Maigh Eo v Gaillimh

[Duine Eile]

So boys and girls, what are the thoughts on this one? Going on present form you'd have to say Galway are favourites for this one but Galway Mayo clashes are anything but predictable. Both sides are going into this one on the back of impressive victories. A win here would almost certainly see Galway secure a place in the league finals but I'm sure our lovely neighbours will have something to say about that! Our forwards and midfield were impressive today, both Padraic and Mikey Meehan are in a rich vein of form of late and are finally clicking, Matty Clancy is playing like a man possessed and is winning an amount of ball. (Judging by his hair he's also doing his best to bring back the mullet and succeeding there also ) Cullinane played brilliantly today. I've never really been a fan but have no problem in admitting he was very impressive today, some of his fielding was phenomenal. I'd like to see Doherty given a chance in goal on Sunday though. On more than one occasion today Faherty was like a deer caught in headlights and had to rely on Damien Burke and Gary Sice to get him out of bother, he doesn't inspire confidence in one on one situations at all. But other than that we seem to be ticking over alright. Great to see Nicky back today after his operation, gives us another option in the forwards.

[Barney]

With Nickey Joyce and Armstrong coming off the bench Galway really have a serious amout of options.

They have to be favourites on Sunday, and for Connacht but as DE said these games can go anyway.

I think it will be no holds barred from both sides seeing that any potential Connacht Final is four months away. From a Mayo point of view there are bruised egos from Salthill but on the field, and on the sideline that need to put down a marker. Sunday is that first opportunity.

A win for Mayo and we are right back in with an outside chance of getting to the final.

[mannix]

interesting game,galway are a really good side and mayo may be becoming one. I expect a hard hitting game with mayo giving as good as they get unlike last year when the galway lads threw them around.
Mayo have as good a set of forwards as galway,its the defense that is dodgy at the minute.

[highorlow]

The way Mayo are leaking goals in the league and Galway are scoring them I'd be very worried about this game.

I note some posters give player ratings out of 10 after each game. My ratings for the Mayo Management v Kerry is 10/10 and v Kildare 10/10.

I'm sure Johnno had his spies in Salthill yesterday and will have some plan worked our for this one so it makes for an interesting confrontation.

[Farrandeelin]

God help us if we start off by conceding 1-3 against Galway. Oh wait.....

[Rudi]

Amazing what a team can do when they off load a donkey of a manager. Love to see the Rossies do the same, what do you think Mannix?

Joyce scored a sublime goal yesterday - still fantastic footballers in Galway.

[highorlow]

Amazing what a team can do when they off load a donkey of a manager. Love to see the Rossies do the same, what do you think Mannix?

Joyce scored a sublime goal yesterday - still fantastic footballers in Galway.

Jaysus its still March, I wouldn't speak too soon.

8 scores from play for Galway yeasterday isn't much to write home about.

In saying that though the "Roscommon GAA Customers" are probably due thier biennial change of manager though.

[Davitt Man]

Will Heaney take Joyce again this sunday??

[Barney]

Heaney isn't playing well. It might inspire him to pick things up a bit.

[magpie seanie]

Galway were flying this time last year too and turned out to be average enough. The league is no barometer of how the summer will go.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Galway were flying this time last year too and turned out to be average enough. 

Not really. Despite doing relatively decently in the league under Ford the football was never convincing. We tended to grind out tight low scoring wins and one year in particular we were absolutely blessed by a couple of results going our way on the final day.

Under Sammon (so far I might add) there is noticeable improvement. The side is attacking and defending as one and not acting as seperate departments of the one team. There is a fluency back in our attacking play (possibly due to Sammon's insistence on constant ballwork) that was missing for a while with players making runs, making themselves available for passes, etc. The movement of the players off the ball under Ford was negligible. Plus he's done little things that add up to a lot like recognising that Michael Meehan is a full-forward not a corner-forward.

There is plenty of talent there that needed proper direction and Sammon has done well so far but he'll know himself there are still things that need sorting. All that can be said now is that they are shaping up well and have won 4 of their 5 games and probably should have got a draw from the one they lost.

A bit of fight and decent quality football this year would be an improvement on last year when they were desperately poor apart from one half against Mayo in Salthill.

[An Fhairche Abu]

I wouldn't get too carried away with yesterday's result, Derry weren't great at all, but to be honest GBB is right, the main thing is that Galway are playing some decent football again. We are not going to win any all irelands and I think that no Galway supporters will be getting carried away, but it's always nice to be winning some matches playing good attacking football.

The league will be our only chance of a national trophy this year so I reckon Sammon and the team should go all guns to try and win it. I would have Mayo as major favourites for Connacht this year simply because can you see Galway beating them two years on the bounce? If we meet it's their turn to win, as this seems to be the sequence for the last few years. With all due respect to the counties I can't see Sligo, Leitrim or Roscommon doing anything this year in the championship.

The football standard in Connacht is quite poor but then again nationally I think it's not great anyway, bar Kerry.

[Davitt Man]

Beware, undercover operation in castlebar, i wonder are they armed!!

Stewards to go undercover on SundayMike Finnerty

UNDERCOVER stewards will be deployed around McHale Park, Castlebar next Sunday as the Mayo GAA Board attempt to prevent any repeat of the incidents that marred Mayo's recent National League match against Kerry.
The County Board were fined €5,000 last week after a number of objects (including a wooden spoon and coins) were thrown at Kerry players by unidentified Mayo supporters.
"We've decided to enlist a number of undercover stewards whose job it will be to mix in with the crowd, mingle, observe, and report back if they see anything untoward," Mayo GAA Secretary, Sean Feeney, told The Mayo News. "We're not expecting a crowd in excess of 5,000 people next Sunday so we should be well covered.
"The Mayo supporters were always good supporters and always showed great respect to the opposition. It's a minority who seem intent on causing trouble."
Feeney also called on genuine Mayo fans to help stamp out any unruly behaviour.
"I would say that it's every Mayo supporter's civic duty to report any misbehaviour to stewards or to tell whoever is out of line to stop. The GAA authorities view this matter very seriously and it could have serious implications for us if it continues."

[Lar Naparka]

The football standard in Connacht is quite poor but then again nationally I think it's not great anyway, bar Kerry.

Unfortunately, you're right; it does look like Kerry will be the one to aim at this year and they will be keen to do the 3 in a row, in order to be compared with the Spillanes and Jack O'Shea and the others of their era.
However, Galway are clipping along nicely and the Mayo team is on an upward curve. It's a cyclical thing; not too long ago 4 Connacht sides contested the closing stages of the National League and Mayo and Galway could have quite an extended run this summer.

[moysider]

From our point of view team selection will be interesting. Cuniffe has been roasted at corner back 2 out of last 3 matches, being subbed
v Donegal and moved out V Kildare. Not encouraging for his prospects of making it in the corner. I m not sure he should be selected there again. Maybe Heaney is best option for 2 [ and sometimes 3] going forward  with Barrett and Cunniffe fighting for 5 shirt? On Sunday I think Howley should be let go toe to toe with PJ and ditto Conroy and Meehan. If they re going to be good enough to ever do the job then they have to show something on Sunday. Sure you could get Heaney to pick up Joyce and maybe Hiiggins Meehan but we know what they can do anyway and we play more teams than Galway. Come Summer I would not be surprised to see Heaney and Aiden Higgins in full-back line. Maybe Ger Cafferkey might have something to offer also , if he can get a few games under his belt  I think Boyle, Cunniffe ,Barrett and Keith Higgins are wing men. 4 good ones for 2 places. Oh and Pat Kelly - another half back. Nice to be well catered for in those positions but I would be against putting any of them in the corner - although Boyle has had only one outing there and may well be the real deal. His lack of inches would be exploited at the highest level eventually I would fear,no matter how good a player he is, and he s one of the best. The rest of the team almost picks itself with Harte replacing an injured Trevor. It will be interesting to see how our full forward line fares . We were ticking up nice scores this time last year too and then just a puff of smoke in Salthill. We re in better shape than I thought we would be at this stage a few months ago. Last year's rebuilding at 3 and 6 in particular turned out to be a road to nowhere while  Barry Moran at 14 was embraced by many as the future but has nt been mentioned in 7 months. I don t know what last year was about at all but I am encouraged by what I ve seen so far this league, even in defeat. One thing that does worry me is the bench which due to injuries or whatever lacks a bit of depth, especially in the forwards and might explain managment's reluctance to change things the last day.