Connacht senior football final Galway v Roscommon July 10th

[seafoid]

How long is it since Roscommon bear either Mayo or Galway in Championship?

2001 Mayo

Oooft.

Yep. Beat Galway beforehand only to lose to them in the quarters in...Castlebar

Also the last year Galway won a Championship match in Croker?

1925

[Duine Eile]

How long is it since Roscommon bear either Mayo or Galway in Championship?

2001 Mayo

Oooft.

Yep. Beat Galway beforehand only to lose to them in the quarters in...Castlebar

Also the last year Galway won a Championship match in Croker?

Think so muppet, unbelievable really. Hopefully that record will be broken in a couple of weeks. Fantastic display yesterday, you actually couldn't pick out anyone that didn't do their bit for the team, Damo Comer and Danny Cummins were outstanding along with Declan Kyne. I was one of many that doubted he was the answer at full back but he's proving all his doubters wrong, hopefully his good form will continue. He's also turning into a real favourite of the fans, any time he got the ball yesterday he seemed to lift the crowd. Delighted for that bunch of players, you can see the hard work they've put into it all year, nice to see them get some silverware.

[UpMeeyo]

Not that it made a difference but Gary Sice took 12 steps before scoring that goal, whereas Comer's looked totally legitimate.

Unrelated but why wasnt Enda Smith playing? and then why wasnt he brought in earlier when it was apparent that Kilbride hadnt the legs to be chasing runners coming out of defence?

[Rossfan]

5 or6 players v poor in Salthill but only Enda Smith dropped.
Not our management's finest hour or indeed week.

[GalwayBayBoy]

5 or6 players v poor in Salthill but only Enda Smith dropped.
Not our management's finest hour or indeed week.

Getting Liam McHale off the radio before games would be a start.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Three reasons why Galway are Connacht champions
      
Monday, July 18, 2016
By Ray Silke

Wily Kevin Walsh can rightly take the plaudits for this win.

1 - Defensive solidity

Kevin Walsh has worked extensively on getting his defensive shield in place and fit for purpose all season long.

When the opposition are on the attack one of the wing-forwards, Gary Sice or the hard grafting Johnny Heaney, will drop into wing-back and either Gareth Bradshaw or Gary O' Donnell will fill the pocket behind centre-back Liam Silke.

With that move, Galway create in effect, two centre-backs and the middle is closed off. Mayo did not score a goal in the semi-final last month and Roscommon did not look like getting one yesterday either.

Silke is only 21, however he is a top class man-marker and reads the game well.

His job is to track the centre-forward and link the ball on the way out.

Walsh also took a gamble this year on rookie full-back Declan Kyne who at 26 got his first championship start in the win over Mayo. Kyne has been very impressive in both games this season and you can see him growing in confidence.

He is a strong man and very good in close contact. The defensive strategies further out means that he is never in danger of being left in one-on-one situations.

2 - Midfield dominance

Who better to improve Paul Conroy and Tom Flynn's game in the middle of the park than Kevin Walsh, a man with three All-Stars at midfield himself.

And the ongoing coaching with the two lads on footwork, positional play and correct use of possession has really brought about a distinct improvement in their game.

Conroy was the player of the month for June and he was immense yesterday again. He has assumed a real leadership role in the team and is brimming with confidence. I taught with Paul all year in the Jes secondary school in Galway city and he worked incredibly hard on his own programme of strength and conditioning for the past nine months. It has paid off in spades. He is literally a different man than he was in last year's championship.

Being in absolutely peak physical condition and flying fit is vital for any player going into the championship as it gives him confidence and belief.

Conroy has plenty of both now on the back of a few storming games and he will be looking forward to the last eight with oceans of self-belief.

Flynn won two All-Ireland U-21 medals in 2011 and 2013 at midfield, however it has taken him time to really find his feet in the senior grade.

At 6 foot and five inches he is a great outlet for goalkeeper Bernard Power if he is forced to go long.

Conroy and Flynn destroyed their opponents around the middle yesterday and their display made sure that the Galway forwards got loads of quality ball to rip the Roscommon full-back line to shreds.

3 - A target man at full-forward in Damien Comer

For a number of years Galway had no real go-to-man at full-forward.

However, Annaghdown's Damien Comer has started to come of age in the role.

A former student at St. Jarlath's College and NUIG, Comer is a very powerful man and he buckled the Roscommon full-back line all through this one-sided contest.

Surprisingly Roscommon did not play defensively at all and they left Seán Mullooly painfully exposed against a bigger, better and stronger player.

It was tactical madness by the Rossies and they paid a heavy price for such folly as Comer made hay all day scoring 0-3 from play while he linked up really well with two-goal hero Danny Cummins.

Roscommon were plugging major leaks at the back all day long and both Mullooly and David Keenan collected deserved black cards.

Ironically Comer was controversially carded himself when he was deemed to have pulled a defender down on top of himself. That was a first for me.

It will be interesting to see how the improving Galway forwards will fare out in the expanses of Croke Park in two weeks time, and how their opposition will set up to nullify Comer.

[magpie seanie]

I think Comer is a brilliant player, love watching him. He's so aggressive but has the skills too.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I think Comer is a brilliant player, love watching him. He's so aggressive but has the skills too.

Kind of player fans love as he goes for everything aggresively at 100mph and gives 100% effort. Still think he had rough edges to knock off his game but he has skills too. Just look at his solo dummy on his right yesterday that took out two Roscommon defenders before transferring it to his left and knocking over the point.

[Maroon Manc]

I expected to win but not in that manner, not fair to judge a whole county on the one or two idiots who pollutes this board. He'd soon get bored if nobody bothered replying to him.

As larryin will testify a lad in Ballagh told him the day after Galway beat Mayo that was Galway's All Ireland and 'we'd take care of them comfortably the next day'. I just don't know where that arrogance comes from, Roscommon haven't beaten anyone of note in the championship in a long long time.

As for Galway we're certainly going in the direction and I doubt anyone will get carried away, KW has taken plenty of stick but he's put a lot of pride back in the jersey and Galway certainly aren't a laughing stock any more. At the beginning of the year I was hoping for promotion and a win in Croker in the qualifiers and I'd have seen that as great progress so he's certainly exceeded expectations.

One game at a time now, we'll be favourites to make a semi given we'll play one of Clare/Tipp or Derry. Whatever happens I think KW will find it easier finding everyone to commit this winter, the bench is a bit thin on quality although I'm sure that will be rectified going forward.

More than anything we have a bit of hope for the future.

[weareros]

How long is it since Roscommon bear either Mayo or Galway in Championship?

2001 Mayo

Oooft.

To be honest, that's like going "Oooft" because Leitrm have not beat Roscommon in two decades. Reality is Ros has twice the pop of Leitrim and far more clubs.  Likewise, Mayo and Galway have twice the population of Roscommon and nearly twice as many clubs. There's high expectations put on Roscommon because they've been competitive at underage with Galway and Mayo, but at the end of the day, for all Roscommon's U21 dominance, during that period, Galway won two All-Ireland U21s and Mayo won it this year. Roscommon, as you know full well, fell flat on the big stage and had some great players but like most small counties never the required depth. Of the Roscommon U21 team that played against Mayo this year, three of them played yesterday and if Diarmuid Murtagh was fit he would have started too. Between colleges, county and club committments, it's no wonder they are always injured. Someone said our average age is 22. With Mayo, the bar is higher: only Diarmuid O'Connor is a regular, though Coen is close. Yesterday we learned we have a bit to go before we can match Galway and Mayo and it's hard to make a case that we have the defenders in the county to bridge the gap, though the return of the two Dalys will help next year (assuming management will have them back).

[Maroon Manc]

A lot of us has given Cummins plenty of stick the last few years but in 3 games this summer I can't recall him hitting too many wides, his 2 goals yesterday scored on the run with different feet were outstanding especially the way he kept them both down. It looks like he's finally producing a bit of consistency and has stopped shooting from daft angles.

[GalwayBayBoy]

One game at a time now, we'll be favourites to make a semi given we'll play one of Clare/Tipp or Derry. Whatever happens I think KW will find it easier finding everyone to commit this winter, the bench is a bit thin on quality although I'm sure that will be rectified going forward.

Yeah we don't have a whole pile on the bench really. Walsh pretty much has to stick to his starting 15 plus the couple guys that have been coming off the bench for him. That's where the lads over in the US this Summer would come in handy. Stick in the likes of Lundy, O'Curraoin, Duane, etc and a few others and the depth would be there to make changes if needed.

[Maroon Manc]

One game at a time now, we'll be favourites to make a semi given we'll play one of Clare/Tipp or Derry. Whatever happens I think KW will find it easier finding everyone to commit this winter, the bench is a bit thin on quality although I'm sure that will be rectified going forward.

Yeah we don't have a whole pile on the bench really. Walsh pretty much has to stick to his starting 15 plus the couple guys that have been coming off the bench for him. That's where the lads over in the US this Summer would come in handy. Stick in the likes of Lundy, O'Curraoin, Duane, etc and a few others and the depth would be there to make changes if needed.

We're certainly very thin squad wise although I'm optimistic that will change and i'm sure we'll find a couple of players in next years league along with the lads coming back.

I was surprised Cathal Sweeney didn't come on yesterday considering he was probably Galway's best player last summer. I'm far from convinced by his brother though.

[Duine Eile]

Cathal Sweeney wasn't on the sub list yesterday and had his arm in a sling so I'd say his shoulder is giving him bother again.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Cathal Sweeney wasn't on the sub list yesterday and had his arm in a sling so I'd say his shoulder is giving him bother again.

Limits the options even further as he was probably considered the first defensive sub on the bench.

A couple of injuries and we'd be in a bit of bother I'd say.