Galway v Tipperary AIQF 31/07/16

[From the Bunker]

Could see Galway getting to an AI final. But could not see them beat Dublin or Kerry. They have a terrible record against them the last 50 years or so!

[Zulu]

Can't see where the confidence about Galway (in some quarters) is coming from. They are definitely an improved team but they have only put in one really notable performance in beating Mayo but without that goal I don't think they would have won.

I've a suspicion that both Galway and Tyrone have looked a bit better than they are and both could be exposed in Croke Park with Galway particularly vulnerable on that score. It's great to see new teams coming to the fore but the smart money is still on Mayo, Dublin and Kerry for me.

[ballinaman]

Anyone have more info on Declan Kyne? How old is he roughly and did he feature underage? Interested because a Gawlay footballer (not on panel now) told me prior to the Mayo game that he didn't rate him at all..

[seafoid]

Could see Galway getting to an AI final. But could not see them beat Dublin or Kerry. They have a terrible record against them the last 50 years or so!

I think Mayo GHU will do it this year

[Zulu]

Anyone have more info on Declan Kyne? How old is he roughly and did he feature underage? Interested because a Gawlay footballer (not on panel now) told me prior to the Mayo game that he didn't rate him at all..

He's 26 as far as I know.

[Captain Obvious]

Can't see where the confidence about Galway (in some quarters) is coming from. They are definitely an improved team but they have only put in one really notable performance in beating Mayo but without that goal I don't think they would have won.

I've a suspicion that both Galway and Tyrone have looked a bit better than they are and both could be exposed in Croke Park with Galway particularly vulnerable on that score. It's great to see new teams coming to the fore but the smart money is still on Mayo, Dublin and Kerry for me.

The smart money would be on Kerry or Dublin. After seven All Ireland final defeats since 1989 anyone smart enough wouldn't place cash on Mayo to win Sam this year.

[Zulu]

Well if I was putting money down then it would only be on Dublin. I think Mayo are still a serious challenger though and if they find their form they'll be tough for anyone to beat.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Can't see where the confidence about Galway (in some quarters) is coming from. They are definitely an improved team but they have only put in one really notable performance in beating Mayo but without that goal I don't think they would have won.

There are many games where if you don't score a goal you don't win. That's football for ya. Mayo beat us last year with a lot of help from a freakish own goal. That's also football for ya sometimes.

Not sure what you mean by confidence either? I think many people think we can win this weekend alright but I doubt very many people will be tipping us in the semi-finals if we do. It's quite clear that many people seem to think the Mayo game was a freak result (despite last year's match between the two being quite tight as well) and the Roscommon win is being dismissed completely now seeing as the Rossies subsequently lost to Clare.

[Zulu]

True, but I think the timing of the goal and the flow of the game at the time meant that Glaway wouldn't have won without that goal. Mayo were also quite poor on the day and maybe were timing their run for later in the year. This, of course, is just opinion and the next couple of weeks can make people look foolish but from what I've seen I think the jury is still out on Galway, though they do appear to be going in the right direction.

[An Fhairche Abu]

Mayo didn't score for 25 minutes in the second half, that was not all just down to Mayo having an off day. 6 starting lineup championship debutants on the Galway team as well.

Galway finally have a system in place that looks to be fit for purpose for the current championship, the players that are on the panel are clearly committed to doing what it takes and are slowly getting back to being a team of some relevance.
The issues are a lack of experience in winning big matches (the nervousness shown against a poor Roscommon in the drawn match when clearly the superior team), a very thin squad beyond the first 15 and it's unrealistic to expect that all the starters are going to play at top form in Croke Park.

No one expected Galway to be in the position we currently are in, regardless of the rest of the year this has been a good championship for Galway with the Connacht title in the bag and the Connacht benchmark of Mayo (off day or not) beaten along the way, there's more to come from this group I think and hopefully the squad will improve next year so that the competition for places is better and the progress this year can be built on.

If Tipp continue to concede the scores they have heretofore (2-16, 3-17, 2-17) in the championship, I would be disappointed if Galway cannot keep the Tipperary score to a lower total than that on Sunday.
1-16 is the highest total we've conceded all year and Tipp would not have won any of their championship matches with that return.
Tipp do have the advantage that they can just turn up and have a cut at it but I know that Kevin Walsh will have the Galway team tuned in, our terrible record in CP and the fact that some pundits are going for Tipperary means that complacency won't be an issue at least.

[Duine Eile]

One thing that puzzles me around the "pundits" and this game is the talk of Tipperary's momentum coming into it. They lost to Kerry in the Munster final on 3rd July and beat Derry last week, winning one game is hardly momentum.  I do think we will have enough to beat Tipperary, whether it's by one point or ten I'm really not bothered so long as we're on the right end as I've said before. I've criticised Kevin and his management team for having no clear game plan or defensive structure in the past but fair play, the team is very well structured and each player knows where he should be. One concern I do have though, is our bench looks a bit light especially with Cathal Sweeney gone for the year.

[Rossfan]

Momentum in the Qualifiers is one of those journalist clichés up the with the wide open spaces of Croke Park, Galway are a great Croke Park team and Kerry are pure clean footballers.

[tbrick18]

Having seen Tipp first hand last weekend beat my beloved Derry, I think they are well suited to Croke Park and have a really good chance of beating Galway.
Both teams run at you but the sheer athleticism and size of the Tipp team impressed me. Their defence are shaky enough, but they will cause any team problems going forward.
It should be a good game, I'd like to see Tipp push on....

[AZOffaly]

The worry I have for Tipp would be twofold. Middle of the field will be under pressure, so if Galway use the latest cliché and ''push up on the kickouts'' we'll see Tipp struggle. Comerford has the ability to be accurate with kickouts, but the kickout strategy doesn't seem to be very slick, and while Acheson is a great man for bombing on, neither him or George Hannigan would be outstanding fielders.

The other worry I have is Tipp defenders one on one v fast attackers. They are still a bit naive and raw in terms of getting turned. It happens very easily. They take bad positions when attacking the ball, and a nippy forward just loses them with a straight forward sharp turn. That's the major achilles heel in my view, and leads directly to goals.

If Tipp can break even around the middle, they are good going forward, as long as they move at pace. They are getting better now at recycling the ball, and injecting pace again. In the past they had the initial burst, but if it was held up, they lost patience and ideas and either turned it over in the tackle, or had an aimless kick at goals. As I said that is improving, and quite a few scores are coming from 'second wave' type attacks with either a change of wing, or a kick pass in front of Sweeney or Quinlivan.

They can also go long to the two lads inside to mix up their attacks, and that's vital to have in your armory. If the defence knows you are a running team, they will set up to block off the running channels. If you are a kicking team, they deploy deep lying sweepers to cut off the kicking channels. If you do both, sometimes they have to pick their poison.

I hope Tipperary get in amongst Galway and have a right cut off them. I'm sure they will. However there is a gap between the teams and I think the Galway forwards will do enough damage to see them home by 5 or 6 points.

[Ciarrai_thuaidh]

Momentum in the Qualifiers is one of those journalist clichés up the with the wide open spaces of Croke Park, Galway are a great Croke Park team and Kerry are pure clean footballers.

What sort of clown would print either of those statements? Don't understand why people even bother regurgitating nonsense, which is 95% of GAA journalism these days.

I'd share your concerns AZ on Tipp. Will really need to cover the central channel a lot better than they've done at times. I really hope they are fresh enough to give it a good lash. Could make for a great game.