Galway v Sligo - Connact SFC semi final 27th June

[AZOffaly]

Sorry Seanie, that wasn't a dive by Meehan. O'Hara caught him, unintentionally I reckon, but they did clash around the shin/knee area.

[GalwayBayBoy]

On the Michael Meehan dive can anyone honestly say it would have been given up the other end? Would have been a free out for overcarrying.

In fairness the ref didn't give Joyce and Bergin two stonewall frees in front of the Sligo posts during the 2nd half and at the rate which he was giving yellow cards to Galway players I doubt he was biased.

Armstrongdeserved his two yellows

What did he get his first one for? From what someone who was at the game told me today he was getting constant jip from his marker and shoved him away.

[myball22]

I'm not spoilt by success, I am just annoyed at lazy views that rate us higher than what we are based on what we have done in the past, not what we are currently producing.

Armstrong and Nicky Joyce have been around since 2005/6. When do we stop talking about potential? I do agree that Conroy and Bradshaw are good young players and was pleased with Concannon's championship debut.

If our midfield is competing why are kicking kick-outs out the sideline.

I was at the match and it looks every inch a free in real time but I do think that after sending Armstrong off the ref would have been keen to even the game up when Galway got so close. Anyway if you are 9 points up and a man up, you shouldn't be looking at the referee if you cannot win the game!!!

[GBXII]

I'm sorry, but Meehan should get 8 weeks off for that dive.

He has brought the lowest form of gamesmanship into the sport and has been doing it repeatedly for the last 6 or 7 years. The man is a decent player but is a disgrace to the sport. He should be hanging his head in shame.

Total and utter over reaction to that incident. He hasn't been doing anything other than been one of the best forwards in the country for the last 6/7 years. Decent player? Letting your emotions get the better of you there, if only we in mayo had a player of his class. Oh and it was a clear free because O'Hara lazily and clumsily left his leg out for Meehan to run into.

[Buckass]

Just watched game again on Sky + (what an invention...even if they dosed us with George Hook singing its praises). No free at end. Meehan did a 'flop' but was always going to get the free. Eamonn would've done same at other end.
Hard to believe we were 5 up in injury time.
Galway won an amount of breaks in last quarter esp thru Blake. Management are getting timber over positioning of O'Hara but if they held on/taken a couple of missed chances then it would have been the right call.
Think Sligo can win replay. Yes everyone was shocked/dejected at end but when they take stock it'll show a poor enough display was almost good enough in Salthill. There's much more in a number of players. Thought forwards, aside from Kelly and at times Breheny, were poor. Home advantage can help Sligo through.

[magpie seanie]

I'd agree with all of that Buckass. I think our forward play was not helped by the wind. Obviously Galway would have had the same problem.

We'll have to agree to disagree on Armstrong's sending off (not that I'm defending the ref as in the long run it worked against us). When you take the law into your own hands off the ball you can have no complaints. Then the "tackle" on Davey left the ref no option. It really was silly. The attempts by Kernan of all people to portray Sligo as dirty and doing loads of hitting off the ball are hilarious.

[paddypastit]

Sligo were a huge disappointment for me. Yes they blew it, but not by conceding 1-1 in injury time, but rather by not taking the game by the scruff of the neck when it was obviously there at HT.

Coming out for the second half, the trick was always to fight for and win the ball in the middle third and drive at Galway aiming to pop 4/ 5 scores meaning Galway had to score 15 odd.  Forcing the game to be played in the middle third would also limit ball  going to the Galway FF line where there had their only true danger. 

Armstrong was unlucky to go in that while the second yellow was straightforward enough, the first one was a bit flimsy but when he did Sligo lost the plot and instead of being handed an enourmous advantage (being able to bring a man to pressure the middle witjhout creating a free Galway man elsewhere) we turned it into a disadvantage. The spare man was Philips who of all men is a classic counter attacking half back who hates man marking... he should have been eating ball and space but I don't recall seeing or hearing of him at any stage in the second half. 

Make no mistake, Sligo got this badly wrong on and off the park – I'm presuming that the shape of how they played in the second half was dictated from the sideline. 

There were some dreadful prerformances throughout though that contributed also.  Did McGee touch the ball other than to place it for his three frees?. Did Sweeney touch the ball?.  We were absolutely hammered in the middle of the field in the second half – did we win even one breaking ball?.  Both midfielders lost out, Costello had a poor second half, likewise Cawley. Thought the FB did well throughout as did Mark Brehony. J Davey and D Kelly were the best two Sligo players again.

It was not one of O'Hara's better or more disciplined days – tried to do too much and to win the game single handed.  He was done for the last free but his leg was sticking out to be fallen over so 'fool he'.

In summary, it was a funny game really.  Sligo were bad but deserved to win as Galway were immeasureably worse.  It isn't one of those 'nearly snatched it /will get hammered in the replay' games. Galway will improve. Sligo can improve – game still on.

[magpie seanie]

Sligo were a huge disappointment for me. Yes they blew it, but not by conceding 1-1 in injury time, but rather by not taking the game by the scruff of the neck when it was obviously there at HT.

Coming out for the second half, the trick was always to fight for and win the ball in the middle third and drive at Galway aiming to pop 4/ 5 scores meaning Galway had to score 15 odd.  Forcing the game to be played in the middle third would also limit ball  going to the Galway FF line where there had their only true danger. 

Armstrong was unlucky to go in that while the second yellow was straightforward enough, the first one was a bit flimsy but when he did Sligo lost the plot and instead of being handed an enourmous advantage (being able to bring a man to pressure the middle witjhout creating a free Galway man elsewhere) we turned it into a disadvantage. The spare man was Philips who of all men is a classic counter attacking half back who hates man marking... he should have been eating ball and space but I don't recall seeing or hearing of him at any stage in the second half. 

Make no mistake, Sligo got this badly wrong on and off the park – I'm presuming that the shape of how they played in the second half was dictated from the sideline. 

There were some dreadful prerformances throughout though that contributed also.  Did McGee touch the ball other than to place it for his three frees?. Did Sweeney touch the ball?.  We were absolutely hammered in the middle of the field in the second half – did we win even one breaking ball?.  Both midfielders lost out, Costello had a poor second half, likewise Cawley. Thought the FB did well throughout as did Mark Brehony. J Davey and D Kelly were the best two Sligo players again.

It was not one of O'Hara's better or more disciplined days – tried to do too much and to win the game single handed.  He was done for the last free but his leg was sticking out to be fallen over so 'fool he'.

In summary, it was a funny game really.  Sligo were bad but deserved to win as Galway were immeasureably worse.  It isn't one of those 'nearly snatched it /will get hammered in the replay' games. Galway will improve. Sligo can improve – game still on.

I disagree strongly with your criticism of Cawley especially when you reckon the FB line and Breheny did well in the second half. He had a good game all told. I also think you're overly negative in general on our lads. Its impossible to play football in that wind tunnel, especially against the breeze, and Sligo contained them well until a moment of sheer brilliance by Joyce set up a goal which never looked likely. You're not going to be able to play champagne football all the time especially in conditions like that. O'Hara played the role the management wanted him too and does not deserve criticism over the last free.

I agree wholeheartedly though that this draw is completely different from the ones we had in the 90's against them. We will also be better the next day.

[Mano]

There didn't seem to be a plan in place for our own kickouts when we had the spare man. What we were doing was kicking the ball out to midfield against the wind which gave Galway players an advantage at winnning possession.
EOH or Phillips should have been coming short for the kickout and try to work the ball up the field.
Maguire was very loose on Joyce - he was constantly trying to put Joyce onto his right side but every time Joyce went right Maguire wasn't quick enough on the turn to get a tackle in - this cost us for the goal where Maguire should have fouled and taken his yellow and a point where Joyce went past 4 defenders. There was so many defenders in the full back line it looked as if they were leaving the tackling to each other.

As other people have said many of of our players didn't play well and there may be a few changes for the next game-Coen would be more of a threat in the full forwards. I think Cawley did alright but needs to pass the ball off to a score getter when in a bearing down on goal.

[magpie seanie]

There didn't seem to be a plan in place for our own kickouts when we had the spare man. What we were doing was kicking the ball out to midfield against the wind which gave Galway players an advantage at winnning possession.
EOH or Phillips should have been coming short for the kickout and try to work the ball up the field.
Maguire was very loose on Joyce - he was constantly trying to put Joyce onto his right side but every time Joyce went right Maguire wasn't quick enough on the turn to get a tackle in - this cost us for the goal where Maguire should have fouled and taken his yellow and a point where Joyce went past 4 defenders. There was so many defenders in the full back line it looked as if they were leaving the tackling to each other.

As other people have said many of of our players didn't play well and there may be a few changes for the next game-Coen would be more of a threat in the full forwards. I think Cawley did alright but needs to pass the ball off to a score getter when in a bearing down on goal.

Or fist it over like he did in the first half. Usually he is a very accurate kicker. That one at the end will stay with people for a while. It was Harrison who missed one in the early stages.

Wholeheartedly agree on the goal, never should have been allowed to happen.

Coen should have been introduced earlier the last day in my book though management were probably thinking about a free cropping up.

[jjjshabadoojnr]

I really think Coen or marren needs to come into the full forward line the next day. You can be certain that kelly will be in for some double teaming whenever we are on the attack. Coen or marren could be potential match winners if too much emphasis is placed on marking Kelly. Will management persist with a big man at 14 coming out the field leaving space for kelly and mcgee inside or will they go to orthodox 3 man ff line?

[paddypastit]

Seanie, Leaving aside the merits of individuals on the day on which we'll have to agree to differ, this team has set itself the target of being a 'serious' team and I'm making an assessment on the same basis. 

Galway were about as bad as ever one could imagine a Galway team being, and we still couldn't beat them. That's the standard that we have to operate at if we want to be seen as 'serious'.

By way of comparison Meath had a 'famous' victory on Sunday but were flattered, to their potential peril, by a truly awful Dublin performance.

There are four teams in the country that are at a level above the others - not necessarily on the same level as each other but definitely above the rest - Cork, Kerry, Tyrone and Monaghan. Meath might be there, Armagh might be there... there are a few others still standing that have not proven that they are not - Sligo up to half time last week was one. Saturday coming will prove whether they deserve that status or not but they only played for about ten minutes last week and that is not good enough in the context of our ambition.

[Shrewdness]

The nation awaits Sligonian's views on last Sunday. No doubt Kevin Walsh will need to read his post on here before picking his team for the replay

[RedandGreenSniper]

Where is Sligonian? He was posting 24/7 in the run up and after the Mayo Sligo game but not a peep out of him now. Surely beating Mayo isn't the limit of his ambitions?

Sligo will win second time around. Poor Galway team and a good Sligo team. The extra game will bring them on further and should only serve to increase the gap. Tearing I didn't back them at 14s for Connacht.

[ross4life]

I'm sure Sligonian is not a happy camper after the way his boys let it slip, i bet memories of 1998 Hyde park came flooding back & this time he'll be hoping they win the replay