Qualifier- Galway vs Clare 2.7 Bóthar na Trá

[seafoid]

Nicky English :

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0620/1224299224281.html

"Whatever about making a late charge, Galway looked in real trouble for most of the game. After last year's performance against Tipperary in the All-Ireland quarter-final you'd expect they'd kick on this summer, but I think in contrast to Dublin, they've gone backwards. I suppose the warning signs were there during the league but they've got a lot to do now if they want to beat Clare, and I actually fancy Clare might take them. If you look as well at the Galway panel you have to wonder are they really as good a team as some people think, or are they just over-hyped. John McIntyre replaced three of his six forwards and both midfielders, and yet none of them had the desired impact. They've had a lot of success at minor and under-21 level, but the question has to be asked whether or not they are simply up to it at this grade. They certainly lacked the necessary commitment and intent that Dublin showed, and without that you won't win anything."

[AZOffaly]

This reads like it's in Ennis (Clare v Galway) but I heard on the lunchtime sports news that it's fixed for Salthill? Anyone know?

[GalwayBayBoy]

This reads like it's in Ennis (Clare v Galway) but I heard on the lunchtime sports news that it's fixed for Salthill? Anyone know?

On at 7.00 July 2 at Pearse Stadium.

[seafoid]

Clare dumped  Galway  out of the 2007 championship in early July. 

[AZOffaly]

Clare dumped  Galway  out of the 2007 championship in early July.

That was in Ennis though. When I heard Ennis I thought Galway were in big trouble. In Pearse Stadium I think they'll rebound well. I can't believe that Galway team in Tullamore is the real Galway.

[GaillimhIarthair]

Clare dumped  Galway  out of the 2007 championship in early July.

That was in Ennis though. When I heard Ennis I thought Galway were in big trouble. In Pearse Stadium I think they'll rebound well. I can't believe that Galway team in Tullamore is the real Galway.

Unfortunately it might very well be    It was a dire performance; probably the worst I've seen since the Waterford game back in the late 90's.  We were physically just blown away by a much superior Dub team.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Clare dumped  Galway  out of the 2007 championship in early July.

True although Galway did beat Clare in Ennis by 2-18 to 1-11 in 2009 in another qualifier. We always seem to play them in Ennis so it will be a new experience to have a home game. Last home game Galway had in the championship against a big team was Tipp back in either 03 or 04.

[Forever Green]

I fancy Clare to win this game. They looked impressive against Tipperary apart from a dodgy back line. If Canning and Hayes can hit form they might be able to sneak a result but both were very poor against Dublin. Imo a year off from hurling will do Joe Canning no harm as he seems to be picking up a lot of injuries and didn't look fit against Dublin at all.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I fancy Clare to win this game. They looked impressive against Tipperary apart from a dodgy back line. If Canning and Hayes can hit form they might be able to sneak a result but both were very poor against Dublin. Imo a year off from hurling will do Joe Canning no harm as he seems to be picking up a lot of injuries and didn't look fit against Dublin at all.

Hard to know. Galway were putrid against Dublin. Their worst display in a long long time but I find it hard to believe they will be as bad again. And as An Moltoir pointed out in his analysis of the game as bad as Galway played had Joe Canning not had his worst ever day from placed balls or had Galway taken any of the 2 or 3 goal chances they failed to convert they easily could have won the game despite being wiped out in winning puckouts. That said I won't be putting any money on us.

Anyway he made some interesting observations on the Dublin game.

Galway, by contrast, had no form going into Saturday's game. Following a good league showing against Kilkenny they were hammered by Tipperary, were played off the field by Dublin but still managed to win courtesy of 19 wides on their opponents' part and then lost to a very understrength Waterford team on a day when a good performance was needed in order to put them into the league final. This was followed by a rather underwhelming effort against Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster championship.

Another key difference going into last Saturday's game was that, while Dublin have a largely settled team (apart from injuries), the same could hardly be said of Galway. Only eight of the team which lined out in their last championship game of 2010 started against Dublin, and two of these were in different positions. This may help explain the lack of pattern and structure to Galway's play on Saturday, whereas Dublin admirably stuck to their game plan right to the end. Thus, where Galway were running up blind alleys or lashing the ball in the general direction of Joe Canning, Dublin were using the hand pass to put players in space and directing good varied and low ball into their inside forwards.

The play statistics tell it all, with the Dublin full forward line making 81 plays compared with 50 for the Galway full backs, while the Dublin full backs had 79 plays to just 42 for the the Galway full forwards. Overall, Dublin dominated the play count, both in the first half (215/152) and in the second (236/171) for an overall balance of 451/323. This superiority in play counts is partly attributable to Dublin's greater use of the handpass and their more effective use of the ball into the forwards, but it also reflects Dublin's higher work rate and will to win which was apparent right through the game. This, again, is reflected in the puckout statistics. At this level, one expects the defending team to win about 60% of the opposition's puckouts. Last Saturday, not only did Dublin win two thirds of Galway's puckouts, but they won 57 per cent of their own.

Yet, the wonder of hurling is that, despite all their territorial domination, Dublin ended up with exactly the same number of shots at goal as Galway (32 each). Ultimately, then, the key factor in deciding the game's outcome was the fact that Dublin converted 60% of their shots into scores whereas for Galway the proportion was a miserable 28 per cent. In turn, this largely boils down to the contrast in shooting performance between Dublin's Paul Ryan and Galway's Joe Canning. Ryan was responsible for 18 of Dublin's 32 shots at goal and nailed 13 of them (72%), with just two of the five misses constituting bad misses, in our estimation.

Canning essayed half (16) of Galway's shots but only managed to convert four of them. Four of his shots were blocked or saved while six of his other eight misses were bad misses, in our view. If Joe had matched Ryan's strike rate (which in itself was probably inferior to Joe's normal success rate) he would have added eight or nine points to Galway's final score – enough to comfortably bridge the gap between the teams at the end.

However, one should not put all the blame for this defeat on Joe Canning's shoulders. Where was Damian Hayes, who didn't play the ball until the 24th minute and only managed four plays in all before being taken off late in the game? Éanna Ryan had his first play in the 26th minute and didn't play the ball even once again before being substituted at half time. Aongus Callanan's first play came in the 29th minute but he still lasted until the 66th minute despite playing the ball just three more times in the interim.

[seafoid]

The Irish times is milking the fragile emotional state of the Galway hurlers all this week

But how can something Lynshki says impact the amount of ball a fella in the half back line can catch or his level of indiscipline  ? 

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0622/1224299382866.html

The three senior hurling figures who criticised the team in Saturday's Irish Independent are all committed to their county: Noel Lane and Conor Hayes have three All-Ireland medals each and both managed the county to All-Ireland finals and Brendan Lynskey's physicality was a hallmark of the last team to take the Liam MacCarthy across the Shannon.

Few won't understand their frustration at the serial woes of their successors in maroon jerseys but imagine what it's like for players.
Westmeath manager Brian Hanley, three times an All-Ireland club medallist with Athenry and someone who's been involved in hurling for 20 years, conjured up an uncomfortable image of the impact on players' confidence of seeing legends of the Galway game who they had probably grown up revering angrily dismissing – almost disowning – them on the day of a big match.

[bottlethrower7]

If Galway play like they played against Dublin I reckon they'll beat Clare. Clare were really shown up at the business end of the game against Tipp. Through no fault of their own, mind. The lack of regular intense games obviously told and they really faded badly. As the game wore on they made more and more mistakes.

As bad as Galway were against Dublin you never fully felt the game was completely gone from them. If Galway are atrocious and are anything less than 10 points down with 20 minutes to go, I'd expect they'll be able to overhaul an energy-sapped, error-prone Banner, despite all the bluster and passion they're obviously capable of.

Playing hurling in division 2 has killed Clare's chances of any kind of championship success. In my opinion they've already gotten more than I expected of them out of the year. Their sights need to be set on a longer-term goal and they're certainly headed the right direction.

[mouview]

Clare dumped  Galway  out of the 2007 championship in early July.

That wasn't knockout Seaf. Galway went on to beat Antrim and gave a good run to KK in the 1/4s for much of the match; ultimately they couldn't overcome the inadequacies of Ger Mahon or the eccentricities of Ger Loughnane.

[seafoid]

Galway change five and drop captain
GALWAY MANAGER John McIntyre has taken a scalpel to his misfiring side, making five changes for Saturday's All-Ireland hurling qualifier against Clare.



Captain Damien Joyce is among the casualties, along with Cyril Donnellan, the hat-trick hero in the Leinster quarter-final victory over Westmeath, who has been nursing a toe injury picked up against Dublin.

The return from injury of free-taker Ger Farragher and Iarla Tannian is a boost to the Tribesmen ahead of the clash in Pearse Stadium.

Veteran Alan Kerins, who was only recalled to the squad a few weeks ago after a two-year absence, starts at left corner forward, while Donal Barry returns to the half-back line and Andy Smith is recalled and given a midfield role.

Barry Daly, Éanna Ryan and Aonghus Callinan are the other players to be dropped, while, in a positional switch, Shane Kavanagh reverts to his normal full back position from wing back, and David Collins moves to corner back from full back.

Damien Hayes takes over the captaincy.

GALWAY (SHC v Clare): J Skehill; F Moore, S Kavanagh, D Collins; D Barry, T Óg Regan, A Cullinane; D Burke, A Smith; J Gantley, G Farragher, I Tannian; D Hayes, J Canning, A Kerins

[AZOffaly]

That's a much more balanced looking Galway side. Not sure about Farragher at centre forward though. I didn't think he was too bad in midfield last year.

[seafoid]

I think it will do no harm to have a freetaker.

There have been no press articles this week about low self esteem in the camp which must also be positive.