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Galway Hurling thread

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Replying To Stool Pigeon: "Almost every club has a player(s) in it who have been consistently excellent at 'club level' for years but would look like a fish up a tree at county level. This idea of only picking lads 'playing well at club level' is a terrible idea in reality, and if you want to go down the road of excluding players from the swathes of clubs who aren't 'competing in senior club finals consistently' you'd soon find out how truly dreadful an idea it actually is. Toms won 6 in a row and are the reigning All Ireland Champions, but how many of those excellent club players were able to establish a consistent presence in a Galway team that wasn't exactly setting the world alight for much of that period?" I have a theory about the club/county thing which some may guffaw at but which I think is self-evidently true. If a manager decides to make the county champions the backbone of the county team they need to hope that those county champions aren't TOO SUCCESSFUL (i.e. reaching the All Ireland club final) or else the players from the club champions they want to backbone the team need to be managed better in terms of transitioning them back into county training and onto the county team. This has become even more crucial now in this era of the split season where successful club players who play for the county can be training and playing all year round without any break. These very successful amateur players are doing professional levels of training for 11/12 months of the year without any break...contrast that with full-time professional players in other sports who are guaranteed a couple of months off every year before they start pre-season training. Personally I think because St Thomas's were such a successful team it impacted on the performance of some of their star players when they represented the county. Up until this year Conor Cooney was indisputably the best club hurler in the county by some distance over the previous 4 to 5 years yet seldom if ever came close to reaching that level of performance when representing Galway (of course, inter-county is a much higher standard but imo that doesnt fully solve the conundrum). Fintan Burke a year or 2 ago went on record about the huge demands made on successful club players who play for the county and how difficult it was to keep the momentum and maintain a high level of performance across the entire club and county season. Within a couple of weeks of winning the All Ireland last year the St Thomas's players were back training and playing league hurling with Galway which to me seemed madness at the time. The O'Loughlin Gael lads were back quickly with Kilkenny too and the Glen players fielded the following week with Derry after playing in the club football final so the madness was not just a Galway thing. The year following Ballygunner winning their club All Ireland saw Waterford produce their worst performances in the Munster championship, the start of their "failing to win a game" sequence. My only point is that if your club champions are reaching All Ireland finals the county players need to be given a proper break from training and playing (I'd say 6 to 8 weeks) if you want them to have a chance of playing close to their best for the county the following year. PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1953 - 31/10/2024 13:25:47 2577723 Link
Loughrea at 2/5 is a steal. I am putting the house, the caravan, the horse, the dog, and what ever is under my mattress on Loughrea. Looking forward to a final in the home of Galway hurling again. But suspect Cappy wont show up but wel see. clare_sparrow (Galway) - Posts: 439 - 31/10/2024 13:39:49 2577726 Link
Replying To PoolSturgeon: "I have a theory about the club/county thing which some may guffaw at but which I think is self-evidently true. If a manager decides to make the county champions the backbone of the county team they need to hope that those county champions aren't TOO SUCCESSFUL (i.e. reaching the All Ireland club final) or else the players from the club champions they want to backbone the team need to be managed better in terms of transitioning them back into county training and onto the county team. This has become even more crucial now in this era of the split season where successful club players who play for the county can be training and playing all year round without any break. These very successful amateur players are doing professional levels of training for 11/12 months of the year without any break...contrast that with full-time professional players in other sports who are guaranteed a couple of months off every year before they start pre-season training. Personally I think because St Thomas's were such a successful team it impacted on the performance of some of their star players when they represented the county. Up until this year Conor Cooney was indisputably the best club hurler in the county by some distance over the previous 4 to 5 years yet seldom if ever came close to reaching that level of performance when representing Galway (of course, inter-county is a much higher standard but imo that doesnt fully solve the conundrum). Fintan Burke a year or 2 ago went on record about the huge demands made on successful club players who play for the county and how difficult it was to keep the momentum and maintain a high level of performance across the entire club and county season. Within a couple of weeks of winning the All Ireland last year the St Thomas's players were back training and playing league hurling with Galway which to me seemed madness at the time. The O'Loughlin Gael lads were back quickly with Kilkenny too and the Glen players fielded the following week with Derry after playing in the club football final so the madness was not just a Galway thing. The year following Ballygunner winning their club All Ireland saw Waterford produce their worst performances in the Munster championship, the start of their "failing to win a game" sequence. My only point is that if your club champions are reaching All Ireland finals the county players need to be given a proper break from training and playing (I'd say 6 to 8 weeks) if you want them to have a chance of playing close to their best for the county the following year." On the other hand, while Fintan Burke has always looked like a dominant outstanding player at club level, he has never imo looked like a dominant outstanding player at intercounty level. It could be just the step up in standard that's catching these fellas too, regardless of how dominant and successful their club activity is, and regardless of their training schedules. Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3875 - 01/11/2024 13:01:30 2577826 Link
Replying To Pope_Benedict: "On the other hand, while Fintan Burke has always looked like a dominant outstanding player at club level, he has never imo looked like a dominant outstanding player at intercounty level. It could be just the step up in standard that's catching these fellas too, regardless of how dominant and successful their club activity is, and regardless of their training schedules." Most of the county level players are identified early and go through an academy. There is a lot of differences between playing IC and club these days. Kinda like someone playing for Galwegians or Corinthians versus Connacht or Munster, are there some late bloomers and some who are missed absolutely! But the majority have been identified early, now whether we agree with management and their selection process that's different. But we would be hard pressed to find a single talented hurler in the club game that was missed by the county from an identification standpoint. Many things go into it physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and financially on top of God given skill to make it at IC level and even at that a double ACL or something like that could end a career so I guess luck comes into it as well BostonGuy (Galway) - Posts: 133 - 01/11/2024 22:49:09 2577889 Link
Decent game in the intermediate final for the neutral. The game swung on a terrible decision from Shane Hynes not to give a free for a blatant push in the back which then led to a Tynagh goal. Shane Maloney very good for Tynagh and Joshua O'Connor excellent at centre back on the other side. Hard to be too confident in Tynagh's prospects going forward outside of Galway this year or in Senior B next year, they have a very ageing team. galway19 (Galway) - Posts: 793 - 03/11/2024 15:27:23 2578125 Link
Big congratulations to Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry back upto Senior B where 6 of the 8 teams now are East Galway! katser (Galway) - Posts: 2475 - 03/11/2024 15:42:40 2578134 Link
Congratulations TAD. Hard luck Kinvara. Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 2260 - 03/11/2024 18:46:51 2578185 Link
No complaints, we gave it everything and battled to the end but TAD were the better side throughout though we were sticky AF and never went away. We had a very good year and the future looks promising if we can keep everyone together Stool Pigeon (Galway) - Posts: 905 - 04/11/2024 13:28:22 2578325 Link
Great year for Kinvara on reflection. Guys like Liam Martyn, Joshua O Connor and Oisin Ivers have really developed into fine hurlers and a couple of county minors coming next year. TAD were good value for their win. Kinvara (Galway) - Posts: 181 - 06/11/2024 14:50:26 2578599 Link
Replying To Kinvara: "Great year for Kinvara on reflection. Guys like Liam Martyn, Joshua O Connor and Oisin Ivers have really developed into fine hurlers and a couple of county minors coming next year. TAD were good value for their win." Can you see any future County players coming from TAD/Kinvara? Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 2260 - 06/11/2024 19:14:45 2578666 Link
Replying To Trump2020: "Can you see any future County players coming from TAD/Kinvara?" For TAD Micheal Power was excellent at the weekend. If he stays fit he seems to have the size and athleticism to be given a chance in pre season. A lot of Kinvaras guys are on the small side. Joshua O Connor has the size and hurling ability to be given a chance down the road but he has a lot of filling out to do if he is to get there Kinvara (Galway) - Posts: 181 - 07/11/2024 08:21:02 2578712 Link
Should be a cracker on Sunday with a bumper crowd. Game is not on TG4 so could we see near 10,000 in Athenry? Weather is promised good. My hope is that the ref lets it flow - two near neighbours, let them at it. Nobody wants to see a free taking contest. galway19 (Galway) - Posts: 793 - 07/11/2024 08:49:05 2578720 Link
Replying To galway19: "Should be a cracker on Sunday with a bumper crowd. Game is not on TG4 so could we see near 10,000 in Athenry? Weather is promised good. My hope is that the ref lets it flow - two near neighbours, let them at it. Nobody wants to see a free taking contest." I don't think that Kenny Park can accommodate 10,000 spectators, there was a good attendance at the semi finals somewhere in the 3,500 to 4,500 range and I can't see that crowd being more than doubled. A crowd of 6 to 7 thousand would create a fine atmosphere and would be more than 3 times what attended the football final.I am very aware that the football does not attract neutral spectators in anything like numbers as their hurling counterparts, so comparisons are not very pertinent regarding size but makes a huge difference to the atmosphere generated on the day.The pleasant surroundings of Kenny Park has a more atmospheric feel than the sheer size of Pearse Stadium or the rundown condition of Tuam and the under developed condition of Duggan Park. backtooldwall (Galway) - Posts: 138 - 07/11/2024 10:23:10 2578737 Link
Replying To backtooldwall: "I don't think that Kenny Park can accommodate 10,000 spectators, there was a good attendance at the semi finals somewhere in the 3,500 to 4,500 range and I can't see that crowd being more than doubled. A crowd of 6 to 7 thousand would create a fine atmosphere and would be more than 3 times what attended the football final.I am very aware that the football does not attract neutral spectators in anything like numbers as their hurling counterparts, so comparisons are not very pertinent regarding size but makes a huge difference to the atmosphere generated on the day.The pleasant surroundings of Kenny Park has a more atmospheric feel than the sheer size of Pearse Stadium or the rundown condition of Tuam and the under developed condition of Duggan Park." Do people go to matches to watch them, or to watch other people watching them? It's the former for me personally, which is why I'd put good stand, terrace and vantage points, well ahead of any 'atmospheric considerations', when rating venues. Salthill is way ahead of Athenry imo, for those reasons. Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3875 - 07/11/2024 12:28:19 2578770 Link
Replying To Pope_Benedict: "Do people go to matches to watch them, or to watch other people watching them? It's the former for me personally, which is why I'd put good stand, terrace and vantage points, well ahead of any 'atmospheric considerations', when rating venues. Salthill is way ahead of Athenry imo, for those reasons." I agree but the lack of spectator energy takes from the spectacle of the game when a fairly decent crowd is lost in a big stadium ie 5 or 6 thousand in Pearse Stadium or 2 or 3 times that amount in Croke Park or other very large venues.Teams and spectators feed of each others energy to make for a more satisfying event, backtooldwall (Galway) - Posts: 138 - 07/11/2024 13:52:21 2578803 Link
Replying To backtooldwall: "I don't think that Kenny Park can accommodate 10,000 spectators, there was a good attendance at the semi finals somewhere in the 3,500 to 4,500 range and I can't see that crowd being more than doubled. A crowd of 6 to 7 thousand would create a fine atmosphere and would be more than 3 times what attended the football final.I am very aware that the football does not attract neutral spectators in anything like numbers as their hurling counterparts, so comparisons are not very pertinent regarding size but makes a huge difference to the atmosphere generated on the day.The pleasant surroundings of Kenny Park has a more atmospheric feel than the sheer size of Pearse Stadium or the rundown condition of Tuam and the under developed condition of Duggan Park." Cappy and Loughrea between them would bring 4000 alone without even the neutrals. The amount of ex pats coming home from abroad especially the UK will be large I'd expect for the Final. katser (Galway) - Posts: 2475 - 07/11/2024 14:23:45 2578806 Link
My guess is there was about 3000 spectators at the Junior F final between Kinvara and Salthill in Gort 2 weeks ago. maybe more! batitout (Galway) - Posts: 60 - 07/11/2024 15:12:56 2578811 Link
Replying To Pope_Benedict: "Do people go to matches to watch them, or to watch other people watching them? It's the former for me personally, which is why I'd put good stand, terrace and vantage points, well ahead of any 'atmospheric considerations', when rating venues. Salthill is way ahead of Athenry imo, for those reasons." Given the choice and that there's no real danger of it being sold out anyway I would always choose Athenry over Salthill. There are almost no poor vantage points in Athenry either. Plus Pearse Stadium will never not be a ballache to get to and from and that really matters to a lot of people. PS won't attract the undecided neutral to a game in the way almost any other venue in Galway would due to the traffic factor. While atmospheres are quite often a reflection of the game there's no doubt that you're more likely to have a better atmosphere in a smaller stadium, everything else being equal. Stool Pigeon (Galway) - Posts: 905 - 07/11/2024 21:29:42 2578861 Link
Replying To Kinvara: "For TAD Micheal Power was excellent at the weekend. If he stays fit he seems to have the size and athleticism to be given a chance in pre season. A lot of Kinvaras guys are on the small side. Joshua O Connor has the size and hurling ability to be given a chance down the road but he has a lot of filling out to do if he is to get there" Power was a standout minor at 11, did very well in the 2021(?) AI Minor final in a team that got hosed by Cork, think he took Ben O'Connor for 0-4 from play that day. He's not a back though. He did a good job the last day for TAD there, but he just wouldn't cut it in defence at a higher level. Could make a useful half forward though in time. He's exactly the profile of player we need to be looking at going forward. God knows we could do with an 11 who could be expected to occupy an opposition 6 at a minimum Stool Pigeon (Galway) - Posts: 905 - 07/11/2024 21:37:50 2578863 Link
Replying To Stool Pigeon: "Given the choice and that there's no real danger of it being sold out anyway I would always choose Athenry over Salthill. There are almost no poor vantage points in Athenry either. Plus Pearse Stadium will never not be a ballache to get to and from and that really matters to a lot of people. PS won't attract the undecided neutral to a game in the way almost any other venue in Galway would due to the traffic factor. While atmospheres are quite often a reflection of the game there's no doubt that you're more likely to have a better atmosphere in a smaller stadium, everything else being equal." 100% correct. Atmosphere for a county final is no comparison between Athenry and Pearse stadium. Give me Athenry all day long and the proof of that is I haven't been to a final in PS in years but have my ticket got for Sunday already. Hopefully a huge crowd turns up and the powers that be make the sensible decision to keep the county finals in Athenry going forward please god. John Doe (Galway) - Posts: 241 - 08/11/2024 09:47:03 2578895 Link