Connacht senior football championship 2017

Started by macdanger2, April 06, 2017, 03:06:07 PM

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macdanger2

After a good league for Galway, mixed enough for Mayo & Sligo and fairly disappointing for Roscommon & Leitrim, the current odds are:

Mayo 4/5
Galway 11/4
Roscommon 11/4
Sligo 50/1
Leitrim 80/1
London 200/1
New York 200/1

Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship
Sunday, May 07, 2017 Preliminary Round  -  Gaelic Park, New York
New York  v  Sligo

Sunday, May 21, 2017 Quarter-Final  -  Elverys MacHale Park, Castlebar
Mayo  v New York / Sligo

Sunday, May 28, 2017 Quarter-Final  -  Irish TV Grounds, Ruislip
London  v Leitrim

Sunday, June 11, 2017 Semi-Final  -  Pearse Stadium
Galway  v Mayo / Sligo / New York

Sunday, June 18, 2017 Semi-Final  -  Dr Hyde Park
Roscommon  v London / Leitrim

Sunday, July 09, 2017 Final

It looks like a decent draw for Roscommon but unless they learn to defend, chances are they'll lose the Connacht final or even the semi final if Leitrim can get things together.

Sligo were up and down in the league and would need to beat Mayo & Galway away to make the final, hard to see that happening.

Galway are on the up and if they can bring in a couple of their U21s, they'll be hard beat although they're still weak enough at the back so unless they develop a defensive system, they'll struggle to get past a QF.

Mayo will need to improve their forward play between now and hitting Croke Park but even with that, none of the others in Connacht play a very defensive game so it shouldn't hamper us too much here - it might serve us all better if this wasn't the case.

For the match against Sligo, I'd probably go with something like this to try and give us more options in the forwards:

Clarke
Harrison Caff/Newcombe Barrett
Durcan Coen Keegan
AOS Parsons
Higgins Kirby McLoughlin
COC Loftus Reape

Subs: Andy, Boyle, SOS, DOC, Doc, Boland, Nally, Gibbons, Drake

In reality, it'll probably be Andy, Boyle, SOS & DOC in for Loftus, Coen, Kirby & Reape.

seafoid

Mayo might be like last year when they preferred to peak later in the championship.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

Rossfan

We're not going to win it because that's not in our 3 year plan..... :-[
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

larryin89

Walk-in down mchale rd , sun out, summers day , game day . That's all .

westbound

Quote from: larryin89 on April 06, 2017, 04:27:05 PM
Where would a ros v galway final be held?

Salthill

Roscommon chose Castlebar as our 'home' match last year.

seafoid

"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

Syferus

#6
There's no chance Leitrim win at the Hyde. The only games we've looked decent this year is at home on our lovely fast pitch. It doesn't bode well for Leitrim if we're able to compete with Donegal and Kerry at home despite having feck all work done and then having three months to get ready for a team rooted to the bottom of D4. I'm sure Johnno will have some sort of Any Given Sunday speech prepared about '94 at the Hyde, though..

Mayo will have little trouble navigating the other side of the draw too.

Rossfan

Predictions by the Syfmeister are usually the kiss of death. Remember his laughing at the suggestion Sligo U21s might beat us?
At least we'll get a Connacht Final in the Hyde anyway.....
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

Syferus

Quote from: Rossfan on April 06, 2017, 05:13:53 PM
Predictions by the Syfmeister are usually the kiss of death. Remember his laughing at the suggestion Sligo U21s might beat us?
At least we'll get a Connacht Final in the Hyde anyway.....

Remember the other predictions that were correct? I guess your memory only works with facts that you like..

Rossfan

Like the time in 2914 you spent 4 months lecturing stolen sheep that Kerry wouldn't win the AI for donkeys years :D
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

mayo.mick

Quote from: Rossfan on April 06, 2017, 06:32:42 PM
Like the time in 2914 you spent 4 months lecturing stolen sheep that Kerry wouldn't win the AI for donkeys years :D

Jasus lads, ye're like Marty McFly and the Doc going back to the future  ;D
mayo for sam-don't ask me what year! :-)
https://michaelmaye.com/mayo-gaa-photos/
@mayo_mick

Mayo Mick

Quote from: Syferus on April 06, 2017, 05:04:38 PM
There's no chance Leitrim win at the Hyde. The only games we've looked decent this year is at home on our lovely fast pitch. It doesn't bode well for Leitrim if we're able to compete with Donegal and Kerry at home despite having feck all work done and then having three months to get ready for a team rooted to the bottom of D4. I'm sure Johnno will have some sort of Any Given Sunday speech prepared about '94 at the Hyde, though..

Mayo will have little trouble navigating the other side of the draw too.

If you think we will have little trouble navigating our side of the draw then surely we will have less trouble winning Connacht. You are not seriously suggesting are you that Roscommon could trouble us in a CF?

For what it's worth I think Galway will win Connacht. We will again go further though.
If You Don't Bring Home The Bacon, You'll Get Treated Like A Pig!!

Farrandeelin

Quote from: Rossfan on April 06, 2017, 05:13:53 PM
Predictions by the Syfmeister are usually the kiss of death. Remember his laughing at the suggestion Sligo U21s might beat us?
At least we'll get a Connacht Final in the Hyde anyway.....
His writing off of Galway under Kevin Walsh prior to the Connacht final replay was quite amusing also. For what it's worth, Galway will probably retain the Nestor Cup.
Inaugural Football Championship Prediction Winner.

seafoid

Quote from: Farrandeelin on April 06, 2017, 09:55:28 PM
Quote from: Rossfan on April 06, 2017, 05:13:53 PM
Predictions by the Syfmeister are usually the kiss of death. Remember his laughing at the suggestion Sligo U21s might beat us?
At least we'll get a Connacht Final in the Hyde anyway.....
His writing off of Galway under Kevin Walsh prior to the Connacht final replay was quite amusing also. For what it's worth, Galway will probably retain the Nestor Cup.
"Lose on Sunday and you've won two league games, beaten a shot Mayo side that took ye for granted and are likely be be done for the year after the next weekend. Walsh's job will come under serious scrutiny then too. So a lot is riding on the CF for Walsh and the idea this form of football is actually gonig to get a worthwhile result. It might be best for both Roscommon and Galway in the longer run if positive football is what carries the day. Under Walsh I don't think Galway have any intention of offering positive football."
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

Syferus

#14
Was I wrong about Walsh? He's still taking a hatchet to Galway football and hoping defensive, Ulster football will pay off, but like us they're weak at the back and relatively unable to play that sort of game.

Teams that we make look good tend to go splat in a spectacular manner at the next available opportunity - Sligo and Mayo in 2015, Galway and Tipp last year, Mayo and Dublin this year, Dublin nearly managed it themselves by almost losing up in Monaghan after hammering us so even the best aren't immune to the pheonomon of inflated self-worth after playing our shoddy defence.

I'll never forget Walsh openly sounding out the Roscommon job when things were getting a bit hot north of Gurteen.. I'll take my chances with a lad willing to stick the course.