Mayo V Galway - Connacht Final Thread

[rosnarun]

 my point is some how maughan view of this despite being an irrelevancy is taking over the debate . Very doubtful he saw the incident and was probaly going on second hand infor yet he is being castigated by people for their own agenda's . the right and wrongs of the case  should provide fuel enough for debate with out Slagging maughan off.

on howley V cuniffe has to be howley every time the man is a natural defender where as cunniffe's strenghts  would be much more of an attacking half back and surely we cany have 3 of them

[moysider]

I see your point Moysider and i agree with you but i think JOM may see things
another way horses for courses. Harte is having a tremendous season in the
green and red and i hope the HF line is left as Harte Dillon and Trevor.
Will Howley start at no6? Is Cunniffe back from injury?

Even if CunIffe back [and his recovery slow I believe] Johnno will go with Howley. Especially after his visit to Knockmore on Sat. evening. Howley drove forward in last 10 minutes and settled the match. I d love to see him play with the same abandon v Joyce instead of just putting a minder on Joyce. Cuniffe does nt bring the same physicality to 6 and i believe we ll find Cuniffes future will not be in a central position.

Not to sure about the last point about Cunniffe. I know he's not as physical as Howley but I think he has better attributes over all compared with Howley. He's faster, has better positioning(I think), can get a score, and he seemed to be playing well there and improving all through the league against quality number 11's.

Fair enough. And Cuniffe did do a good job during the league when he concentrated on marking. Dunno. Just I prefer the Peter Butler type. Compact. And when they hit somebody coming through yer man will think the second time.

[moysider]

my point is some how maughan view of this despite being an irrelevancy is taking over the debate . Very doubtful he saw the incident and was probaly going on second hand infor yet he is being castigated by people for their own agenda's . the right and wrongs of the case  should provide fuel enough for debate with out Slagging maughan off.

on howley V cuniffe has to be howley every time the man is a natural defender where as cunniffe's strenghts  would be much more of an attacking half back and surely we cany have 3 of them
[/quote/]

I dont think there is any debate anyway. If he did nt see it fair enough. Most people probably did nt. But why bring it up on radio when he was nt even asked about it? Nobody is slagging him off. I know him and have the height of respect for him and what he has achieved in the game. What agenda have I against him? I see him as a very weighty person in the game, even on a national level. What he says has weight. How did he get that so wrong?

Anyway. What is the debate?  What are the 'right and wrongs' of the case?

[Farrandeelin]

Did Joyce not take Howley to the cleaners last year?

[HowAreYeGettinOn]

Did Joyce not take Howley to the cleaners last year?

'twas Heaney. Who was obviously under instruction to mark the space at centre-back. PJ, rightly, took this as his cue to roam the field and run the show.

On the same PJ, my own sources i nGaillimh tell me that Sammon offered him the exit door when PJ protested at Nicky being dropped from the panel, and that PJ went very quiet after that... any of the Galway posters able/willing to elaborate?

[kevmy]

Some people here would change half the team it seems to try and replace Ronan. Why I don't know?

For the last 2/3 yrs people are saying Howley was the man for the CB spot and only injury stopped him. Heaney got taken to the cleaners by Joyce last year there yet people want to put him back there over Howley who hasn't put a foot wrong any time he wore the Green and Red. It's unlikely Cunniffe will be fit but even if he is I would see his future at wing back rather than the centre.

Moving Harte back to midfield is another one I don't get. He played all his best football for us in the half forward line. He's on fire playing there on the moment. Leave him be.

The obvious replacement for Ronan to me is Parsons. People are saying he's out of sorts but we don't have a lot of evidence for that to go on. True he didn't play an awful lot of the league but that was because he was playing U21 at the same time. A good player is still a good player and sometimes you just have to put faith in them and put them on the field and tell them to do their best.

[Mayo4Sam]

Ros fair play to u, u've some neck on u talking bout people having an agenda against maughan & all the comments u've made against JOM, talk bout marroon coloured glasses . Howley is a far better player than cunniffe, strength, position, going forward, he reminds me so much of peter butler. I think PJ's slow play will suit him down to the ground

[ildanach]

anyone know how long mcgarrity will be out for?

only swap i would make from the roscommon game is the forced one.
2 things still worry me though: 1 barry moran in full forward - but  i am willing to give this one last try and hope he holds the ball better
                                          2 the full back line were not as tight as  i would have liked against roscommon and there can not be
                                             as much space given to galway or we will be in trouble

[RedandGreenSniper]

Ros fair play to u, u've some neck on u talking bout people having an agenda against maughan & all the comments u've made against JOM, talk bout marroon coloured glasses . Howley is a far better player than cunniffe, strength, position, going forward, he reminds me so much of peter butler. I think PJ's slow play will suit him down to the ground

That is the key point. Howley won't be run riot by Joyce because PJ doesn't have the pace. If Galway decided to move someone else into centre-half forward, like Armstrong or N Joyce, then that could be a harder one to deal with.

At midfield it is very simple - Parsons in for McGarrity. Parsons hasn't been playing well and is, I believe, still a bit raw. But he's still a great option to have off the bench. I just hope he doesn't waste the ball like he has done so far.

Kilcoyne is definitely going to start in one corner but I'm not sure whether Barry Moran or Conor Mort will start. Moran's injury is meant to be superficial enough but it is denying him training time. Conor Mort didn't look too hectic against Breaffy on Sunday either though. Andy Moran's nine points from play for Ballagh in Newport on Sunday will ask a few questions too. Obviously Aidan O'Shea will start inside with Kilcoyne and then its one from B Moran and Mort, with A Moran an outside chance.
I'd imagine that Andy will start at wing-back though, same line as Roscommon - Gardiner, Howley, Andy - but there'll be serious competition for the corner-back spots. Probably will be the status quo of Higgins and Vaughan.

[GalwayBayBoy]

on a more positive note my galway sources tell me PJOyce summoned the management team to his lair after the sligo match and demanded a more  physical emphasis to training or else face the consequences and also of course he called Nicky back into the squad at the same time.

Lovely, lovely, lovely. Would nt be a bit surprised if this is true. Sammon has nt much choice but to go with it I suppose. Now he probably realises what Ford and Johnno got.

On the same PJ, my own sources i nGaillimh tell me that Sammon offered him the exit door when PJ protested at Nicky being dropped from the panel, and that PJ went very quiet after that... any of the Galway posters able/willing to elaborate?

Jaysus lads ye're like a bunch of old biddies with the gossip.

As for Nicky when you read Sammon's comments after he left the panel I think there was always a good chance that he'd be back after the Sligo game. It was in effect a one-match suspension although they didn't want to use that word so he just left the panel for a few weeks.

[the Deel Rover]

on a more positive note my galway sources tell me PJOyce summoned the management team to his lair after the sligo match and demanded a more  physical emphasis to training or else face the consequences and also of course he called Nicky back into the squad at the same time.

Lovely, lovely, lovely. Would nt be a bit surprised if this is true. Sammon has nt much choice but to go with it I suppose. Now he probably realises what Ford and Johnno got.

On the same PJ, my own sources i nGaillimh tell me that Sammon offered him the exit door when PJ protested at Nicky being dropped from the panel, and that PJ went very quiet after that... any of the Galway posters able/willing to elaborate?

Jaysus lads ye're like a bunch of old biddies with the gossip.

As for Nicky when you read Sammon's comments after he left the panel I think there was always a good chance that he'd be back after the Sligo game. It was in effect a one-match suspension although they didn't want to use that word so he just left the panel for a few weeks.

yeah you said weeks ago gbb that he would be back after the sligo game

[moysider]

Cant see much change from team that started v Ros except the enforced one.

For me its a case of wait and see now how we go. I dont believe Galway v Sligo any real indication as to how they perform in this one. Never has been. They ll tear into this one and hit the ground running and with home advantage will take beating. We looked great at times v Ros but a lot of that was due to cleaning out midfield. Last year we beat Sligo heavily before going down tamely in McHale park. Lessons were not learned from the Sligo game. Only excellent Clarke saves prevented 3 Sligo goals in the first half but nobody heeded. The last day Ros created 2/3 goal chances from crumbs. You d have to think Galway would capitalise on those chances if we re as slack again. Only Heaney seemed to have a radar for trouble the last day and it is essential he continues to play deep from midfield. At least 1 of the half forwards[trevor obviously] needs to get back and crowd out Galway attacks and kill the time and space likes of PJ loves. We have to do these things to have a chance. Ronan knew when to drop deep as well. Parsons is his likely replacement but does nt have a defensive side to his game. But no other option there without losing the complete shape of the team.

Galway are obviously expecting the twin towers and I would nt disappoint them. Barry Moran lacked a bit of sharpness v Ros but showed 2 summers ago what he s capable of when he s right. Galway played Blake on Kelly v Sligo and while he was at sea they ll have had their eye on a match up v Moran as he s a big man. Hanley will have the task of O Sé while Damien Burke will be trusted to beat up Conor like he usually does or as is more likely this time handle Kilcoyne. Kilcoyne appears to have turned a corner but hopefully its not a false dawn. Burke will be the acid teat and if he does nt do the business the next day its back to the drawing board. Our half forward line is the key I feel and it should nt be messed with. If we lose the half forward battle I cant see us win. Blake needs to be kept on the back foot - Dillon. Galway might struggle on one of the wings. Meehan, Sice? Sammon does nt seem to fancy Mullaghy at all. Which might be just as well. Bradshaw s man will have to make him defend. We dont want him getting forward. Hopefully Harte will keep him occupied.

[galwayman]

We will have to improve 100% to have a chance in this one.
Even without McGarrity - who would be a massive loss - Mayo could still dominate midfield.
We have played second fiddle at midfield in pretty much every game I've seen this year apart from the FBD league final against Ros when Cullinane was excellent.
Is there a chance that McGarrity could line out maybe wearing some form of protective mask or something like that?

Anyway for what it's worth this would be my team for the final...
Faherty
Fitzgerald (can't understand how he hasn't been a regular under Sammon - he is very solid. Coyne was destroyed against Sligo and is not suited to the fb line)
Hanley
D Burke
Bradshaw
Blake
A Burke (with Sice and Mullaghy as useful subs for hb line - Deccie I'm afraid has had his day)
Coleman
Cullinane (he can win ball but I'd have serious doubts over his fitness judging by the Sligo game and he is frustratingly inconsistent)
Conroy (not big or physical enough for midfield)
P Joyce
N Joyce
Bergin (to play around the middle)
Meehan
Armstrong

I think that is as good as we could hope to field at the moment. O'Donnell getting sent off may be a blessing in disguise - he wouldn't get a kick of the ball in this game as he is just not good enough for this level (much like Fiachra Breathnach).
The thing that would strike you now is the lack of options on the bench if the above team starts.
The only place we have a bit of quality cover is for the wing back spots with Sice and Mullaghy. We have no quality cover for the fb line, midfield or anywhere up front. Bane would be the best of an average lot up front in reserve.

[Farrandeelin]

I'd have Howley over Cunniffe anyday as well. Now is a chance for Parsons to stake a claim to a midfield starting spot. We really don't know how good he's been this year for the seniors because he didn't start many league games as somebody pointed out. I hope he goes and takes his chance and I would leave the rest alone. I wonder will Conor start though? I'd still be wary Galway with the two Joyces at home.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Is there a chance that McGarrity could line out maybe wearing some form of protective mask or something like that?

I can't imagine so. Playing midfield you are pretty much guaranteed to get a belt or two in the head every game with elbows and arms flying. Would be an awful risk.

The only place we have a bit of quality cover is for the wing back spots with Sice and Mullaghy. We have no quality cover for the fb line, midfield or anywhere up front. Bane would be the best of an average lot up front in reserve.

Well Coyne and Alan Burke can cover the corners. Fitzy can cover full-back. Up front with Nicky back and hopefully with Dunleavy and Breathnach fit again you at least have some cover up front. Against Sligo due to those lads being missing and Mattie getting injured we almost had nobody left. Young JJ Greaney even ended up getting a run out. Midfield we are desperately short alright. Cullinane doesn't look fit. I know he was off injured for a while but he looks like he's put on about 2 stone since the FBD mainly to his posterior. Can't see any way he'd stick the pace in a Connacht final. They may use him off the bench in small doses.

I think Bergin has to go back into midfield. After that It can only be either Coleman or Conroy to partner him. One slightly out of leftfield might be to pair Bergin with Bradshaw. Bradshaw can play just about anywhere on the field and has played midfield for Moycullen plenty of times. Of course you lose him rampaging forward from wing-back but in Mullahy and Sice there are decent replacements there. Not sure if Sammon would want to make too many changes though so I think he'll probably leave him where he is.