Galway v Sligo - Connact SFC semi final 27th June

[shaund10]

How is Kernan going to set this team out?

3 in midfield for kick outs at the very least, with Bergin joining the two in there. Sice is on Davey, a good player. Sice should be able to nullify Davey's attacking instincts and will track back to help the defence. The other 4 forwards will stay inside. Look for Armstrong to switch with Clancy is things aren't going to plan.

If Sligo bring O'Hara back in front of thier full back line, the only logical thing for Galway to do is free up Bradshaw as the free man to attack from deep. The prospect of Bradshaw having a free role with no marker is very exciting. Alan Burke will pick up David Kelly. Expect the supply to the forward line to come from O'Donnell, Bradshaw and Conroy.

[ross matt]

Galway team has been named. No Nicky Joyce or Michael Meehan. Galway will be very reliant on P Joyce and Armstrong for scores. Doubt there will be any change to the Sligo lineout injuries permitting.

1 Adrian Faherty

2 Kieran Fitzgerald

3 Finian Hanley

4 Alan Burke

5 Garrett Bradshaw

6 Diarmuid Blake

7 Garry ODonnell

8 Paul Conroy

9 Niall Coleman

10 Garry Sice

11 Sean Armstrong

12 Joe Bergin (Captain)

13 Owen Concannon

14 Padriac Joyce

15 Matthew Clancy

Subs 16 Eoin Conghaile, 17 Donal ONeill, 18 David Reilly, 19 Conor Healy, 20 Fiachra Breathnach, 21 Darren Mullahy, 22 Declan Meehan, 23 Michael Meehan, 24 Danny Cummins, 25 Thomas Fahy, 26 Cormac Bane, 27 Cillin de Paor, 28 Michael Martin, 29 Damien Burke, 30 Nicky Joyce   

Mano I thought Coleman was also out injured no?

[Mano]

Thought he was too. That team is from Galway GAA website

[moysider]

How is Kernan going to set this team out?

3 in midfield for kick outs at the very least, with Bergin joining the two in there. Sice is on Davey, a good player. Sice should be able to nullify Davey's attacking instincts and will track back to help the defence. The other 4 forwards will stay inside. Look for Armstrong to switch with Clancy is things aren't going to plan.

If Sligo bring O'Hara back in front of thier full back line, the only logical thing for Galway to do is free up Bradshaw as the free man to attack from deep. The prospect of Bradshaw having a free role with no marker is very exciting. Alan Burke will pick up David Kelly. Expect the supply to the forward line to come from O'Donnell, Bradshaw and Conroy.

I was thinking along those lines. Set up like that Galway could do well enough. Giving Bradshaw a free role would be an ideal scenario but I doubt Kevin Walsh will allow that situation to continue for too long.

[ross4life]

Galway team has been named. No Nicky Joyce or Michael Meehan. Galway will be very reliant on P Joyce and Armstrong for scores. Doubt there will be any change to the Sligo lineout injuries permitting.

1 Adrian Faherty

2 Kieran Fitzgerald

3 Finian Hanley

4 Alan Burke

5 Garrett Bradshaw

6 Diarmuid Blake

7 Garry ODonnell

8 Paul Conroy

9 Niall Coleman

10 Garry Sice

11 Sean Armstrong

12 Joe Bergin (Captain)

13 Owen Concannon

14 Padriac Joyce

15 Matthew Clancy

Subs 16 Eoin Conghaile, 17 Donal ONeill, 18 David Reilly, 19 Conor Healy, 20 Fiachra Breathnach, 21 Darren Mullahy, 22 Declan Meehan, 23 Michael Meehan, 24 Danny Cummins, 25 Thomas Fahy, 26 Cormac Bane, 27 Cillin de Paor, 28 Michael Martin, 29 Damien Burke, 30 Nicky Joyce   

Matthew Clancy beat us on his own in Salthill 2008! Sligo defenders will  have to be on there toes
It's inexperienced looking Galway team, Kernan is giving a lot of faith in the young lads that have won under 21 & Minor all Ireland medals (not really young lads now but still waiting to produce at senior level) & if things are not working out he has the two Meehan's & Joyce to bring on

If Galway play like they did v New York they will be beaten but I'm expecting a similar match & result to last year's game

[galwayman]

The loss of both Meehan and Nicky Joyce is huge for us. With those 2 in the ff line ahead of Clancy and Concannon that would be a nice looking forward line.Sice and Bergin as the grafters and the other 4 as scorers.I'm not convinced that either Clancy or Concannon are capable of getting the scores for us to be honest.
I'm a bit surprised Gary O'Donnell has made it at number 7. I think with Meehan and Nicky in the team and somebody else in place of O'Donnell at number 7 - possibly Mullaghy - that would be our stroingest possible team.

Should be a good game. If we had the 2 lads starting I would be confident but without them I am very unsure.

[GaillimhIarthair]

SLIGO have named an unchanged side from that which beat Mayo ahead of Sunday's Connacht football semi-final against Galway at Pearse Stadium;

P Greene;
C Harrison, N McGuire, R Donovan;
K Cawley, B Phillips, J Davey;
T Taylor, S Gilmartin;
A Costello, M Breheny, K Sweeney;
C McGee, E O'Hara, D Kelly.

[ross matt]

The loss of both Meehan and Nicky Joyce is huge for us. With those 2 in the ff line ahead of Clancy and Concannon that would be a nice looking forward line.Sice and Bergin as the grafters and the other 4 as scorers.I'm not convinced that either Clancy or Concannon are capable of getting the scores for us to be honest.
I'm a bit surprised Gary O'Donnell has made it at number 7. I think with Meehan and Nicky in the team and somebody else in place of O'Donnell at number 7 - possibly Mullaghy - that would be our stroingest possible team.

Should be a good game. If we had the 2 lads starting I would be confident but without them I am very unsure.

Yeah agreed. Certainly a fit Mike Meehan would be enough to edge Galway over the line. Nicky on his day (especially in the extra space of Pearse Stadium) is capable of knocking over a few long range points.

With the way the teams line out now it comes down to midfield. If the tribesmen can even break 50/50 here they still have a chance of taking the game with the likes of Armstrong and PJ inside. But that's a big "if". Sligo have a well organised and hard working midfield pairing. Depending on where O'Hara plays he's also an option there for kick outs and certainly breaks.

That being said Galway have a physically strong ball winning half back line which can help out their midfield. They also wont allow the sligo half forwards like Costelloe to carry ball through as easily as they did in the mayo match. I dont think Walsh will play O'Hara in front of their defence this time as it would allow the likes of Bradshaw etc up the field and kicking long range points. This should mean more direct ball going in to Joyce.

Sligo forwards have pace and will exploit the stadium with it. They can also take their scores... not just young Kelly. If they stay as composed mentally as they were against Mayo they should win it. If any doubt or impulsiveness creeps in Galway will seize on it and beat them.

It's a strange situation for Sligo going in as 50/50 contendors if not slight favourites. With injuries, poor form etc Galway have never been as vunerable. Can they show the fire and pride to raise their game? hard to  know. Genuinely difficult match to call as a result. Sligo should win it but i would be wary of the Galway forwards scoring a goal or two. Cant call it.

[myball22]

My first reaction to the Galway team is who will play in the half forward line. if Bergin is helping out in midfield, Sice is providing defensive cover and Armstrong will be in the full forward line when who is playing half -forward!!!

I think Sligo will play with a lot of confidence, however they did struggle to put away a team struggling in form and confidence so this match will be close all the way. A lot depends upon the ability of Galway to win ball at midfield. if the attitude is right and the desier to win the dirty ball is there, then we have the fire-power up front to score. Bergin and Conroy are capable of taking a score too.

Very hard to know which Galway will turn up. If the players have the correct attitude and desire to win the breaking ball, then our scoring forwards should sneak us a win, I think but with no great confidence.

[Rossfan]

Matthew Clancy beat us on his own in Salthill 2008!

Helped greatly by Seanie Mac manfully standing by the edge of the square as MC who he was (supposed to be)marking ran out to the wing to collect a diagonal ball,turn, race in and stick it in the net. 

One part of me wants Sligo to win but the other part wants Galway so that we can have the Connacht final in the Hyde.
I expect the chokers to oblige the Ros town publicans and scrape through and then start concentrating on the All Irl Quarter Final.

[paddypastit]

On the face of it, for all the verve and drive of Sligo's victory against Mayo, you'd have to rate Galway as favourites for this. The pitch and location won't be an issue as Sligo will like the wide open spaces.  That said standing back from it, I really think there is a big unknown with Galway which if it doesn't fall their way, will likely see them beaten. 
My 'concern' would be a 'cultural' one. In nearly 40 years of watching Galway football, they have always presented as having a certain 'way'of playing that is quite technical in the 'total football' type of way where style is as important as effect. Kernan in my experience has a completely different philisophy – a more pragmatic one, which starts with the result, and works back.

If Galway can marry the best of both and come out firing aggressively at their best, then I think that they have enough to see off Sligo. If on the other hand, there is any disconnect or lack of focus on Galway's part, no better team than Sligo to get in among them, widen the gaps and make them pay.  Sligo now are about more than fire and brimstone – if they get the chance, they can play ball. They have a tight last line of defence and  choices in attack. They have muscle and potential in the middle of the park. What they might lack is a certain edginess or ruthlessness around the middle that only experience and a cold hearted ability to close others down and out brings – they are perhaps a bit 'open' there. 

The winning is in Galway's hands if they can apply everything they have available, but then Galway fotball has never really been about 'stopping' others.  Therein lies the dilemna.  If there are 4 or less points in it with 10 minutes to go, the Galway supporters will want to hope that the 2+2=5 Galway has kicked in for the day.

Otherwise, Sligo has the temperment and the ability to win.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Don't have a huge amount to say about this one to be honest. If we had a fully fit Micheal Meehan and Nicky Joyce I would be pretty confident of the win but without them it really is a crap shoot. Meehan is flat out one of the best footballers in the country and while Nicky is very hot and cold, when he's hot he can be very hot and he was just about the only Galway player who turned up to play in the Connacht final against Sligo in 2007. Huge losses and I'm not sure they are ready to even contribute much from the subs bench to be honest.

Beyond that I have no idea how Galway will perform on the day. During the league they were wracked with injuries and performances veered from the very good (Tyrone at home and Dublin away) to the absolutely dismal (Mayo away and Kerry at home). There are big noises coming from Sligo in the media so obviously they fancy themselves for this one which is fair enough given they comprehensively humbled the favourites for Connacht in Mayo.

I expect our lads to show pride in the maroon and white and I don't expect them to roll over and get their belly tickled. See everyone on the other side of it.

[Tatler Jack]

I am afraid both Galway and Sligo will have to up their game in the pre-match analysis championship - 4 pages is disgraceful - the Mayo lads woud reach that in a couple of hours!! Sligonian seems to have adopted a tactic of silence in the run up to this game - is that nerves or confidence?

Anyway its a hard game to call given last nights result in Longford. If Galway had Meehan I would be inclined towards them. I saw Galway v Cork in the league and I thought Galway were poor but still they only lost by a few points mainly due to Meehan. I know that was the early days of Big Joe's reign and todays team is a lot different. Sligo are a good well balanced team with a natural leader in O'Hara, 2 excellent corner backs, a solid midfield and a natural scoring forward in Kelly. Tlhey have confidence, a gameplan that they believe in and wiill not be over awed by Galway as would have bene the case over the years. Yet looking back on the Mayo game they made a lot of mistakes in the first 15 mins or so that could have had them further behind and for all their superiority could have lost the game had Mayo taken their chances.

Galway strangely are more of an unknown factor - we don't know yet what impact JK will have on the approach and tactics. Its a breezy morning here in Cork so its likely to be windy in Salthill so we could have the "game of 2 halves". As Sligo are more settled in every sense I will tip them to win by a couple of points. Normally I would be rooting for them but as a Galway win would give us a home CF I am not surewho to get behind. A CF in the Hyde would be an emotional occassion in the light of all that happened this week so maybe for once will be hoping for a Galway win - anyway Sligo should have no fear of qualifiers.

[Dinny Breen]

Why oh why did they develop that stadium, very stong wind (6/7 points worth). Alan Costello is a well built unit, playing well too.

[muppet]

Why oh why did they develop that stadium, very stong wind (6/7 points worth). Alan Costello is a well built unit, playing well too.

The Harrison unit saved a certain goal there with his tackle on Bergin.