Sligo v. Galway - Connacht Final

[Tatler Jack]

Well done to Sligo - a well deserved Connacht title at last. Congrats to all the Sligo posters here especially Magpie, Owenmoresider and Sligonian. Sorry Pastiit you missed the game - hope you do not have to wait 32 years to get a chance to see them do it again.

Sligo will be difficult for any team to beat- they have a tremendous workarte and defend well. If they can take more of their scoring chances then they will be there or thereabouts in any game.

[Barney]

Great stuff Sligo. Delighted for the real die-hards like Seanie and OMS. Enjoy it lads!! Eamon O'Hara is now a true Connacht footballing legend.

Always felt that Sligo had a great chance but that Galway would still shade it. Looking back on the game against us they were good, but we were so bad that anyone would have beaten us. Worrying times for Forde after losing to Westmeath last year the knives will definitely be out.

[mackers]

Congratulations to Sligo, showed us Armagh people in 2002 that they were a really serious team, surprised it took ye to now to win some silverware but I'm sure it was worth the wait!

[lynchbhoy]

Congrats to sligo - am delighted for them and the win in the connacht final
Looked like they played some great football - from watching the highllights TV last night

[Billys Boots]

Fair play Sligo, gives hope (if not expectation) to all of us.

[dubsnsubs]

Fair play Sligo.......should have won by more. You might have to research a reliable free taker........the 2 close in frees in the 2nd half were pathetic.

[liihb]

Well done Sligo, delighted to see a gentleman like Noel Maguire lift the cup

[IolarCoisCuain]

Fantastic day for Sligo. And wasn't it marvellous to see how they didn't cave in after they lost Eamon O'Hara? O'Hara's been one of the best footballers in Connacht if not the country for the past five years and had to carry Sligo by himself more than once. So wasn't it just fantastic to see the team carry him to his Connacht medal when he himself couldn't go on? There's a great pic of him in the Indo today whooping it up. More power to him, and to all the Sligo heads everywhere. A credit to all involved in the GAA in Sligo. Great, great day.

[magpie seanie]

Where do I start. 

Thanks to all for the good wishes and congrats. This has been a long time coming. We've had a lot of setbacks over the years. The false dawns, the "nearly" stories, the bloody heartbreak over the years has been washed away at last. Even though I believed we were going to win this game and felt we had the talent to achieve things the continuos cycle of defeat over the years makes you wonder. Part of me felt I'd never see what happened yesterday. When the presentation was being made it was just magic to see all the Sligo people on the field. Sligo people all over the world will be walking round with their heads held high. Its just great. The commitment and dedication and passion of the players shone through yesterday. Well done and thanks to them and the superb management team. We will enjoy this win but whoever we face on the August bank holiday win will need to be good to beat us. There will be no repeat of '75 in that regard, Spillane and co can rest assured.

Loads to talk about later about the actual game but need to pretend to do a bit of work now.

[GaillimhIarthair]

To all the Sligo lads on here I offer ye all my sincere congratulations.

A thoroughly deserved victory and to be honest the margin should have been alot more.  The hunger and appetite for the game displayed by Sligo blew us away and I'm delighted that alot of the long serving Sligo players have finally got their hands on a Connacht medal.

Well done lads, and I hope the heads aren't too bad today 

[Kerry Mike]

Well done to Seanie and all the Sligo lads on here. Its a fantastic achievement and long overdue, its days like yesterday that makes the haiirs on your neck stand up and makes the GAA so special. Imagine if we scrap the provincial championships as so many are advocating we would never have special moments like yesterday.

I have a wee nephew in NY who is half a Sligo man / half a Kerry man. I bought him the Kerry and Sligo Rua GAA teddy's when he was born a few months ago and to be honest he was more inclined towards the more attractive one in green and gold recently, but I am sure the teddy in Black will get a good airing for the next few weeks from his father !!!

Let hope that Sligo celebrate well for a few days and then someone has the sense to take the cup off them and hide it in some attic for a few months. Sligo will present big problems for many teams left in the championship and if they can stay as focussed as yesterday and sort out their free taking they could have a really great summer.

Let hope there is no repeat of 1975, was only watching that the other night from the Kerry Golden Years and it was embarrassing. Anyway well done again to all Sligonians.

[MaroonAndWhite]

Great stuff from Sligo yesterday, many congratulations.Its fitting that OHara gets his medal.....as good a footballer as there is and certainly the best footballer in Connacht to have not won a provincial medal (before yesterday, that is....). Theres a few on the galway team that could learn a thing or two from Sligo about guts and heart and prode in the jersey.

A few things struck me about yesterday from a Galway perspective - the lack of desire shown is mind-blowing. Maybe this team are hanging off the coat-tails of 98 & 01 teams? Think they are as good as those teams? Maybe they need reminding that theyve not reached the semi final of AI since 01 let alone have notions of themselves as AI contenders. Where was the half forward line when ball was breaking? Where did midfield go after 20 mins? Why did Forde pick a half forward line with not a defensive bone in their body who were all over the shop when Sligos wing backs drove on and when the dirty ball beeded to be won? Why did Forde put Nicky in the corner when he was doing ok in first half running at Sligo from no 12 and then put the most lethal finisher in the panel in Armstrong at wing forward doing the donkey work when they needed his finishing power inside? Why did he take Blake off? Why didnt Forde take PJ off.......it would have been a tough call and hes been a sterling servant of Galway football and owes nobody a thing but he clearly wasnt right yesterday and unusually for him didnt even contribute in general play.

Forde gave us a defence to be proud of and ripped any attacking fluency out of a forward line pack with fine players. He has turned what was total football once upon a time (a long time ago too) into puke football. Get it to half way and hoof the thing as long and as high as you can in on top of a full back line that was eating the Galway forwards alive.

I hope Sligo go on from here and do well. Galway fans can rest knowing that the management will be gone by end of the year................jesus I hope Ros keep Maughan or it would be like to clowns in the Co Board to go after him!

[GalwaySham]

A few things struck me about yesterday from a Galway perspective - the lack of desire shown is mind-blowing. Maybe this team are hanging off the coat-tails of 98 & 01 teams? Think they are as good as those teams? Maybe they need reminding that theyve not reached the semi final of AI since 01 let alone have notions of themselves as AI contenders. Where was the half forward line when ball was breaking? Where did midfield go after 20 mins? Why did Forde pick a half forward line with not a defensive bone in their body who were all over the shop when Sligos wing backs drove on and when the dirty ball beeded to be won? Why did Forde put Nicky in the corner when he was doing ok in first half running at Sligo from no 12 and then put the most lethal finisher in the panel in Armstrong at wing forward doing the donkey work when they needed his finishing power inside? Why did he take Blake off? Why didnt Forde take PJ off.......it would have been a tough call and hes been a sterling servant of Galway football and owes nobody a thing but he clearly wasnt right yesterday and unusually for him didnt even contribute in general play.

Forde gave us a defence to be proud of and ripped any attacking fluency out of a forward line pack with fine players. He has turned what was total football once upon a time (a long time ago too) into puke football. Get it to half way and hoof the thing as long and as high as you can in on top of a full back line that was eating the Galway forwards alive.

I agreed with most of this. Blake gave a hard hit just a couple of minutes before he went off and was involved in a few other tough incidents which probably took their toll, Ford probably thought Coyne would be fresh while Blake was tiring.
I cant understand why Ford messed around with the forwards so much, Nicky Joyce is doing very well at no.12, he is able to carry the ball forward although admiteddly his casual attitude can sometimes be worrying. But Fallon was flying at the start at wing forward, next thing hes in the corner, Michael Meehan should have been giving more of a chance at centre forward as well.

[timmykelleher]

Sorry to be so negative on Sligo's great day but I have a complaint about their performance. They showed a clip on the Sunday game last night from the team bus and their singing was brutal. It must have had dogs howling and babies crying. And what a bloody song to pick. Queen's champion?? Is there no Sligo specific songs?

[Kerry Mike]

'Tis a long time since there was any singing on a Cork football team bus !!