Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

The home-coming in Tuam was streamed on the county council Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Galwaycounty

The lads look utterly devastated. I could hardly sleep last night so I can only imagine what it is like for them.

Those 3 or 4 breaks after the Armagh goal where we had extra numbers on the counter and panicked were decisive. You have to be finishing those at the top level to be the best and we just didn't have the stones to convert. Armagh also did well to ensure McDaid, McHugh, Silke and Tierney were nullified almost entirely in the first 45 minutes. We weren't prepared, oddly enough, to provide the support runners needed to break down that blanket. It was really poor man management from PJ, Scan and Co, being brutally honest.

Conroy, Maher and D'Arcy died with their boots on out there. They absolutely emptied themselves and should hold their heads high.

Absolutely devastated to lose that and would genuinely feel that was my lowest coming out of Croker in my 30+ years. Plenty of deserved sniggering messages but at the end of the day we led to our own demise.

Congratulations to Armagh finally. They've been able to edge out results against us since 2022 and if fairness it takes a damn good team to overcome their penalty shootout woes. Their supporters bring fantastic life wherever they go and they deserve to celebrate that for months to come.

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?

Watched it back yesterday. They really lost an opportunity with a minute and a half to go. Burke had it, passed inside to Molloy. Unfortunately, Molloy had his back to goal. But if he had the presence of mind, there was a Galway player just running inside behind him. That player should have been roaring at Molloy to turn around and pass him the ball. It was a goal scoring opportunity at that stage with the amount of Galway players close to goal. Obviously, a point would be the sensible option to send it to extra time.

They will have so many regrets on that final.

And not just Galway supporters, I would venture. 😉

To all the Galway folk here - commiserations. That was a contest of the finest margins and on another day, Sam could have been heading west. Wee things went for us on Sunday. I understand the hurt - God knows, we have been through enough of it, following Armagh - but my hope is that you can get the injuries sorted and regroup. A fully fit Galway would surely be able to mount another serious challenge for the summit.

Videos can be quite deceptive.

Watching it back again lastnight I'm surprised that Conroy snatched at that last point attempt as hes an expert over the years at drawing in frees when he takes it into contact.He mightnt have had the legs or energy to take on the armagh defenders at that stage and the clock was against him aswell which may have rushed him. First thing Joyce has to do is sit down with Paul and tell him to take a break from setup till end of the league and that door is open for him to return next April and give it another year as would be a shame if sunday was the last we will see of him in a galway jersey. Clare and Limerick hurlers have managed it very well with Tony Kelly/Shane o Donnell , Aaron Gillane over the years. He has so much more to offer us and his injury profile has been good bar the horrific long term injuries he picked up.

Hard know where you start with Comer and Sean Kelly but playing long club campaigns on one leg is not the answer for them which is harsh on their clubs. Have no knowledge in area but I do wonder whether we have to look at the training & medical teams within setup and whether we can be better resourced there. Know in the past that Joyce was known to be narrow minded and went against the advise of his medical teams and was to their detriment. There is huge potential there with only slight tweaking needed to be at the business end of championship next year.