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15 mins played. Mayo 0-2 Galway 0-5. Looks like one of those games where scoring from play against that wind is near impossible. Cummins showing well for Galway.

J Daly,D Cummins,S Walsh,P Cooke all starting for Galway. Mayo playing as selected.

The subs for tonights encounter in Castlebar according to the program

Galway
M Breathnach
G Armstrong
L Boyle
P Cooke
D Cummins
D Cunnane
J Daly
C Darcy
R Finnerty
F O'Curraoin
F O'Laoi

Mayo
M Slingerman
D Drake
E O'Donoghue
M Plunkett
J McCormack
F Boland
C O'Shea
K McLoughlin
A Moran
J Carr
B Reape

[Not only that, but they tightened up the rules so that there won't be another 'Newbridge or Nowhere' moment.]

Just been reading Cahair O'Kane's report of last weeks Congress which saw Dublin allowed two games at the QF stage.

Not only that, but they tightened up the rules so that there won't be another 'Newbridge or Nowhere' moment.

Congress is no longer fit for purpose as the GAA's Decision-making body. It's far from a democracy.

How so? Hadn't heard of this one.

Something about a "safety" ruling. Basically if they said Newbridge or anywhere isn't fit to host a game, it will be forced to go to elsewhere.

And what tragedy occurred last year in Newbridge I missed? Restricted capacity and added measures but was a great occasion?

None. Those at the top was embarrassed last summer as they had no choice but play that game in Newbridge. Now thanks to that congress vote they can move qualifiers out of home venues and into Croke Park if they please.

If I may intrude on this Galway thread.....
I suppose well be doing well to keep the margin below 20 points on Sunday 

Dublin are a different animal outside a neutral venue such as Croke Park. Dublin are presently minding themselves for bigger days out. I expect the Rossies to be within 6 of them!

Croke Park's near perfect playing pitch surface suits Dublin down to the ground while on their travels they are a different animal as they face softer,poorer and smaller pitches but no such problems for Dublin this weekend as the new Hyde Park pitch should be ideal for them.

Laois probably the best team Down have come up against this year. Although Down were missing a lot of players for the first few matches. I would expect Laois to take care of Longford with a few to spare. What’s Offaly like men? I’m surprised at how well Louth are going.

While Div 2 was a struggle for Louth last year it shouldn't be forgotten that they finished top of Div 3 in 2017.

9 of that published Galway team Ruairi Lavelle; Seán Andy Ó Ceallaigh, Eoghan Kerin; Gary O'Donnell, Gareth Bradshaw, Thomas Flynn, Ciarán Duggan; Johnny Heaney;Barry McHugh were all championship starters against Mayo last summer and Michael Daly,Eamonn Brannigan,David Wynne have started in previous championship wins against Mayo.

So for all those injuries Galway have that is still experienced line up and the form team in Div one Kerry just about got over the line against them last weekend.

This weekend predictions

Tyrone v Cavan - Tyrone by 2 points
Mayo v Galway - Draw
Roscommon v Dublin - Dublin by 9 points
Kerry v Monaghan - Kerry by 3 points

[When they were making the rules for the Super 8s, they purposely put in 'Croke Park' instead of 'neutral venue' so that there would still 4 Quarter Finals games in Croke Park, the exact same number of games that were there under the old system.]

Sean Kelly was on The GAA Hour podcast from earlier today. I was annoyed with his speech at Congress but he made a lot of sense with his suggestions today. Just infuriating we'll have to wait another year to try and get the change in.

Seán Kelly's argument was a complete red herring. He tried to make out that the problem was with the wording of the motion and that if it had been worded in such a a way that every team in the Super 8s would get one home, one away and one neutral venue (instead of Croke Park), it might have passed.

This is nonsense. When they were making the rules for the Super 8s, they purposely put in 'Croke Park' instead of 'neutral venue' so that there would still 4 Quarter Finals games in Croke Park, the exact same number of games that were there under the old system. The GAA hierarchy hate to see games taken away from Croker due to the money making infrastructure, the corporate boxes, premium seats, bars, merchandise etc. A game in Croker with an attendance of 30,000 is worth multiple times more to the GAA than a game in a provinvial venue with the exact same attendance.

If Donegal worded that motion the way Séan Kelly has laid out, it would have been defeated by even more than it was. The reality is that he is deflecting to save face. He knows that the public can see this for what it is, money taking precedence over fairness and integrity.

As it stands there is 5 All Ireland quarter finals played in Croke Park if it was a case of keeping it as it was with 4 then one of the two Dublin Croke Park games should be played elsewhere.

[On Galway's style i think a few people forget where Galway was before Walsh arrived, He has won a few Connacht titles for them after a barren spell, led them to All Ireland semi final and NFL final. The jury is out if they will succeed much more with a offensive minded manager.]

It's just selective nonsense really , all three teams a million miles from Dublin and Kerry I suspect starting to widen the gap of the chasing pack also as number two. Galway possibly have potential but under Walsh they will not succeed . His style is ridiculous with such an abundance of skillful attacking footballers.

How are Galway "million miles" from Kerry? they beat them twice last year and only lost by one point at the weekend in a game that could have went either way and Mayo are well capable of beating Kerry in a few weeks.

On Galway's style i think a few people forget where Galway was before Walsh arrived, He has won a few Connacht titles for them after a barren spell, led them to All Ireland semi final and NFL final. The jury is out if they will succeed much more with a offensive minded manager.

List me all the teams that have won All Ireland's playing this style? I'll save you the bother - it's one. Also the number of times a team playing this style have beaten Dublin. And the likelyhood of this happening again is very remote. Its a scandal with the attacking players Galway have a more balanced approach can't be taken but that's what you get with poor coaches - the easy way out.

My point wasn't about beating Dublin or winning the All Ireland it was about the improvement that Galway have made since Walsh arrived and it remains to be seen can they go much further with a different manager.  As An Fhairche Abu rightly points out the forwards are getting plenty of opportunities so i don't see what is scandal less.

I read it that he means that Dublin are a million miles ahead and that Kerry aren't as of yet but are going to widen the gap between themselves and the rest of the pack.
He's correct about Dublin but we'll have to wait and see on Kerry, I'm not jumping on that hype train just yet.

Yes he has since edited his post with a full stop after Dublin. Very much a wait and see on Kerry though the potential is there and getting Buckley back is a major boost.

It's just selective nonsense really , all three teams a million miles from Dublin and Kerry I suspect starting to widen the gap of the chasing pack also as number two. Galway possibly have potential but under Walsh they will not succeed . His style is ridiculous with such an abundance of skillful attacking footballers.

How are Galway "million miles" from Kerry? they beat them twice last year and only lost by one point at the weekend in a game that could have went either way and Mayo are well capable of beating Kerry in a few weeks.

On Galway's style i think a few people forget where Galway was before Walsh arrived, He has won a few Connacht titles for them after a barren spell, led them to All Ireland semi final and NFL final. The jury is out if they will succeed much more with a offensive minded manager.

What does a goalkeeper have to do to get man of the match? Hennelly made 5 or 6 one on one saves and still didn't get it.

And kicked 2 frees as well.

He was clear stand out player tonight.

FT Dublin 1-12 Mayo 0-7. Dublin good value for that 8 point win. Poor quality 2nd half viewing that was.

Mayo dreadful.

Yes 14 wides and a defence that was lucky they didn't concede about 4-15. It's a while since i seen Dublin as wasteful. 2nd half was 0-6 to 0-4 a very error ridden and stop start half of football.

FT Dublin 1-12 Mayo 0-7. Dublin good value for that 8 point win. Poor quality 2nd half viewing that was.