What was he expecting to get with wrestling him to the ground. Do that when he's bearing down on goal when you stopping a possible goal but not when he's in an area which poses us no immediate danger. Thought the two moycullen lads in the backs and o flaherty handled themselves very well and looked comfortable in high intensity game.

First game of the season on a sticky pitch, but impressed with how decent we were today. No Thomas’s lads either. Clinical with the ball, good running out from midfield, strong work rate.

Happyilylost

Must be one of the worst attended hurling matches by Galway supporters ever. Removing the need for season ticket holders to attend league games to ensure All Ireland tickets has made our support fall off a cliff!

Game was interesting. Pre warm up/warm up and match was all short sharp passing with runners off the shoulder and one two hand passing. First time I've ever seen a clear tactical plan.

Negatives. Niland missed 1-2 from placed balls. Was 100% after. Can't afford to miss penalties.

Fantastic link play. Butchered final play. Ja Mannion out in front all day long dropped everything. Rightly taken off at half time. Jason Flynn butchered another second half. Over played it once or twice. Need to be more clinical.

Positives. Jack Grealish and Darren Morrissey are becoming two rocks I our full back line. GMac very good.

P. Mannion dominated the 6 position.

Midfield hit and miss. Killeen subbed half time. Whelan excellent, Niland after early misses was as expected on frees knocking them over from all angles. Concannon changed the game when he came on. Won everything.

Fair disruption with Joseph Cooney and Kevin Cooney named to start and them having to miss out so all and all despite the nightmare first half was a good start to the year.

With Daithí, Fintan Burke, David Burke, Cathal Mannion, Joseph Cooney, Conor Cooney, Shane Cooney just a few to return competition for places should be intense.

Fair play to young O Shea and Collins.

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120203750#Comment_120203750

Agree with most of this - very modest Galway support there last evening, so much for every hotel room in Wexford being booked out! Don't think the Cooneys' absence had any great bearing on things as it had been known for a couple of days anyway. Mixed bag from us in the first half with our faults coming more from bad passing or over-playing the ball; a number of times we had a player in a scoring position but one more pass was taken instead of shooting. Big improvement in the second half; greater accuracy from Niland on the placed ball, much tighter defensive display from the backs allied to a Wexford fade-out and Concannon brought much better presence in the FF line. Cork, with their tails up after last night, will be a much greater challenge.