Galway V Mayo R4 Qualifier

[MayoBuck]

I saw a few clowns on Twitter joking that Galway should give Kevin Walsh a 5 or 10 year contract now. The same individuals were up in arms about the billboards outside Balla. It's probably trolls on social media that sour the rivalry somewhat. They weren't around 10 or 15 years ago.

[whitey]

There was some person on newstalk commenting that Galways underage system has fallen behind today, that jarlaths was no longer the force it was, but come on we lost this years connaught minor final in extra time, and we won the previous four titles, contesting two all-ireland finals.

Maire Treasa Ní Ceallaigh - an absolute bluffer who is getting more airtime solely down to trying to balance the genders of contributors on Newstalk IMHO. 
She has a real bitterness against Mayo too, so I'm sure she's sick about it today 😁

Talking through her hole. Galway underage teams don't rely on Jarlaths anymore that's about it.
We have been consistently competitive at minor level for a long while - where she gets that idea is beyond me!

Jarlath's closing down was probably the best thing that has happened to Mayo football in modern times. Mayo Secondary schools are now competing regularly on the National Stage which is nothing but positive for Mayo football

[moysider]

I saw a few clowns on Twitter joking that Galway should give Kevin Walsh a 5 or 10 year contract now. The same individuals were up in arms about the billboards outside Balla. It's probably trolls on social media that sour the rivalry somewhat. They weren't around 10 or 15 years ago.

I would go the other way. Coming from Mayo I would think it might suit us more if he was replaced and Galway went back to playing the type of ball their admirers want them to play. That would be easier to beat and better to watch!

Anybody that thinks that Comer, Farragher, Burke, Cummins, Walsh, etc, are being held up by current management is deluded. Top teams don't ask nice forwards to dance.

[joemamas]

2019 can safely be consigned to the dustbin of history, a disastrous year all round for Galway GAA.  As for Mayo they fully deserved to win, better team for the good majority of the match, the Mayo team were fit for a fight last night, they'll fancy themselves in Kerry next week.
What to say about Galway? I've said on here all year that the final assessment of Galway - the system, the players and the management can only be made when the year is over. We're at that point now. I'll preface my comments by saying that the level of commitment and application by all players and management over the whole season has to be acknowledged and admired. Inter county is a phenomenal commitment, they are doing something they love but by the same token it is not something that you can half ass nowadays, it's easy for punters to watch a match and make judgements, far more difficult to be born with the ability to play it and then actually put in all the hard work to realise that, anyone who has the talent, motivation and drive to play inter county has to be respected and absolutely no one involved goes out to play badly. That said we can only discuss what we see between the lines for the 75ish minutes because it's the results from these encounters that is the ultimate judgement.

Starting Kyne was nuts, Sean Andy hasn't had a great year but I'd have left him at full back for his presence alone, it upset the whole FB line, he could have done a job at CB maybe but too rusty for full back and he's rarely done well in that position anyway.

Hold up here, can we judge players on what actually happens on the pitch and not preconceptions and notions? Declan Kyne has taken some amount of criticism during his time in the Galway jersey, maybe because there's no underage pedigree there, his perceived limitations and the fact that he's only from a small Junior club (West board as well which of course which is another negative for some) but compared to the rest of the illustrious panellists from the top clubs in the county he was one of about three Galway men that played anything worth a damn last night. Upset the whole FB line? How? Liam Silke was cleaned out in his last two championship matches regardless of who was playing with him. Kerin was a disaster yesterday, needlessly fouling O'Connor right on the end line for a gimme free when there was no danger, he couldn't tackle, a fouling machine who had to be taken off early before he was sent off. Declan took some licks but I thought he was outstanding and the consensus around me was the same. Turnover after turnover last night in the face of relentless pressure due to failures further out the pitch, the ability to actually execute a successful tackle (Kerin and SAOC should take note), fair shoulders on multiple Mayo players, tough and uncompromising, actual leadership in the face of adversity when plenty of the more heralded players were nowhere to be seen. If we had more of what Kyne brought to that match last night from the bigger names Galway wouldn't be sifting through the detritus of a completely wasted 2019 championship season today.

Silke would have been one of the players that we would have all expected to be a huge addition to Galway for 2019 but his form in the big championship matches was very disappointing, played badly against the Rossies and he was completely cleaned out against Mayo. He is the designated penalty taker and is surely that person for a good reason so I've no issue with him stepping up to it but the tame effort really summed up his travails in Limerick. It was the key moment during the only good period Galway had in the match. The second Mayo goal was absolutely crazy to concede, no other top team would allow it to happen, Silke should have took the hit for the team and just fouled out the pitch. Kerin, who I have a lot of time for as you need players like that to win anything, looks like he's forgotten how to stand up a player and tackle, we've seen him do it before but he is just stupidly fouling at the moment.

I don't know where to begin on the goalkeeping situation, needless to say it clearly didn't work out. Is calamitous too strong a word?
John Daly was the youngest player on the Galway side last night but he showed far more fight and appetite for the battle than most of his teammates, a player to build around moving forward. His brother Michael flattered to deceive yet again, plenty of talent but he is in and out of matches all the time. Heaney has been below par this year, he's an underrated player but all the good qualities that he usually brings have been absent lately, some of his passing against Mayo was just not up to it. O'Donnell provided at least some semblance of leadership last night but his best days in the jersey are behind him, his effort, professionalism and commitment can't be faulted but other options have to be looked at.
McDaid has serious potential but I didn't think he played that well last night despite what others have said. Cooke fantastic in the first half with a serious display of point taking but either he ran out of steam or whatever changes Mayo made certainly nullified his influence in the second half. One of the few to stand up though, another player that we should be looking to build around and try to get him playing well regularly in the county jersey.

I didn't see it myself but if the allegations I read elsewhere that Farragher was jawing at his manager on his way off the pitch are accurate then it's an extremely poor look. I would have been an advocate for him starting as changes had to be made up front in the FF line and his club form over a significant period of time would warrant a shot at the 14 jersey but he didn't play worth a f**k yesterday evening, arguing with the management while (rightly) getting substituted, is frankly a disgrace to the Galway jersey. If that story is nonsense then apologies to Martin Farragher for putting it up here, please disregard that paragraph, however if it's correct then take it as read.
You'd have to say that it was Ian Burke that should have been dropped from the starting lineup instead of Ó Laoi, Burke has been rubbish for Galway all championship, that's the long and the short of it. Shane Walsh well held for most of the match by Durcan, the two missed frees were criminal, have to put those away at this level. Comer coming on was a desperation move, clearly miles off the pace just coming back from his bad injury, the less said the better about his bicycle kick attempt.

Logically I cannot see how Kevin Walsh can continue but if it's left up to himself I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to tough it out and stay on for 2020, whether that is the best thing for Galway football is another matter. I think he deserves kudos for a number of things, he brought a Galway setup going nowhere back to Division One and the last four of the championship. He scoured the county for players that might be able to go a job and brought in a seriousness in terms of preparation that wasn't there previously. Things have gone backwards this year, there's a number of issues outside of KW's control that have contributed to this but ultimately the championship performances have been awful and it looks like the end of the road. The defensive system and coverage and tackling has gone backwards. We looked like we abandoned a system that has been proven to give Mayo difficulties, there is no coherence in the attack. He can point to the key injuries last night and all year but you can't talk about panel development and the depth of talent in the same breath. I was looking at the team line-ups for the whole year this morning and Duggan going off at half time in Tyrone might have had a bigger impact than we previously thought, we haven't looked right since. He has toughness and a bit of dog in him that is hard to replace when going up against ruthlessly cynical (i.e. winning) teams like Mayo, Kerry, Dublin and Tyrone. Leaders like Paul Conroy were sorely missed all year and it really showed last night. Regardless of the criticism that Galway took last year we were generally hard to beat, Tally certainly appears to be a massive loss to the setup this year and whatever Stritch was doing it clearly did not translate effectively to actual match situations.

The fans are tearing strips off Kevin Walsh and the team at the minute so it's only fair that the mirror should be turned back to the stands for a self-assessment. Outside of the hard-core regulars the Galway support is truly pathetic, hopelessly outnumbered yet again in a huge match. "Salthill is too much hassle", fine, there is a clear motorway the whole way from Tuam to Limerick, it's far easier to get out of than Salthill (for those that weren't parked in the Na Pairsiagh grounds at least), didn't make any difference last night. There were more Kerry fans than ourselves at the Tuam league match so the "style of play" is the excuse there. Don't like the style of play, "too many West board players", excuses, excuses. Supporters have nothing to do but show up and give the team a bit of encouragement, the comparison to the footballing support in Roscommon and Mayo is an embarrassment. There's a chance that the management will change now, will the fans therefore return in droves given that the style of play might suit their tastes a bit more now? I won't hold my breath. It's no coincidence that Galway didn't get a thing in the first half from McQullian, it was better than a home advantage for Mayo in Limerick last night, their support was raucous and the likes of McQuillan and Deegan are only too happy to blow the whistle and point their hand to suit the majority of the crowd regardless of what should actually be called.

Given the relentless negativity of this post in general I may as well finish up by pointing out that you'd have to say that the Galway Mayo rivalry both on and off the pitch has turned absolutely toxic in comparison to even as recently as the noughties, there's spite and genuine dislike there now. Some gloating in the stands on the way-out last night and I've no doubt that if the shoe was on the other foot it'd have been every bit as bad from some of the Galway support. Given my own connections I've been in CP cheering Mayo on in All Ireland finals previously, but I couldn't see myself doing it now in any circumstances. Perhaps it's just a reflection of the stakes involved in terms of top level inter county that it's taken so seriously. The excellent "Will Galway Beat Mayo?" by James Laffey is truly a snapshot of a more innocent time in terms of how the rivalry played out that won't be seen again.

Excellent, honest and informative post.
You should be a journalist, although specific to Galway, better than most I have read in the aftermath of the game.
As a Mayo man, if there was gloating I am embarrassed. I understand why we are thrilled to win a game that we did not expect to, but that sort of soccer shite is indefensible.

[WhoDat]

Even if Galway get a new manager, I'm not convinced they'll suddenly become a formidable force. There's an attitude problem within the squad that rears its head now and again and often at key moments. They don't have the stomach for a battle. More than the game yesterday, I thought it showed up badly in the Connacht final. They thought they had that game won at half time and complacency set in and once Roscommon's tail went up, the Galway heads dropped. Not for the first time with this Galway team. Complacency seems to be a consistent issue. So many years of treating wins over Mayo in Connacht like all Ireland final wins seems to have something to do with it. They seemed to have been satisfied with beating Mayo in Connacht and then wilting as soon as it came to Croke Park.

Then yesterday, they should have known that Mayo would be up for it, but they were fairly gutless in response. Like I said, no fight in them, no battling qualities. Now you can put some of that down to management and the possibility that Kevin Walsh has lost the dressing room, but the players have to take some responsibility, especially for the Connacht final display.

As for Mayo, they are team that seem to enjoy chaos and backs to the wall situations and going man to man with them for this game played into their hands. They love a good battle and have the heart for it, which Galway just don't.

[moysider]

2019 can safely be consigned to the dustbin of history, a disastrous year all round for Galway GAA.  As for Mayo they fully deserved to win, better team for the good majority of the match, the Mayo team were fit for a fight last night, they'll fancy themselves in Kerry next week.
What to say about Galway? I've said on here all year that the final assessment of Galway - the system, the players and the management can only be made when the year is over. We're at that point now. I'll preface my comments by saying that the level of commitment and application by all players and management over the whole season has to be acknowledged and admired. Inter county is a phenomenal commitment, they are doing something they love but by the same token it is not something that you can half ass nowadays, it's easy for punters to watch a match and make judgements, far more difficult to be born with the ability to play it and then actually put in all the hard work to realise that, anyone who has the talent, motivation and drive to play inter county has to be respected and absolutely no one involved goes out to play badly. That said we can only discuss what we see between the lines for the 75ish minutes because it's the results from these encounters that is the ultimate judgement.

Starting Kyne was nuts, Sean Andy hasn't had a great year but I'd have left him at full back for his presence alone, it upset the whole FB line, he could have done a job at CB maybe but too rusty for full back and he's rarely done well in that position anyway.

Hold up here, can we judge players on what actually happens on the pitch and not preconceptions and notions? Declan Kyne has taken some amount of criticism during his time in the Galway jersey, maybe because there's no underage pedigree there, his perceived limitations and the fact that he's only from a small Junior club (West board as well which of course which is another negative for some) but compared to the rest of the illustrious panellists from the top clubs in the county he was one of about three Galway men that played anything worth a damn last night. Upset the whole FB line? How? Liam Silke was cleaned out in his last two championship matches regardless of who was playing with him. Kerin was a disaster yesterday, needlessly fouling O'Connor right on the end line for a gimme free when there was no danger, he couldn't tackle, a fouling machine who had to be taken off early before he was sent off. Declan took some licks but I thought he was outstanding and the consensus around me was the same. Turnover after turnover last night in the face of relentless pressure due to failures further out the pitch, the ability to actually execute a successful tackle (Kerin and SAOC should take note), fair shoulders on multiple Mayo players, tough and uncompromising, actual leadership in the face of adversity when plenty of the more heralded players were nowhere to be seen. If we had more of what Kyne brought to that match last night from the bigger names Galway wouldn't be sifting through the detritus of a completely wasted 2019 championship season today.

Silke would have been one of the players that we would have all expected to be a huge addition to Galway for 2019 but his form in the big championship matches was very disappointing, played badly against the Rossies and he was completely cleaned out against Mayo. He is the designated penalty taker and is surely that person for a good reason so I've no issue with him stepping up to it but the tame effort really summed up his travails in Limerick. It was the key moment during the only good period Galway had in the match. The second Mayo goal was absolutely crazy to concede, no other top team would allow it to happen, Silke should have took the hit for the team and just fouled out the pitch. Kerin, who I have a lot of time for as you need players like that to win anything, looks like he's forgotten how to stand up a player and tackle, we've seen him do it before but he is just stupidly fouling at the moment.

I don't know where to begin on the goalkeeping situation, needless to say it clearly didn't work out. Is calamitous too strong a word?
John Daly was the youngest player on the Galway side last night but he showed far more fight and appetite for the battle than most of his teammates, a player to build around moving forward. His brother Michael flattered to deceive yet again, plenty of talent but he is in and out of matches all the time. Heaney has been below par this year, he's an underrated player but all the good qualities that he usually brings have been absent lately, some of his passing against Mayo was just not up to it. O'Donnell provided at least some semblance of leadership last night but his best days in the jersey are behind him, his effort, professionalism and commitment can't be faulted but other options have to be looked at.
McDaid has serious potential but I didn't think he played that well last night despite what others have said. Cooke fantastic in the first half with a serious display of point taking but either he ran out of steam or whatever changes Mayo made certainly nullified his influence in the second half. One of the few to stand up though, another player that we should be looking to build around and try to get him playing well regularly in the county jersey.

I didn't see it myself but if the allegations I read elsewhere that Farragher was jawing at his manager on his way off the pitch are accurate then it's an extremely poor look. I would have been an advocate for him starting as changes had to be made up front in the FF line and his club form over a significant period of time would warrant a shot at the 14 jersey but he didn't play worth a f**k yesterday evening, arguing with the management while (rightly) getting substituted, is frankly a disgrace to the Galway jersey. If that story is nonsense then apologies to Martin Farragher for putting it up here, please disregard that paragraph, however if it's correct then take it as read.
You'd have to say that it was Ian Burke that should have been dropped from the starting lineup instead of Ó Laoi, Burke has been rubbish for Galway all championship, that's the long and the short of it. Shane Walsh well held for most of the match by Durcan, the two missed frees were criminal, have to put those away at this level. Comer coming on was a desperation move, clearly miles off the pace just coming back from his bad injury, the less said the better about his bicycle kick attempt.

Logically I cannot see how Kevin Walsh can continue but if it's left up to himself I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to tough it out and stay on for 2020, whether that is the best thing for Galway football is another matter. I think he deserves kudos for a number of things, he brought a Galway setup going nowhere back to Division One and the last four of the championship. He scoured the county for players that might be able to go a job and brought in a seriousness in terms of preparation that wasn't there previously. Things have gone backwards this year, there's a number of issues outside of KW's control that have contributed to this but ultimately the championship performances have been awful and it looks like the end of the road. The defensive system and coverage and tackling has gone backwards. We looked like we abandoned a system that has been proven to give Mayo difficulties, there is no coherence in the attack. He can point to the key injuries last night and all year but you can't talk about panel development and the depth of talent in the same breath. I was looking at the team line-ups for the whole year this morning and Duggan going off at half time in Tyrone might have had a bigger impact than we previously thought, we haven't looked right since. He has toughness and a bit of dog in him that is hard to replace when going up against ruthlessly cynical (i.e. winning) teams like Mayo, Kerry, Dublin and Tyrone. Leaders like Paul Conroy were sorely missed all year and it really showed last night. Regardless of the criticism that Galway took last year we were generally hard to beat, Tally certainly appears to be a massive loss to the setup this year and whatever Stritch was doing it clearly did not translate effectively to actual match situations.

The fans are tearing strips off Kevin Walsh and the team at the minute so it's only fair that the mirror should be turned back to the stands for a self-assessment. Outside of the hard-core regulars the Galway support is truly pathetic, hopelessly outnumbered yet again in a huge match. "Salthill is too much hassle", fine, there is a clear motorway the whole way from Tuam to Limerick, it's far easier to get out of than Salthill (for those that weren't parked in the Na Pairsiagh grounds at least), didn't make any difference last night. There were more Kerry fans than ourselves at the Tuam league match so the "style of play" is the excuse there. Don't like the style of play, "too many West board players", excuses, excuses. Supporters have nothing to do but show up and give the team a bit of encouragement, the comparison to the footballing support in Roscommon and Mayo is an embarrassment. There's a chance that the management will change now, will the fans therefore return in droves given that the style of play might suit their tastes a bit more now? I won't hold my breath. It's no coincidence that Galway didn't get a thing in the first half from McQullian, it was better than a home advantage for Mayo in Limerick last night, their support was raucous and the likes of McQuillan and Deegan are only too happy to blow the whistle and point their hand to suit the majority of the crowd regardless of what should actually be called.

Given the relentless negativity of this post in general I may as well finish up by pointing out that you'd have to say that the Galway Mayo rivalry both on and off the pitch has turned absolutely toxic in comparison to even as recently as the noughties, there's spite and genuine dislike there now. Some gloating in the stands on the way-out last night and I've no doubt that if the shoe was on the other foot it'd have been every bit as bad from some of the Galway support. Given my own connections I've been in CP cheering Mayo on in All Ireland finals previously, but I couldn't see myself doing it now in any circumstances. Perhaps it's just a reflection of the stakes involved in terms of top level inter county that it's taken so seriously. The excellent "Will Galway Beat Mayo?" by James Laffey is truly a snapshot of a more innocent time in terms of how the rivalry played out that won't be seen again.

Excellent, honest and informative post.
You should be a journalist, although specific to Galway, better than most I have read in the aftermath of the game.
As a Mayo man, if there was gloating I am embarrassed. I understand why we are thrilled to win a game that we did not expect to, but that sort of soccer shite is indefensible.

+1.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Even if Galway get a new manager, I'm not convinced they'll suddenly become a formidable force. There's an attitude problem within the squad that rears its head now and again and often at key moments. They don't have the stomach for a battle. More than the game yesterday, I thought it showed up badly in the Connacht final. They thought they had that game won at half time and complacency set in and once Roscommon's tail went up, the Galway heads dropped. Not for the first time with this Galway team. Complacency seems to be a consistent issue. So many years of treating wins over Mayo in Connacht like all Ireland final wins seems to have something to do with it. They seemed to have been satisfied with beating Mayo in Connacht and then wilting as soon as it came to Croke Park.

Then yesterday, they should have known that Mayo would be up for it, but they were fairly gutless in response. Like I said, no fight in them, no battling qualities. Now you can put some of that down to management and the possibility that Kevin Walsh has lost the dressing room, but the players have to take some responsibility, especially for the Connacht final display.

As for Mayo, they are team that seem to enjoy chaos and backs to the wall situations and going man to man with them for this game played into their hands. They love a good battle and have the heart for it, which Galway just don't.

To be fair while I thought they completely capitulated in the 2nd half of the Connacht final they actually put up a decent fight yesterday considering a nightmare start of conceding 2 goals in the first 6 minutes of the game. One of which was a keeper howler. They actually did well to drag themselves back into the game despite only about 3 or 4 players really performing well.

[whitey]

Obviously they're biased, but the commentators on MidWest stated that Galway were starting aggro all over the pitch just before the throw in. Can anyone who was actually there confirm or deny this

[GalwayBayBoy]

Obviously they're biased, but the commentators on MidWest stated that Galway were starting aggro all over the pitch just before the throw in. Can anyone who was actually there confirm or deny this

Sure they also said McQuillan was giving all the decisions to Galway. 

[whitey]

Obviously they're biased, but the commentators on MidWest stated that Galway were starting aggro all over the pitch just before the throw in. Can anyone who was actually there confirm or deny this

Sure they also said McQuillan was giving all the decisions to Galway. 

They said that Mayo could have had 2 penalties and that the Galway penalty was very soft

[Cunny Funt]

 "disastrous year all round for Galway GAA"  maybe so if judgement is only made on the senior championships for both senior Hurling and football teams.  The senior footballers stayed up in Div 1 that has to be one plus? U17s have All Ireland quarter final and the U20s have a Connacht final to play this week.

[moysider]

Obviously they're biased, but the commentators on MidWest stated that Galway were starting aggro all over the pitch just before the throw in. Can anyone who was actually there confirm or deny this

How could anybody do that. There was a bit of messing around the throw in. McDaid was a bit too het up maybe but Galway's 'intensity' pre throw-in did not translate into the game at the start.

[moysider]

Obviously they're biased, but the commentators on MidWest stated that Galway were starting aggro all over the pitch just before the throw in. Can anyone who was actually there confirm or deny this

Sure they also said McQuillan was giving all the decisions to Galway. 

They said that Mayo could have had 2 penalties and that the Galway penalty was very soft

No. Wrong on all counts. Boyle was not fouled and Vaughan got hit with a very good shoulder. Barrett made a great attempt at a block but got Burke's leg before the ball. Stone wall penalty. The problem there from Mayo point of view was a bad turn over led to the penalty. That is our failing. We create chaos from situations where we should be able to control the gig.

[moysider]

Obviously they're biased, but the commentators on MidWest stated that Galway were starting aggro all over the pitch just before the throw in. Can anyone who was actually there confirm or deny this

Sure they also said McQuillan was giving all the decisions to Galway. 

All the Mayo fans around me though he was riding us as well. Galway folk though he was doing them!
Now Cormac Reilly really did do us in 2014 in Limerick. No debate there.

[seafoid]

"disastrous year all round for Galway GAA"  maybe so if judgement is only made on the senior championships for both senior Hurling and football teams.  The senior footballers stayed up in Div 1 that has to be one plus? U17s have All Ireland quarter final and the U20s have a Connacht final to play this week.

By the standards of recent years it has been poor. The hurlers never got going. They have to
go back and find new young lads and rebuild the team.

The footballers have reached the end of something . The KW years were
a dead end . D1 is good but the constant underperformance is not . Fair play to Ros but Galway should be able to defend a lead .

A good few players may have to be shown the door.

Galway fans have high expectations. We have had a good decade and expect success
The average over the last decade is more than one All Ireland per year.

County team all Irelands this decade

U21 football 2011 2013
U21 hurling 2011
Minor hurling 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018
Senior hurling 2017

Senior Club all Irelands

Hurling 2011 2014
Football 2015 2018 2019