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Galway Football thread

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Replying To smallfrank:  "For all the talk of new found squad depth i thought we lacked any the last few weeks. I think we need 2 forwards. The Ian Burke call hasn't worked, Shane's form had dropped off a cliff and Comer is injury prone. The other side of the pitch we have found McGrath, Hernon, Glynn even Eoghan Kelly, Maher and Mulcahy. Need to find a couple of finishers, Culhane possibly the answer but I'm not sure.
Also need the likes of Silke, Molloy even James McLaughlin back fit"
Truthfully the players outside the first fifteen weren't trusted. Once fit the first fifteen all got their jerseys back.
I was worried during the fbd and league with the amount of game time the main players were getting and it showed. We never gave anyone time or matches to get exposure to full back.
Who was our back up if Daly got injured today?

Playing Kelly with a bad limp was two fingers to the rest of the panel. Culhane comes on in the 68th minute? FFS.
Burke on for Comer was the final nail on Galways chances. Players especially forwards need confidence but Joyce is hesitant to make the really big changes.

jam83 (Galway) - Posts: 179 - 25/06/2023 22:26:16    2489326

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Replying To jobseekersbent:  "Main priorities for next year:
1) Consistent Free takers from left and right.
2) New keeper (though Gleeson has improved under high balls, his kickouts still slow and limited)
3) Plan B when Comer is injured (so frequently injured so we need to have a plan for this)

Anything else?"
Don't play injured players…. Kelly wasn't even half fit.. poor management call there…

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3370 - 25/06/2023 22:37:47    2489330

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Genuinely like Galway and would always support ye out of Connacht......but must send a big middle finger to "belclare" and "pancakeface"!

ponga (Mayo) - Posts: 658 - 25/06/2023 23:11:36    2489336

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In the name of Jesus we started the game with 3 natural forwards Heaney played most of his football as a defender Tierney as a midfielder and then we use Fitzgerald to replace Ian Burke. I know the game has changed and tactics are becoming huge but any team at any level needs natural forwards that can score. It has come back to haunt us time and again under this management

Brandyh (Galway) - Posts: 25 - 25/06/2023 23:34:58    2489342

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Commiserations everyone. Has PJ committed to a few more years with Galway? Or what agreement has he got with Galway?

Cbar (Mayo) - Posts: 335 - 25/06/2023 23:49:44    2489345

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Replying To PancakeWard:  "We just need to go for them down the middle and stop pussy footing around the place . Let Cooke go at them Maher too and tell Tierney to move infield he is too far out on the wing. Johnny Heaney will pop up with a goal im sure of it and Shane Walsh will have his best game since AIF. Run, run, run at them **** away with recyling it. If its the same as and we lose there needs to be a total rethink for 2024. I want Mayo to get a bating, christ almighty deliver them a hammering."
How's your evening going ?

ponga (Mayo) - Posts: 658 - 25/06/2023 23:51:29    2489346

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Replying To jam83:  "Truthfully the players outside the first fifteen weren't trusted. Once fit the first fifteen all got their jerseys back.
I was worried during the fbd and league with the amount of game time the main players were getting and it showed. We never gave anyone time or matches to get exposure to full back.
Who was our back up if Daly got injured today?

Playing Kelly with a bad limp was two fingers to the rest of the panel. Culhane comes on in the 68th minute? FFS.
Burke on for Comer was the final nail on Galways chances. Players especially forwards need confidence but Joyce is hesitant to make the really big changes."
This notion that you're going to have 'panelists' that'll seamlessly replace the top players in the Galway side like Comer, Walsh, Kelly or Daly, without any diminution in the results is just pie in the sky nonsense. You'll never have substitutes who are as good as your top players. If you had, they wouldn't be substitutes for very long in the first place.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3921 - 26/06/2023 00:16:53    2489350

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Replying To jam83:  "Truthfully the players outside the first fifteen weren't trusted. Once fit the first fifteen all got their jerseys back.
I was worried during the fbd and league with the amount of game time the main players were getting and it showed. We never gave anyone time or matches to get exposure to full back.
Who was our back up if Daly got injured today?

Playing Kelly with a bad limp was two fingers to the rest of the panel. Culhane comes on in the 68th minute? FFS.
Burke on for Comer was the final nail on Galways chances. Players especially forwards need confidence but Joyce is hesitant to make the really big changes."
Small but great point on the main players playing the FBD.
Yes, it is a small competition but what a chance it is for lads to get some sort of experience and learning at intercounty level.
Some lads got 5,10,20,30 minutes of a chance during these FBD games and weren't seen for the rest of the year then, in my opinion this amount of time is not enough of a chance to give these lads on the verge of the panel.
Maybe I'm wrong but we need more younger and different lads coming through now and breaking onto this panel.

LetsPlayBall (Galway) - Posts: 64 - 26/06/2023 07:35:35    2489355

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Replying To galwayford:  "Joyce seems to have his favourites, his cronies, who will not be dropped regardless. Shane Walsh was very poor today. Kelly should not have played either. He is good though, but if injured he should not play. Galway lack a good place kicker. How many wides has Walshe had. Too many big time Charlies on the team, including the manager. What is to be done, good luck Mayo, please go on and win it this time. Galway need to look long and hard at themselves."
I, too, am reluctant to criticise management. But there is one point that I want to bring up.
I made this point too at the time , but dropping Barry McHugh was insanity.
I know there are question marks over Barry's lack of pace but he is the best free taker in Galway, has great hands and 2 good feet. Now, I want to re-iterate the point I made at the time that I didnt expect him to be a starter but I thought that a) he could be very useful later in games when a small bit of the pace was gone out of it and b) a contingency for frees if anything ever happened Shane. At the time I was more thinking about injury to Shane as I did not predict that his form would drop to a level whereby he would be regularly miskicking frees that by his standard, or Barry's standard , are relatively easy.
Others have criticised team selection , but I am reluctant to do so because I don't see every training session or trial game so I'm inclined to trust in that process. But to drop Barry completely off the panel for 2 poor 30 minutes of football in surreal conditions in Jan/Feb can only be described as crazy. We carried a panel of close to 40 , at least 15 of who were never going to get game time, why not carry Barry , someone who could have added value. If Shane Walsh didnt touch the ball from play v Armagh or Mayo but converted a reasonable portion of the deadballs we would have won both games easily.
This poor judgement / lack of foresight has made me question management.

anotheralias (Galway) - Posts: 961 - 26/06/2023 09:38:48    2489380

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very disappointing performance to say the least.
far too many wides, we thought forwards had gone missing against Armagh it was just as bad yesterday. 12 points and 9 wides just isn't good enough - Shane missing 4/5 on his own. there has been loads of praise for matthew tierney but very mixed in championship not including playing division four team sligo, he simply has to work on his shooting for goals, that was the winning of the game yesterday - was one of his only touches in second half bar the wide.
for me three players can be proud of their performance yesteray - mcgrath/conroy/glynn great leadership from all three , if conroy does calls its a day, a great servant. cooke kicked a great score in first half but three times (again) dispossessed at crucial stages, johnathan heaneys form has dropped as much as shane walshes. typical diarmuid o'connor in the refs ear after every foul for or against mayo, that said no one to blame but ourselves.

cocopop (Roscommon) - Posts: 38 - 26/06/2023 09:40:29    2489381

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Replying To LetsPlayBall:  "Small but great point on the main players playing the FBD.
Yes, it is a small competition but what a chance it is for lads to get some sort of experience and learning at intercounty level.
Some lads got 5,10,20,30 minutes of a chance during these FBD games and weren't seen for the rest of the year then, in my opinion this amount of time is not enough of a chance to give these lads on the verge of the panel.
Maybe I'm wrong but we need more younger and different lads coming through now and breaking onto this panel."
I don't think anyone on panel would have issue with Kelly playing he's the heartbeat of team and even not fully fit he setup goal for Tierney.

Plenty young lads have been brought through this year just unfortunately no forwards but look at our u20 team that won all Ireland forwards were poor Tierney and tomo did 90% of scoring the rest weren't great.

Hernon only 20 McGrath come through as an outstanding corner back. O'flaherty too got game time. McLaughlin will hopefully get back.

Mchugh, finnerty, canney, Connelly, all had enough opportunities to see can they play at this level.

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1316 - 26/06/2023 09:57:06    2489392

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Fine margins and what if Comer was fully fit but then again he's had a career of injury issues. Dublin in last eight if won yesterday or Monaghan had Galway topped the group the biggest slip up was there than yesterday.

Gaa_lover (USA) - Posts: 3521 - 26/06/2023 10:15:33    2489409

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Replying To Pope_Benedict:  "This notion that you're going to have 'panelists' that'll seamlessly replace the top players in the Galway side like Comer, Walsh, Kelly or Daly, without any diminution in the results is just pie in the sky nonsense. You'll never have substitutes who are as good as your top players. If you had, they wouldn't be substitutes for very long in the first place."
True to a point but I always look at the Dubs under Gavin. In reality they had 9 forwards and started any 6.
The likes of Kevin McManamon and Cormac Costello even the Brogans came on and won them games. They were as good as the starters.

Mayo got an impact from O'Connor and Carr yesterday.

In hindsight it we were to go with the wind first half again I would have started Finnerty, even Culhane who have a boot to kick long range, bring on Comer then.
Someone like Michael Daly(remember him) would have kicked a score with that breeze as well.

smallfrank (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 26/06/2023 10:24:27    2489416

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Surely Ryan ODonoghue should be penalised for just deplorable behaviour. Looking down and kicking Sean Kelly in his bad ankle - not only is spiteful and embarrassing, but possibly end Sean's career. Play him man to man. Don't kick a man when he's down. Mayo might have won as a team, but they lost as men.

Gearoid1998ffowaed (Galway) - Posts: 134 - 26/06/2023 10:43:42    2489428

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Ian Burke once again shown to be not good enough. Hasn't done a thing all year. Amazing to think he once won an all star. Looks more like a hurler than a footballer at the moment.

MapleSyrup (Galway) - Posts: 165 - 26/06/2023 10:50:04    2489431

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Replying To Pope_Benedict:  "This notion that you're going to have 'panelists' that'll seamlessly replace the top players in the Galway side like Comer, Walsh, Kelly or Daly, without any diminution in the results is just pie in the sky nonsense. You'll never have substitutes who are as good as your top players. If you had, they wouldn't be substitutes for very long in the first place."
The Dubs had it for a couple of years but it was a complete one off, highly unlikely to happen again and certainly not in Galway. If Galway are too win All Irelands they need a bit of luck with all their top players player, there'll always be injuries but you'd be hoping it was not to one of the star players.

Galway not a million miles off, if everyone commits and they find a few more players then Galway will have a strong squad. The keeper situation needs sorting.

TheBishop (Galway) - Posts: 289 - 26/06/2023 10:50:31    2489433

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Replying To smallfrank:  "True to a point but I always look at the Dubs under Gavin. In reality they had 9 forwards and started any 6.
The likes of Kevin McManamon and Cormac Costello even the Brogans came on and won them games. They were as good as the starters.

Mayo got an impact from O'Connor and Carr yesterday.

In hindsight it we were to go with the wind first half again I would have started Finnerty, even Culhane who have a boot to kick long range, bring on Comer then.
Someone like Michael Daly(remember him) would have kicked a score with that breeze as well."
Pretty obvious at this stage that the forward line needs a massive shake up in 2024. One positive this year is the number of new defenders that were blooded. With extra backs and 'no' forwards to select in 2024, it might be an idea to move Sean Kelly, John Daly and McDaid into the midfield/forward division on a permanent basis next season, and see would that ignite the offense a bit.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3921 - 26/06/2023 11:35:25    2489453

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Replying To Gaa_lover:  "Fine margins and what if Comer was fully fit but then again he's had a career of injury issues. Dublin in last eight if won yesterday or Monaghan had Galway topped the group the biggest slip up was there than yesterday."
You cannot say that the draw would have been exactly the same and we would have got Monaghan or Dublin. For example if we won yesterday , then the first draw where Kerry could only play Monaghan or Tyrone would have had Galway in that bowl also so we could have got Kerry. Likewise if we had topped the group that would have changed the dynamics of the draw for this weekends games as Tyrone would have been second , Armagh third so you cannot say we would have got Monaghan.

anotheralias (Galway) - Posts: 961 - 26/06/2023 11:41:43    2489456

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Replying To Gearoid1998ffowaed:  "Surely Ryan ODonoghue should be penalised for just deplorable behaviour. Looking down and kicking Sean Kelly in his bad ankle - not only is spiteful and embarrassing, but possibly end Sean's career. Play him man to man. Don't kick a man when he's down. Mayo might have won as a team, but they lost as men."
Kicking him when he's down is one thing, kicking him standing up was something I haven't seen too often. Bit of a k***k** perhaps.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3921 - 26/06/2023 11:48:15    2489463

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The likes of Maher, Hernon, Sweeney & McGrath all played significant minutes this year. You can't blame the management for not trying new players. Granted Maher is a bit older than the others but he's still new to the team.

I honestly feel the injuries eventually cost them. You can't lose some of your best players and expect their replacements to offer the same level of performance. Your best players are your best players for a reason.

As for yesterday Galway just didn't take their chances. Missed frees. Missed goal chance. They actually dominated the kickouts. Both their own and Mayo's. Had more possession. More scoring chances. More shots. But didn't put the scores on the board. Mayo made the most of their good spell early in the 2nd half. Got the only goal of the game and tacked on a few points. And hung on.

Even had Galway nicked a win at the end they would have been walking wounded heading into the quarter-finals.

Marooned (Galway) - Posts: 2317 - 26/06/2023 12:02:58    2489477

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