NFL Division 1 2024

[Blowitupref]

Strong Galway team for Saturday night

Connor Gleeson; Eoghan Kelly, Seán Kelly, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, John Daly;Daniel O'Flanherty Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Paul Kelly, Matthew Tierney, Johnny Heaney; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Connelly

Subs Bernie Power,Neil Mulcahy,Cathal Sweeney,John Maher,Billy Mannion,Matthew Barrett,Peter Cooke,Gerard Davoren,Ryan Monaghan,Eoin Finnerty,Owen Gallagher

[Redhand Santa]

John Maughan writing Galway off for the year anyway, we should be ranked below Armagh and Derry in the National context. It was a "handy" All Ireland last year apparently.
His smug prediction after the Galway Offaly league game last year was completely inaccurate, so while I have a bit of trepidation about how we'll go after blowing what was a rare opportunity in a winnable final last year, I'm starting to feel better about 2023 already.

I don't think we'll have a particularly great league anyway. Between players unavailable for whatever reason especially in defence and we have quite a few involved in Sigerson as well. Just seems like there is a lot of competing interests at the moment and it looks a bit unsettled. Think they are a bit behind most teams as well in terms of work done apart from maybe Kerry. They have Kerry last up as well which will probably be a very different Kerry side to the one that will play the first half of the league. Get a few wins and stay up will be at aim I'd say and hopefully unearth a couple players in defence. They have to as they are down a couple of very good players back there and they won't be back this year.

I did see some of the Maughan interview alright. I could understand him saying listen Galway are down a few players so they might struggle to replace those players this year but it seemed a bit odd to landing us behind a few sides that they beat last year.

A lot of distractions alright between injuries, club and a frankly ridiculous number playing sigerson. They don't look to have much work done compared with last year. However, that does apply to numerous teams in D1, with Donegal and Kerry riddled with injuries on top of some Donegal uncertainty, and talk of Monaghan and Roscommon having slightly slow preps also. I expect Galway to be solidly mid table, perhaps to the lower end, enough maybe to get by the ones above but not enough done to challenge Tyrone, Armagh and Mayo who'll all hit the ground running. Quite unlucky to have Kerry in the final game also when they'll almost certainly be back to normal, rather than early on

Last year Tyrone benefitted by playing Kerry in the final game with it being a dead rubber for Kerry who played a weakened team in advance of the following week's League final.
I expect Kerry's final game to be a dead rubber for them this year also but in different circumstances - safe from relegation and a position in the league final out of reach.

I'd say Donegal will benefit much more from a weakened team this Sunday than Tyrone did in the final game last year. Tyrone obviously had more hunger on the day but given the team Kerry put out I think it's fair to say they'd have happily relegated Tyrone.

Kerry had 9 starters from the All Ireland winning starting team on (including Clifford) plus another 3 game of the bench against Tyrone last year. For this Sunday it looks like there'll only be 3/4 starters available.

[seafoid]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/26/nfl-division-one-champions-kerry-look-to-retain-title/


NFL Division One: Champions Kerry look to retain title
Four Ulster teams, three from Connacht in what will be a competitive league
Seán Moran
Thu Jan 26 2023 - 20:42

Armagh
Manager: Kieran McGeeney
2022: 3rd in Division One and lost Ulster 1st round to Donegal; All-Ireland, lost quarter-final to Galway
Opening fixture: v Monaghan (away)
An encouraging 2022 saw Kieran McGeeney's team start fast in the league and end it a little unlucky to miss final. Also unlucky to exit championship on penalties. Rian O'Neill was excellent in an at times high-performing attack. Discipline though remains a fundamental problem.


Donegal
Manager: Paddy Carr
2022: 4th, Division One and lost Ulster final to Derry; All-Ireland, lost qualifier R2 to Armagh
Opening fixture: v Kerry (home)
Byzantine managerial manoeuvres ended with Paddy Carr taking over. Aidan O'Rourke joins as coach but Michael Murphy finally called it a day. There's not much optimism that they can turn around the underachievement in his absence.

Galway
Manager: Pádraic Joyce
2022: Runners up, Division Two and Connacht champions; All-Ireland finalists.
Opening fixture: v Mayo (away)
Excellent championship brought Galway closer to an All-Ireland than for two decades. This season isn't starting well with loss of Liam Silke for what looks like a year and Kieran Molloy nursing a cruciate. Return of Ian Burke a positive but greater depth needed.

Kerry
Manager: Jack O'Connor
2022: 1st in Division One and winners, Munster champions; All-Ireland champions
Opening fixture: v Donegal (away)
Jack O'Connor returned for a third tenure to do his trick of a first-year league and All-Ireland double. They may ease up on the league, particularly as they start the campaign without most of their first team between injury and club commitments. David Moran called it a day, leaving hole at centrefield.

Mayo

Manager: Kevin McStay
2022: 2nd in Division One and finalists, lost Connacht quarter-final to Galway; All-Ireland, lost quarter-final to Kerry

Opening fixture: v Galway (home)
Pre-season disappointment as Lee Keegan retired and Oisín Mullin returned to Australia. Buoyant all the same under the new management and with some good under-20 talent bubbling under. Can a renewed championship challenge be unearthed?

Monaghan
Manager: Vinny Corey
2022: 6th, Division One and lost Ulster semi-final to Derry; All-Ireland, lost qualifier R1 to Mayo
Opening fixture: v Armagh (home)
Time of transition, as Drew Wylie and former All Star Colin Walshe retired but Vinny Corey came to the rescue of a management void. There is still optimism amid the realism. David Gartland tearing it up for UCD another positive.
]

Roscommon
Manager: Davy Burke
2022: 1st Division Two and winners, lost Connacht final to Galway; All-Ireland, lost qualifier R2 to Clare
Opening fixture: v Tyrone (home)
New manager Davy Burke must cope with the travel plans of first teamers Ultan Harney and Ronan Daly. On the credit side, Tadhg O'Rourke is back involved. Need to hit the ground running if their yo-yo status isn't to continue.

Tyrone
Managers: Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher
2022: 5th, Division One and lost Ulster quarter-final to Derry; All-Ireland, lost qualifier R1 to Armagh
Opening fixture: v Roscommon (away)
Hoping to bounce back from the now traditional post-All-Ireland deflation, Tyrone have the wherewithal to do a lot better. Conor McKenna's revived AFL career is a significant loss but with younger talent developing the 2021 champions can improve.

[Farrandeelin]

Strong Galway team for Saturday night

Connor Gleeson; Eoghan Kelly, Seán Kelly, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, John Daly;Daniel O'Flanherty Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Paul Kelly, Matthew Tierney, Johnny Heaney; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Connelly

Subs Bernie Power,Neil Mulcahy,Cathal Sweeney,John Maher,Billy Mannion,Matthew Barrett,Peter Cooke,Gerard Davoren,Ryan Monaghan,Eoin Finnerty,Owen Gallagher

That's a strong team alright. Joyce mustn't like Tomo Culhane or is he playing Sigerson?

[seafoid]

Strong Galway team for Saturday night

Connor Gleeson; Eoghan Kelly, Seán Kelly, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, John Daly;Daniel O'Flanherty Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Paul Kelly, Matthew Tierney, Johnny Heaney; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Connelly

Subs Bernie Power,Neil Mulcahy,Cathal Sweeney,John Maher,Billy Mannion,Matthew Barrett,Peter Cooke,Gerard Davoren,Ryan Monaghan,Eoin Finnerty,Owen Gallagher

That's a strong team alright. Joyce mustn't like Tomo Culhane or is he playing Sigerson?

Very different to the one put out last time in the Prenty Dome.

[Rossfan]

Connacht teams enter the real World this weekend away from Prenty's fantasy palace of fairy tales.

[Maroon Manc]

Strong Galway team for Saturday night

Connor Gleeson; Eoghan Kelly, Seán Kelly, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, John Daly;Daniel O'Flanherty Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Paul Kelly, Matthew Tierney, Johnny Heaney; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Connelly

Subs Bernie Power,Neil Mulcahy,Cathal Sweeney,John Maher,Billy Mannion,Matthew Barrett,Peter Cooke,Gerard Davoren,Ryan Monaghan,Eoin Finnerty,Owen Gallagher

That's a strong team alright. Joyce mustn't like Tomo Culhane or is he playing Sigerson?

Culhane was taken off injured in his last Sigerson game. Will be surprised if that team starts, didn't even know Mulchay & Davoren were on the panel.

The Moycullen lads will be fit but the 3 Kelly's have all been playing Sigerson so will have done very little with the team and Glynn if he starts, O'Flaherty, Tierney & Finnerty have been playing Sigerson too.

Thought all along that Galway were in for tough start to the league and would be happy to stay up and find a couple of players with losing Molloy & Silke who are huge losses. Like the look of O'Flaherty but there's not many 19 year olds playing at this level.

[Manning18]

Fair few names missing there. Il be pleasantly surprised if they come away with anything from Castlebar tomorrow night. His substitution list is always a perplexing read. No idea that a few of them were in contention. Must be a number of knocks.

Of the starters, all eyes on O'Flaherty of course but he's so young. Only really one out and out defender there in Glynn and being tasked with marking Ryan O'Donoghue (or Tommy Conroy if he played post injury) is probably something he'd have been saved from last season, never mind coming off an injury himself and no gametime under his belt yet this year. Assuming Heaney drops deep to protect the defensive rookies, it'll mean one of Finnerty, Comer or Dessie playing a lot deeper themselves than usual. It all looks experimental enough in practice

Anyone know what's the story with Patrick Kelly? Hasn't been mentioned in any interviews to my knowledge if its injury related, which seems very strange for what looked a surefire starter coming into the year

[Cunny Funt]

11 of that Galway team started All-Ireland final. Won't be many if any of the other Div 1 teams starting with so many first choice players in round 1 in the league.

Joyce looking to hit the ground running it seems while running the risk of injury with a lot of those players already heavily involved with college football and Moycullens season didn't end until early January so not much of a rest there.

No Shane Walsh of course yet he didn't play away to Derry in the league last year and Galway had that contest won by half time leading 3-8 to 0-4 with Tierney, Conneely and Comer with the goals.

[Manning18]

11 of that Galway team started All-Ireland final. Won't be many if any of the other Div 1 teams starting with so many first choice players in round 1 in the league.

Joyce looking to hit the ground running it seems while running the risk of injury with a lot of those players already heavily involved with college football and Moycullens season didn't end until early January so not much of a rest there.

No Shane Walsh of course yet he didn't play away to Derry in the league last year and Galway had that contest won by half time leading 3-8 to 0-4 with Tierney, Conneely and Comer with the goals.

Well that's patently nonsense. Go back look at the R1 teamsheets from the D1 teams last year. Teams haven't put throwaway teams out in the league in about a decade at this stage. Kerry and Donegal will look a bit different this year alright through injury and club commitments

How many U20 players will be making their competitive debut in D1 this weekend? Id say you could set the line at 2. It's an experimental defensive setup with a decent forward line. Goalkeeper best not talked about. Best player and free taker being gone until game 6 by the sounds of things will probably cost them at some point

[galwayman]

Fair few names missing there. Il be pleasantly surprised if they come away with anything from Castlebar tomorrow night. His substitution list is always a perplexing read. No idea that a few of them were in contention. Must be a number of knocks.

Of the starters, all eyes on O'Flaherty of course but he's so young. Only really one out and out defender there in Glynn and being tasked with marking Ryan O'Donoghue (or Tommy Conroy if he played post injury) is probably something he'd have been saved from last season, never mind coming off an injury himself and no gametime under his belt yet this year. Assuming Heaney drops deep to protect the defensive rookies, it'll mean one of Finnerty, Comer or Dessie playing a lot deeper themselves than usual. It all looks experimental enough in practice

Anyone know what's the story with Patrick Kelly? Hasn't been mentioned in any interviews to my knowledge if its injury related, which seems very strange for what looked a surefire starter coming into the year

Re Kelly - I heard Pj say that Silke was the only player who wouldn't commit. I'm assuming it's injury related rather than being dropped but not sure on that either?
On the elephant in the room... how the hell do we still have the same goalkeeper as last year? He is a disaster waiting to happen in every single game.
Look at Dunmore's run this year even - several bloopers that led to the concession of goals.
I can't believe that we don't have several better keepers in the county.

[An Fhairche Abu]

Won't be fixing the goalkeeper issue during this league by the looks of it, Gleeson and Power have been tried before, we all know their strengths and weaknesses, neither are of the sufficient standard. Galway restarts are killing us compared to other teams who have better kick out systems and better goalkeepeers.

We'll see how they go tomorrow, interesting squad in terms of who is and isn't there, good number of players who saw time in the FBD have been cleared out. Thought Billy Mannion might have got a starting jersey but Eoghan Kelly has got the nod. O'Flaherty isn't even starting for University of Galway in the Sigerson, very young for this level but his FBD performances have been rewarded.

More worried about injuries really, no break for Sean Kelly, a lot of these lads are playing Sigerson next week as well, I'm sure they have the workloads managed as best they can be but it's asking for trouble. There was no rocket science to Galway going better in the championship last year, had McDaid, Comer and especially Daly fully fit, we can't afford the likes of Sean Kelly to get injuries from over playing, I thought he looked flaked in the club semi final after the long year.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Strong Galway team for Saturday night

Connor Gleeson; Eoghan Kelly, Seán Kelly, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, John Daly;Daniel O'Flanherty Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Paul Kelly, Matthew Tierney, Johnny Heaney; Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Connelly

Subs Bernie Power,Neil Mulcahy,Cathal Sweeney,John Maher,Billy Mannion,Matthew Barrett,Peter Cooke,Gerard Davoren,Ryan Monaghan,Eoin Finnerty,Owen Gallagher

That's a strong team alright. Joyce mustn't like Tomo Culhane or is he playing Sigerson?

He went off injured in NUIG's last game.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Won't be fixing the goalkeeper issue during this league by the looks of it, Gleeson and Power have been tried before, we all know their strengths and weaknesses, neither are of the sufficient standard. Galway restarts are killing us compared to other teams who have better kick out systems and better goalkeepeers.

We'll see how they go tomorrow, interesting squad in terms of who is and isn't there, good number of players who saw time in the FBD have been cleared out. Thought Billy Mannion might have got a starting jersey but Eoghan Kelly has got the nod. O'Flaherty isn't even starting for University of Galway in the Sigerson, very young for this level but his FBD performances have been rewarded.

Heard O'Flaherty has been impressing in challenges as well. Was apparently very good against Westmeath recently. But he's only a young lad so he's going to have ups and downs for a while yet.

[joemamas]

Connacht teams enter the real World this weekend away from Prenty's fantasy palace of fairy tales.

While he not above criticism, would you prefer if it was in Meath, Wicklow or Kildare.