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Galway Vs Dublin League Final - 7 Like(s)
Replying To kiloughter: "Waited until this morning to post as wanted time to digest after the journey down post match. First things first fair play Dublin. No issues with the result. Yes the ref was poor and the black card rule is dead imobut Most Galway football folk are realists unlike some counties who raise the decibel level on excuses. We definitely are evolving. Plenty of tweaking as referenced earlier but huge effort to our guys against the best team in the country. Can we push on from here. Good question. We have the tools and it's all about psychology for May 13th. I watched the highlights last night and the contradiction from a certain panelist is shocking. He told us to go defensive a few yrs ago. Now he is bemoaning any defensive strategy. Their love in with the Div 2 final was a bit much. Fair play to a good Ros team but ultimately that open ball won't live with a team like the Dubs. They need to mix it up more. As for the author of the Mayo blog and his 'flat atmosphere at HQ' yesterday I should remind the same person of the 'flat atmosphere' at his own county's league final with Cork a few yrs ago or the q/f double header in 2011 when there was barely 20k at it. Easy to throw stones and all that. Well done KW for defying the odds. My advice is keep going in the face of plenty of naysayers." RTE 'show' last evening was a joke. Brolly has disappeared up his own ass from 'u-turning' on the 'offence/defense' debate of gaelic football. Tyrone & Donegal were great lads pre 2012 & 2012-2014 respectively, but Derry recently & Galway now, are apparently barking up the wrong tree. In Galway's case though, you have the added complication that we were naive & soft pre Paddy Tally too. A bit like the 3 bear's porridge, only there is no 'just right' in this scenario. 'Just wrong' is all that seems to be on offer.
Does Spillane ever watch himself on TV. He's terrible, or getting worse lately, hard to know which? Telling viewers to 'look..look it...look' at video footage!! We're watching the TV, Pat, we want to be informed. You can take it, we're looking...that's if we haven't switched channel, in a desperate search to find something coherent on just about anything....countdown to Calvary anyone? Certainly Brolly's been to Damascus & back on the subject of 'defense/offence & gaelic football', and has retained no credibility after the trip. Everything in football analysis, for Pat, revolves around 'de blanket' now. You defeat 'de blanket', you overcome 'de blanket', you hit it over 'de blanket', you find space inside in 'de blanket' etc. Truly risible stuff. You have to chuckle out loud at the idiocy of Spillane's comment regarding Cregg's third Roscommon goal. Did he see an issue with pathetic defending? No. Did he see what appeared to be maybe a 'blown offside trap'? No. What he saw, was 'finding space inside in de blanket'. He saw great football there....a credit....beating de blanket....finding space in 'it'.....jesus wept! It's a crime that these fellas get paid for that muck.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 02/04/2018 11:01:40
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Damien Duff - 6 Like(s)
Duff is a poor spokesman for his sport imo. Comes across as a slightly ill tempered little man, even in some of his 'punditry' work. I hope he has higher IQ than manners, because he has demonstrated zero manners in his latest 'contribution'. He's very 'anti GAA', which you get in certain soccer circles, but isn't an endearing aspect of him imo.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 24/07/2018 18:46:03
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Kilkenny V Galway - 6 Like(s)
Replying To Heftydickonem: "Neutral commentators on various media have also questioned the referees time management at the end of the game and also highlighted the Galway cynicism, not as an attack on Galway in particular but that the punishment dished out to such cynicism often doesn't fit the crime." Galway didn't invent cynicism. Nor did Tyrrell, who just so happened to write a book that included a lot of extracts laced with it. His account of the methodology deployed to 'mark' Corbett in the 2011 final was a classic example of the cynicism payoff, but the publication & glorification of these details really tore the hole out of it altogether. A kind of 'Jackie had balls, Lar had none' kind of narrative in these extracts, that no doubt a lot of the natives down in KK seemed to lap up with a fair degree of relish. Cynicism in GAA is grand it seems, as long as you're the one dishing it out, and not remotely as enjoyable, when on the receiving end.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 12/06/2019 16:48:05
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New Galway Hurling Manager - 5 Like(s)
Replying To hailrainorsnow: "Johnny Kelly's CV must be the strongest in the county now. Selector/Trainer Portumna 2008 All ireland, Manager Portumna 2009 All ireland, coached Tipperary club Kildangan to the North Tipp title in 2013, manager coolderry Offaly County Title 2015, Coach Abbeyknockmoy Galway Intermediate Title 2015, selector with the All-Ireland winning Galway Intermediate hurlers 2015, Manager Borris ileigh 2017 tipp county title(1st in 70 years), he's still the manager in Borris ileigh I think?
I'm sure the county board will do a good job representing the county" Best of luck with your application there Johnny!
Pope_Benedict (Galway) - 21/08/2019 15:46:58
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2021 Hurling Championship - 5 Like(s)
The only reason he got off was because he deserved to get off, would be my read of it. There was no footage that showed him making contact on the Waterford player with his head. That's why he got off, I'd guess. He 'got off', because he didn't actually do anything to merit a red card, on the evidence of all available footage. Doing & seeming to do, are distinctly different actions.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 13/08/2021 12:28:47
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Galway V Tyrone - 5 Like(s)
Replying To galwayman2: "Agree re Daly for sure - it is very noticeable. Defenders can let him off on his left hand side as he's no threat" Whatever Daly may or may not lack for intercounty fare, I don't believe that it is general kicking skills with either foot. Surely he's one of the most two footed players in that Galway panel? Didn't he kick the winner in Donegal a couple of weeks ago with a spectacular left footed drive?
Pope_Benedict (Galway) - 24/02/2020 19:13:38
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Galway V Kerry All Ireland Final 2022 - 5 Like(s)
Replying To bloodyban: "I like Joyce alot. He's probably the quintessential good Galway man. Confident and open. He was right to question the free. It was a huge turning point. Comer was fouled beforehand. Hurson had an ok game but he missed a few very obvious trips and pushes in the back which in my opinion have to be called everytime. Let the body contact happen and the more shoulders the better but the trips have to be called everytime.
I think Galway were gassed cone the last 10 mins. They needed 5 subs in on 55mins. Mcdaid had a bad miss and Walsh went for a Hail Mary free. That was inexperience or over exuberance.
There is a lack of belief and nous in Connacht teams. It doesn't manifest at the start of games. Galway in hurling and football come out of the blocks as fast as anyone. It manifests in tight games. They rarely if ever overturn deficits coming into the last 10mins. They keep playing with verve instead of playing the percentages like a Kerry or Limerick. They lack cynicism which in top level sport is a criticism. I had to watch the game on Sky yesterday which is usually a great channel but the picture kept freezing. Its like rte did it on purpose.." I think the belief & nous 'geographical assessment' there is a stupid observation. That Galway team gave up 3 late soft goals to Armagh, and still prevailed over them in a penalty shootout. They goaled & pointed late in ET to survive. Where was the 'belief & nous' deficit that day? I went to Thurles this year to a hurling q-final, and watched Cork 'ahem themselves', couldn't hit the target etc. Are Cork a Connacht team? No....Munster by 'grace of god' apparently!!!!
A lot of Limerick 'fans' are sitting in their hurling 'ivory tower' now, making all sorts of daft comments about 'belief' & 'nous', and they're feeling bulletproof with the current hurling 'regime' they're supporting. And why wouldn't they. Galway had the 'belief & nous' to bate Armagh in a tight one, because they were/are better than Armagh. Yet, you're expecting us to believe that they lacked the 'belief & nous' to beat a side that was 1/3 favourite to win the game. Galway played div2 football this season, and Kerry won div1. Was that because of a 'belief & nous' issue, or was it because Kerry have a superior squad of footballers compared to Galway in 2023? It was latter, I'd conclude.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 25/07/2022 12:50:33
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Galway Football thread - 5 Like(s)
2022 - Walsh did his talking on the field. 2023 - Walsh seems to be doing his talking off the field. His shooting was poor today, after a shambolic league final on placed balls.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 23/04/2023 19:18:14
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Top 9 Hurling Counties Discriminating Against The Rest? - 5 Like(s)
There was great 'cut' in the NHL some seasons back when only 6 teams played in div1, and 6 in the second division. Teams went hell for leather for a few seasons trying to 'retain their status'. The div1 table was very exciting stuff there for a few years, until certainly Galway seemed to realise by 2017 that they could win league & championship from div2 without busting their asses about relegation/promotion.
This perhaps emphasizes the point that hurling teams generally will have their 'standard', regardless of the league table, or format, or standard that those hurling teams are playing in/at. Raising a county's hurling standard would appear to have more linkage to playing numbers, coaching & hard work, than relating in any way to how you shuffle an NHL format.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 12/04/2022 16:43:07
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Galway Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To tommy k: "It was a good performance but not a great performance as Dunphy would say. A lot of kick-outs lost with no strategy and allowing Mayo to kick 5 points in 8 mins is not good. You can't say we would beat Roscommon on that display as Roscommon have more firepower than Mayo and are more direct. Anyway one step at a time and prepare for the Leitrim game with the respect that it should be given." A lot of kick outs won too, with 'no strategy'. We won a lot of kickout ball in Mayo territory in the first 20mins banging it as far up the pitch as we good, and Mayo looked very exposed defensively from a lot of it. It wasn't a sustainable strategy obviously, but we've had many worse days under long kickout ball, and will again no doubt. It gave an indication that we were the hungrier team maybe, the amount of breaking kickout ball we got onto. Contrast Heaney beating O'Shea to Comer's 'cross' and goaling, with Liam Silke beating the Mayo forward to a similar centre late on, when it was all to play for. Galway had that bit of an edge to them all day. Congrats to the management team on their first signature win. They made a smart move in Croker recently, when presumably deciding to look naive defensively all day long. In contrast, we shut up shop very well into the second half wind yesterday, and totally frustrated Mayo's offensive efforts with it. We just need to figure out why the wheels nearly came off there in the last 8or9 mins of action. Maybe we ran out of steam, after a hard working display. Was a bit like that Monaghan relegation game in that respect, only this time we scraped away with the spoils. Galway badly need to take the Connacht title now, to make this win worthwhile.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 25/04/2022 12:45:11
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Galway Hurling thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To foreveryoung: "I'll consider your suggestion, poolsturgeon, and spend some time to reflect. I do realize that certain of my comments might be hard for some Galway fans to stomach. I only always try to speak objectively, though.
I don't think that I ever bothered with the Galway hurling forum until all traffic was put onto the same road. When it was county to county forums, I'd have to hit county and visit the forum. I used to enjoy the Kerry forum; great comment and interaction. That's dead now.
So, when a poster comes on now, all these threads are there…as a temptation to hit the link and comment. And as the great writer Oscar Wilde said, "The best way to resist temptation, is to give in to it."
I've also noticed that the traffic on the Limerick Thread has almost disappeared compared to what it was 4-5 years ago. A few old reliables still comment, but when did we last hear some Limk person comment about Limerick football? And my point certainly isn't that football is successful in Limerick. It is that the county has become successful, and those small issues/uncertainties that fans had before are now gone, so they no longer deserve any comment.
It's no accident, I believe, that there's never been a healthy, or even any, Tipp, Cork or KK discussion forum on here. Even the Dubs rarely used their forum. Why? They feel confident enough in their county's respective success, that little small issues don't really bother them. Small things trouble small minds.
Reflect on it, as I take a break from this forum, but which two counties' hurling threads are constantly up at the top of the list when you log in to HS? And ask yourselves why." Based on your stated theory there that 'small things trouble small minds', would it be fair to assume that you yourself are of miniscule mind, given the volume of posts and and range of threads that seem to trouble you.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 22/04/2022 15:31:15
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Michael Donoghue - 4 Like(s)
Replying To catch22: "Fair play to him for the AI in 17 but realistically Galway is a bit of a basket case and should have won more. Always seem yo have the promise but rarely deliver.
It'll be an internal appointment so probably from the underage management options." Having promise is certainly a step up from having no promise, where 26 or more counties find themselves most of the time.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 21/08/2019 15:38:47
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Galway Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To tirawleybaron: "Galway have some impressive young players.
They will need to for us their game around Keely, Tierney, Finnerty and have Comer, Walsh and Conroy as support players.
As long as everyone has to go through Conroy and Walsh they won't progress far. They look great in Division 2 but always flop against the big guns." Your point about looking 'great in Division 2' is a thoroughly valid one imo. Punters would need to be wary about assessing these Galway performances against what is essentially tier 2 opposition.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 06/02/2022 11:44:48
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Galway V Kerry All Ireland Final 2022 - 4 Like(s)
Replying To unclegerry: "Galway will have regrets this morning.. Kerry were on the ropes with the same doubts appearing but in reality 5 out of the 6 Galway forwards had their worst game of the year.. Despite that Galway were still hangin in there in the last 10 but a Kerry win started to look inevitable as Galway were running on fumes.. Great year for Galway but an opportunity missed" Remarkably, despite 'running on fumes', and someone said, only scoring 0-2 in the last 18 minutes of football, THE SCORE WAS LEVEL 0-16 each at 66:00mins, when the dubious free was awarded. I've no issues with the ref, I thought he had a good game.
The point I wanted to make was that RTE had a lot of pundits on their panel last night, but all of them seemed to have a DISBELIEF about how close the match was. Colm O'Rourke stated that that the match was level up to the 62nd minute, and he wasn't corrected. Eamonn Fitz went into another 'timezone' altogether, and stated at another juncture that the match was level up to the 54th minute!! No wonder Kerry were 'in shock' up to HT yesterday. Fitzy was still 'fuzzy' at the Sunday Game.
McStay was 'professional' on co-comm, for a lad that badly wanted Galway not to win. His 'anxiety level' seemed to peak at that 66th minute 'award', when he positively 'wet himself' to support the referee's decision. Even a plea from comm Darragh Maloney on behalf of the Galway defender's case was brusquely dismissed by McStay. As I've said many a time, you can't hide what's in your gut about a result in the clutch. McStay's mask didn't slip too often, but it slipped alright.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 25/07/2022 17:32:08
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Usernames - 4 Like(s)
'Infallibility' is an attractive tag, when it comes to posting HS opinions.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 31/07/2021 12:12:40
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All Ireland Football Final 2020 - Dublin V Mayo - 4 Like(s)
Apologies if this question has been asked and answered previously by Dubs who might have an insight in relation to it. The question is WHY ISN'T HOWARD STARTING?
Pope_Benedict (National) - 19/12/2020 20:35:05
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2021 Hurling Championship - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Westfester: "Yes I would also be one of the tiny minority who would prefer if the existing rule was enforced consistently. Currently it is ignored at intercounty level and generally enforced but again not consistently at interclub grades.
In my opinion a lot of the problems in football nowadays stemmed from lack of enforcement of the tackle rule in the 90s.
Similar laissez faire attitude to the handpass rule will lead to other problems." I'd be amazed if only 'a tiny minority' would prefer if the existing rule was enforced correctly. Is that the same as saying that a huge majority want to see 'throwing' the ball legitimised in the game of hurling? I think it is, and I don't believe that is the case at all.
Anyone who is not irritated by throwy handpasses in hurling doesn't have any great feel for the game imo. We're not looking for big change here. Just a return to rule implementation, specifically in relation to the clear striking action element of the handpass.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 26/08/2021 16:37:14
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Galway Hurling thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To katser: "Galway were bad yesterday and the architect of our own downfall..We had an off day these things can happen atleast We have another game to get it right.
But Westmeath, Roscommon and Tipperary have offered absolutely nothing to hurling this year and limrik posters are like hot air balloons...full of wind." Jaysus, did you ever give any consideration to the whole pot/kettle cliche thing?
Pope_Benedict (National) - 05/06/2022 12:39:46
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Greatness - 4 Like(s)
The standard of rival teams is hopeless imo. I think that puts a huge qualification on Dublin's 'greatness'. For example, both Tyrone & Galway fans realise that their current 'outfits' are seriously mediocre, compared to their silverware winning sides of the last 20 years. Sadly, Galway & Tyrone were two of the biggest rivals out there in 2018. Miles off Dublin, which means every other team is miles off them too. Mayo were a serious rival 2011-2017, but are 'finished' for the moment, as a rival to Dublin at least. The countrywide standard of intercounty football team is so poor currently that it's impossible to ascertain whether Dublin are great or not. They could be just the best of a bad lot really.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 03/09/2018 12:13:53
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All Ireland Final 2023 - Dublin V Kerry - 4 Like(s)
Replying To TheUsername: "Delighted to be in the final and to have a cut off Kerry.
We were very unlucky against them last year picking up injuries last year and of course we had no Jack, Stevo or Mannion and still could of got a result, the game hinged on a questionable decision really.
Full deck, i think we will certainly be competitive.
50/50 game really. Two talented teams.
Key things for us - who takes Clifford, Fitzey has held him well before, maybe drop Jamsie or Howard back. If we can hold him to four and cut out the advanced mark - which is a lot of his score we will have done well.
Discipline will be key, no silly frees again Clifford and O Shea eat these up. Hold those two and you can be confident enough of posting a performance and a hand in on the result.
Kerry will go with their blanket and usual swarm defence, we need pace and penetration - you can at them. Hoping for a strong ref, Kerry tend to be cynical once you cross the half way line and beat the man they will drag you down high up the pitch, want a ref that punishes that with cards.
With the above in mind one consideration is a free taker, we've left Deano on the bench all year, but i think a free taker may be critical in this game - maybe im being unfair on Cosie, who has been in great form.
In between lets enjoy the build up, its been a couple of years since we've been in the final so nice to enjoy the build up and excitement again.
As always,
Up The Dubs." Would agree Kerry are a disgrace at cynically fouling 'transitioners' trying to mount speedy counterattacks off turnovers deep in their own territory. Should be straight black book offences those imo. All teams do it, but Kerry are the worst culprits in the country at it.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 17/07/2023 14:20:39
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