Galway spinning this yarn that one shonky free cost them the match would suggest that they need a Caroline Currid type character in the back room team. They also need to scour the county for a new goalkeeper.
2 Likes
That keeper was fair relieved at full time
And I only after a watching a video of Brian Cody speaking where he said that after losing a match
that there was no point talking about luck or bad decisions.
Losing only meant one thing, you weren’t good enough.
4 Likes
Where’s Sean Andy O’Ceallaigh gone?
Why was always having a cut at Barry Kelly then?
9 Likes
That’s it in a nutshell. There was an All Ireland there for the taking, and the lads just fell short. I think the big difference was that Kerry’s bench had an impact, and ours didn’t. Very similar story to the hurling semi-final against Limerick. A Peter Cooke or an Ian Burke on the bench could have made all the difference.
That free in to Kerry against Daly took the wind out of our sails, for sure. However, we were very lucky that Gleeson wasn’t black carded for his moment of madness. I felt that after that, Hurson gave the one or two marginal calls to Kerry.
Hats of to Kerry. Their defence was stout and they snuffed out two of our big attacking threats in Finnerty and Comer. At the other end, we performed very well but Kelly was a tad naive in how he approached Clifford. Letting him win 2 uncontested marks when we were all over them was less than ideal. Contest the ball, get a fist to it. Something. Anything. Just not an uncontested mark. It kept Kerry in the game to be honest.
I thought Stephen O’Brien was the stand out grafter on the Kerry team yesterday. His tracking and work rate were a constant issue for us. Gavin White was excellent too.
Hats off to Shane Walsh for his MOTM performance yesterday. He was unmarkable. As a prominent forumite commented to me yesterday, the day Walsh and Comer both click together will be a joy. Hopefully that will be in the AIF of 2023. Special mention to Cillian McDaid. For me, along with Liam Silke and John Daly, he has been our most consistent performer all year. He got plenty of special attention from Kerry yesterday, but kept driving forward to the bitter end. A gentleman off the field too.
In summary, gutted to lose it but immensely proud that PJ, his coaching staff, and most importantly the players restored some pride and enjoyment to Galway football. I hope there’s a good turn out for the homecoming.
19 Likes
He fell out with PJ
1 Like
The keeper they used for most of the league should be back next year, as should both their first and 2nd choice fullback who all missed the championship through injury.
If Hurson had given the correct and obvious decision that time there wouldn’t have been a single word about it, instead he made the dramatic decision - imagine an attention seeker from Tyrone!
4 Likes
McStay was like a child on Christmas morning when he saw the awarding of the free in. Most bizarre. The Kerry players Burns and Spillane celebrated wildly as they knew they got a freebie and it game was on a knife edge at that stage. I would have loved to have seen what would have happened had he not blown the whistle and what way the game would have panned out. The energy in the stadium when Comer dispossessed Murphy was something else and then it was like someone left air out of a balloon. idont buy into the narrative that Kerry would necessarily have still won.
11 Likes
He may have left the panel - I’m not quite sure to be honest. Leaving Ennis in April 2017, After beating Kerry in the u21 semi-final, I was certain that Sean Andy, Peter Cooke, and Michael Daly were nailed on future stars. Of that team, Molloy, McHugh, McDaid, Sean Kelly, and Finnerty played yesterday.
Sean Andy would have been a great inter county full back in about 1987. Michael Daly from what I have seen is too slow to make it as a quality inter-county forward.
I thought the free was a clear free to Kerry and even without it I think Kerry would have ground out the win.
Galway’s bench is not strong enough and that’s it. It’s not a coincidence they’ve faded late on to greater or lesser degrees in five championship matches this year. You need 21 players you can trust and Galway had one sub that was trusted to do a job. That’s what cost Mayo in 2017 and it cost Galway too.
1 Like
Still playing for the club. Doubt he’ll be back to be honest.
All ifs and buts. The fact is kerry saw the game out well. Without a doubt it was a big call but he grabbed Spillane’s hand, it’s about time a defender gets called up on that. It’s just controversial that when that does happen, it’s the 68th minute of an AIF🤣
You’re probably right to be honest.
Kerry got the luck this year with vital reffereeing decisions in both the final and semi final.
I suppose you make your own luck.
1 Like
Spillane’s arm was high across him before he grabbed it and that’s a foul
It gave a Kerry a lead at a crucial stage and it changed dynamic of game as Galway had to chase it
Galway chance to win it was in first half - they had two chances for a goal they needed to take one.
Galway kick out strategy seemed to be to go long and hope to get more than 50 per cent - it was always going to be hard to win any game at this level at that.
Galway lads running with the ball (toe tap/solo) was effortless at times - they’ve some lovely technical players but needed more from the bench when they tired.
7 Likes
Exactly. Hurson is usually a good ref and was having a fine game. I don’t think it was a black card offence by the Galway keeper. A jersey pull rather than the drag down. But refs are generally clowns and he was probably influenced by that. Just don’t make that call on Daly at that time in that game. Even make no call. Just let Daly force himself past Spillane and nobody would bat an eyelid if it was play on. Spillane is slapping in with a high hand/arm and Daly is pulling it away. Some frees at certain times, depending on the game situation and where they’re awarded from, are more important than others.
As has been noted, Comer had just won the kick out after Galway brought it back to 16-15 and launched the move from which McDaid levelled it. Then Comer went back and dispossessed someone and got a toe into the resulting loose ball so Galway reclaimed possession and it ended up with Daly. Galway had momentum, Comer had thundered into the game in that deeper role and their balloon was burst.
It was just maddening as a neutral for a referee to intervene there - let them fucking play. The ref lost his head then a bit. It was also very petty to throw the ball up on the 21 after that because the Galway keeper took a kick out before some defender (way out of anyone’s eyeline) had managed to get out past the 21.
Then two shitty fisted points in the last three. A very unsatisfactory ending to the contest from 16-16.
25 Likes
Was it from the following kickout he then threw the ball up because there was a Galway player inside the 21 when the keeper kicked it? A correct decision that time but it sucked more energy out of the stadium, again nobody would have given a damn if it was let go. He wasn’t the losing of the game for Galway, but I’m not sure he is a suitable referee for future finals.
2 Likes
I’m livid after reading that.
5 Likes
Was listening to Wooly’s podcast in the car this morning and I think they broke down the free fairly well. Basically no need for Hurson to interject himself into the game there. Had he waited a second or two, Daly would have spun back and hand passed the ball to a team mate. He felt the arm in over the shoulder and was trying to shrug Spillane off. To award basically a tap over free at that point was huge.
That said I thought Hurson had a decent game but it wasn’t a difficult game to referee as there wasn’t many contentious decisions to make.
2 Likes