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Galway Football thread

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Replying To GDL:  "He is absolutely lethal in open play. His strike rate in my opinion would probably be the better than Rob Finnerty. He has kept Mountbellew-Moylough competitive in recent years, considering they have lost Michael Daly, Patrick Kelly and Eoin Finnerty for prolonged periods of time."
What's competitive, losing in a preliminary quarter final??? No way is he intercounty standard from play

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 275 - 04/05/2026 13:59:14    2670861

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Replying To systematic:  "What's competitive, losing in a preliminary quarter final??? No way is he intercounty standard from play"
For those doubting whether Barry Mchughs lack of pace was justification for exclusion from playing a role with Galway i would say 2 words....Jack McCarron.

anotheralias (Galway) - Posts: 1068 - 04/05/2026 14:13:01    2670868

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Replying To systematic:  "What's competitive, losing in a preliminary quarter final??? No way is he intercounty standard from play"
Intercounty standard at scoring from play, he absolutely is. He's a very natural forward. Whether he can make make the space for himself at that level, remains to be seen, but I'd like to find out.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2787 - 04/05/2026 14:17:57    2670874

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Kildare it is after the rossies, if Joyce could handle pick the draw he wouldn't have done better. No disrespect to Kildare

Drax_the_destroyer (UK) - Posts: 820 - 04/05/2026 14:42:57    2670888

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Replying To Drax_the_destroyer:  "Kildare it is after the rossies, if Joyce could handle pick the draw he wouldn't have done better. No disrespect to Kildare"
Westmeath/Cavan winner would be a nice draw for us in the next round too, if we can handle the Lillies in Salthill.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4693 - 04/05/2026 14:53:38    2670890

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Replying To WanPintWin:  "Intercounty standard at scoring from play, he absolutely is. He's a very natural forward. Whether he can make make the space for himself at that level, remains to be seen, but I'd like to find out."
He won't be floated on to the panel at this stage of the year. He definitely would not be at the pace of the game if he hasn't been involved all year. As I said in my first post I don't know anything about the lad but he seems to be mentioned a lot

eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 2415 - 04/05/2026 16:13:12    2670921

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Replying To eoinog:  "He won't be floated on to the panel at this stage of the year. He definitely would not be at the pace of the game if he hasn't been involved all year. As I said in my first post I don't know anything about the lad but he seems to be mentioned a lot"
Hes being mentioned a lot purely because we have absolutely nobody in the current squad that can kick long range frees off the deck at any consistent level.
He was a starter in 2018 up until a poor performance in the Connacht final vs Ros. Never really got back into a starting jersey again from memory

galwayman2 (Galway) - Posts: 1407 - 04/05/2026 20:13:23    2670979

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Replying To eoinog:  "He won't be floated on to the panel at this stage of the year. He definitely would not be at the pace of the game if he hasn't been involved all year. As I said in my first post I don't know anything about the lad but he seems to be mentioned a lot"
We've been on this road for some time now, it's been widely accepted that McHugh and Dessie Connelly are the two best score takers in club football in the county for some time but neither have made it past the peripheries of the county team for reasons we are not privy to, I don't think those reasons are going to be forth coming so I think it"s best let slip.

backtooldwall (Galway) - Posts: 225 - 04/05/2026 20:20:45    2670981

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Replying To backtooldwall:  "We've been on this road for some time now, it's been widely accepted that McHugh and Dessie Connelly are the two best score takers in club football in the county for some time but neither have made it past the peripheries of the county team for reasons we are not privy to, I don't think those reasons are going to be forth coming so I think it"s best let slip."
There's a world of difference between club and county.
Dessie is a quality player at club level but was found wanting at the top level. No shame in that.
There's any amount of forwards all
over the country that shoot the lights out at club level but aren't able to translate that to the county scene. The jump
is massive

galwayman2 (Galway) - Posts: 1407 - 04/05/2026 21:03:03    2670989

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What's the latest on Matthew Tierney for Sunday, was looking at games gone by between us and Roscommon and he seems to be the player who gets the most joy from them.

ColmFlaherty (Galway) - Posts: 22 - 04/05/2026 22:49:57    2671012

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Replying To galwayman2:  "There's a world of difference between club and county.
Dessie is a quality player at club level but was found wanting at the top level. No shame in that.
There's any amount of forwards all
over the country that shoot the lights out at club level but aren't able to translate that to the county scene. The jump
is massive"
It is, however there's a big difference between Barry McHugh and Dessie, and that's free-taking, particularly from range. McHugh is an exceptional striker of the ball from the ground from distance. In today's game, that's a massive asset to any team. Added to that, if a goal chance fell to any of our inside forwards, I'd fancy Barry McHugh as much as anyone to stick it away.
Dean Rock got a lot of comments early in his Dublin career for being a free-taker and very little else. He obviously improved from play over time, but his role was first and foremost as a high percentage free-taker. His accuracy from dead balls was crucial, given how many tight All-Ireland finals Dublin won.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2787 - 04/05/2026 23:00:02    2671017

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Replying To WonTon5:  "I do think the player pathway has a lot of influence on this...look at Galway and Mayo at an academy level, Galway U16s 2026 are a good example of how a large player pool can become a hindrance. They still have 70/80 lads training and trialling, which makes it very difficult to build unity and cohesion, especially when the group will eventually be split into two panels. Nobody no where they stand.

Speaking to a Roscommon academy coach recently, by contrast they one panel that has been together since early this year. Im hearing only 60/70 lads trialled as apposed to the 140 in the first few Galway sessions. They know each other, play against each other regularly at club level, and are not divided by North/West regional structures. You would imagine Roscommon coaches spend more time on smaller groups of players, building them up, that Roscommon U16 group will likely transition almost directly into U17s in September/October, maybe with a few additions. Sligo and Leitrim will be similar.

At development level, selecting from a smaller group is usually more effective than filtering through a huge pool. Galways selection process is too prolonged. Lads dont know where they stand, less certainty, lower confidence. Fewer players = clearer messaging, more reps per player, stronger learning.

There's no doubt that Roscommon's underage setup looks very strong right now. Their biggest advantage isn't just coaching in isolation, it's the clarity, continuity, and cohesion in how everything is run. A settled panel, a clear pathway, and players who know each other well creates an environment where coaching can actually land and stick.

Galway, on the other hand, have the numbers and depth most counties would love, but that brings its own challenges. If the group stays too big for too long, it can dilute identity and slow development, even if the raw talent is there. I'm not saying "less is better" it's that timing and structure matter most. Cast the net wide early, then narrow with purpose and commit to a group. Right now, Roscommon seem to be getting that balance right, and it's giving them an edge in terms of team development."
You got this muck from Chatgpt didn't you.....

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 275 - 05/05/2026 09:45:11    2671041

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Replying To systematic:  "You got this muck from Chatgpt didn't you....."
Was thinking the same ! Grand Roscommon are doing well but sure when was the last time the got to an All Ireland at minor , u20 or senior in a county who basically play one sport

puckemhard (Galway) - Posts: 250 - 05/05/2026 10:47:32    2671061

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Replying To systematic:  "You got this muck from Chatgpt didn't you....."
Dessie is a massive loss, he was amazing to watch all year, his two pointers and frees are the most accurate in Galway. Wouldn't judge him on the few minutes he played a few years back. He was top of his game and a big loss we don't have him. Was at the Gaeltacht final yesterday, Paul Kelly man of the match, brilliant game he's improved massively in recent months. Would be great to have him and Ger Davoren available for mid field and getting the kick outs for the championship. Anyhow looking forward to taking the trip to the final this Sunday. Hope we see a great turn out.

Gearoid1998ffowaed (Galway) - Posts: 216 - 05/05/2026 11:11:13    2671067

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Replying To Gearoid1998ffowaed:  "Dessie is a massive loss, he was amazing to watch all year, his two pointers and frees are the most accurate in Galway. Wouldn't judge him on the few minutes he played a few years back. He was top of his game and a big loss we don't have him. Was at the Gaeltacht final yesterday, Paul Kelly man of the match, brilliant game he's improved massively in recent months. Would be great to have him and Ger Davoren available for mid field and getting the kick outs for the championship. Anyhow looking forward to taking the trip to the final this Sunday. Hope we see a great turn out."
Is that the same Dessie Conneely held scoreless from play 2 finals in a row by Liam Silke's older brother? Enough said about Dessie....

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 275 - 05/05/2026 11:32:29    2671074

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