2018 NFL Division 1

[mup]

Always nice to beat Kildare and remind them of their place, especially when they cry to the media afterwards.

Stay classy

[Maroon Manc]

Thats a great start for Galway, certainly wasn't expecting that. From reports sounds like Sean Andy & Cooke looked comfortable at this level, what did the posters at the game think of them? From looking at him Sean Kelly looks little bit light but Kevin Walsh obviously rates him highly, been around the FBD pabel the last 2 years and think got some game time in the league last year.

I'm a little bit more optimistic of staying up given the result and that O'Donnell & Armstrong both came on late in the game, the squad looks stronger then we were expecting.

[rosnarun]

Caff was very good, o donoghue was brilliant, coen and gibbons did well. Regan was v good in first half. Douglas was also good.

Negatives...a tad worrying seeing diarmuid not really perform again.

Higgans was said to be given an extended break but then played for the hurlers today, I cant fathom this at all.

Monaghan are a very dirty side ,forever at the off the ball stuff,just before the half time whistle evan regan was assaulted . Im tired of this shit from agricultural red neck fucktards , its time it was dealt with. Monaghan were the exact same last year in castlebar . Pure savages

while im not in a position to ccall anyone a redneck monaghan were a f**king disgrace yesterday and were lucky to finish with 12 players such was the regularity that mayo players were assaulted. I would not put it down to a lack of disciple as that would suggest they did not know what they were doing .
the attempted to bully mayo and mayo showed incredible restraint in holding aback and not getting sucked in an nasty ugly game.
Have monaghan decide football was getting them nowhere and they need to up the physical stakes and mayo were soft touches ?
would be a sad day for football

[GaillimhIarthair]

Thats a great start for Galway, certainly wasn't expecting that. From reports sounds like Sean Andy & Cooke looked comfortable at this level, what did the posters at the game think of them? From looking at him Sean Kelly looks little bit light but Kevin Walsh obviously rates him highly, been around the FBD pabel the last 2 years and think got some game time in the league last year.

I'm a little bit more optimistic of staying up given the result and that O'Donnell & Armstrong both came on late in the game, the squad looks stronger then we were expecting.

The 2 lads were good and seem to be well fit for senior football, physically also, which is a prerequisite at this stage!  It was a poor day for football really, so very hard to give a fair assessment of an overall team performance.  Probably fair to say we battled that little bit harder than Tyrone and showed a little bit more composure in front of the posts when opportunities presented themselves.  A good start for sure but better performance's will be required in the weeks ahead to try and get another couple of wins that would keep us in Div 1. 

[An Fhairche Abu]

Longer analysis later; game was won after 15 minutes as Tyrone, an absolutely dog-useless pig of a side, are not built to retrieve leads as their forwards are even worse than Mayos at trying to score from play. Apologies to Tyrone fans but they're utterly drek to watch. Not that Galway are much better; mgmt is still tactically inept and far too loyal to sub-par performers.
Laters.

You're holding back there mouview, tell us what you really think 

My tuppence worth is that it's January, none of this is going to be considered in detail during the summer but it's still good to have the GAA competitions back.

With that caveat in mind, from a Galway perspective:

Referee first and Ciaran Brannigan was far too fussy all game but I feel if you are going to pull for everything then stick with that, he was all over the shop at times.
He missed as blatant a touch of the ball on the ground by a Galway player straight in front of him which lead directly to a Galway point 20 seconds later, I'd have been livid if from Tyrone. In contrast plenty of jersey tugging was let go along with some heavy tackles that could easily have been frees.
He took a full minute at the end of the first half to set up a hop ball, Galway win it and are starting to move into an attack and he just blows it up, mental stuff, just throw it up and blow the half dead instead of taking a minute to get players set up.
I don't think Tyrone can complain too much about the cards, they started the rough stuff after getting themselves into a bit of a hole in the match and Galway were fit to match them in what could be most politely called "feisty" exchanges. Kerin definitely has to take some blame on the Galway side but McCurry was foolish to react after Kerin left a bit on another Tyrone player which might have landed Kerin a booking if McCurry had just stayed well away.

Galway were good the first 15 minutes and middling after that, Tyrone didn't get going at any stage bar a 7/8 minute stretch when Harte and McCann began to run straight at a Galway team who started to give away sloppy frees.

Lavelle did better on the kick outs than his Connacht final nightmare but still had a couple of hairy moments, one fly kick off the ground that went straight to a Tyrone man and over the bar, let a high ball drop from his hands and bounce in the small square, on another day that's in the back of the Galway net.
I don't know who going to be the solution at number one long term because I don't rate Power that highly either.
In fairness to both of them I don't know what the Galway kickout strategy is, still seems fairly ad hoc with no defined pre-set moves to get players open at crucial times, which strikes me as a nothing approach to one of the most important facets of Gaelic football in this day and age.

Declan Kyne was fine, when Galway have a packed defence like yesterday none of the backs are left one on one and Tyrone were blunt enough in attack.
One lovely dummy move in the second half to go past a Tyrone player into space but his long ball to the FF line wasn't the best after that. Lost possession in the Galway half under pressure near the end but got away with it.

Seán Andy Ó Ceallaigh looked decent enough back there, took any high ball sent his way assuredly and has the size to withstand tackles on the way out. Will have bigger challenges than yesterday so we'll see how he goes moving forward, promising start though.

Kerin has a bit of dog about him, he was at whatever Tyrone forward was in his vicinity yesterday nonstop but Sylvie Linnane's oft quoted maxim is true and Kerin is a tenacious defender even when on the back foot, had two fine break ups in one on one situations.
He played well yesterday and was one of the only Galway players who did anything of note against Kerry last year; I don't see him moving from his FB line position for the big game on the 13th of May.

Bradshaw had a very committed game yesterday, one of Galway's best performers; whether he'll be fixed to pull a full 70 minute shift at that level come the summer is another question.

Heaney was quiet, not on as much ball as usual but I can't recall any egregious mistakes either.

Cathal Sweeney had a curate's egg of a performance, in fairness to him he is getting into very decent positions at the end of moves but not applying the finish or killer pass when there.
One bad miss when put through on goal in the first half, it was definitely one that should have been fisted over the bar, he had a lot to do to goal it and the shot was straight at the keeper. Another poor miss for a point in the second half when Galway badly needed it. Defended ok and he's quicker getting around the pitch than his brother anyway.

Seán Kelly very much looked like a lad just coming in from underage out there; he doesn't have comparable size and physique to his contemporaries from the 2017 U21 team that started yesterday.
The day wasn't going to be easy in the physical stakes for anyone but he was totally out matched, typical of this was when he went back to retrieve a ball in the first half with time and space, was tackled and blown out of it by a Tyrone player, overcarrying and fouling the ball near his own 21, resulting in a free in that Harte missed but it's one that should have been scored. He'll have better days for Galway, maybe the dry sod in the summer will suit him better but on the basis of yesterday he will need a heap of S&C moving forward.

Conroy played well in parts but was fierce wasteful at times, careless use of hard won possession which more than anything is just frustrating to see.  He made two great runs at the death to win important frees in Tyrone territory, the second free however was one that he did he best to "engineer", it's the type that's nearly always given but you'd be ripping if it was against your own team.

Cook started by winning the first half throw in to start the move for Comer's goal and I thought he played fairly well after that, has the size and pace for the middle.
One move in the first half sticks out where he bombed down the right flank soloing at pace and let a peach of a pass off the outside of the right into the on running Comer who duly spilt the posts. He's a very different player so maybe the comparison is unfair but that type of ability is something that FOC has never shown at senior level.
I've been told that Cook is windy at times when confronted in the physical stakes but he didn't shirk the challenge or take one step back yesterday anyway.

Eamon Branigan had a decent match, moving well with the ball in hand and tacking on a couple of scores from play.
He's intelligent enough to always try and get into a position where the shot percentage is good, had a couple that he could have hit a pot shot at but made the move into a much better position and two points were the result. Even the wide he hit off his left in the second was not one I could fault him for taking on.

Shane Walsh nailed a great free into the wind in the first half and played well in general. I don't know if he is ever going to be the type of player to totally take over a game but keeping to this level of performance every day is what he needs to be aiming for. Had a great solo run finishing with a point in the second half which was the best score of the match for me.
One slight criticism would be that he took one free in the closing stages off his left that was relatively in front of the posts, he may be ok with the left for the frees (he scored the last point with his left from a free, but that was from a way more natural left footer angle position) but he is clearly better kicking off his right, no issue when the angle suits but if it's much of a muchness in front of the posts I'd be surprised if the right wouldn't do the job better every time. One of the Galway spectators beside me at the match called it "showboating" but that's maybe taking it a bit too far.
As I've said Shane Walsh just needs consistency in his performances and nothing else, he has to step up to be one of the leaders of the team now, he has all the talent and ability in the world but that now has to be shown match after match after match, the days of "potential" should be over.

Yesterday's game would have confirmed my opinion that Patrick Sweeney isn't up to this level, lost a couple of easy possessions that were hand passed straight into his chest, kicked 4 wides, two of them very poor misses, his point was a gimme in the "couldn't miss" category.
Sweeney made one nice move on the sideline to make a Tyrone defender miss but, in contrast to Branigan, took a difficult shot on straight away when he had all the space in front of him to move into a better shooting position. Don't seem to have the pace and the engine to be a working half forward either.
If he's not able to do it on a bog slow pitch in difficult January conditions, he hasn't a notion when the ground firms up and we all knew this beforehand anyway, cannot see the logic in persisting with him up front bar to give a more physical presence in those conditions than some of the other options.
In my opinion we would be better off seeing what Eoin Finnerty, Cunningham etc. will do it there, it's harsh to say it but whatever the question for Galway up front is, Sweeney is not the answer.

Comer is a beast when on form, nearly always wins the ball played into him, has plenty of pace and is a good finisher off left and right. He came out around midfield in the first half which negated the Galway inside threat a bit. Still has the habit of trying to bull through when it's not on, that's fine for one on ones like the first goal in their 21 where you'll likely get a free at worst but out on the opposition 45 when Galway need to hold possession and kill the game off? It's just not wise to take on another Tyrone player having already blown by two of them, just lay it off.
Needs to keep the cool better than he has previously as he will definitely be targeted for reactions, but the best of luck to him in his captain's role for the team.

Varley started very well and while Galway were in the ascendancy in the first 15 minutes he was involved a nice bit, faded out after that when Comer moved out to the middle (that's probably not just coincidence) and I thought he was practically non-existent in the second half which was disappointing after starting well.

Cunningham didn't have much impact in the 20 minutes but that coincided with Tyrone getting a foothold, ball wasn't down near their posts too often that in fairness. Tom Flynn wasn't involved a whole lot for his ten minutes. Duane, O'Donnell and Armstrong got very little game time, if it was a substitution that was always going to be made then Duane should have been in place of Kelly a lot sooner.

The full match day panel outside the first 15 doesn't ever seem to be listed by the Galway twitter accounts which I find annoying myself so for those not there to see the programme:

16. Ronan Ó Beoláin (Micheál Breathnachs)
17. Seán Armstrong (Salthill/Knocknacarra)
18. Padraic Cunningham (Headford)
19. Cein D'Arcy (Caherlistrane)
20. Johnny Duane (St. James)
21. Ciarán Duggan (Annaghdown)
22. Eoin Finnerty (Mountbellew/Moylough)
23. Tom Flynn (Athenry)
24. Gary O'Donnell (Tuam Stars)
15. Barry McHugh (Mountbellew/Moylough)
26. David Wynne (Moycullen)

With respect to KW on the line, how he could leave Patrick Sweeney and Sean Kelly on for as long as he did given the way that they were playing without changing it up was baffling. That game was clearly there to be won for Galway from early on, he has to be more ruthless and better on the in game adjustments.
Tactically we look unsophisticated compared to the top teams, playing a standard enough blanket that's reliant on individual flashes of inspiration and fast counter attacks. If that continues, as I expect it will, unless Galway are playing with a bit of a cushion lead I don't think it's a winning formula moving forward against the very best teams.
When Walsh scored to put Galway 1-7 to 0-4 up they should have pushed on and buried Tyrone, they retreated into their shell, lost concentration and made poor decisions when in good positions that they didn't make earlier in the match. This is a familiar in game failing for Galway unfortunately.

That said I couldn't fault Galway for effort, toughness and application yesterday and I don't think you can hold their other limitations against them too much in light of that, at the end of the day they are not world beaters. Wins of any sort will build the confidence and let's be realistic here, if they can stay up in Division one at all it'll be a decent achievement.

Donegal put up a fair score against Kerry yesterday with only 14 men for the majority of it and they owe Galway one for last summer, it'll be very difficult away in Donegal but if Galway want to be serious about staying up then they have to put in a performance worthy of getting something out of the game.
Galway won't get anywhere near Dublin and always lose to Kerry at senior these days, that's not leaving much margin for error in the 4 other games, and given the overall respective quality of the teams, Mayo will hardly keep losing to Galway either.

What way did Tyrone play? Any discernible difference from previous years in terms of a system?

I'm not the best judge of a match involving Galway as I would tend to focus too much on the Galway performance and miss out on some things that the other team are doing, but I would say that I saw no obvious difference in the Tyrone approach compared to recent times.
Tyrone did not play well in general yesterday (Harte was very inaccurate on frees that you'd expect a decent freetaker to nail) and once Galway got a decent lead they didn't look like ever winning but that said they had some poor misses in the first half (it would have been level at h/t if the Tyrone shooting boots were working) and it's only the first league game yet.

[Mayo4Sam]

Mayo 0-13 Monaghan 0-12 full time.

A bit of a smash and grab at the end. We'll take it! 

For sure. From my vantage point on the radio, it seems Caff had a good game. I hope he keeps it up. Regan and Douglas will also give Rochford food for thought after their scoring rate. Andy must be some boy. Monaghan, not for the first time lost the head it seems. Good start to the year. Kerry (who keep referring to last August's loss to Mayo as the worst thing that ever happened) up next. Revenge will surely be on their minds.

Lost their heads? You mean to include Ryan Wylie in that assessment, who picked up a 2nd yellow after Aiden O'Shea collapsed to the turf? A wise person would want to see that incident before making comment. 
The crucial difference according to the objective radio commentary sponsored by Sam's Diner, was the ref not seeing a foul in the last Monaghan attack and instead awarded a free out for a handled ball on the ground,  that led to Mayo scoring  a fine winner instead of Monaghan.

I'm presuming you didnt see it as you were commenting on the Kerry V Doengal.
It was directly across from me, Ryan Wylies was a straight red for throwing a punch at AOS. Of course AOS collapsed to the turf, no matter how hard the punch he was always going to do that, as would any intercounty footballer. It was a ridiculous thing to do, AOS was lying on the ball as Monaghan had a free out.
Kerr got a second yellow for what should have been a straight red, it was a dirty act on Boyle.

I'd agree whole heartedly about the free in for Monaghan at the end, stonewall and we got a free out.
There is a balance for that with Regan's free in the first half which was clearly inside the post and the umpire looked at Beggan who waved it wide before he followed suit.

Mayo had this in the bag from early on, never looked like losing until the last 5 minutes when they let Monaghan back into it, that coincided with DOC going off on a black

For Mayo
Clarke - poor kickouts
Full back line - all excellent, Caff  would be my MOTM
HB - Durcan & Boyle excellent, Nally good but wasteful at times
Midfield - Just ok, got a lot of ball. Gibbons was poor on their kickouts towards the end, letting Monaghan catch clean ball
HF - DOC was busy, KMcL good first half and kinda went out of it, AOS - ok
FF - Dougie - poor on the ball but two great 45s (little or no run up, two steps bang) Regan - excellent, got on a lot of ball and only wasted a few balls, reminded me of how Andy plays, a definitely improvement. Andy was Andy

Subs
Adam Gallagher - kicked a criminal ball short at a crucial time, unforgiveable
Shakram - harried well
COC - took on a long range free when he shouldn't have. Was busy trying to get in a row the rest of the time
Loftus - didnt see a lot of the ball
Ger McDonagh - again no ball

Great start for us, we have a tough schedule with our home games being Tyrone, Kerry and Dublin so we'll need this wins on the road I thing

Monaghan can feel aggrieved about that last free but not a lot else, poor discipline let them down

[J70]

To An Fhairche Abu:

Donegal have an absolutely appalling record in Letterkenny.

Should have elected to play you in Ballyshannon. Much shorter run for you people, and we don't lose there much!

[Lar Naparka]

I was happy enough with Mayo's display yesterday. The big plus for me is that Adam Gallagher is well on the road to full recovery and is now fit enough take part in a competitive game.
It was a tragedy for the player himself and for Mayo when he was badly injured after a dirty tackle by some Kildare bastard in a league game several years ago. He showed tremendous potential at u21 level and din't have time to make a name for himself at senior level.
If he can get back to full fitness, he'll be some asset for the championships. Mark my words.
With the shitty conditions and the poor light, I found it hard to follow the action at times so I can't comment on Wylie's tackle on Aidan O'Shea but fair play to the two Monaghan supporters I was having the craic with, they accepted it was a dirty tackle, even if they didn't think he should have got the line. I think Caff and Regan must have heard what I had said about them as both put in a really solid effort but the find of the match was Eoin O'Donoghue. He'll be shortlisted for a championship no doubt.
Overall, it was a tough, rough game but not especially dirty until a few Monaghan hard chaws started acting the maggot coming up to the end. When all the whining and complaining is over, O'Rourke will realise that it was a game he could well have won if his buckos had concentrated on the football and not on throwing their weight around.

[rosnarun]

I was happy enough with Mayo's display yesterday. The big plus for me is that Adam Gallagher is well on the road to full recovery and is now fit enough take part in a competitive game.
It was a tragedy for the player himself and for Mayo when he was badly injured after a dirty tackle by some Kildare b**tard in a league game several years ago. He showed tremendous potential at u21 level and din't have time to make a name for himself at senior level.
If he can get back to full fitness, he'll be some asset for the championships. Mark my words.
With the shitty conditions and the poor light, I found it hard to follow the action at times so I can't comment on Wylie's tackle on Aidan O'Shea but fair play to the two Monaghan supporters I was having the craic with, they accepted it was a dirty tackle, even if they didn't think he should have got the line. I think Caff and Regan must have heard what I had said about them as both put in a really solid effort but the find of the match was Eoin O'Donoghue. He'll be shortlisted for a championship no doubt.
Overall, it was a tough, rough game but not especially dirty until a few Monaghan hard chaws started acting the maggot coming up to the end. When all the whining and complaining is over, O'Rourke will realise that it was a game he could well have won if his buckos had concentrated on the football and not on throwing their weight around.

mayo are long past having sympathy for team who Should have won games . As we have been told so often  you either win or you a bunch of losers(esp if AOS is playing)

[whitey]

Mayo 0-13 Monaghan 0-12 full time.

A bit of a smash and grab at the end. We'll take it! 

For sure. From my vantage point on the radio, it seems Caff had a good game. I hope he keeps it up. Regan and Douglas will also give Rochford food for thought after their scoring rate. Andy must be some boy. Monaghan, not for the first time lost the head it seems. Good start to the year. Kerry (who keep referring to last August's loss to Mayo as the worst thing that ever happened) up next. Revenge will surely be on their minds.

Lost their heads? You mean to include Ryan Wylie in that assessment, who picked up a 2nd yellow after Aiden O'Shea collapsed to the turf? A wise person would want to see that incident before making comment. 
The crucial difference according to the objective radio commentary sponsored by Sam's Diner, was the ref not seeing a foul in the last Monaghan attack and instead awarded a free out for a handled ball on the ground,  that led to Mayo scoring  a fine winner instead of Monaghan.

I'm presuming you didnt see it as you were commenting on the Kerry V Doengal.
It was directly across from me, Ryan Wylies was a straight red for throwing a punch at AOS. Of course AOS collapsed to the turf, no matter how hard the punch he was always going to do that, as would any intercounty footballer. It was a ridiculous thing to do, AOS was lying on the ball as Monaghan had a free out.
Kerr got a second yellow for what should have been a straight red, it was a dirty act on Boyle.

I'd agree whole heartedly about the free in for Monaghan at the end, stonewall and we got a free out.
There is a balance for that with Regan's free in the first half which was clearly inside the post and the umpire looked at Beggan who waved it wide before he followed suit.

Mayo had this in the bag from early on, never looked like losing until the last 5 minutes when they let Monaghan back into it, that coincided with DOC going off on a black

For Mayo
Clarke - poor kickouts
Full back line - all excellent, Caff  would be my MOTM
HB - Durcan & Boyle excellent, Nally good but wasteful at times
Midfield - Just ok, got a lot of ball. Gibbons was poor on their kickouts towards the end, letting Monaghan catch clean ball
HF - DOC was busy, KMcL good first half and kinda went out of it, AOS - ok
FF - Dougie - poor on the ball but two great 45s (little or no run up, two steps bang) Regan - excellent, got on a lot of ball and only wasted a few balls, reminded me of how Andy plays, a definitely improvement. Andy was Andy

Subs
Adam Gallagher - kicked a criminal ball short at a crucial time, unforgiveable
Shakram - harried well
COC - took on a long range free when he shouldn't have. Was busy trying to get in a row the rest of the time
Loftus - didnt see a lot of the ball
Ger McDonagh - again no ball

Great start for us, we have a tough schedule with our home games being Tyrone, Kerry and Dublin so we'll need this wins on the road I thing

Monaghan can feel aggrieved about that last free but not a lot else, poor discipline let them down

Douglas is technically good, but maybe a little light. Give this guy a big wide dry pitch and I think youd see another dimension to his play.  The fact someone can hit 45s consistently is a big plus.  Prob not a starter, but a good guy to bring off the bench

[GetOverTheBar]

Dublin will relish the chance to essentially kill Tyrone next Saturday night - promises to be a great game in Omagh (weather permitting!)

[Maroon Manc]

Longer analysis later; game was won after 15 minutes as Tyrone, an absolutely dog-useless pig of a side, are not built to retrieve leads as their forwards are even worse than Mayos at trying to score from play. Apologies to Tyrone fans but they're utterly drek to watch. Not that Galway are much better; mgmt is still tactically inept and far too loyal to sub-par performers.
Laters.

You're holding back there mouview, tell us what you really think 

My tuppence worth is that it's January, none of this is going to be considered in detail during the summer but it's still good to have the GAA competitions back.

With that caveat in mind, from a Galway perspective:

Referee first and Ciaran Brannigan was far too fussy all game but I feel if you are going to pull for everything then stick with that, he was all over the shop at times.
He missed as blatant a touch of the ball on the ground by a Galway player straight in front of him which lead directly to a Galway point 20 seconds later, I'd have been livid if from Tyrone. In contrast plenty of jersey tugging was let go along with some heavy tackles that could easily have been frees.
He took a full minute at the end of the first half to set up a hop ball, Galway win it and are starting to move into an attack and he just blows it up, mental stuff, just throw it up and blow the half dead instead of taking a minute to get players set up.
I don't think Tyrone can complain too much about the cards, they started the rough stuff after getting themselves into a bit of a hole in the match and Galway were fit to match them in what could be most politely called "feisty" exchanges. Kerin definitely has to take some blame on the Galway side but McCurry was foolish to react after Kerin left a bit on another Tyrone player which might have landed Kerin a booking if McCurry had just stayed well away.

Galway were good the first 15 minutes and middling after that, Tyrone didn't get going at any stage bar a 7/8 minute stretch when Harte and McCann began to run straight at a Galway team who started to give away sloppy frees.

Lavelle did better on the kick outs than his Connacht final nightmare but still had a couple of hairy moments, one fly kick off the ground that went straight to a Tyrone man and over the bar, let a high ball drop from his hands and bounce in the small square, on another day that's in the back of the Galway net.
I don't know who going to be the solution at number one long term because I don't rate Power that highly either.
In fairness to both of them I don't know what the Galway kickout strategy is, still seems fairly ad hoc with no defined pre-set moves to get players open at crucial times, which strikes me as a nothing approach to one of the most important facets of Gaelic football in this day and age.

Declan Kyne was fine, when Galway have a packed defence like yesterday none of the backs are left one on one and Tyrone were blunt enough in attack.
One lovely dummy move in the second half to go past a Tyrone player into space but his long ball to the FF line wasn't the best after that. Lost possession in the Galway half under pressure near the end but got away with it.

Seán Andy Ó Ceallaigh looked decent enough back there, took any high ball sent his way assuredly and has the size to withstand tackles on the way out. Will have bigger challenges than yesterday so we'll see how he goes moving forward, promising start though.

Kerin has a bit of dog about him, he was at whatever Tyrone forward was in his vicinity yesterday nonstop but Sylvie Linnane's oft quoted maxim is true and Kerin is a tenacious defender even when on the back foot, had two fine break ups in one on one situations.
He played well yesterday and was one of the only Galway players who did anything of note against Kerry last year; I don't see him moving from his FB line position for the big game on the 13th of May.

Bradshaw had a very committed game yesterday, one of Galway's best performers; whether he'll be fixed to pull a full 70 minute shift at that level come the summer is another question.

Heaney was quiet, not on as much ball as usual but I can't recall any egregious mistakes either.

Cathal Sweeney had a curate's egg of a performance, in fairness to him he is getting into very decent positions at the end of moves but not applying the finish or killer pass when there.
One bad miss when put through on goal in the first half, it was definitely one that should have been fisted over the bar, he had a lot to do to goal it and the shot was straight at the keeper. Another poor miss for a point in the second half when Galway badly needed it. Defended ok and he's quicker getting around the pitch than his brother anyway.

Seán Kelly very much looked like a lad just coming in from underage out there; he doesn't have comparable size and physique to his contemporaries from the 2017 U21 team that started yesterday.
The day wasn't going to be easy in the physical stakes for anyone but he was totally out matched, typical of this was when he went back to retrieve a ball in the first half with time and space, was tackled and blown out of it by a Tyrone player, overcarrying and fouling the ball near his own 21, resulting in a free in that Harte missed but it's one that should have been scored. He'll have better days for Galway, maybe the dry sod in the summer will suit him better but on the basis of yesterday he will need a heap of S&C moving forward.

Conroy played well in parts but was fierce wasteful at times, careless use of hard won possession which more than anything is just frustrating to see.  He made two great runs at the death to win important frees in Tyrone territory, the second free however was one that he did he best to "engineer", it's the type that's nearly always given but you'd be ripping if it was against your own team.

Cook started by winning the first half throw in to start the move for Comer's goal and I thought he played fairly well after that, has the size and pace for the middle.
One move in the first half sticks out where he bombed down the right flank soloing at pace and let a peach of a pass off the outside of the right into the on running Comer who duly spilt the posts. He's a very different player so maybe the comparison is unfair but that type of ability is something that FOC has never shown at senior level.
I've been told that Cook is windy at times when confronted in the physical stakes but he didn't shirk the challenge or take one step back yesterday anyway.

Eamon Branigan had a decent match, moving well with the ball in hand and tacking on a couple of scores from play.
He's intelligent enough to always try and get into a position where the shot percentage is good, had a couple that he could have hit a pot shot at but made the move into a much better position and two points were the result. Even the wide he hit off his left in the second was not one I could fault him for taking on.

Shane Walsh nailed a great free into the wind in the first half and played well in general. I don't know if he is ever going to be the type of player to totally take over a game but keeping to this level of performance every day is what he needs to be aiming for. Had a great solo run finishing with a point in the second half which was the best score of the match for me.
One slight criticism would be that he took one free in the closing stages off his left that was relatively in front of the posts, he may be ok with the left for the frees (he scored the last point with his left from a free, but that was from a way more natural left footer angle position) but he is clearly better kicking off his right, no issue when the angle suits but if it's much of a muchness in front of the posts I'd be surprised if the right wouldn't do the job better every time. One of the Galway spectators beside me at the match called it "showboating" but that's maybe taking it a bit too far.
As I've said Shane Walsh just needs consistency in his performances and nothing else, he has to step up to be one of the leaders of the team now, he has all the talent and ability in the world but that now has to be shown match after match after match, the days of "potential" should be over.

Yesterday's game would have confirmed my opinion that Patrick Sweeney isn't up to this level, lost a couple of easy possessions that were hand passed straight into his chest, kicked 4 wides, two of them very poor misses, his point was a gimme in the "couldn't miss" category.
Sweeney made one nice move on the sideline to make a Tyrone defender miss but, in contrast to Branigan, took a difficult shot on straight away when he had all the space in front of him to move into a better shooting position. Don't seem to have the pace and the engine to be a working half forward either.
If he's not able to do it on a bog slow pitch in difficult January conditions, he hasn't a notion when the ground firms up and we all knew this beforehand anyway, cannot see the logic in persisting with him up front bar to give a more physical presence in those conditions than some of the other options.
In my opinion we would be better off seeing what Eoin Finnerty, Cunningham etc. will do it there, it's harsh to say it but whatever the question for Galway up front is, Sweeney is not the answer.

Comer is a beast when on form, nearly always wins the ball played into him, has plenty of pace and is a good finisher off left and right. He came out around midfield in the first half which negated the Galway inside threat a bit. Still has the habit of trying to bull through when it's not on, that's fine for one on ones like the first goal in their 21 where you'll likely get a free at worst but out on the opposition 45 when Galway need to hold possession and kill the game off? It's just not wise to take on another Tyrone player having already blown by two of them, just lay it off.
Needs to keep the cool better than he has previously as he will definitely be targeted for reactions, but the best of luck to him in his captain's role for the team.

Varley started very well and while Galway were in the ascendancy in the first 15 minutes he was involved a nice bit, faded out after that when Comer moved out to the middle (that's probably not just coincidence) and I thought he was practically non-existent in the second half which was disappointing after starting well.

Cunningham didn't have much impact in the 20 minutes but that coincided with Tyrone getting a foothold, ball wasn't down near their posts too often that in fairness. Tom Flynn wasn't involved a whole lot for his ten minutes. Duane, O'Donnell and Armstrong got very little game time, if it was a substitution that was always going to be made then Duane should have been in place of Kelly a lot sooner.

The full match day panel outside the first 15 doesn't ever seem to be listed by the Galway twitter accounts which I find annoying myself so for those not there to see the programme:

16. Ronan Ó Beoláin (Micheál Breathnachs)
17. Seán Armstrong (Salthill/Knocknacarra)
18. Padraic Cunningham (Headford)
19. Cein D'Arcy (Caherlistrane)
20. Johnny Duane (St. James)
21. Ciarán Duggan (Annaghdown)
22. Eoin Finnerty (Mountbellew/Moylough)
23. Tom Flynn (Athenry)
24. Gary O'Donnell (Tuam Stars)
15. Barry McHugh (Mountbellew/Moylough)
26. David Wynne (Moycullen)

With respect to KW on the line, how he could leave Patrick Sweeney and Sean Kelly on for as long as he did given the way that they were playing without changing it up was baffling. That game was clearly there to be won for Galway from early on, he has to be more ruthless and better on the in game adjustments.
Tactically we look unsophisticated compared to the top teams, playing a standard enough blanket that's reliant on individual flashes of inspiration and fast counter attacks. If that continues, as I expect it will, unless Galway are playing with a bit of a cushion lead I don't think it's a winning formula moving forward against the very best teams.
When Walsh scored to put Galway 1-7 to 0-4 up they should have pushed on and buried Tyrone, they retreated into their shell, lost concentration and made poor decisions when in good positions that they didn't make earlier in the match. This is a familiar in game failing for Galway unfortunately.

That said I couldn't fault Galway for effort, toughness and application yesterday and I don't think you can hold their other limitations against them too much in light of that, at the end of the day they are not world beaters. Wins of any sort will build the confidence and let's be realistic here, if they can stay up in Division one at all it'll be a decent achievement.

Donegal put up a fair score against Kerry yesterday with only 14 men for the majority of it and they owe Galway one for last summer, it'll be very difficult away in Donegal but if Galway want to be serious about staying up then they have to put in a performance worthy of getting something out of the game.
Galway won't get anywhere near Dublin and always lose to Kerry at senior these days, that's not leaving much margin for error in the 4 other games, and given the overall respective quality of the teams, Mayo will hardly keep losing to Galway either.

What way did Tyrone play? Any discernible difference from previous years in terms of a system?

I'm not the best judge of a match involving Galway as I would tend to focus too much on the Galway performance and miss out on some things that the other team are doing, but I would say that I saw no obvious difference in the Tyrone approach compared to recent times.
Tyrone did not play well in general yesterday (Harte was very inaccurate on frees that you'd expect a decent freetaker to nail) and once Galway got a decent lead they didn't look like ever winning but that said they had some poor misses in the first half (it would have been level at h/t if the Tyrone shooting boots were working) and it's only the first league game yet.

That's some review AFA. Anyone know how long Paddy Tally has been involved and i'd imagine he won't be able to give Galway his full focus until St Mary's are out of the Sigerson. I'd like to think his involvement will lead to a a much improved kick out strategy in time which is the teams biggest issue currently. I agree with AFA as I''m not overly convinced with Power's keeping but his kick out is far superior to Lavelle's though. I think Conroy came in for too much criticism last year against Kerry, at least he was moving and unfortunate that Power didn't pick him out more often; The same cannot be said of Flynn who for his size has been a disappointment.

Anyone else like to see Brannigan given a couple of games in the half back line? I realise he'd have to calm down his tackling but that can be worked on but he'd certainly add some pace to that line. McDaid is a huge loss as he looked like the had the lot to be a top class wingback and Molloys impresses me too but Corofin's run has ruled him out too.

I like everyone one else don't get the P Sweeney experiment, he's simply not good enough. Lets hope Cunningham is given a chance to impress next Sunday. When Armstrong, Burke, Daly, Lundy & Cummins return I'd be amazed if he saw any game time come the summer.

[mup]

I see the analysts are at last beginning to pick up on Johnny Cooper. Has no problem throwing in a late stamp or a dig but as soon as a small fella shoves him in the back he's drops like a stone.

He's fast gaining a reputation. Then again Johnny has history too!!

[whitey]

I see the analysts are at last beginning to pick up on Johnny Cooper. Has no problem throwing in a late stamp or a dig but as soon as a small fella shoves him in the back he's drops like a stone.

He's fast gaining a reputation. Then again Johnny has history too!!

Never mind the 2 legged leg breaking late tackles

[Snapchap]

Would the Tyrone V Galway game yesterday have seen a different outcome had Galway's goal been disallowed for over carrying? Just saw a video on twitter which shows a very clear 13 steps taken
https://twitter.com/donall_sally/status/957949947441229824