Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

basillarkin

16 senior clubs in Galway, B championship is really intermediate and senior in name only .

FintanMcluskey

Donohue certainly isn't a candidate to replace Henry on that performance

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122234704#Comment_122234704

As was said previously, just because your club isn't in Senior A doesn't mean you're not good enough. There's plenty of players playing intermediate that would walk on to any Senior A team. That's the problem in Galway, we keep looking in the same well and come back saying it's dry. If Gearoid Hegarty lived in Galway he'd be sitting at home scratching his balls every Sunday.

Theres a snobbery in traditional hurling areas towards clubs that aren't at the top grade or classed as dual clubs. It carries through to our IC team too when we play "lesser" counties we rarely put in a shift and put them away like KK do. Just look at our history v Dublin and you can see it in action.

threeball

You can't put anything on a manager when the team doesn't show up for one game. If they don't show up for a season, then you can look at the manager.

laymansterms

I don't think it's snobbery, I just think that in general the best hurlers are playing senior hurling. Players reach their potential by playing with and against the best players and getting the best coaching. It's really important that the club championship gives players that.

The exceptional Intermediate and Junior players will always shine exactly because they stand out from the rest of the average intermediate and junior players. I fully agree on casting the net wide. I'm just questioning if the current club championship is serving the IC team well.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235979#Comment_122235979

Totally agree, there's an arrogance in "traditional hurling clubs" towards clubs and players from clubs they deem not hurling clubs, this carries on at inter County level too, we seem to see ourselves up with the traditional big 3; Kilkenny, Cork and Tipp, yet we have a poor head to head record against most of the Liam Mccarthy tier counties, with only a winning record against the likes of Antrim and Offaly, so not sure where this arrogance comes from, possibly from our underage success where we do match up with the big 3 fairly well.

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235979#Comment_122235979

No such thing as snobbery. John Hanbury came from 'unfashionable' Rahoon / Newcastle. Niall Donohoe RIP came from Kilbeacanty. Donal O'Shea is still playing for a Junior club. If they're good enough and they push on, they won't lay undiscovered.

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122236517#Comment_122236517

Agreed with this. What people fail to understand is that there are a few seconds teams playing both senior, junior and intermediate. If the county board reduced down each championship to 16 teams, they would be a higher level of competition and increase opportunity for these players at lower grades.

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235979#Comment_122235979

The 2 stand out junior players the last couple of years are sean mcdonagh and donal o shea, o shea is on the panel and mcdonagh played on the development squad. The captain of the minor team is from ballygar, Greg Thomas and his brother moved to Castlegar from ballygar and Greg has being in and out of senior panel unfairly if you ask me. The 2 mannions, gmac and niall burke were brought in while hurling intermediate, kilcommins from annaghdown got a full league to make his case and then was dropped and went into the football panel. I don't see allot of snobbery there

basillarkin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235979#Comment_122235979

100 per cent, any standouts in the senior B and inter that Henry didn't give a look to that should have got a chance, Donal O Shea got in but we know why that is.

laymansterms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122236503#Comment_122236503

We are up there with Kilkenny, Cork & Tipp! We just are. We compete and win at every grade, age and code.

We need to rebuild at Senior but let's not run ourselves down overall.

SqueakyKneecap

I'll hold my hands up lads. Delighted to see Rob Finnerty starting on Sunday. No Comer but I think that was always going to be unlikely. Kelly in midfield is a big addition also.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122258180#Comment_122258180

I'd be worried about the ability of that half forward line to get up and down the pitch. Tracking Armagh and creating a deep perimeter at the back is important due to their ability to kick points from range.

McDaid certainly isn't a corner forward. Hopefully he drops out as a 3rd midfielder who can alternate attacks with Kelly, one sitting, one going and Armagh have a choice to either double up on Walsh or leave Kelly or McDaid run at them from deep.

MattressRick

Theres normally a change or two before throw in. I think with Kelly and Finnerty named that both could drop out. Pity OCurraoin isn't there. Big boot on him.

I think we need McDaid inside as an option to kick ball. We need to keep Armagh honest at the back. He'll be big enough to hold onto it.

PCeeeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122258180#Comment_122258180

It wouldn't the first time a lad was named and didn't play.

I hope he's fit.

mjp

Hard see Finnerty start with strapping like that on his knee. If so we will see Armagh target him and test out the knee.

Happyilylost

Hard to see Shane Walsh appear for the second half. Carrying his leg badly.

ShamNNspace

Soft goal the difference

threeball

Awful to give up a hard earned 5pt lead with 2 terrible kickouts in a row. It's too important in football to retain possession from a restart and we turn it over far too often. It's been identified time and again as a huge issue and it's not being addressed.

cosatron

Played some nice stuff and some terrible stuff. Goal was a killer and hit the cross bar and goal post and 3 if not 4 into the goalie. I will commend there workrate in the last 10 minute.

testtech05

Bar the obvious 1-1 from the kickouts we left a lot of scores behind I think it was 6 we dropped short and hot the post and bar. Culhane had a good chance to win it too but snatched at it. Didn't ever look like creating a goal chance.

Very disappointing result from what for large parts was a game we controlled.

ClanofLams

Feel sorry for Gleeson, there won’t be anyone more disappointed tonight than him. I like Joyce but he should have taken Gleeson out of this position long ago. Surely time to give Conor Flaherty a chance now.

Worthwent14

No. Gleeson is experienced and in the form of his life albeit a poor mistake today. But we can't risk Flaherty making his debut in a knockout game with that pressure. Just my thoughts.

ClanofLams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266249#Comment_122266249

There was more than one mistake. It’s two years ago since he was integral to an eight point collapse in injury time in an All Ireland Quarter Final that we fortunately scraped through on penalties.

It’s not Gleeson’s fault and as I said there will be no one more disappointed than him tonight but harsh truth is he isn’t inter county standard. Flaherty is a risk for sure, we don’t know if he’s good enough but we know definitively the starter isn’t good enough so it’s a risk you have to take if you have any serious ambition.

Utopia Parkway

Inexplicable how Galway blew that game. Should have won it by 5 or 6 at least. For some reason they always do mental stuff against Armagh. Especially the keeper.

Having said that he can't take all the blame. Galway must have dropped 5 into the keepers arms in the seond half. They should have been 7 or 8 up and home and hosed even before Glesson's howlers.

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266369#Comment_122266369

They have the same issues as Mayo in the business end of the Championship. They don't have the head required to close out games. That's not a fault of the manager

Happyilylost

Minors were gut wrenching yesterday. Not much better today. Go with the worst outcome that may of been it. If Armagh were winning by 10 or 12 at least you take off a few and mind them with 10-15mins to go. Instead every ounce of what we had was left out there.

D'Arcy and Mulkerrin injured. Shane Walsh despite playing well is carrying something. Now you have to manage minutes and fatigue. Comer may be rushed back.

Hard to be too critical overall. Thought Galway were much the better team for long periods. Tactically got it spot on. Dropped off against the breeze, made it difficult for Armagh. Pushed up in the second half and started powering at them.

Toss up as to what was more disappointing. The 4 missed chances before the Armagh goal or the goal itself. At this level you will always be punished.

Roscommon, Cork or Monaghan. Hard to know.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266095#Comment_122266095

Not really, what made the real difference was the fact that Galway didn’t take at least six

good chances prior to the goal.

That would hav put them out of reach so much that the goal would be academic.

I knew they would pay for those misses and that’s how it worked out.

ShamNNspace

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266433#Comment_122266433

The goal was the turning point, it gave impetus to Armagh, there's merit in what you say though we let an awful lot drop short.. Having said that I'm seeing too much nonsense on SM along the lines of Gleeson has to go, he's going nowhere this year at least, a goalkeepers mistakes are held to greater scrutiny than a forwards mistake

Robson99

YOu can't afford to miss the chances we missed in second half and expect to win against the better teams. In a strange way we would have been better off if the neighbours had beaten Dublin....would have meant we would have avoided them IF we get over next weekend