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Sligo GAA thread

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Replying To eoinog:  "Very fortunate to get a draw. We were rubbish. Strutted around expecting to win but not prepared to put in the work. Keeper was good with his lockouts and caught a brilliant free under the crossbar. Rossa was excellent in defence, Doherty good in midfield and only one forward worthy of a mention and that was Rooney. I imagine Henry will be fuming. It will be a different 15 starting next week"
It's a Sligo starting 15 that has 10/11 of last years team it isn't going to change too much on that experienced team. Roscommon side you drew with also drew with Mayo and Mayo beat Galway by a bit to spare tonight. Galway v Sligo a big one in Tuam next.

Drax_the_destroyer (UK) - Posts: 282 - 27/03/2024 22:41:13    2534203

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Replying To Timmy86:  "Not so insanely strong team so %()"
I never said they were. ))

eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 1996 - 28/03/2024 08:07:33    2534224

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Its interesting I said we need to bring the intensity for 60+ mins, and we ended up bringing it for about 5 mins in the 1st half and 5 in the second. Given we were 6-2 up and then 8-6 down I thought it was pretty incredible that we managed to get 9-8 ahead and wrestle back control with that awesome Niland score. The move leading us to it was is what we should mirror the whole game.

To think we played so poorly, had a ref that wasn't kind and still got the draw is noteworthy.

The other thing that always stayed in my mind was last year Kildare lost to Westmeath in the opening round of Leinster by 6pts so maybe something similar here and the bye was probably a factor.

This performance was way below the standard expected, I felt we played into Roscommon's hands for large parts. We moved the ball far too slow, I don't mind switching the ball over and back but a bit of overlaps at speed working in 3s wouldn't go a miss. The last Niland score was players prepared to push through the blanket and quick hands breaking the gainline off the shoulder. Too many played it safe or took risks with no support. It was a very individualistic performance with players trying to win it on their own. We were defensively sound given our set up even though we gave away silly fouls although some very harsh. Our transitions from defence to attack were way below our standards. So many cheap turnovers coming out. I can't imagine the management were happy.

Mayo outplayed Galway yesterday. Galway had a lot of bluster and tried to blow Mayo out of it but once they stayed in touch they kicked on. Galway have to beat us now so that's a huge game next week and we will need to improve massively.

We need to not try to be so careful and play it safe all the time and our energy needs to be much higher. Cant afford the type of isolation each player had yesterday. Hopefully the rust is out of our game and we get a big response from this wake up call.

Roscommon deserved their draw even if it was handed to them.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1742 - 28/03/2024 14:27:11    2534321

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When I seen "insanely strong" team written on here I had to shake my head.

We were very poor but I actually think we started very well. I am a little concerned about our lack of penetration and lack of creating real goal scoring opportunities. Ross at corner back gets on a serious amount of ball but is sloppy with it. Luke Marren seems to have gone off the boyle which is disappointing. I was expecting a much more assured performance but at least we didnt lose.

republican (Sligo) - Posts: 338 - 28/03/2024 15:19:48    2534340

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Shame to hear Reilly, Keaney and Marren no longer involved with senior panel

Sligowizard (Sligo) - Posts: 19 - 29/03/2024 22:20:33    2534534

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How will our lads approach Leitrim now after the drubbing they got yesterday. They looked woefully exposed at the back and may have been lucky they weren't beaten by another 6/7 points given the wide count Laois had. I doubt we'll have the luxury of such space in a tighter Pairc Sean. If they had to lose I'd sooner that it would have been respectable as they'll be hungry for a bounce back on home turf.

Will we see any of the changes McEntee put in place against Westmeath starting? Looks like sligo beating Westmeath gave them the wake up call they needed as they finished very strongly against Down last night.

Sligoman1234 (Sligo) - Posts: 434 - 31/03/2024 10:13:02    2534757

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Replying To Sligoman1234:  "How will our lads approach Leitrim now after the drubbing they got yesterday. They looked woefully exposed at the back and may have been lucky they weren't beaten by another 6/7 points given the wide count Laois had. I doubt we'll have the luxury of such space in a tighter Pairc Sean. If they had to lose I'd sooner that it would have been respectable as they'll be hungry for a bounce back on home turf.

Will we see any of the changes McEntee put in place against Westmeath starting? Looks like sligo beating Westmeath gave them the wake up call they needed as they finished very strongly against Down last night."
Leitrim will be tough to beat in Carrick. They will be hurting after the display they put on yesterday evening in Croker. I would be very wary of the backlash. I don't expect much changes for the game. I don't know the extent of the injury to Paddy O Connor or Spillane. Lavin and Towey won't feature for a while. I feel sorry for Alan Reilly if he has left the panel. He was our best forward 2 years ago but he hasn't recovered his form since his injury. In not surprised if the other 2 lads left, they were well down the pecking order. Rightly or wrongly the mgt just didn't fancy them. I wonder did they push themselves to the limit to force themselves into the reckoning. Somehow I don't think they did. There are lads on that panel that I don't rate at all so time will tell if those 2 were hard done by or not.

eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 1996 - 31/03/2024 19:16:33    2534848

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Replying To eoinog:  "Leitrim will be tough to beat in Carrick. They will be hurting after the display they put on yesterday evening in Croker. I would be very wary of the backlash. I don't expect much changes for the game. I don't know the extent of the injury to Paddy O Connor or Spillane. Lavin and Towey won't feature for a while. I feel sorry for Alan Reilly if he has left the panel. He was our best forward 2 years ago but he hasn't recovered his form since his injury. In not surprised if the other 2 lads left, they were well down the pecking order. Rightly or wrongly the mgt just didn't fancy them. I wonder did they push themselves to the limit to force themselves into the reckoning. Somehow I don't think they did. There are lads on that panel that I don't rate at all so time will tell if those 2 were hard done by or not."
I would be wary of Leitrim. My biggest concern would be the match up of O Rourke on Cummins if we line out as previous. Cummins tends to give CHF a free role so he frees himself up to go forward but as we saw many times his plus/minus match up differential can cost us. O Rourke has serious pace and sharpness too whereas Cummins does not. I'd expect us to do well in other areas to counteract this. Personally I would put a different man marker on O Rourke who matches his pace. I think Lyons would keep him much quieter and would be fine out the field.

Id feel sorry for all 3, Reilly saved McEntee against London a few years ago and he got a great goal against Roscommon last year. The injury maybe still not fully healed so I am hoping he will come back stronger next year. Keaney or Marren cant be training any worse than some of the starters actually play on the team. There were some shocking performances this year that go unaccounted for. There is no metric you can judge Keaney on especially given the lack of chances, all the big games for club or underage county he has delivered huge performances outside this set up. I don't think time will be kind to McEntee on Keaney. I hope he comes back under new management with a point to prove. For me his county final performance deserved more chances than a indoor Connacht league game and few challenges in January especially playing sigerson on Wednesday inbetween. This would be an example of how not to manage our underage players coming through. We all know how poor McEntee communicates so I cant imagine squad players know where they stand or what they need to do in training and even if you did, McEntee clearly has his favourites. We just have to move on and hope those players comeback stronger and hungrier.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1742 - 01/04/2024 16:35:34    2535019

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Is it possible Leitrim took a look at the league final and the Sligo game and decided to put all efforts and resources into the latter? Promotion for them, beat Sligo and a nice run in the TC is a great way to make amends for Gaelic Park last year. We should have enough for them but we very rarely comfortably beat them. We will need all of our best guys firing to get over the line. I think its an interesting comment about O'Rourke, I would love to see Canice start there and give him that job. He is well able. Reilly is a big loss, he was the best player in the TC two years ago.

republican (Sligo) - Posts: 338 - 01/04/2024 17:45:49    2535038

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Replying To Sligowizard:  "Shame to hear Reilly, Keaney and Marren no longer involved with senior panel"
Its understandable that they have dropped out. They are better players than what has been startung tye league games - especially midfield. Hopefully next season under new mgmt tyey can prospee.

Anto (Sligo) - Posts: 369 - 01/04/2024 18:13:58    2535042

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Replying To republican:  "Is it possible Leitrim took a look at the league final and the Sligo game and decided to put all efforts and resources into the latter? Promotion for them, beat Sligo and a nice run in the TC is a great way to make amends for Gaelic Park last year. We should have enough for them but we very rarely comfortably beat them. We will need all of our best guys firing to get over the line. I think its an interesting comment about O'Rourke, I would love to see Canice start there and give him that job. He is well able. Reilly is a big loss, he was the best player in the TC two years ago."
You hear people saying stuff like they had their eye on the championship and as a result weren't interested in the final. Thats pure ridiculous in my opinion. Last Saturday was a chance for Leitrim to collect silverware, they fielded a very strong team but got beaten. If they had put out a significantly weaker team there might be some argument for saying that they were waiting for the Sligo game. You can't tell lads to only operate at 80% capacity and mind yourself for the Sligo game. Those players would have been hurt coming off Croke Park in front of the T.V their family and friends. There's only one way to eradicate it and that's to be fired up for this weekend. I hope we are ready

eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 1996 - 01/04/2024 18:27:49    2535044

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Replying To eoinog:  "You hear people saying stuff like they had their eye on the championship and as a result weren't interested in the final. Thats pure ridiculous in my opinion. Last Saturday was a chance for Leitrim to collect silverware, they fielded a very strong team but got beaten. If they had put out a significantly weaker team there might be some argument for saying that they were waiting for the Sligo game. You can't tell lads to only operate at 80% capacity and mind yourself for the Sligo game. Those players would have been hurt coming off Croke Park in front of the T.V their family and friends. There's only one way to eradicate it and that's to be fired up for this weekend. I hope we are ready"
No you cant tell lads to operate at 80% but you can say stuff like "the pressure is off now lads" or "just go and enjoy it". I would imagine Leitrim's goal at the start of the year was to gain promotion, beat Sligo in Championship and have a good run in TC.

republican (Sligo) - Posts: 338 - 02/04/2024 15:18:32    2535204

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Replying To republican:  "No you cant tell lads to operate at 80% but you can say stuff like "the pressure is off now lads" or "just go and enjoy it". I would imagine Leitrim's goal at the start of the year was to gain promotion, beat Sligo in Championship and have a good run in TC."
I get your point but those sentiments would normally be confined for meaningless league games. I doubt if too many Leitrim players enjoyed the experience last Saturday. It was a chance of silverware and if they do beat us this weekend they will be well beaten against Galway. More pressing matters for us is the game this evening. I expect a much more focussed team, greater energy and workrate and even at that they are coming up against a Galway team who, if they lose are probably gone out of the championship. As expected Henry has made changes, both to the team and subs. Hopefully he will get the kickback that he is looking for.

eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 1996 - 03/04/2024 14:00:17    2535375

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Replying To eoinog:  "I get your point but those sentiments would normally be confined for meaningless league games. I doubt if too many Leitrim players enjoyed the experience last Saturday. It was a chance of silverware and if they do beat us this weekend they will be well beaten against Galway. More pressing matters for us is the game this evening. I expect a much more focussed team, greater energy and workrate and even at that they are coming up against a Galway team who, if they lose are probably gone out of the championship. As expected Henry has made changes, both to the team and subs. Hopefully he will get the kickback that he is looking for."
I would think this weekends game against Sligo is huge for Leitrim. Not only is it championship against a Connacht neighbour and rival but they will need to beat or come close to ye when thinking about the task ahead in Div 3 next year. They won't care if they are going into a game against Galway which they could be well beaten in. They will then go into the TC knowing that there won't be another team in that competition who will be near the level of Galway.

MachaireConnacht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1000 - 03/04/2024 15:49:26    2535399

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Replying To MachaireConnacht:  "I would think this weekends game against Sligo is huge for Leitrim. Not only is it championship against a Connacht neighbour and rival but they will need to beat or come close to ye when thinking about the task ahead in Div 3 next year. They won't care if they are going into a game against Galway which they could be well beaten in. They will then go into the TC knowing that there won't be another team in that competition who will be near the level of Galway."
Will all due respect every game is a big game for Leitrim and indeed Sligo. Neither of them can ever afford to go into a game without it being so. We don't get too many chances to win a provincial game that isn't against London or NY in recent years anyway for Sligo and decades for Leitrim.

I do agree Leitrim do need a big bounce back after their humiliation in the league final but tbh I don't think Leitrim should have been promoted and don't expect them to stay in Division 3. I do think Sligo have made some good gains on last year. While playing in Sam Maguire didn't produce any win for us, there were some learnings made and the draw against Kildare certainly caught most by surprise but then look where they have ended up back to Division 3 alongside us so probably was an indication of their demise more than anything.

Had this game remained in Roscommon I wouldn't give Leitrim any chance at all. They're playing to restore pride in themselves and tbh I'd say will be happy if it was a 2/3 point loss. Leitrims defensive system is woeful and I just hope that our forwards are given the opportunity to exploit it and put the game to bed early on and keep it that way. The last thing the heart needs is another scrape over in Páirc Sean having had the game won 10/15 before full time.

Sligoman1234 (Sligo) - Posts: 434 - 03/04/2024 19:54:52    2535435

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Poor display again from the under 20s but with Leitrim winning its hard to know where things will go now. This Galway team were supposed to be pretty poor so that display doesn't fill me with confidence. Although we left a few goal chances behind us we looked way too open at the back to go near the levels required. I think a 4 point loss kind of flattered us.

republican (Sligo) - Posts: 338 - 03/04/2024 20:10:07    2535441

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Very disappointing result and performance last night again from u20s. We did have goal chances that we didn't take but also have to be critical of the management team and their inability to adapt on tactics and game plan during the game. I'll never understand how we continued to zonal mark the Galway kickouts, it was like Galway had 16 men on the field it was that easy for their keeper to pick a man out. Last week management were slow making subs, this week they seemed to make them for the sake of it, bringing players in and playing them in the wrong position. Dillon Walsh into corner forward? Galway bypassed our defence by simply kicking the Ball up the field yet we continue to work the ball up the field by hand passing over and back resulting in sloppy turnovers.

Leitrim might have done us a favour last night but it won't mean anything unless the players are allowed to give it a go and not be restricted by these tactics.

manfromthewest (Sligo) - Posts: 33 - 04/04/2024 09:08:40    2535497

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Replying To manfromthewest:  "Very disappointing result and performance last night again from u20s. We did have goal chances that we didn't take but also have to be critical of the management team and their inability to adapt on tactics and game plan during the game. I'll never understand how we continued to zonal mark the Galway kickouts, it was like Galway had 16 men on the field it was that easy for their keeper to pick a man out. Last week management were slow making subs, this week they seemed to make them for the sake of it, bringing players in and playing them in the wrong position. Dillon Walsh into corner forward? Galway bypassed our defence by simply kicking the Ball up the field yet we continue to work the ball up the field by hand passing over and back resulting in sloppy turnovers.

Leitrim might have done us a favour last night but it won't mean anything unless the players are allowed to give it a go and not be restricted by these tactics."
We don't have the speed in the forwards that we had last year. It's frustrating to watch. I said at the beginning of the campaign that we lost huge players from last year and that's the way it's turning out to be. We are not gone from the championship yet but we are just holding on by our fingertips.

eoinog (Sligo) - Posts: 1996 - 04/04/2024 11:10:32    2535543

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Replying To eoinog:  "We don't have the speed in the forwards that we had last year. It's frustrating to watch. I said at the beginning of the campaign that we lost huge players from last year and that's the way it's turning out to be. We are not gone from the championship yet but we are just holding on by our fingertips."
Josh Flynn is a massive loss in the full forward line. Need to start mcDaniel the next day

Anto (Sligo) - Posts: 369 - 04/04/2024 17:14:04    2535669

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We lost control of that game yesterday for long periods. From 1-4 to 0-4 up to 1-9 to 1-4 behind. Not one of our players tried to slow the game down or Galway's momentum. We just continued to feed their rhythm and momentum. We gifted them 2 goals from mistakes. We missed 3 easy goal chances and got 2 points out of those. So it was as strange game. I felt both teams defensive structures collapsed at times but ours moreso. Our defensive zones were completely bypassed at times which meant Galway transitioned easily. Our Defenders were left exposed but gave them too much separation.

For Galways kickouts too, a few times 2 or 3 of their players on their own winning the ball.

We were brave and we fought hard but a lot of it was headless and chaotic and we tried to will ourselves over the line.

Niland got 1-2 from play and was taken off as soon as he scored the goal. I get that you go into the game with a plan and players carrying injuries but I would have liked him to carry the momentum of that goal on the field. McDaniel made a huge difference and will start next day. I would start Dillon Walsh at 5. His pace from deep would do more damage and he showed signs of that form late on. We do need more speed inside but the ball in is atrocious at times.

We have to win our last 2 games. No room for error now. Management have to get the tactics and team right the next day. Not making the knockout stages after last year would be unfathomable. There's not much we can sort in a week and we do look in trouble but I would still back us. Hopefully it will click the next day.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1742 - 04/04/2024 17:53:09    2535675

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