Connacht SFC 2022

[joemamas]

My main concern for Sunday is the blueprint to contain or beat us has become really simple.
Mayo have currently only one (two if Conor Loftus plays in the forwards) starting forwards who has the ability to consistently take on his marker and go around them thereby open up a back line. Unfortunately the focus has continued be produce endless runners ( which is incredibly important) but our inability to take on defenders and in addition not being able to score beyond 30-35 yards makes us so easy to defend against.
Given the injuries we have, Diarmuid O Connor ,Patrick Durcan, Jordan Flynn and possibly Robert Hennelley, and the fact that we will have a new midfield paring makes this a bigger challenge.
(if James Horan thinks Conor O Shea is good enough and hopefully he will be, why did he not play him against Kildare, in what was a meaningless game to give him midfield experience, now he is our only option on the bench for midfield).

I never criticize individuals on the panel, as they have put in an unimaginable number of hours to prepare themselves, I am more frustrated that our management never seems to learn from past experiences/defeats, and how
1.They have not developed fast scoring forwards, and have a very poor job with building the confidence of fringe forwards.
2.Some of the team selections have been poor
3.Most of what tactics we employ or more accurately the lack of tactics.
Examples of this , 2012 final, 1st half of 2021 Connacht final, 2021 All Ireland, 2022 league final.

More hopeful than confident for Sunday, especially if Walsh and Comer stay on the field for 70 minutes,
I have read some lazy analysis going back to last year's Connaught Final and how Mayo blew Galway away.
I was at it Mayo were shocking in the first half and Galway could have been up by six or seven not five at HT.
People also forget, that Walsh essentially did not play in the second half, and that Comer punched the ball off the crossbar with the game level at 2-8 to 1-11 15 mins into second half.
very slim margins indeed.
maybe our focus this year has been on this coming Sunday and we did not want to show our hand.
I will be very very happy to be proved wrong.

[An Fhairche Abu]

Anybody hazard a prediction as to how this weekend will go? I'm worried our injury situation might be our undoing. That and the fact a good few of the fringe players didn't put their hands up when given a chance towards the end of the league campaign. I hope Horan had his championship team in his head towards the end of the league campaign.

Mayo should win given the disparity between the levels that both teams are operating at, be hoping for a big Galway performance and see where that takes them, no 2nd half capitulation like last year at least.
For Horan whether Mayo win the All Ireland this year or not is the big question, the result of this match won't matter much depending on how the year pans out for Mayo, but for PJ I'm afraid this match is win or bust, Connacht title is the only shot left he has to win something in three years at the helm, mightn't be fair given that they are playing a top 4 team but it's go hard or go home Sunday.

[Blowitupref]

Galway team

Connor Gleeson
Liam Silke
Sean Kelly
Jack Glynn
Dylan McHugh
John Daly
Kieran Molloy
Paul Conroy
Matthew Tierney
Finnian O Laoí
Niall Daly
Johnny Heaney
Robert Finnerty
Damien Comer
Shane Walsh

Subs

James Keane
Johnny McGrath
Cillian McDaid
Billy Mannion
Tony Gill
Patrick Kelly
Paul Kelly
Owen Gallagher
Cormac McWalter
Dessie Conneely
Tomo Culhane

[Duine Eile]

Gleeson in goal seriously weakens that team, his kick outs aren't great at the best of times without the pressure Mayo are going to put on him. Don't think his full back line fully trust him either. Delighted to see Molloy moved out of the corner, wing back is his best position. Niall Daly is a surprise, McDaid obviously still injured but good to see McHugh back in. No Paul Kelly either which is surprising.

[galwayman]

Gleeson and Glynn in that fifteen worries me I have to say.

[An Fhairche Abu]

I'd be worried full stop.

[oliverkelly]

Fancy Galway myself don't know why and say the same nearly every year but think they will win

[GaillimhIarthair]

As is the norm these days, neither side likely to start as currently named.  Will be travelling more in hope than expectation.  Mayo are operating at a much higher level than Galway and much of the stuff we were getting away with during the league will be easily exposed by any solid Div 1 team.  A win would be a welcome surprise but that's  the height of my expectation unfortunately. 

[Farrandeelin]

Mighty day for the game anyways. May the best team win - so long as it's Mayo. 

[full moon]

Galway very capable of causing an upset here.

[Blowitupref]

Galway very capable of causing an upset here.

Galway need to produce a good defensive showing to pull off the win. The bookies/punters reckon Mayo by 2 points.

Any late changes to the starting teams?

[Farrandeelin]

Diarmuid O'Connor for Kevin McLoughlin.

[Rossfan]

"Packed to the rafters" says your one from RTÉ with the load of empty seats behind the far goal in view.

[Wildweasel74]

The groundsman go for artistic license for the box and semi circle in this game.

[Blowitupref]

Great start for Galway. Mayo caught out badly on their kick out for the goal. 1-4 to 0-2 after 10 minutes.