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Galway Football thread

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Replying To winatallcost:  "This poster is quite touchy southmeathgael. Very upset with how I ranked Galway but my rankings were based statistically on how the competition was so far. The only move after the weekends action from what I see is that Galway move from 9th down to 8th best team in All-Ireland series so far. Who knows they may be in top 4 after next weekend but I am just basing my rankings on what I have seen so far. There is very little between most teams. Think Armagh and Tyrone will have too much for Kerry and Dublin respectively while other two ties are every matched and depend on how sides perform on the day."
You are hiding behind the word "statistically" to give a false impression of the strength of counties and you are doing it to poke at us here on the Galway football thread. Clearly disingenuous.
Every man and his dog knows the group 4 with Armagh, Galway, Dublin, Derry was by far the best group in this lopsided all Ireland series. Can anyone really say that Louth, Cavan, Cork were better than Derry this year? They were all very fortunate to get to last 12. Just like Meath fortunate to get to last 8 on luck of being in a very poor group.
Meath have gotten a kick out of these new rules but have they really come up against a team that will stop them shooting? The only good teams they've played are Kerry and Dublin, and neither team actually showed up for those games. You're basing meath's strength on beating no hope teams like Roscommon and Cork. Delusional.

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 206 - 23/06/2025 12:22:12    2620233

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Replying To systematic:  "Id be surprised about those rumours. Only young player losing out on game time is Jack Glynn. Hernon has been handed starts and has overall been good but has he really done enough - prob looked better coming on vs Armagh than starting v down. DOF fantastic going forward but weak defensively - a bit of a liability in this game and it was noticeable for the 2nd & 3rd goals yday.
Sweeney by all accounts would have played if not for minor injury. Who else then - cooke is getting game time over Conroy this year as Conroy doing avg of 35 mins. Other young players kept in with team with mixed performances - Tierney, Fitzgerald, McGrath. Standout young players this year are Finnerty and Thompson, older players is Darcy and Shane. All players had a few difficulties - silke needed position change this week, Kelly got a man marking job and did well. McHugh prob in most danger but the next in line for that spot is Molloy who is roughly the same age.
Haven't seen any other young players really putting hands up and owning position or owning game.
Good sign as it shows the competition of squad."
Just to respond to this, Shane walsh is 30+ and D'Arcy is 26 so hard to put them both in the "older" bracket

Galway2025 (Galway) - Posts: 3 - 23/06/2025 12:31:17    2620239

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Replying To southmeathgael:  "It's just a bit of crack lad, relax."
I'm very relaxed. Just spent last week reading posts from Donegal people for some strange reason and based on today it looks like you're here for the week too. I like to hear what the Galway view is that's all

smallfrank (Galway) - Posts: 533 - 23/06/2025 12:36:03    2620244

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Replying To PressureKick:  "With the exception of Daniel O'Flaherty, who probably deserves a start, what young player has shown enough to think they'd deserve to be playing over Silke, McHugh or Kelly? Jack Glynn is off couple of big mistakes in successive games. Not sure who else you could be referring to? Hernon has played plenty and missed Derry with a bereavement"
Don't mind that "insight". People talk a lot of rubbish on here. Experience is what wins the big games, not youth. There's no such talk "in the Galway changing room". A 2024 Irish Times article noted that in an All-Ireland winning team, most starters were 30 or older.
Statistics will show you the strongest and most feared GAA footballers in the championship are over 35, not to mind over 30. Stephen Cluxton = 43, Micheal Murphy = 36, Rory Grugan - 34 years old, Aidan Forker - 33 years old, Paul Conroy = 35, these are the key players who know how to win a game. That experience is the only thing that matters in the last 10 minutes. Look at how Conroy handled our Armagh win 2 weeks ago.

Gearoid1998ffowaed (Galway) - Posts: 158 - 23/06/2025 12:40:45    2620252

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Replying To LottoPlus:  "Rumours from the camp is that a lot of the younger (well they are 23/24 now) are playing better that players who are actually on the team and after this year they wont stay around unless there is change. We have 4-5 lads no matter how bad they play will start, namely Silke, McHugh, Kelly, Conroy who all seem to be struggling with the new rules. Dont get me wrong these are great servants but sometime sentiment gets in the way. I even say Cooke is not used to new rules. There wont be change now but I think PJ could be leading the footballers the same way as what the hurling community did leaving player past their sell by date. Now I was in Down yesterday and I thought that Down kicked themselves out of it even though at the end we should great heart."
What are you on about?
There were 5 lads who started yesterday who were on the u20 AI winning team in 2020.
Another (Tomo) came off the bench and yet another (Glynn) started all the previous championship games.
An 8th member of that team (Sweeney) picked up a knock on Thursday so had to drop out of the 26.
He was duly replaced in that 26 by a guy who is 21 years old.
Two others from that team (Paul Kelly & Patrick Kelly) were given big roles in the run to the '22 final.
Thompson was under 20 last year.
O'Flaherty was still under 20 in '23.
Finnerty, Maher, Kelly, McDaid, McHugh, D'arcy, Molloy, Daly, Cooke, Mulkerrin are all around 27-28 (all played in the 2017 u21 AI final).
There are only a handful of players left in the entire squad older than that (Walsh, Comer, Conroy, Heaney, Gleeson & Silke).
So you are talking rubbish.
This management has been very pro-active in giving young players their chance.
The facts speak for themselves in that regard.

galwayman2 (Galway) - Posts: 1318 - 23/06/2025 12:44:17    2620256

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Replying To Mayonman:  "Lots of negative rubbish being spouted. On any objective analysis we are doing well. Room for improvement yes but talk of issues in the squad ..... not a chance. You don't fight back like we do if they are not united.

We mixed the bad with the brilliant yesterday. I think Liam Silke is struggling. I don't know if it is lack of form, the new rules not suiting him or if it's out defensive at up. Whatever it is, we are leaking too much much. Jack Glynn maybe? I wouldn't put DO'F in the corner. Not sure that would tighten us up. His impact of the bench is huge.

Keeper is an issue. I thought Fla was poor for the first goal. He showed the attacker the right side and made it easy. He might not have saved it anyway but... Kick outs were really poor again. Gleeson is not exactly Cluxton esque either but at least it is 10-15 yards longer and that matters. 2 poor games in a row. I would change now.

Cooke getting better every game. Driving forward now. Previously he seemed to go sideways a lot.

I also like that we are not trying to play all of our big men from the start. It is really important to have impact of the bench and potentially it could unbalance the team playing all of them.

Tierney was so so on Sunday. More in him and we need to see it.

Every chance going forward. Just need a couple of tweaks.

Hopefully Shane is OK.

The extra week will do Damo the world of good. BTW see him having craic with a few Down kids. He made their day. He's a legend and a decent skin

Gaillimh abù"
Hardly poor.Made some good deliveries as well that were needed towards end and he also made 3 good saves or is the negative all you want to comment on.

Alwaysencourage (Galway) - Posts: 510 - 23/06/2025 12:52:32    2620261

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Replying To Galway2025:  "Just to respond to this, Shane walsh is 30+ and D'Arcy is 26 so hard to put them both in the "older" bracket"
Clearly if that is your only takeaway from my post then that's sound. I did say older & both clearly have many games left. I wanted to distinguish the players than came through Joyce's u20 team including younger players after from the "older" guard many of whom were there previously - clearly Darcy has established himself as a starter and is not a relatively immature young lad.

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 206 - 23/06/2025 13:01:46    2620267

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Replying To systematic:  "You are hiding behind the word "statistically" to give a false impression of the strength of counties and you are doing it to poke at us here on the Galway football thread. Clearly disingenuous.
Every man and his dog knows the group 4 with Armagh, Galway, Dublin, Derry was by far the best group in this lopsided all Ireland series. Can anyone really say that Louth, Cavan, Cork were better than Derry this year? They were all very fortunate to get to last 12. Just like Meath fortunate to get to last 8 on luck of being in a very poor group.
Meath have gotten a kick out of these new rules but have they really come up against a team that will stop them shooting? The only good teams they've played are Kerry and Dublin, and neither team actually showed up for those games. You're basing meath's strength on beating no hope teams like Roscommon and Cork. Delusional."
Derry haven't won a match all year not to mention they were relegated to Div. 2. Agree Cavan were poor while Louth didn't perform in All Ireland series. Armagh were already through which had a big bearing on their 2nd half performance.
The competition has the best 8 teams left, nobody can argue with that. Galway very fortunate to be there and were the ones that struggled through the weekend too but seems straightforward in all they have to do is stop a Meath team that happened to beat Dublin and Kerry on off days from shooting! Dublin and Kerry just let Meath shoot and threw in the towel. Also Meath didn't even beat Roscommon so you are giving them too much credit!

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 709 - 23/06/2025 13:11:27    2620273

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Replying To galwayman2:  "What are you on about?
There were 5 lads who started yesterday who were on the u20 AI winning team in 2020.
Another (Tomo) came off the bench and yet another (Glynn) started all the previous championship games.
An 8th member of that team (Sweeney) picked up a knock on Thursday so had to drop out of the 26.
He was duly replaced in that 26 by a guy who is 21 years old.
Two others from that team (Paul Kelly & Patrick Kelly) were given big roles in the run to the '22 final.
Thompson was under 20 last year.
O'Flaherty was still under 20 in '23.
Finnerty, Maher, Kelly, McDaid, McHugh, D'arcy, Molloy, Daly, Cooke, Mulkerrin are all around 27-28 (all played in the 2017 u21 AI final).
There are only a handful of players left in the entire squad older than that (Walsh, Comer, Conroy, Heaney, Gleeson & Silke).
So you are talking rubbish.
This management has been very pro-active in giving young players their chance.
The facts speak for themselves in that regard."
Your spot on i have a feeling that our friend lotto plus has a relative on the panel that he feels should be starting just look back at some of his posts possibly from the same club as Damo

minor77 (Galway) - Posts: 281 - 23/06/2025 13:15:14    2620275

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Replying To winatallcost:  "Derry haven't won a match all year not to mention they were relegated to Div. 2. Agree Cavan were poor while Louth didn't perform in All Ireland series. Armagh were already through which had a big bearing on their 2nd half performance.
The competition has the best 8 teams left, nobody can argue with that. Galway very fortunate to be there and were the ones that struggled through the weekend too but seems straightforward in all they have to do is stop a Meath team that happened to beat Dublin and Kerry on off days from shooting! Dublin and Kerry just let Meath shoot and threw in the towel. Also Meath didn't even beat Roscommon so you are giving them too much credit!"
Clearly Galway way better than Meath so as we actually beat the Rossies!

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 206 - 23/06/2025 13:20:00    2620278

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Replying To winatallcost:  "Derry haven't won a match all year not to mention they were relegated to Div. 2. Agree Cavan were poor while Louth didn't perform in All Ireland series. Armagh were already through which had a big bearing on their 2nd half performance.
The competition has the best 8 teams left, nobody can argue with that. Galway very fortunate to be there and were the ones that struggled through the weekend too but seems straightforward in all they have to do is stop a Meath team that happened to beat Dublin and Kerry on off days from shooting! Dublin and Kerry just let Meath shoot and threw in the towel. Also Meath didn't even beat Roscommon so you are giving them too much credit!"
No team is fortunate to be in the last 8. Galway have beaten Roscommon, Mayo, Armagh and Down, drawn with Derry and lost by a point to Dublin with the last kick
Every team has earned their place at this stage. The Galway lads have shown tremendous resilience in a lot of these matches. That's not as a result of good fortune. It shows a great attitude and digging in when the going is tough.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2405 - 23/06/2025 13:22:52    2620280

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Replying To winatallcost:  "Derry haven't won a match all year not to mention they were relegated to Div. 2. Agree Cavan were poor while Louth didn't perform in All Ireland series. Armagh were already through which had a big bearing on their 2nd half performance.
The competition has the best 8 teams left, nobody can argue with that. Galway very fortunate to be there and were the ones that struggled through the weekend too but seems straightforward in all they have to do is stop a Meath team that happened to beat Dublin and Kerry on off days from shooting! Dublin and Kerry just let Meath shoot and threw in the towel. Also Meath didn't even beat Roscommon so you are giving them too much credit!"
meith are possibly the worst team to get into quarter final since Leitrim 94.

galway learning every game. win connacht, 1 point loss to dublin, draw against derry, beat AI champs.

I will leave you with one word:

PADRAIG JOYCE 2001

Scantermediate69 (Australia) - Posts: 8 - 23/06/2025 13:27:37    2620283

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Replying To systematic:  "Clearly Galway way better than Meath so as we actually beat the Rossies!"
Right ok but Dublin beat Galway who Meath beat?
I guess Rossies the benchmark.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 709 - 23/06/2025 13:33:03    2620287

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Replying To WanPintWin:  "No team is fortunate to be in the last 8. Galway have beaten Roscommon, Mayo, Armagh and Down, drawn with Derry and lost by a point to Dublin with the last kick
Every team has earned their place at this stage. The Galway lads have shown tremendous resilience in a lot of these matches. That's not as a result of good fortune. It shows a great attitude and digging in when the going is tough."
Especially after last year's AI disappointment.They have found a fighting spirit this year that I didnt think they had in them.They are a tight knit squad and you will hear very little from the players outside of dressing room.

Alwaysencourage (Galway) - Posts: 510 - 23/06/2025 13:39:53    2620292

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Replying To winatallcost:  "Derry haven't won a match all year not to mention they were relegated to Div. 2. Agree Cavan were poor while Louth didn't perform in All Ireland series. Armagh were already through which had a big bearing on their 2nd half performance.
The competition has the best 8 teams left, nobody can argue with that. Galway very fortunate to be there and were the ones that struggled through the weekend too but seems straightforward in all they have to do is stop a Meath team that happened to beat Dublin and Kerry on off days from shooting! Dublin and Kerry just let Meath shoot and threw in the towel. Also Meath didn't even beat Roscommon so you are giving them too much credit!"
Meath are a very athletic robust side, blessed with a range of talented players who can kick two-pointers. Motivation will be no problem as imho the bookies are underrating their achievements to date. I'm hoping for a Galway win but by no means overly confident. Galway have had to dig deep to win the last two matches, so, it remains to be seen what if any impact that will have on their next performance. The one positive I'm taking from these games is their midfield/forward division is playing better as a unit- continuing to improve and all players shouldering their responsibilities. However, the game has changrd a lot as regards defence, so I'm hoping our defensive unit can improve a notch to stem the amount of scores being leaked.

Really (Galway) - Posts: 644 - 23/06/2025 13:44:50    2620296

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I would respect Meath lads, they have pedigree and tradition but lacking in experience but they are a work in progress. To get to the QF and a chance at a semi is a fair years work for them. The loss to Louth in Croker will be the one PJ will be looking at as Louth have certainly not shot the lights out since. I am hopeful that our strenght, forward line and experience will get us over Meath but it is an All-Ireland QF and its there to be won on the pitch not on paper.

JahTribe (Galway) - Posts: 162 - 23/06/2025 13:49:53    2620298

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Replying To Scantermediate69:  "meith are possibly the worst team to get into quarter final since Leitrim 94.

galway learning every game. win connacht, 1 point loss to dublin, draw against derry, beat AI champs.

I will leave you with one word:

PADRAIG JOYCE 2001"
Connaught must have been brutal in 1994 and I think Galway had two chances to beat Leitrim that year as there was a replay. So you saw the loss to Dublin at home as a step forward after Connaught win? At least you can got the easiest draw again!

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 709 - 23/06/2025 13:50:59    2620299

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Replying To winatallcost:  "Right ok but Dublin beat Galway who Meath beat?
I guess Rossies the benchmark."
dublin let meith win out of pity

Scantermediate69 (Australia) - Posts: 8 - 23/06/2025 13:53:45    2620300

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Replying To winatallcost:  "Right ok but Dublin beat Galway who Meath beat?
I guess Rossies the benchmark."
Dublin at 50% might as well have been a different team! Meath will finish 2025 with no titles to show poor showing in Leinster final and ****** out of the QFs.
Oh but at least ye beat Dublin...

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 206 - 23/06/2025 13:54:51    2620301

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If Walsh is fully fit and also if Comer gets back playing Galway will be hard to beat this year, lots of experience of recent finals too.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3287 - 23/06/2025 13:56:54    2620303

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