Galway club Football and Hurling thread

[mouview]

A few, random end-of-year awards;

Game of the year; Minor football AI semi-final v Kerry, a match of supreme quality; honourable mention to U-21 hurling (semi) final v Cork.

Footballer of the year; Padraig Joyce, for his Herculean efforts in Killererin's success this year; honourable mentions to Nicky, Diarmuid Blake, Paul Clancy, Tomas Fahy and Micheal Martyn.

Hurler of the year; Joe Canning; not too many candidates spring to mind for this award after a very poor year but I'll give it to Joe for his extra-time dismantling of the Cork defence in the game mentioned above. Honourable mention to John Lee.

Team of the year; Moycullen, unbeaten in all competitions in 2007. (As a Monivea/Abbey man I hope this continues on Sunday naturally!)

[Owenmoresider]

Team of the year; Moycullen, unbeaten in all competitions in 2007. (As a Monivea/Abbey man I hope this continues on Sunday naturally!)

Are they playing Kilconly in the league final? Wasn't sure whether they (as in Cill Chonla) had actually beaten Monivea to get there, last I knew it was going to a playoff.

[GaillimhIarthair]

Sunday 16th December 2007

Intermediate League
Moycullen  0-12 0-8 Kilconly 
Headford  0-8 1-8 Williamstown 

Senior A Football League
Salthill-Knocknacarra  0-4 2-14 Corofin 

West U-21 A Championship
St Michaels  1-8 2-5 Barna 

[dodo]

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

Will be a good read as he came through lean times with Galway before the O'Mahony glory years. The young guns like Padraig Joyce, Ml. Donnellan etc had success at a young age as senior footballers. Being written as gaeilge will probably limit its sales.

[GalwayBayBoy]

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

Will be a good read as he came through lean times with Galway before the O'Mahony glory years. The young guns like Padraig Joyce, Ml. Donnellan etc had success at a young age as senior footballers. Being written as gaeilge will probably limit its sales.

I've read most of it. Very good it is. I'm fluent in Irish but my reading skills as Gaeilge are fairly rusty so it was slow going at times.

[dodo]

I meant to buy it for the auld boy for Christmas and read it myself afterwards  . I'll get it still and like yourself my reading of Irish is basically nil since school but speak it líofa lofa. Where on Aran are you from GalwayBayBoy ?

[MaroonAndWhite]

Anyone know what nights the senior footballers train and is it in Loughgeorge? Would mind going for a bit of a mooch and see what they are at some evening....

[Duine Eile]

So, what do ye make of this situation with Tuam and Cortoon? Having failed twice with the county board I think they're wasting their time going to the Connacht council to be honest. Sure we went all the way to the high court in 2002 and still didn't get back into the championship but I suppose they have to try. Ironic how it's Killererin that's waiting to see what the outcome is following our own crusade 6 years ago. Anyway, who knows when last year's (2007)  championship will be finished and this year's is due to start at the end of February in a chamge to other years. Fun times lie ahead.

[GaillimhIarthair]

The county board really seem to be laying down a marker here and its really hard to see the 2 clubs getting any joy out of the Connacht Council,, but then again, would it be a massive surprise if the ruling was over turned and they were re-instated ? Probably not.  With this years competition starting so early for a change they would want to get it sorted sooner rather than later to be honest.  It might be Killererin's handiest route to a county final in years DE 

[GaillimhIarthair]

Senior Hurling Draw for '08

Group A:
liam mellows
craughwell
gort
ballindereen
castlegar

Group B:
Carnmore
Kiltormer
Sarsfields
Turloughmore
portumna

Group C:
Padraig Pearses
Tommie Larkins
Beagh
Clarinbridge
Kinvara

Group D:
Ardrahan
Mullagh
St Thomas`
Loughrea
Athenry

[MaroonAndWhite]

The county board really seem to be laying down a marker here and its really hard to see the 2 clubs getting any joy out of the Connacht Council,, but then again, would it be a massive surprise if the ruling was over turned and they were re-instated ? Probably not.  With this years competition starting so early for a change they would want to get it sorted sooner rather than later to be honest.  It might be Killererin's handiest route to a county final in years DE 

All things being fair and given that theres precedent with the Killererin game against Carraroe a few years back, they probably shouldnt get be successful in an appeal if theres to be any form of consistency in the way these things are handled. Word of advice to the Shams and Cortoon, any chqs, correspondence etc, make sure the damn thing is signed and written as Gaeilge  . Experience dictates that this is a must, doesnt it DuineEile!

That said, as a Killererin man, we would prefer to win the right to represent the North Board against the townies! Yerra, sure we'll be written off anyway against Salthill, no change there  

[GalwayBayBoy]

Bit on Sammon in the Indo over the weekend.

Galway to follow the Sammon blueprint

Saturday January 26 2008


WHEN Liam Sammon came to write his second book on Gaelic football coaching, he had no idea that every theory, conviction and philosophy which spring from the 132 pages would face the most forensic examinations at the highest level inside a very short space of time.


Sammon retired from his teaching job in St Mary's College, Galway last year and decided to use some spare time by compiling a second coaching manual as a follow-up to his 2003 production. It was the ultimate labour of love for a man who has been coaching football for more than 40 years, beginning very soon after he made his debut with Galway as a 19 year-old on the All-Ireland three-in-a-row team in 1966.

However, things changed dramatically since he began work on his latest book 'Optimising Performance in Gaelic Football,' which is designed as an aid for coaches at all levels. Last autumn, Sammon was appointed as Galway football manager in succession to Peter Ford, a job described by none other than Mick O'Dwyer, a man with a keen insight into the subtleties of counties and their footballers, as third in line behind Kerry and Dublin in terms of attractiveness.

Philosophy

Now, Sammon's philosophy is no longer mere theory on a page. Instead, it has become a blueprint for the direction Galway will take over the next few years as they attempt to regain status after losing serious market value in recent seasons. No doubt, all of the managers whose teams are due to face Galway will happily part with €15 (they will also be helping charity) to probe Sammon's way of thinking.

He smiles at the prospect, but points out that decoding Galway's plans won't simply be a matter of reading his book and plotting counter strategies.

"We'll have a fair bit up our sleeves. Core philosophies are one thing but there are all sorts of variations which can be applied to them. The book certainly isn't a catalogue of Galway tactics for the year ahead," he said.

Nevertheless, there are clear pointers as to the direction in which he will try to take things and frankly, it's one which will not only please Galway supporters but also those who favour an expansive game.

O'Dwyer identified Galway's "natural rhythm and attractive brand of open football over many years" as the reason for his interest in coaching them, although over the past few seasons there was little evidence of those traits. Whether that was down to Peter Ford's coaching, a gradual shift by the players themselves or simply a sign of an unfortunate evolution is unclear but, whatever the background, Galway's approach was harder and meaner. It didn't go unnoticed either. "Galway just wanted to stop us. I hate teams like that because that's not Gaelic football and it's not even the spirit of Gaelic football," complained Mayo coach John Morrison after losing the 2006 League semi-final.

Ultimately, of course, teams are judged on results and Galway's dreadful championship displays against Westmeath in 2006 and Sligo last year left the supporters in a state of bewilderment.

When Ford departed, Galway had a big decision to make. Would they continue with the outside manager policy which they had deployed since late 1997 or would they look to their own again? A review of local talent identified Sammon as an interesting contender. A lifetime in coaching at club, college, county and international (he was with the Irish International Rules team in 1984-86) level has left him with such a vast reservoir of experience that it seemed ridiculous to waste it. He had been involved as coach with Galway when Bosco McDermott was coach in the mid-nineties when their best season saw them win a Connacht title win in 1995, followed by a narrow All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Tyrone.

Glory days followed, but they passed as they inevitably do and now Galway are a tier below the top strata which makes Sammon's job hugely challenging.

"Galway have slipped a bit okay but we're not that far away either. We still have some great talent in the county which we must harness that to the very best effect," he said.

If Galway supporters had grown disillusioned with the style of play they have seen in recent years, they will be encouraged by Sammon's intent to put the foot back into football rather than heading down the handpassing route. One of the central tenets of his coaching manual is use of the boot, not because he believes it suits Galway specifically but because he regards it as central to the game. "Ensuring that we have much more accurate kicking is essential to improving the standard of our games," he said.

Taking on a first senior county managerial job at the age of 61 is unusual in GAA circles but it's not as if Sammon has been away from football. Indeed, it's difficult to think of anybody who has been more immersed in the game, much of it with St Mary's and as coach to the youngsters in Salthill/Knocknacarra where he did so much to build up the club.

Now, he's about to sit for the biggest test of his coaching career as he attempts to re-ignite Galway's fire.

He will be under a bigger spotlight than ever before, but he says he's ready for it. He got an early taste of the pressures ahead as manager of a high-profile county when word swept through Galway a few months ago that he was wasn't planning to use Padraic Joyce as anything other than a fringe player this year.

It wasn't true, of course, but it took weeks for the rumours to die down, although anybody who knows how much emphasis Sammon places on accurate finishing and distribution must have realised that he wasn't going to under-utilise one of the best kickers in the game.

It will be interesting to see how Galway reacts to his new regime.

There's a lot of work to do but we're starting from a decent base," said Sammon. The next six or seven months will tell whether that base is strong enough to survive the pressures in a very competitive football world.

l Liam Sammon's book 'Optimising Performance In Gaelic Football' will be launched in the Clayton Hotel, Galway on Monday night. It will be available through Elverys Sports Stores and proceeds will go to the Physically Challenged Irish and American Youth Team charity.

[GalwayBayBoy]

And congrats to Moycullen.

Clancy inspires Moycullen onwards
28 January 2008


Paul Clancy was the hero as Moycullen booked their passage to the All-Ireland intermediate club football championship final.

Clancy has played against plenty of Kerry opposition during his decorated career and it was Kingdom and Munster champions Annascaul who suffered at his hands in Limerick on Sunday January 27.

The Moycullen No.6 gave an exhibition of centre back play and chipped in with two priceless clinching points as the 2007 Galway and Connacht IFC winners battled to an exciting 0-9 to 0-8 victory in a Gaelic Grounds thriller.

Clancy showed his class when clipping over two massive match-winning points in the closing five minutes - this after the Galway standard bearers had been reduced to 14 men with the 53rd-minute dismissal of midfielder Gareth Bradshaw.

The Kerry outfit had a late chance to level but Genie Farrell (a man who knows all about Clancy) was gutted to see his free tail wide in the second minute of added time.

Farrell deserved better. He got Annascaul's only two points of a one-sided opening half, which Moycullen won by 0-5 to 0-2, thanks largely to four points from the Lydon brothers.

The former Kerry ace then sparked a dramatic second-half fightback, only to see it nipped in the bud by his former intercounty nemesis.

[MaroonAndWhite]

New county senior football team sponsors being named this afternoon.......word on the street is that Supermacs are taking over as the sponsors of the footballers too....

[GalwayBayBoy]

New county senior football team sponsors being named this afternoon.......word on the street is that Supermacs are taking over as the sponsors of the footballers too....

Bugger.

Have avoided getting a hurling jersey for years because of the ugly Supermacs logo and now they'll be doing the footballers as well.