No word on this one yet so I better start a thread. ;D
Sat. evening will kickstart a busy weekend for Galway GAA fans - 'deed there'll hardly be time for Mass on Sunday, seeing as the MInor match kicks off...errr.... throws in at 12pm. in the Hyde. For Galway, it will be the first time that quite a few followers will be watching Gerlock over the team in the flesh, such is their fickle nature. A settled team seems further away than ever sadly, a problem exacerbated by the possible absence of Eugene and the unlucky Diarmuid Cloonan. This may mean a long-awaited start for Kerril Wade, the next big thing in Galway hurling, (at least until you-know-who becomes available). That said, if there's any bit of hurling in the team they should have enough to overcome a weak-enough home side.
Predictions Please:
Galway due a good one in Hells Kitchen with the old chef in charge...
Galway by 5.............
Well I'd like to see the teams first but I think Galway might shade it although I wouldn't exactly be surprised if it went the other way.
Hard to know how we're shaping up as I only saw brief highlights of the Laois game. Will Fergal Moore be back to play corner-back? Would free David Collins to the half-back line. Who will play Full-back? Who will play midfield? Eoin Lynch was taken off against Laois. Will Fergal Healy be back to fill a midfield position? Will Richie Murray play after coming on as sub the last day? Same with Broderick. Still lots of unanswered questions.
Heading down to Ennis myself on Saturday and with the Connacht final the following day it's a busy old weekend.
I thought there'd be more talk about this around the county but expectations are low in Clare at the minute. Galway will be big favorites dispite not firing on all cylinders against Laois. We'll head up and give it an auld rattle anyway sure ye never know what might happen on the day.
Galway are the more settled team of the two and that's saying something. If Diarmuid Cloonan starts ful back that'll be GerLocks fourth person he's tried in there with varying degrees of success. Tony Og Reagan, Shane Kavanagh, Hardiman have all had a go with Kavanagh probably being his preferred choice but i think hes out injured.
John Lee will be the winning of this game for Galway, he's Galways version of Seanie McMahon and will be able to stand up the the physicality of the Clare team and return it in spades. One to watch this summer if his league form continues.
Are the Clare suspensions up now?
Yeah the Clare players got a month, which was up before they played Antrim but under the new ruling they had to miss the next match in the competition. They are all available for Saturday as far as I know.
Anyone got a link to Gerlock's column in this weeks Clare Champion? Explosive stuff by all accounts and just the thing to rachet up the stakes even further on Sat. evening.
Any sign of a Galway team? Still very unsettled whatever is named. Clare are great value at 9/4
Apparently Ger gave out about the Clare county board,underage structure and also gave Antony Daly a bit of stick - saying the players had too much power when he was in charge . Now in fairness he should cut Daly a bit of slack - think those comment were uncalled for. Surely all this is serious motivation for Clare
Of all the counties to be sucked in by the Loughnane bombast you would think Clare knew better. It's classic Loughnane to stir things up and detract attention from the match at hand. I think Clare have a big chance of winning this, Galway lack cohesion and still dont seem to be sure who should be playing and where they should be playing.
Admittedly Considine is dealing from a thin enough deck at the moment but I think they still have enough ability - and should certainly have enough motivation - to win this one.
Dont think Clare are being sucked into anything. Maybe it will motivate Clare to give Galway as good a game as they can give and if that means a win for Clare then Loughnane gets what I believe hes looking for, a tough test.
Loughnane got his test OK and failed it. Scrappy enough game with both sides missing a lot of chances,fair play to Clare overall they just about edged it. Galways full back line were very poor when put under pressure
I am a very disappointed Galwayman today. How bad were they last night ??It's backwards they have gone. The fullback line was the Achilles Heel and so it proved with Clare targetting it just like Cork did in 2005 and Kilkenny last year.When was the last time we had a good one btw??Boy is Ollie Canning missed now, it's obvious he felt his high standards were slipping but wouldn't his experience alone be invaluable right now ??John Lee, why won't he try to catch the ball once in a while and become more dominating??why was Ger Mahon switched out from fullback where he was doing allright??Why isn't Collins playing in his favoured position of lhb??God I shudder to think what the Kilkenny or waterford forward lines would do to that backline right now!Alan Kerins did ok but wasted possession and was guilty of an awful wide in the second half. He wasn't the only one either with other established "stars" hitting awful shots as well!David Forde..........whenever I see his name on a teamsheet I grt a cold shiver down my backbone. He is easily the most awkward and inept player ever to wear the maroon shirt.It's one thing to be awkward but then to be useless on top of that!How does he get picked every time??Surely to God there is another option for the critical position of CHF in Galway??Just look a the way he tries to pick a ball, solo with the ball etc etc.Eugene Cloonan, too slow and cumbersone also. Opposing fullbacks never have to worry when he gets possession because he is so slow and laboured, he is easily blocked or hooked!Hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel and if there is one, it's a Waterford or Kilkenny or maybe Limerick train hurtling along at full speed ready to crush anything in its path!What's the point in getting a baseball machine anyway, I mean how many times did a Galway forward get aerial possession last night?? at the very least they need to do a lot of ballwork before the antrim match and before that pray that Limerick win Munster and that they get them rather than Kilkenny. They would be destroyed against KK or Waterford a team they have never beaten in championship hurling!Someone somewhere, give me a crumb of comfort!!The honeymoon is well and truly over Ger, let's see what miracle cure you have for us now!!
Losing was bad enough, but the manner of it was the most depressing thing. I wouldn't mind so much if that was a magnificent Clare team, but they are very limited.
Ger... WTF have you done to the team.. They seemed completely lacking confidence, their first touch and control was abysmal? The players themselves were gutless I have to say, not a leader among them.. Shocked is not to strong a word.
Very, very dissolusioned
On a night of horrors perhaps the most terrifying thing of all about Sat. evening was the resurrection of that great zombie of Galway hurling who climbed out of the grave and stalked Cusack Park - the spectre of the 'one-handed hurler'. How many times did you see Tony Og (absolutely rubbish), Ger Mahon, Hayes et al taking several attempts to rise the ball only for it to be knocked away eventually or taken off them? To repeat, Tony Og is now simply desperate, Mahon with his hurl constantly aloft looks like a lad running around after a bullock with a stick, Tierney waaay too inconsistent, Forde too limited, Cloonan (though one of the better performers) too slow, Tannian too tentative - where do I stop? I've never seen ball striking from a Galway side as bad - how many times did they hit tame shots into the Clare goalie's hands or harmlessly wide? Where has all the skill and drive from 2 years ago gone? What has Gerlock done to them? Answers to Jaws if there's anyone left now who cares.
Whilst it was a shocking standard of hurling from both teams I still think Galway have more scope for improvement and was about to say will go further than Clare later on but it seems that if they beat Antrim will have Kilkenny in the quarter final. A huge task for any team let alone one low on confidence.
Whilst the narrowing of Cusack park certainly caused Galway problems due to lack of physique, the decision to deploy Kerins as a loose man behind his half back line invited Clare onto them and with the Galway fullback(s) all at sea it was only a matter of time before the rigging was hit and it was this that let Clare take the lead in the second half. Fegal Healy was the pick of the Galway defenders over the 70 minutes.
On a side issue i don't think too many Clare people will be hankering after Davy Fitz much longer if their new keeper keeps up those levels of performance. (Another kiss of death after my John Lee comment)
I don't think Ger Loughnane places too much emphasis on the skills of the game, per se. His biggest factors for success are drive, determination, will to win and never say die. He runs the shite out of lads for months to toughen them up mentally for games.
The thing about that is, you have to have a certain outlook and mentallity already as a player for that to work with you. Clare had it, and were able to fill in the gaps around Jamsie, Seanie Mc, Lynch and Anthony Daly, who were their only real stick men in my opinion. Galway are, and have been a totally different kettle of fish, and rely much more on 'Leinster' style hurling (pre 2000 at least), flicks, speed and open spaces. Wristy hurlers as such. That sort of game needs constant tuning, or you can lose split seconds, which translates into foostering in a championship game.
I think Ger has been emphasising the former, and neglecting the latter in Galway this year. Some teams don't care whether they win ugly or win beautiful. Clare won ugly, Kilkenny can win both ways, as can Cork. I think Galway can only win beautiful.
Quote from: AZOffaly on July 09, 2007, 01:27:24 PM
I think Ger has been emphasising the former, and neglecting the latter in Galway this year. Some teams don't care whether they win ugly or win beautiful. Clare won ugly, Kilkenny can win both ways, as can Cork. I think Galway can only win beautiful.
Could not have put it better, get this man on RTE
Quote from: johnneycool on July 09, 2007, 10:25:35 AM
On a side issue i don't think too many Clare people will be hankering after Davy Fitz much longer if their new keeper keeps up those levels of performance. (Another kiss of death after my John Lee comment)
Brennan has a much better-directed puckout than Fitz ever had. Fitz drove it long/high but never accurately. Cost Clare the game against Cork in 2005 and made Gardiner's life a lot easier. Presuming Laois are beaten then a Clare victory against Limerick will ensure a second year for Tony Considine. This in turn will cement Brennan's place and Davy's retirement. All achievable compare to Ger who'll have to get Galway past the All-Ireland champions to save the bacon!
As for John Lee, Diarmuid McMahon did very well on him. Diarmuid will never give you a Dan the man 3-3 performance but as a classic "stopper" he will limit the influence of a centre-back. It's an important task and should never be underestimated.
/Jim.
They have gone noticeably backwards this year. I was never going to back them to win the All-Ireland but thought that under Loughane they might show signs of going in the right direction. More speed, strength and power in their play but what they're doing is the total opposite. They're sluggish and weak. Some of the guys who used to be big men are now just tall thin lads. Lee, Collins, Regan, Eoin Lynch, Kavanagh all these guys have shed too many pounds and have lost alot of their power without showing any increase in pace. Cloonan is too slow and David Forde can't hurl...then again it isn't just last Saturday we found that out.
I believe Hartmann drew up the physical plan and they have followed it. Now far be it from me to question Hartmanns methods and their implementation....maybe the plan states they're due to peak at one minute to 3 before the ball is thrown in against Kilkenny!!
would disagree about the analysis of the coaching ability of loughnane. i saw a few of the training sessions before everyone was kicked out of them and the speed they moved the ball at in the drills was unreal.Loughnane would be in the centre like a ringmaster screaming at them. The Clare players had been hockeyed in two Munster finals- and also included guys who never thought they would ever play at county level.In other words they bought 100% into what he was doing.
Galway are different-most of their players have won minor-u21 club all-irelands and probaly can't buy into his methods of training because it's so different to what they are used to. I think Loughnane won't get anything out of Galway running the shite out of them.It's isn't in their psychological make-up -they've always been hurlers. Clare had 6-7 hurlers- 3-4 fitness freaks and 4 sledgers and because cork-kilkenny were at their lowest ebb for 20 years they made the breakthrough.
This time it's different- you have 2 of the best cork and kilkenny teams in history.Galway have terrific skillful hurlers in their squad and will only have a chance against the others using that skill. by the looks of saturday they've been doing no hurling training. If Loughnane doesn't change he'd be better off leaving because what worked with Clare won't work anywhere else-it was a unique situation. As for this crack of naming the team in the huddle- is he having alaugh? Wouldn't surprise if he wanted to lose the game so he'd get Kilkenny.
Right it's time to bite the bullet and put out a right team for the next 2 games. Cut out the sh*tehawking Loughnane and leave this 15 on the park against Antrim for at least 60 minutes.
1.Callanan - has done OK since he came in
2.Joyce - Has to start. Tigerish and committed
3.Mahon - He's the future we have to start him.
4.Moore - Played well the last day. Deserves his spot
5.Kavanagh - Strong, good clearance, and fitter than Hardi.
6.Lee - He's our future at No.6
7.Collins - Playing him in the corner was a joke. This is his spot.
8.F Healy - Best stickman in Galway. Showed it the last day.
9.A Kerins - Roamed well the last day and midfield would probably suit him.
10.A Callanan - Has been one of the best performers in the club championship and has largely been forgotten(by myself included)
11.Tannian - He's our future at No.11. Leave him there and let him settle.
12.Murray - Played OK the last day. Deserves another day out.
13.Broderick - Has to start to see if he really has got the sparkle back.
14.Wade - Deserves a shot at No.14. He's the club championship top scorer. Good free-taker.
15.Hayes - I'd give him license to go anywhere out as far as the 65.
The above line out has big men up the middle bar No.14. Our half-back and half-forward lines are our tallest players. All 15 are good pacy hurlers and that inside line is lethal if it got the right supply of ball which I feel Healy and Kerins are capable of giving. All of the guys from midfield up are able to take a score. Even our half backs shouldn't be afraid of having a pop. It's sh*t or bust time for these guys now.
Close enough Joeen in fairness, though I wouldn't have Mahon next, nigh or near the team. See my previous messages to see my thoughts on him. Even Diarmuid or Conor Dervan, slow though he is, would be better. In my team, Niall Healy might displace Broderick who once again could be used (hopefully much better this time round) as an impact sub. Equally Tannian would want to include a bit more drive in his play to hold off Mark Kerins. Ger Farragher may yet have a say in the c'ship this year. David Collins is a good lad with the right attitude but needs to pull his socks up a bit also - restoring him to wing-back would be a help admittedly.