Cork team V Galway

[Syferus]

That was some run by the Galway keeper. Was he well over the half way line?

Think he was. Mad stuff alright. Obviously a Shane Curran fan.

Who isn't?

[From the Bunker]

Well done to Galway on the weekend! Great football and a creditable performance against a Seasoned Cork side. A good way to go out of the Championship (if there is a good way).

Now that is where i stop being nice. Although this group got this far and finished on a high, lets not forget where Galway football still is. A hammering to Mayo a narrow win over Tipp and Waterford and a home win v Armagh. Galway played well yesterday but they  lost a game they should have probably closed out and won. Yes the pundits are raving about Armstrong, Meehan and Conroy, Just like they raved about Galway 5 years ago playing football against Kerry and still losing. I remember Spillane talking about how great the game was. He was happy, Galway played entertaining football in a game Kerry won. Take it from me moral victories mean nothing for the future, victories do.

So don't believe the hype on turning a corner (yet). Stick with it. Ye have the players. Ye just need a bit of know how and not to believe ye are further than ye are (yet).

[maigheo]

Reading Eugene MCGees colum in the Sindo today [i know] where he said that the way Galway played on Sat was the proper way to play football.I suspect that if the colors were changed to red and green they would have been chokers and naive.

[Wildweasel74]

Still think Galway should have won this game. and they do play football the way i like it, i dont like paying in to watch crap

[GalwayBayBoy]

Reading Eugene MCGees colum in the Sindo today [i know] where he said that the way Galway played on Sat was the proper way to play football.I suspect that if the colors were changed to red and green they would have been chokers and naive.

Didn't read the Indo today but found it online just there. Yeah Eugene lays it on a bit thick alright. You could just about forgive a young Galway team for losing this year against such a seasoned experienced side but in reality they kinda threw the game away at the end through tiredness and Cork emptying their bench. Lost in the 3rd quarter when they had Cork chasing shadows but kicked a handful of bad wides on the trot that would have put them 6 or 7 points clear.  The expectation is out there now though that Galway will improve and kick on again next year so moral victories won't be worth anything. They have to be aiming to get back to Croke Park and reach the last 8.  Anything less would be a disappointment. At least Mulholland seemed to learn from the Mayo disaster. He rejigged things and selected a few lads that would be fairly unheralded like Donal O'Neill, Sean Denvir and John O'Brien. All of them are hard nosed grafters who go in for dirty ball and it brought a much better balance to the side even though it took until the Armagh game for it to really come together. Still much work to be done on that team though. Some more U-21's will be introduced. No quick fixes.

Eugene McGee – 29 July 2013
Anybody who was present in Croke Park on Saturday, with the exception of Cork people, must have been sorry that Galway did not snatch a victory against the Rebels.

The reason? Because the sort of football played by Galway was as near to a model of how Gaelic football should be played as we are ever likely to see, and for that reason it was exceptional.

By comparison with what we watched in the other two games on Saturday – and most other games in this year's championship – this was fine wine compared to stale beer.

Galway once again banished the nightmare of their defeat by Mayo in May and played brilliantly for most of the game.

Their tackling was crisp and effective, mainly without fouling, their movement with the ball by foot and hand was decisive and was invariably going forward as opposed to the lateral passing so beloved of other teams and so detested by followers everywhere. Throw in exemplary sportsmanship from both sides and a dramatic finish, and this game will be remembered as one of the best of 2013 so far.

Sadly for Galway, football matches are not won only by style and substance. Other factors come into play, such as the experience of opponents, the strength of the opposing panel and the individual skills of the other team.

Cork were a bit ahead in most of those areas, most notably the physical battles and the quality of subs available.

When you can throw in players of the calibre of Paddy Kelly, Paul Kerrigan, Paudie Kissane and Donncha O'Connor, all recent All-Ireland winners, then your opponents are left gasping for air when the game is being decided in the final quarter.

That is the unfortunate fate that befell Galway as they watched Cork score a fisted goal from Aidan Walsh and points from Pearse O'Neill, O'Connor, Kelly and Ciaran Sheehan to transform a three-point deficit with 12 minutes left into a four-point lead in the 70th minute.

That last point by Cork turned out to be crucial because in the dying seconds Michael Meehan scored a wonder goal from a 13-metre free, which should win Goal of the Year as he struck the ball to the roof of the net past a wall of six-foot Corkmen.

Galway, though complete outsiders, led for most of the game through great scores from Meehan, Sean Armstrong and midfielder Paul Conroy, and their goalkeeper Manus Breathnach made several brilliant saves. But inevitably the power and strength of so many Cork players in the middle third of the field took its toll on a younger and lighter Galway team, and that is what lost the game for them.

As always, Cork played hot and cold. Their awesome selection of talent often looked cumbersome and not wildly interested at times, but when they turned on the style they looked unbeatable.

Certainly Dublin manager Jim Gavin has a lot to ponder this week.

Understandable immaturity from Galway cost them dearly, such as some over optimistic shooting efforts, but they will learn.

[Syferus]

I'm sorry but it's absolute insanity to suggest a team conceding 20 points in 70 minutes is a model for anything. Any manager worth his bread would be embarrassed by that sort of concession rate and McGee would have been spitting blood if one of his own teams leaked as much. It's very easy to laud some else's glorious failure.

Everyone enjoys attacking, open football but only the most loaded teams in history have gotten away with that sort of style. Unless the rules are drastically changed Saturday evening's game was a model for nothing but a lot of big losses.

Galway should take heart from a gutsy performance but they shouldn't take a game-plan from it.