Galway v Mayo 11/06/17

[moysider]

I think it's great from a Galway perspective that the coverage is completely focused on Mayo in the aftermath of the game, Galway can quietly look ahead to the (probable) Roscommon match in the Connacht final and the chance to go back to back in the West.

Higgins sending off was obviously the biggest single incident in the match. Would Mayo have won with 15 players? Probably.

From a rewatch of the game this evening a few things stood out:
McLoughlin had a great 1st half, not as prominent in the 2nd but madness to take him off in my view.
Galway FB line looked like it was going to get taken to the cleaners early on, having the extra man saved them after that. 
COC is some man trying to get cards for opposition players, the black was a joke, Bradshaw should have known better for his yellow but COC was the one doing all the provocation.
Keegan at CHB is not where I would have him, himself and Walsh cancelled each other out for most of it but his best position is clearly at 5.
The lack of anticipation by the Galway defenders for the shot that hit the post and led to the goal was glaring.
"Keith Higgins is not that kind of player", he hit Mark Hehir off the ball with one of the most cowardly blows I've seen in Galway Mayo games in 2011 with no sanction, Galway were waiting 6 years for that Higgins red card.
Armstrong looked shot in some of the league games I was at, one of Galway's better players yesterday, hats off to him.
If you are not enthused by Comer's wrecking ball attitude to the game then Gaelic football is not the sport for you, that hit on DOC, yikes.
Heaney's double save was heroic stuff. The events leading to those saves were madness though.
How the referee didn't blow a free at the end for the foul on Cummins was incredible, some bad decisions against both teams over the course of the match but he wasn't the cause of the Mayo loss.
This was proper championship stuff, the atmosphere on the terrace was superb yesterday and it came across on the broadcast as well, great to have these contests with Mayo again.

Mayo showed fantastic spirit but they also showed the same failings that have occurred many times before, they were up against a team that is a good few rungs below them in the overall scheme of things and they couldn't manufacture a score over the last ten minutes with a gale behind them.
Galway didn't even play that particularly well yesterday and let's be honest, the "caught on the hop" excuse is not going to cut it for Mayo this year. It's a long road back to the 3rd Sunday in September for them now, I wouldn't write them off, it'll be difficult but I'd wager they'll still be playing in August if I had to, whether they'll win the all Ireland looks more doubtful.

Good post An Fhairche Abu.

I don't think anybody with cop-on  really bought the 'caught on the hop' stuff last year. We were not where we should have been and maybe there were reasons for that but ultimately there is no excuse for being ring rusty for a championship game against an arch rival. Sunday we were probably as good as we could be as regards ready, but maybe management got a bit too cute again with starting team. Not sure Cohen and Vaughan was the way to go. Especially with Boyle dropped tactically. That is up with dropping Clarke for AI final for being too smart. Did conditions on the day effect changes? I would have gone with players with better ball skills in those conditions myself. Vaughan looked very uncomfortable and shanked one good scoring chance in particular. His hands were slow and soloing in close quarters poor. Shane Nally also is better technically.
Aidan O Shea is obviously injured and cant move well and probably was intended for a different role than what he was used for. It may have been worth a punt to put him in ff for a while.
If Mayo are thinking of September and winning an AI they are delusional. Regrouping and winning ugly one day at a time is our future. Another bad day and it will be a quick future though.

[moysider]

I keep seeing in places that Galway were apparently lucky. Mayo's goal, at a time of Galway dominance, seems to be conveniently forgotten. That 3 point swing based on the way a ball bounces is huge in a low scoring game. If you offered me that ball bouncing away from goal, or the sending off, i'd definitely choose the former. The single most pivotal moment of the game and one almost completely based on luck

Nonsense and you know it - if you don't then..... . Galway's dominance in first half was brief and Mayo were well back in it and attacking - the goal was from a shot that came back off a post. Galway got lucky shortly after with another shot off the crossbar with the keeper bet all things up. Throw in the freakish saves/awful misses in second half ye could have been looking at 3 goals against. Accept the win for what it was and stop spinning and trying to be annoying. Ye had a good day and we had a bad day. If you can't see the importance of the sending off in how the game developed, it's time to turn on the ignore button because you are not worth bothering with in that case.

Cillian was going for a point on that occasion. Getting anything from that wouldve been amazing luck. The goalmouth scramble was lucky in Galways sense alright. But O'Donnell had a serious goal chance before that which wouldve out the game completely to bed from a long way out. I just don't like the narrative that Galway were lucky. It was an even split imo between two very evenly matched sides and I believe the better team won on the day

Really annoying seeing this 14 men stuff also, as if it's some advantage that God bestowed upon Galway and the game should come with some sort of asterisk. Mayo had 14 men because of a completely deserved sending off. When the hammering in 2013 is discussed, you never hear "Mayo ran up the score against and exhausted 13 man Galway". You just hear "Mayo hammered Galway". Just as those sending offs were deserved and Galway deservedly punished, the same applies to Mayo here

I don't anybody is suggesting that Higgin's should not have been sent off.
I was mad with him and I don't know anybody that isn't. I'm also still mad that we were so undercooked in last year's match. These games mean a lot to me still. Losing yesterday hurt as much as last year's AI final. These are the 'test' matches that are must win. We lost. Higgin's messed up. I don t mind picking him out because I expect he is harder on himself now than likes of me or anybody else. He's got a bit of slack though but Regan has been slated on social media and made the headline in Daily Mail ( local Super Value were giving them away). Regan did mess up but did he let his county down ( I don't think believe anybody lets their county down - but some do) more than Higgins did?
Galway players celebrated yesterday's final whistle as much as the lads celebrated AI wins in the past. These games still matter.

[Bod Mor]

At least Regan had the balls to have a go. How much time would have been chewed up going back and forth if he hadn't have gone for the first one? Who would have taken on the shot? Would he then have been made the scapegoat if he missed. Mayo were winning every kickout anyway at that stage so he would have calculated there would be enough time for a shot and another opportunity from the next kick out then. Which did arise and he took on the shot again. Hindsight is a great thing. He might have been better off trying to draw a free at that stage.

Well done to Galway. That loss left a bitter taste in the mouth. It would be nice to meet in Croke Park in August. An Fhairche Abu has summed it up fairly well. Didn't see the Higgins hit in 2011 so can't comment on that.
Seamus O'Shea is not up to it in my view. Played well against Sligo but can't cut it in the big games. We'd be better off with Vaughan at midfield and a halfback line of Keegan, Coen and Durcan.

Galway have stepped up the physicality stakes from last year. It must have been a great game for the neutral to watch. Connacht football is back on the map :p

[Hound]

Galway are very exciting to watch. Great scores from a number of different players.

Mayo will be back. Rochford tried some things that didn't work out,  and will presumably correct. Kerry v Mayo in an All Ireland quarter final this year is a game I'm confident will happen and really looking forward to. Winner will be strong favourite to make the final

[macdanger2]

At least Regan had the balls to have a go. How much time would have been chewed up going back and forth if he hadn't have gone for the first one? Who would have taken on the shot? Would he then have been made the scapegoat if he missed. Mayo were winning every kickout anyway at that stage so he would have calculated there would be enough time for a shot and another opportunity from the next kick out then. Which did arise and he took on the shot again. Hindsight is a great thing. He might have been better off trying to draw a free at that stage.

Well done to Galway. That loss left a bitter taste in the mouth. It would be nice to meet in Croke Park in August. An Fhairche Abu has summed it up fairly well. Didn't see the Higgins hit in 2011 so can't comment on that.
Seamus O'Shea is not up to it in my view. Played well against Sligo but can't cut it in the big games. We'd be better off with Vaughan at midfield and a halfback line of Keegan, Coen and Durcan.

Galway have stepped up the physicality stakes from last year. It must have been a great game for the neutral to watch. Connacht football is back on the map :p

That's complete bollix Bod to say "at least he had the balls" , the first shot was on the touchline and it's exactly the kind of low percentage shots Galway wanted us to take at that stage. The second shot was in a better position but extremely difficult for a left footer. He should have shown a bit of patience and worked a better position. That said, we missed plenty of easier shots earlier in the game.

[larryin89]

Oh I dunno don't we all spout shire after a defeat like that.

I'm devastated I'll be honest but unlike most of ye its not because I think mayo are finished , its because we let a completely overrated galway side beat us two years on the bounce . The only way this season can be saved now is to beat galway in a semi final. Its some fookin road to navagate to get there though , wow , it will take some doin boi.

[Taylor]

Jim 'The Oracle' McGuinness has a piece in the IT today that explains exactly why ye keep losing.

Its all about the Shared mental Models

[rosnarun]

mayo lost and galway won because galway were better at kicking long range points with the wind. QED.

[galwayman]

I think it's great from a Galway perspective that the coverage is completely focused on Mayo in the aftermath of the game, Galway can quietly look ahead to the (probable) Roscommon match in the Connacht final and the chance to go back to back in the West.

Higgins sending off was obviously the biggest single incident in the match. Would Mayo have won with 15 players? Probably.

From a rewatch of the game this evening a few things stood out:
McLoughlin had a great 1st half, not as prominent in the 2nd but madness to take him off in my view.
Galway FB line looked like it was going to get taken to the cleaners early on, having the extra man saved them after that.
COC is some man trying to get cards for opposition players, the black was a joke, Bradshaw should have known better for his yellow but COC was the one doing all the provocation.
Keegan at CHB is not where I would have him, himself and Walsh cancelled each other out for most of it but his best position is clearly at 5.
The lack of anticipation by the Galway defenders for the shot that hit the post and led to the goal was glaring.
"Keith Higgins is not that kind of player", he hit Mark Hehir off the ball with one of the most cowardly blows I've seen in Galway Mayo games in 2011 with no sanction, Galway were waiting 6 years for that Higgins red card.
Armstrong looked shot in some of the league games I was at, one of Galway's better players yesterday, hats off to him.
If you are not enthused by Comer's wrecking ball attitude to the game then Gaelic football is not the sport for you, that hit on DOC, yikes.
Heaney's double save was heroic stuff. The events leading to those saves were madness though.
How the referee didn't blow a free at the end for the foul on Cummins was incredible, some bad decisions against both teams over the course of the match but he wasn't the cause of the Mayo loss.
This was proper championship stuff, the atmosphere on the terrace was superb yesterday and it came across on the broadcast as well, great to have these contests with Mayo again.

Mayo showed fantastic spirit but they also showed the same failings that have occurred many times before, they were up against a team that is a good few rungs below them in the overall scheme of things and they couldn't manufacture a score over the last ten minutes with a gale behind them.
Galway didn't even play that particularly well yesterday and let's be honest, the "caught on the hop" excuse is not going to cut it for Mayo this year. It's a long road back to the 3rd Sunday in September for them now, I wouldn't write them off, it'll be difficult but I'd wager they'll still be playing in August if I had to, whether they'll win the all Ireland looks more doubtful.

I think it's clear we need to employ a full time sweeper going forward. If we don't then it's likely the Tipperary hosing of our full back line could be repeated again this year. The weakness in that line is magnified in the wide open spaces of Croker.
It is very worrying in the long term to be honest and disappointing that we haven't been able to improve that line with any new personnel this year.

[galwayman]

I think it's great from a Galway perspective that the coverage is completely focused on Mayo in the aftermath of the game, Galway can quietly look ahead to the (probable) Roscommon match in the Connacht final and the chance to go back to back in the West.

Higgins sending off was obviously the biggest single incident in the match. Would Mayo have won with 15 players? Probably.

From a rewatch of the game this evening a few things stood out:
McLoughlin had a great 1st half, not as prominent in the 2nd but madness to take him off in my view.
Galway FB line looked like it was going to get taken to the cleaners early on, having the extra man saved them after that. 
COC is some man trying to get cards for opposition players, the black was a joke, Bradshaw should have known better for his yellow but COC was the one doing all the provocation.
Keegan at CHB is not where I would have him, himself and Walsh cancelled each other out for most of it but his best position is clearly at 5.
The lack of anticipation by the Galway defenders for the shot that hit the post and led to the goal was glaring.
"Keith Higgins is not that kind of player", he hit Mark Hehir off the ball with one of the most cowardly blows I've seen in Galway Mayo games in 2011 with no sanction, Galway were waiting 6 years for that Higgins red card.
Armstrong looked shot in some of the league games I was at, one of Galway's better players yesterday, hats off to him.
If you are not enthused by Comer's wrecking ball attitude to the game then Gaelic football is not the sport for you, that hit on DOC, yikes.
Heaney's double save was heroic stuff. The events leading to those saves were madness though.
How the referee didn't blow a free at the end for the foul on Cummins was incredible, some bad decisions against both teams over the course of the match but he wasn't the cause of the Mayo loss.
This was proper championship stuff, the atmosphere on the terrace was superb yesterday and it came across on the broadcast as well, great to have these contests with Mayo again.

Mayo showed fantastic spirit but they also showed the same failings that have occurred many times before, they were up against a team that is a good few rungs below them in the overall scheme of things and they couldn't manufacture a score over the last ten minutes with a gale behind them.
Galway didn't even play that particularly well yesterday and let's be honest, the "caught on the hop" excuse is not going to cut it for Mayo this year. It's a long road back to the 3rd Sunday in September for them now, I wouldn't write them off, it'll be difficult but I'd wager they'll still be playing in August if I had to, whether they'll win the all Ireland looks more doubtful.

+1  I was waiting for somebody to point that out. The most blatant red card you'll ever see was that incident with Hehir in 2011.

[galwayman]

It had an impact but it was of your own doing. I don't think Mayo players will be saying today if it wasn't for that sending off. They'll know they didn't do enough to win that game when it was there for either team.

You were gobsmacked by jh analysis about Mayo not being of required pace or intensity. Well I don't think they were.
If Comer had hit O'Connor like that in 2013, Mayo lads would have buried him. There was no reaction. The Mayo I've seen regularly at the business end didn't seem to be there. Durcan had a bad wide when he came off the shoulder a la Lee Keegan. They just didn't click when they looked like they might and needed to!
The challenge of going down to 14 is something Mayo lads would normally relish.

Comer wasn't there in 2013 and it was a fair hit anyway. The only concern at that stage was a score anyway.
Durcan should never have taken that shot off his weaker foot.
Yeah, this team played their best half of football in drawn semi v Kerry a few years ago with 14 men and were ultimately let down at the death by a sideline that must have had a brain freeze.
Now I know you will probably take this as a criticism but I don't think there is any Div. 1 team that would have fancied going into Salthill yesterday against Galway, in pretty good shape, in probably the worst conditions I've seen for a Championship game. Even before the throw-in Padraig Joyce acknowledged that Galway were used to playing in windy conditions there.
I see some Galway posters are hurting about lack of credit for the win. Not so. They got the Prodigal Son stuff in the few bits I read anyway. On the other hand Mayo are carved up again for losing. Will the loser of Tyrone/Donegal be dismissed as readily?
In other provinces, Dublin and Kerry are fattening up on Carlows and Clares. Hardly lion's den stuff - which Salthill yesterday was.
Saying that we have issues. Keegan should be at 5, Boyle should always be in the team and discipline isn't great. That's just for starters.

Yeah am very surprised Keegan isn't played number 5. Surely Keegan at 5, Boyle at 6 and Durcan at 7 is ye're best half back line?
Coen isn't a bad player or anything but I don't think he's better than any of the other 3, not at the moment anyway.
Even Vaughan for me would offer more as he is a very strong ball carrier.
And we'd kill for the options in the fullback line that ye have, particularly in the corners.

[highorlow]

Yeah am very surprised Keegan isn't played number 5. Surely Keegan at 5, Boyle at 6 and Durcan at 7 is ye're best half back line?

With the manager we have you shouldn't be surprised at anything.

Full league went by and no backup midfield so we were stuck putting AOS into the middle the last day when target man was needed inside.

Full league gone by and Hennelly not played in any game?

Sticking Regan on at the end to get a point when he should be starting. Moran coming in for the last 30mins. All these things are obvious to everyone except the management.

Add to the fact that SOS was stuck to the ground after 15mins? What's the explanation for that? Boyle? Was he injured or not? It's been obvious that we need more shooters in the forwards yet he failed to get a player working on his game in the league. Playing McLoughlin was obviously another decision that backfired as he still looked injured after the Sligo game.

Maybe Rochford will get lucky again this year, who knows?

One of two things are the core to our problems either he doesn't have a football brain or the team are too involved in the selection decisions.

[Maroon Manc]

Galway tired in the last ten which is hardly a great shock given they've had very games at this level and the lack of experience is an obvious hindrance too.

There's nobody expecting Galway to go out an challenge for an All Ireland this year but I do expect they will improve with the more games they have against better opposition. I think most of the Galway posters think we're short 2 or 3 defenders to really go and challenge, unfortunately one of them I would expect to be McDaid who's off to OZ. Sean Andy Kelly from what we saw in those U21 games could be another one who looks more than capable of making the step up. That fullback line is too flat footed and lacks an initial burst of pace, it was good to see Kerin back on the bench on Sunday as I think he would adds a bit of pace to that line.

Galway have just beaten a team 2 years in a row who've been one of the top 2 teams in the country for the last 5 years, don't think they've been given any credit in the media for it.

[larryin89]

Colm Boyle was not injured. Sr " it was a tactical decision "  good lord no Stevie that's called a wrong decision .


Sr has done very little right since taking over , guiding this team to a final last year is a misconception , the team did nothing new bar keV mcgloughlin role in games we were going to win anyhow .

Loftus should be starting by now .

All in all rochford has been very poor so far, if we were dealing in old money two early exits to an average galway would have been enough for a p45.

Maroon Manc, ye didn't deserve to win IMO , I know mayo people are not allowed say such outlandish things but we had enough ball in last 15 mins to win by four points.  Ye will be applauded when ye win a big game in croke park until then ye have done nothing in my eyes.

[rosnarun]

Galway tired in the last ten which is hardly a great shock given they've had very games at this level and the lack of experience is an obvious hindrance too.

There's nobody expecting Galway to go out an challenge for an All Ireland this year but I do expect they will improve with the more games they have against better opposition. I think most of the Galway posters think we're short 2 or 3 defenders to really go and challenge, unfortunately one of them I would expect to be McDaid who's off to OZ. Sean Andy Kelly from what we saw in those U21 games could be another one who looks more than capable of making the step up. That fullback line is too flat footed and lacks an initial burst of pace, it was good to see Kerin back on the bench on Sunday as I think he would adds a bit of pace to that line.

Galway have just beaten a team 2 years in a row who've been one of the top 2 teams in the country for the last 5 years, don't think they've been given any credit in the media for it.

I wouldn't be waiting for any credit from the media.
maybe itll come some time after mayo get a little for being in the top 2 for the last 5 years.
most of these aukld lads have not a clue about mdern football so the only way they judge a team is how many all Ireland have you won . beats having to actually analyze the games or teams