Galway club Football and Hurling thread

[Mano]

The Sligo connection with the club is set to be broken soon enough, Austin and Connie have The Gap up for sale and are heading back to Sligo I think.

Oggie has a house built in his native Tourlestrane and will be back to his roots when he sells up. Watched the game on TG4-it wasn't a good game but will down the field would have influenced that. PJ was the difference between the teams. He was tightly marked but still had the class to get the ball on his left peg and score some great points.
Killererin though seem to have a habit of defending a lead late on rather than try and finish a game off. They did same against us In Connaught club when they were 4 up with 10 minutes to go and were very lucky to come away with a one point victory. Better teams will exploit this

[stephenite]

MandW- did you hear of an incident in Tuam on Sunday night?

Ah go on DE, spill the beans

[Duine Eile]

It's nothing too juicy stephenite! One of our younger lads headed into Tuam Sunday night (not naming any names) and got seven shades of shit kicked out of him by some gang of pure savages.

This year Killererin have a habit of letting teams bulid up a lead and then come back at them in the second half, I think Sunday was the first time they bult up a bit of a lead. They sat back then though and let Milltown back into it which was a bit worrying and they'll need to play for both halves against Brigids. This team is alot better than the one that played Tourlestrane and Ballina, we even have subs now. Ah no seriously. we have decent forwards (apart from Padraic and Nicky) and a solid midfield something we didn't have in 2004. Padraic Joyce is still our main man though, the way he held off 3 Milltown backs and fired the ball over the bar in the first half was something else.

[Mano]

We would have a better team also-plus theirs not the same reliance on Eamon O'Hara. We won last 3 championship games without him.
We should have won that day 3 years ago but we both have 2 tough encounters before a reunion can be organised.

[mouview]

It's nothing too juicy stephenite! One of our younger lads headed into Tuam Sunday night (not naming any names) and got seven shades of shit kicked out of him by some gang of pure savages.

Was it beaten up or did he just fall and strike his head? Either way a shame for the day to end as it did for him, especially as he will soon be one of the main men (and not just for Killererin I wager). Well done to Killererin, who as I've said here previously  are the essence of a team, playing to their strengths and constantly supporting the man on the ball. The are now better than Corofin at this method and are extremely difficult to break down and beat once they move ahead.

For the Bomb it makes up for the disappointment of seeing his Monivea/Abbey charges beaten the day before, fairly and squarely, by Moycullen in the Intermediate final. They now have to regroup and hope promotion can be achieved through the league, no easy task considering that a strong Kilconly side await in the North Board final and possibly Lettermore after that. For Abbey, worse was to come on Sunday when the Minors were just pipped by a point in a gripping final. That lug Denis Ryder didn't play the full allocation of stoppage time for the losers to go for a draw when they had the momentum (and wind) in the final minutes. Heartbreaking for a spirited bunch of lads.

[MaroonAndWhite]

MandW- did you hear of an incident in Tuam on Sunday night?

Ah go on DE, spill the beans

Yeah, he took a hoofing alright. Dunno how bad it was or anything else. I suppose that will teach ya for going out in Tuam when the Gap is bouncing (or indeed going out in Tuam (shitehole), full stop Didnt hear who did it but we will be setting Steak on them when we find out 
Sure we have to get past Brigids befre we worry about the Stephenites or indeed Tourlestrane. All reunions are on hold for another ten days anyway

[Duine Eile]

Didnt hear who did it but we will be setting Steak on them when we find out 

Now that's a scary prospect!

[MaroonAndWhite]

Did anyone get to the new "Centre of Excellence" at Loughgeorge for the official opening on last Friday night? What kind of set up is it? Gym, pitches etc? Will all county training sessions take place there?

A bit of a contradiction in terms when its being ran by the Galway football board 

[mouview]

Yes, was there. Excellent facility in fairness - dining room, locker rooms, spacious dressing rooms downstairs, upstairs a fine roomy well-equipped gym with a balcony that overlooks the training (floodlit) pitches. Opening performed by Eamon O'Cuiv TD - as the premises is situated in the Gaeltacht it received a grant of approx. 0.5m  - all the more welcome as it cost 2m. or so. Most out of season training for Galway teams will take place there, as will board meetings, conventions etc. I imagine.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Crowd was poor enough too, much lower than the hurling. Is it just that hurling finals can attract the neutrals better, given that Portumna and Kinvara had a good trip to make to Salthill too? Regarding Tuam, is there any sign of it being done up, or is that already being carried out? You'd imagine the crowd would have been bigger if it were there.

I'm not sure why but the hurling final always seems to get a far bigger attendance than the football final in Galway. Not sure what it was like in the past ago but in recent years the hurling final has often attracted twice the crowd of the football. I think there is still a huge reluctance from those in north Galway to travel to Pearse stadium especially if they are neutrals who only want to see the game. Those hurling followers from the south of the county seem to have no such hang up and gladly travel to Pearse in huge numbers. I'm sure if the Killererin v Milltown game was on in Tuam stadium the attendance might not have been far of 10,000 with all the assorted neutrals from north Galway who would have come along to it.

[GaillimhIarthair]

Home advantage can swing it Killererin's way

This Sunday at 2pm in Tuam stadium Killererin take on the Roscommon county champions St Brigid's in the Connacht club semi-final.
Ray Silke

It has the makings of an intriguing game, and both sides have high aspirations of still being involved in the All-Ireland club championship in the early months of 2008.

St Brigid's won their third county championship on the trot this season and they are by far the most progressive and professional club side in Roscommon.

They have completely dominated the u-21 championship for the past six years - highlighting the fact that they can go on to be what Clann Na Gael were in Roscommon in the 1980s.

St Brigid's are again managed this season by Galway native Anthony Cunningham who hails from Peterswell and who played his club hurling with the St Thomas' club. Anthony won four All-Ireland hurling medals with Galway, at minor level in 1983, u-21 in 1986, and at senior level in 1987 and 1988. He is a man who knows what it takes to compete at the highest level in Gaelic games.

His team is the current Connacht champions, and in last season's All-Ireland semi-final, they had Ireland's best club side over the last decade, Crossmaglen Rangers, on the ropes. A combination of inexperience at that level, and one or two of their big guns not performing on the day, saw them lose narrowly. However they are back on the club championship road again and they hope to build on last year's first provincial title.

They are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for glory. To prove that fact, a few weeks ago they had All-Ireland winning manager Jack O'Connor flown from his Kerry home to Kiltoom to take a training session and have a chat with the panel.

Cunningham plays down that trip, but he is not afraid to admit that their objective is to at least get out of the province again this year.

"One of our selectors Pádraig Sugrue is a Kerry man and he knew Jack from home so he organised it. It was good to have a change of voice, and after such a long championship we were trying our best to keep things fresh for the lads.

"We have worked hard since we were beaten by Crossmaglen in the All-Ireland semi-final and we are looking forward to this Sunday.

"Killererin are a class side and we know how difficult it will be to go to Tuam and try to get a result. They have some great players all over the field, and all the Joyces, Tomás Fahy, and their midfield partnership, are playing very well. They are excellent at ball retention when in possession, and having watched them a few times, we know how difficult the job that we are facing will be. We were extremely fortunate last year to get a late goal from Karol Mannion to beat the Galway representatives (Corofin) and we expect this weekend to be a very close and tough game too."

The fact that the game is in Tuam is a big plus for the Barna Dearg men who would consider that a home venue. If the game was in Hyde Park, it would be a more difficult assignment, but there is not a blade of grass in Tuam that the likes of Tommy Wilson, Alan Keane, Tomás and Shane Hughes, and Tommie, Pádraic, and Nicky Joyce have not trampled over at some stage in the last few years.

That familiarity and the fact that they won the county championship only two weeks ago has to give them an advantage, whereas St Brigid's won their county title, beating St Faithleach's, six weeks ago. That is a long time to try to keep momentum going and it can work two ways.

There is some pressure on this particular Killererin side to try to emulate the sides of 1976 and 1978 who won Connacht club titles. Men like Gerry Coen, Joe Burke, Billy Joyce, Tom Gilligan, Seamus and current selector John Hughes, and manager Stephen Flaherty, all won provincial medals. If the current crop want to follow in their footsteps and be held as their equals, they too need to ply their wares outside the province.

They were unfortunate in 1999 and 2004 to come up against superior opposition, but they are an experienced outfit now and know what is required to ekew out narrow wins.

The key men for St Brigid's are the central diamond of Ger Aherne at centre back, the midfield partnership of Mark Carroll and Karol Mannion and team captain Frankie Dolan.

If Killererin can nullify Dolan's influence in particular from centre-forward where he is their playmaker, they will have one foot in the provincial final.

Last year's captain Mark Carroll is another really dangerous player for the Roscommon champions and his mobility may be a problem for Tom Hughes and Michael Keane. Carroll scored three points from play in the first half in last year's provincial final and Stephen Flaherty will have warned his charges that his runs through the middle must be stopped.

Their main inside scoring forwards are David O'Connor and Senan Kilbride who will provide tough tests for Michael Mitchell and Declan Kelly.

Calling club football games in the month of November is like a game of Russian roulette, but the feeling in this parish is that if Killererin get an even break around the middle, they should have too much up front for the St Brigid's rearguard which coughed up 3-3 last year to an out-of-sorts Corofin attack.

The Killererin forwards have been sharing the scoring burden well all season and against NUIG it was Nicky Joyce who was the star of the show. Then in the country final it was Pádraic Joyce, while Jonathan Keane, Shane Hughes, and their Duracell bunny, Tomás Fahy, are all capable of chipping in with some crucial scores.

There is unlikely to be much between the sides at the final whistle, but it is impossible to see Killererin giving up the ghost easily in their home patch. That, allied to the star quality of some of their marquee names, should just about ease them home.

Ray Silke verdict: Killererin by two:

* The game is live on TG4 with coverage starting at 1.30pm and match analysis by former Galway player Seán Ó? Domhnaill.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Comhghairdeachas le foireann Maigh Chuillinn.

Moycullen 3-11
Ballintubber 1-8

Fair play to Moycullen. I'd say they could make a decent impact on senior next year in Galway. They have some good youngsters coming through. They have every chance of giving the intermediate All-Ireland a if they keep their heads screwed on.

[MaroonAndWhite]

I suppose it's worthy of a mention on the board that Pat Egan has stepped down as Football Board Chairman. I'm usually the first to have a cut at him but I wish him well and hope that he and his wife recover from their respective illnesses. He did some great things for Galway football in his 17 years, first and foremost he had the foresight to bring in O'Mahony who brought a new sense of professionalism to the game in the county before many counties were taking a truly professional approach to Gaelic Football. Without the success of O'Mahony's appointment who knows if his second best achievement would have come about, the centre of excellence in Loughgeorge. Without the success from 98 & 01 and the renewed enthusiasm for football in Galway that those successes brought, a centre of excellence would have been redundant. Lets hope the centre of excellence lives up to its name.......
First thing for John Joe to look at now........sort out the f**king situation with ambulances at games. Sorting out fixtures as a priority is all well and good but another sitaution where a player was injured seriously and no ambulance at the pitch (third time that I know of.....) arose recently. Does someone (player or member of crowd) have to die before they take player and crowd safety seriously? Its not rocket science and its the least that the players deserve.
At least with John Joe at the helm, the County Board will not be leaking fund through loss of footballs 

[MaroonAndWhite]

Sean Og DePaor autobiography is being launched out in an Cheathru Rua this Friday.......ghost written by his sister Aoife. Id imagine it will be interesting enough, he a well spoken, articulate kind of fella so Id say it should be decent. Will be nice to get an insiders views on the O'Mahony era and not the stories you hear second hand

[T O Hare]

lads would any of of yous have the 1968 semi final between down and galway. i cant get it anywhere