Galway v Kilkenny 1/4 final

[Kevin]

Ger is playing COdy at his own game I see.. Forewarning the refs about the KK habit of making your hands and wrists pay for having the temerity to have possesion against them....

http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/galway-boss-calls-on-ref-to-curb-cats-belting-1038641.html

By Colm Keys
Tuesday July 17 2007


GER LOUGHNANE has raised the stakes again ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final with Kilkenny by calling on the match referee and his officials to provide greater protection for his players.


Loughnane's respect for Kilkenny is well documented by now but his observation after Saturday's qualifier win over Antrim in Salthill's Pearse Stadium about "flicking and belting across the wrists" not being allowed to happen is sure to lift the temperature ahead of the fourth successive championship meeting between these sides.

Kilkenny have won two of the previous three in convincing fashion, both in Thurles in 2004 and 2006 when Galway couldn't cope with their ferocious intensity.

In between Galway won a much more open All-Ireland semi-final in 2005 in Croke Park, where Sunday's tie has been fixed for.

Now Loughnane has drawn attention to Kilkenny's style of tackling and hopes the referee, who hadn't been confirmed by Croke Park by last night, will be responsive to it.

"These lads (Galway) are as good a bunch of players as I have worked with," he said.

"Whether we are ready for the savaging that Kilkenny will give them, I don't know," he added.

"I hope that it will be an open game and I hope that whoever is refereeing it will give us some chance, that we won't get this ferocious barracking from a Kilkenny defender when he has the ball.

"This flicking, belting across the wrists can't happen next Sunday and if it doesn't, you never know."

Loughnane will be happy that the game has been fixed for Croke Park and not Thurles where these Galway players have not been spared in the past.

Loughnane has consistently showered Kilkenny with plaudits during his time as a TV and newspaper analyst and recently described the Cats' current group "as one of the best teams ever".

Earlier this year he highlighted their league meeting with the All-Ireland champions in Nowlan Park as Galway's first big pressure test of his management.

Hickey doubt

Meanwhile, Kilkenny defender Noel Hickey is the Leinster champions' most serious injury concern after he picked up a leg injury in the Leinster final.

The injury took a few days afterwards to manifest and the powerful full-back did not feature in a practice match in Nowlan Park over the weekend. Kilkenny, however, expect him to have recovered in time.

"Noel has a bit of a strain - sometimes a blow to the leg might not show up for a week or two, but we're hopeful he'll be alright. He's doing a certain amount of training," said selector Martin Fogarty.

All this blather is a good move by Ger. Nothing wrong with trying to play some of the game before the whistle.

[An Fhairche Abu]

Realistically, if Loughnane wasn't in charge of the team would anybody be expecting Galway to come even close to Kilkenny?

On all known form, player ability and sub options, Kilkenny should wipe the floor with Galway next Sunday by 8 or 9 points plus, there was 5 points in it last year but if you take away the easing up of the Kilkenny team and the few late Galway goals you'll reveal an unmerciful hammering all over the pitch.
I don't buy this "masterplan" seafoid that some are talking about with regards to the bould Ger, fair enough Kilkenny are the team that Loughnane wanted at the start of the year as an "acid test", but back in the depths of winter he couldn't have foreseen just how poor the players would be performing in the summer months. A loss to a very average Clare team is not exactly the ideal prep for facing the Cats, even when we beat them in 2005, the players had turned around a game against Tipp in the Q-final and had already showed some form.
Hoping to be proved wrong but alas it could be a bad weekend all round in both codes for the maroon and white.

[Stay goalside of your man]

I think Ger is right to stir it up before the match. What is there to lose. Kilkenny are the favourites by a long shot. This tactic of telling the ref's to be aware of the opposite team is used in rugby and it some times works. It has to have some effect on the ref they will be more aware of what is happening in the tackle during the match.

[theskull1]

Did the bould Ger not give Dinny Cahill a death on the Sunday game a couple of years ago for making comments in the press prior to the Cork Antrim game a few years ago? Is he now not doing something very similar? I expect KK to go through Galway like a dose of salts

[nobackdoor]

Have heard so many "stories" about the Galway team, that it's hard to seperate fact from fiction. One thing's for sure, Ger want's this badly & I think the Galway lads want it more. G looked rubbish against Clare for sure, they can't b as bad against the aristocrats. The Galway training sessions are allegedly ferocious, we'll see. Maybe, Ger has had this game in mind all year & hasn't shown his hand yet. The spine of the team looks as brittle as it did before the great man took over.

Can't wait for this game to start, has Ger been bluffing all along or will they slay the monster? Here's hoping.

Gailimh abu, the weast awake ...

[Punxsutawney Fergal]

Maybe, Ger has had this game in mind all year & hasn't shown his hand yet. The spine of the team looks as brittle as it did before the great man took over.

Can't wait for this game to start, has Ger been bluffing all along or will they slay the monster? Here's hoping.

Yep, it was a masterplan to lose to Clare and get the option of playing Kilkenny or Waterford ahead of Wexford or Limerick Looks like ye in Galway have forgot to boil the water

[SouthArmaghBandit]

I heard Ger on the sports news this morning clarifying his remarks about Kilkenny. You could listen to him talk hurling all day.
On the match it's hard to see anything other than a big win for the Cats based on form. The Galway defense in inexperienced and Kilkenny have the forwards to explot that weakness. Galway ghave a great full forward line but they won't get enough ball to do the damage they are capable of doing. I hope Galway put it up to them but I really can see no evidence that they will.
Kilkenny by 10+

[mouview]

"Yep, it was a masterplan to lose to Clare and get the option of playing Kilkenny or Waterford ahead of Wexford or Limerick Wink Looks like ye in Galway have forgot to boil the water"

There may be a certain Ger-like logic in that tactic. Loughnane knew in all probability that Galway would have to face KK sometime in the c'ship this year - why not in the 1/4 final before the Cats were more strenuously tested? It hasn't stopped KK from dishing out 2 hidings at this stage in the past 3 years however..:-( 

Any scenario for Sunday may be envisaged - either team winning by a narrow or wide margin; oddly enough Galway have better scoring forwards but KKs play better as a unit. The Cats sheer physical power could blow Galway away in the opening minutes but the open spaces of Croker may suit the quicker team. Which, if any, team is better than 2 years ago? (perhaps a safer reference point than last year when Conor Hayes made some bizarre selectorial decisions - Conor Dervan midfield?) It would be easier to predict this weekend's Lotto numbers than the Galway team Gerlock will send out but probable FB line of the slowish Kennedy, raw and loose Mahon and rather untested Moore could be taken to town. At odds of 7/2 (PP) Galway aren't a bad price but I wouldn't put the mortgage on it.

[Punxsutawney Fergal]

Any scenario for Sunday may be envisaged - either team winning by a narrow or wide margin; oddly enough Galway have better scoring forwards but KKs play better as a unit. [/quote]


Galway will not hammer Kilkenny and to say Galway have better forwards is a joke, Henry on his own must average near 1-10 a game and Comerford will get another 4 or 5 throw in Brennan there and you are looking at some serious forward power!! I'm sick of this whole Galway potential thing!! I've been hearing it since I was in nappies and still not seen them deliver on it, except for the very very odd match over the last 15 years. I have the potential to be an ice skater (even though I have only skated once in my life and spent the majority of the time on my ass) What I am saying is we can all say that our county team has potential but at some point you have to say "screw this old and boring potential myth we have serious problems in the county"

[GY Joe]

Any scenario for Sunday may be envisaged - either team winning by a narrow or wide margin; oddly enough Galway have better scoring forwards but KKs play better as a unit.

Galway will not hammer Kilkenny and to say Galway have better forwards is a joke, Henry on his own must average near 1-10 a game and Comerford will get another 4 or 5 throw in Brennan there and you are looking at some serious forward power!! I'm sick of this whole Galway potential thing!! I've been hearing it since I was in nappies and still not seen them deliver on it, except for the very very odd match over the last 15 years. I have the potential to be an ice skater (even though I have only skated once in my life and spent the majority of the time on my ass) What I am saying is we can all say that our county team has potential but at some point you have to say "screw this old and boring potential myth we have serious problems in the county"
[/quote]

PF... The potential thing is getting old I agree.. ESPECIALLY  if your galwegian.. You see its based upon the fact that we have an equal  record with KK in underage in the last 20 years minor and U21 so where the fu*k do the senior all-irelands go?

I have to say, if we had a man like Cody in charge for the last 8 years, I think we would have won as much as the Cuttns by this stage...

[robinbanks]

Galway realistically have no chance on Sunday.You have to be displaying some sort of form during the year to be in with any chance and Galway have been bad all year.Loughnane tactics were only good for Clare at that time, but he has not brought out the best in Galway.I thought yee were making more progress under Hayes and were playing a nicer style of hurling.Loughnane will leave Galway in a bigger mess than he found it.Only solution get rid of GL and go into Leinster.

[bottlethrower7]

Galway realistically have no chance on Sunday.You have to be displaying some sort of form during the year to be in with any chance and Galway have been bad all year.

typically I'd agree with that. However, after what Tipp did last weekend I think anything is possible.

[robinbanks]

typically I'd agree with that. However, after what Tipp did last weekend I think anything is possible

If that was a championship match and the losers were gone do you think Cork would have lost?.

[mouview]

"Galway will not hammer Kilkenny and to say Galway have better forwards is a joke, Henry on his own must average near 1-10 a game and Comerford will get another 4 or 5 throw in Brennan there and you are looking at some serious forward power!! I'm sick of this whole Galway potential thing!! I've been hearing it since I was in nappies and still not seen them deliver on it, except for the very very odd match over the last 15 years. I have the potential to be an ice skater (even though I have only skated once in my life and spent the majority of the time on my ass) What I am saying is we can all say that our county team has potential but at some point you have to say "screw this old and boring potential myth we have serious problems in the county"

It remains to be seen. Oddly enough I wouldn't be totally afraid of Sheflin scoring, I've seen him miss a few over the years and there have been games when he hasn't even scored from play - a lot of his tallies have come from the placed ball. It's his playmaking duties I fear. Comerford can be held but Brennan only ever seems to play well against Galway.    Counter that with very skillful hurlers like the 2 Healys, Broderick, Hayes, A Kerins, Kerril Wade, even Tannian - all these guys can score easily enough if they put their mind to it. (And that's discounting Farragher and E Cloonan who will hardly be playing)

Galway may well have 'serious problems' in the county, but only at senior level. Minor, U-21 and club seem to be healthy enough from where I stand.

[robinbanks]

"Galway will not hammer Kilkenny and to say Galway have better forwards is a joke, Henry on his own must average near 1-10 a game and Comerford will get another 4 or 5 throw in Brennan there and you are looking at some serious forward power!! I'm sick of this whole Galway potential thing!! I've been hearing it since I was in nappies and still not seen them deliver on it, except for the very very odd match over the last 15 years. I have the potential to be an ice skater (even though I have only skated once in my life and spent the majority of the time on my ass) What I am saying is we can all say that our county team has potential but at some point you have to say "screw this old and boring potential myth we have serious problems in the county"

It remains to be seen. Oddly enough I wouldn't be totally afraid of Sheflin scoring, I've seen him miss a few over the years and there have been games when he hasn't even scored from play - a lot of his tallies have come from the placed ball. It's his playmaking duties I fear. Comerford can be held but Brennan only ever seems to play well against Galway.    Counter that with very skillful hurlers like the 2 Healys, Broderick, Hayes, A Kerins, Kerril Wade, even Tannian - all these guys can score easily enough if they put their mind to it. (And that's discounting Farragher and E Cloonan who will hardly be playing)

Galway may well have 'serious problems' in the county, but only at senior level. Minor, U-21 and club seem to be healthy enough from where I stand.


Above hurlers maybe skillfull on the training pitch but thats about it.When have they scored easily.Talent in Galway is way overestimated.Not serious contenders this year on any time soon by the looks of things!