First to Sam : Mayo or Galway

[seafoid]

In 1952 both counties had 3 all Irelands each. 6 Nil to Galway since but Mayo lead in number of Connacht championships and have loads of Croke Park experience.

[Crete Boom]

In 1952 both counties had 3 all Irelands each. 6 Nil to Galway since but Mayo lead in number of Connacht championships and have loads of Croke Park experience.

It is sad to see how much of a slump (despite their young talent) Galway are in that all Galway football supporters can do is poke fun at Mayo's recent failed attempts to win the big one.
Actually the saddest thing I ever heard was a Galway supporter after their loss to Donegal last year remarking that he didn't care if Galway won the All Ireland again as long as Mayo didn't win one!!!

Personally I wouldn't care if Galway win 5 in a row as long as Mayo could land Sam once in my lifetime!!! If Galway were to win a couple of All Irelands in the next couple of years similar to 98/2001 I would tip my hat in respect to them for finishing the job we couldn't and would hope one day to better them not sit in the shade and throw stones at them.

[GalwayBayBoy]

At this rate I might be in the ground before we see Sam again although I might have said the exact same thing in the mid 90's. A bloody Connacht title would be a big achievement at this stage.

[Maroon Manc]

In 1952 both counties had 3 all Irelands each. 6 Nil to Galway since but Mayo lead in number of Connacht championships and have loads of Croke Park experience.

It is sad to see how much of a slump (despite their young talent) Galway are in that all Galway football supporters can do is poke fun at Mayo's recent failed attempts to win the big one.
Actually the saddest thing I ever heard was a Galway supporter after their loss to Donegal last year remarking that he didn't care if Galway won the All Ireland again as long as Mayo didn't win one!!!

Personally I wouldn't care if Galway win 5 in a row as long as Mayo could land Sam once in my lifetime!!! If Galway were to win a couple of All Irelands in the next couple of years similar to 98/2001 I would tip my hat in respect to them for finishing the job we couldn't and would hope one day to better them not sit in the shade and throw stones at them.

Off course you did

[An Fhairche Abu]

At the moment I cannot see any way that Galway will win an All Ireland before Mayo, who have somehow contrived to lose at least two All Ireland's that they really should have won in my lifetime. Talk of Galway people not caring as long as Mayo don't win is crazy, we are gone miles back and need to sort out our own house.
Mayo are in a far better place than Galway and are there or there abouts year after year, we can't even win a Connacht at the moment and the Rossies look to be ahead of us as well.

I had a really bad feeling about the match in 2013 and expected Galway to get a serious hiding, starting to think that way about 2016 at this stage but they have 10 weeks to come up with something for Mayo. At the end of the day this is a question for next October, the league won't matter a jot in comparison to championship performances.

[seafoid]

At this rate I might be in the ground before we see Sam again although I might have said the exact same thing in the mid 90's. A bloody Connacht title would be a big achievement at this stage.

I was talking to Tomas Mannion's sister in the mid 90s and she was talking about how much abuse the footballers used to get especially after the loss to Leitrim in 1994 when a bloody Connacht title was hard to imagine..

[mouview]

In answer to your question, Mayo at the moment, no question. For reasons set out elsewhere on this forum, the current Galway squad won't be winning Sam anytime at all soon. Whether the current Mayo squad, renewed under new management, can do it is a big one; Writing off Kerry is like writing off KK, always foolhardy, yet still they rely a lot on their aging players. Mayo don't fear Donegal, nor should they, but Tyrone could be trickier this year. Then there'll be Dublin who'll take some stopping; for Mayo to win Sam it may take for Kerry to beat the Dubs out of their way first. This is all assuming Rochford can coax a late spell of good form (and a richer scoring vein) out of a fairly well-traveled Mayo panel. I must be in the minority of Galway fans who actively wants to see Mayo win Sam, for the sake of Connacht football and for upsetting the natural order.

The one very slight thing in Galway's favour is tradition, the comfort of having done it before; the very rare times they have a team good enough to win, a-la '98, they know it and push on.

[moysider]

Maybe Galway will have to wait for the next generation of Donnellans, Fallons and Joyces?

Mayo have hit rich seams of talent in the last 6 decades without landing the big prize. Even during the 70s when we couldn t win a Connacht be actually had some very good players.

Galway also lost finals badly in the 70's and 80s when they had top teams.

The difference between winning and losing can be down to the quality of others around at the same time. Mayo have been unlucky at times, like with the current Dublin side ( arguably their best ever) and Kerry in the noughties ( arguably their best as well).
Losing to Cork '89 and Donegal 2012 another day's work though.

[From the Bunker]

The past is the past and there is nothing we can do about it. The mad thing about the great Galway team circa 1997 -2002 is you'd expect success like that to inspire the next generation? To make them think they have a god given right to win Connacht and AI's. And that thay'd go on to dominate Connacht. On the opposite side Mayo's continual lack of success seems to inspire team after team to come back and back. We have ended up like some sort of sado masochistic county, but we keep plugging!

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

How much is the growth of Rugby affecting Galway?

[moysider]

The past is the past and there is nothing we can do about it. The mad thing about the great Galway team circa 1997 -2002 is you'd expect success like that to inspire the next generation? To make them think they have a god given right to win Connacht and AI's. And that thay'd go on to dominate Connacht. On the opposite side Mayo's continual lack of success seems to inspire team after team to come back and back. We have ended up like some sort of sado masochistic county, but we keep plugging!

I think we are in a position to keep plugging because we are a big county with gaelic football the top game. So there are always a good number of quality players there. We can rebuild a lot quicker than most. Galway is a bigger county but is only half football.
In Galway the St. Jarlath's nursery was a great + for them. . A conveyor belt of players coming out with success and confidence. That's gone now maybe. Jarlath's is now just a local school with local lads like schools everywhere else in the province. This year no Galway college made the last 4 in Connacht. 2 Sligo schools contested the final. That would be beyond belief 10 years ago.

[moysider]

How much is the growth of Rugby affecting Galway?

I can t see it affecting Galway especially. Or anywhere else much.

Mayo e.g. lost 2 players that would have been good county players to rugby last 15 years or so.
We lost more to pro soccer and as many to Aussie Rules.

[Duine Eile]

How much is the growth of Rugby affecting Galway?

Not a lot I wouldn't think, there's 3 senior football clubs within Galway city, St. Michael's, St. James', Salthill Knocknacarra, all of which are fairly competitive and would probably be in the top tier of senior football clubs in the county. It's the schools I think that are suffering at the minute, since St. Jarlaths amalgamated with St. Pats and stopped taking borders the football has been on a steady decline, a few years ago the Galway minor team would have a serious number of Jarlaths players, not anymore. St. Mary's have disappeared altogether, I think they've slipped down to senior B in fact.

[From the Bunker]

How much is the growth of Rugby affecting Galway?

Not a lot I wouldn't think, there's 3 senior football clubs within Galway city, St. Michael's, St. James', Salthill Knocknacarra, all of which are fairly competitive and would probably be in the top tier of senior football clubs in the county. It's the schools I think that are suffering at the minute, since St. Jarlaths amalgamated with St. Pats and stopped taking borders the football has been on a steady decline, a few years ago the Galway minor team would have a serious number of Jarlaths players, not anymore. St. Mary's have disappeared altogether, I think they've slipped down to senior B in fact.

In contrast St. Geralds - Castlebar was a joke for decades in regards to even competing in the College 'A' Competitions.  Decent Coaches, pitches and structure changed all that. With that success, better footballers are attracted to the College. That said Jarlaths have won a few titles lately! And these lads should be senior level or close now! So is this the problem?

[moysider]

How much is the growth of Rugby affecting Galway?

Not a lot I wouldn't think, there's 3 senior football clubs within Galway city, St. Michael's, St. James', Salthill Knocknacarra, all of which are fairly competitive and would probably be in the top tier of senior football clubs in the county. It's the schools I think that are suffering at the minute, since St. Jarlaths amalgamated with St. Pats and stopped taking borders the football has been on a steady decline, a few years ago the Galway minor team would have a serious number of Jarlaths players, not anymore. St. Mary's have disappeared altogether, I think they've slipped down to senior B in fact.

In contrast St. Geralds - Castlebar was a joke for decades in regards to even competing in the College 'A' Competitions.  Decent Coaches, pitches and structure changed all that. With that success, better footballers are attracted to the College. That said Jarlaths have won a few titles lately! And these lads should be senior level or close now! So is this the problem?

17/18 years ago Davitt College were probably stronger than St. Geralds. The Dillons and Paul Cody would have been in Davitt. Mayo never had a super school. Players were dispersed around local schools. When I was a kid in St. Muredach's, in one of our better teams, Liam McHale, Aidan McHale and others were playing in the local teck. When we played Jarlath's they had Ballina lads like Niall Brennan and Kevin McStay playing with them, as well as Padraig Brogan and Patrick Corcoran from just out the road in Knockmore! If we had those we could have been winning stuff.
Very few local Tuam lads made the Jarlath's teams. In fact Jarlath's probably underachieved with the resources they had! I have a Jarlath's team from about 15 years ago where there wasn t 2 players from the same club and more than a third of the team were not from Galway.