Galway v Laois

[Duine Eile]

So the good news from a Galway point of view is Padraic Joyce will be back in the maroon at some stage, just a matter of when but it won't be before next weekend so that's enough about that for now. Have we any chance against Laois? Who is going to do the scoring, the forwards that played today only scored 7 points between them with Mike Comer scoring one point so only 6 really.Both teams need the points next Saturday after losing today. My team:

1.Colm King (just to see if he's a better option that Doherty)
2.Damien Burke
3.Finian Hanley (think the captaincy weighed heavily on him today and should be given to Savo or Ja or somebody with more experience)
4.Darren Mullahy
5.Mike Comer
6.Diarmuid Blake
7.Alan Burke
8.Barry Cullinane
9.Joe Bergin
10.Matt Clancy
11.Ja Fallon
12.Cormac Bane
13.Derek Savage
14.Nicky Joyce
15.Sean Armstrong

You'd think that forward line has serious scoring potential and it does, just depends on which version of it turns up, nearly every lad in it is wildly unpredictable!Anyway, onwards and upwards, hopefully I'll be proved completely wrong and we'll come out of it with the 2 points.

[belleaqua]

Very strange lookin at a Galway team without Joyce or Donnellan when ya look at it, and only a handful of survivors from 2001. Was a disappointing result today but there was absolutely no interest in from a Galway perspective, support and player wise. Almost every one of them at the funeral Saturday and appetite was non-existent for it today.

Next week will be vital, two teams trying to avoid a second defeat that could well rule them out of contention for the semi's and worse of all, badly affect next years league status.

Have a sneaky feelin of a draw!!

[Galway15]

First of all it was a terrible week for the Meehan and Fitzgerald family and footy was only a sideshow....football means nothing when put into perspective..but in my view as reagrds galway we just have guys who aint up to this level and no matter what they wont be...im talkin of Mullahy,Doherty,Blake even..these guys are below average..Breathnach,mike comer and Matt Clancy never are inter county either...we havent replaced the old stalwarts  and its going to be another middlin' year for us...also i dont think ford inspires the players..i agree we need a paidi o se type personality to inspire the troops...anyway thats my piece..ill support us no matter what but the glory days of 01 or 98 are a long long way off im afraid..

[The Real Laoislad]

Laois were woefull against Westmeath i'd say Galway have every chance.It will be great havin O'Moore Park under lights should be a good game have a feeling for a draw too,Defeat would be awful for us it be hard to catch up with two defeats in first two games

[GalwayBayBoy]

Could certainly do with a result next weekend. Another defeat and we'd run the risk of battling to avoid 2nd division football next year and even the thought of ending up in the wastelands of the 3rd division has crossed my mind.

Must say I have very little confidence left in Ford's management. Granted we've lost talented players but we still have plenty of good footballers but our attacking play is so laboured it's untrue. No fluency or cohesion at all. We're actually not conceding big scores under Ford and our defence is generally holding up well but scoring has now become our big problem.

Granted Joyce and Meehan are missing currently but even when we had them last Summer we still could barely get into double figures (apart from against Sligo). If you can score modest totals of just 11 or 12 points you can generally beat us these days.

[MaroonAndWhite]

Agree with previous post - Ford is not up to it. He comes across to me at least as a guy who doesn't care. Both himself and Eoin O'Donnellan were sat on a bench for the majority of the first half of yesterdays game - showed players no encouragement, showed no desire himself to make the Galway team better. If the manager doesn't seem to give a toss, its hard to point finger at players. Seems we are going down the same road as last year. Different selectors, same story.

Granted, the calibre of player is no longer there. Blake, Hanley, Damien Burke have the potential to be as good as the backline going back to the 1997-2001 period. Mullahy has to be given credit - you'll never get less than 100 per cent from him but lacks intercounty quality as does both of the midfielders who started yesterday. Forwards are rudderless - run the ball into cul de sacs and then cant get out.

Galway football needs change from the top down - county board, management and some of the players.

[DJGaliv]

Galway drop Fallon
09 February 2007

Ja Fallon has been left out of the Galway team to face Laois in Sunday's NFL clash at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise.

The Tribesmen were disappointing in round one as they lost out to Derry by five points in front of their home fans, but despite that performance there is only one personnel change to the side.

Veteran Fallon is replaced by Nicky Joyce, who slots in at full forward. Cormack Bane moves from no 14 to left half forward with Matthew Clancy taking over at centre forward.

Galway (NFL v Laois) - Paul Doherty, Darren Mullahy, Finian Hanley, Damien Burke, Diarmuid Blake, Niall Coyne, Michael Comer, Barry Cullinane, Paul Geraghty, Joe Bergin, Matthew Clancy, Cormack Bane, Derek Savage, Nicky Joyce, Sean Armstrong.

I think Ja is a little unlucky to be dropped, although there's no harm in giving him a rest. I'd have more confidence with him leading our forward line, than the headless, but tireless Mattie Clancy. What do people think of giving Mike Meehan a go at 11 when he comes back? I'd think that he's worth a shot at least. The full forward line looks to have a nice balance to it. I'm just a bit worried about the lack of football, and mobility in our midfield.

Is Richie Fahy ever going to come back does anyone know?
What's the story with the criminally underrated Paul Clancy?

If people are getting a bit worried looking at our fifteen, bear in mind, we could have Fitzgerald, Deccie Meehan, Paul Clancy, Mike Meehan, Michael Donnellan, and Padraic Joyce added to the team come championship. With those six lining up alongside the likes of Damien Burke, Diarmuid Blake, Joe Bergin, Ja Fallon, Derek Savage, a more mature Armstrong, and hopefully a rejuvenated Nicky Joyce, we could cause a few upsets. I feel we're just missing a midfield.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Laois 0-8
Galway 0-7

Ja put Galway a point up with a couple of minutes to go but two late points won it for Laois. Midfield didn't go well again according to GBFM. Weren't even winning our own kick-outs. Nicky Joyce and Bergin our two best it seems. Bergin apparently having a stormer in the half-forward line so Ford decides to move him into full-forward where he's anonymous for the rest of the game.

[The Real Laoislad]

Woefull match from two bad teams at this stage of the year,If Galway had been better they would have trounced Laois
Ross Munneally gave a lesson in how not to score points he missed some very easy chances.
Game only turned when Barry Brennan and Gary Kavanagh came on for Laois and in the end we were lucky too win.A draw would have been the fair result as neither team deserved to win in my opinion
Only bright side to the whole game was the turning on of the lights(no pun intended) which are very impressive and according to one of the speeches made Portlaoise is the only ground outside Croke Park capable of having a televised hurling match

[cavan4ever]

Sure there will b televised hulring games from all over the county when the league starts ..

[armaghniac]

Sure there will b televised hulring games from all over the county when the league starts ..

yes, but most of them will be during daylight. Still are the lights at Casement etc not good enough for hurling on TV.

[AZOffaly]

I think Pairc Ui Rinn in Cork has hosted Hurling under lights?

[The Real Laoislad]

Only reapeating what Dick Miller said in his speech before the turning on of the lights,Its not the only ground that can have hurling under lights but according to him and the match programme it's the only one outside of Croker that can have televised games under lights

[AZOffaly]

Why that? As in, why would there not be televised hurling games from other grounds that play hurling under lights? Is it the height of the floodlights causing technical difficulties or what?

[The Real Laoislad]

Think it's the lux rating of the lights or in other words the brightness.They must have to be at a certain lux to support the use of television cameras