They need feeding. They got a serious dose of reality in that final.
I read Joe Canning earlier in the year say that Galway weren’t focusing on winning a minor All-Ireland, they had won plenty already with nothing coming from it. Instead the focus was to be on developing players so that they could go on to do something at senior. I’m not a great believer in that type chat but Healy now has the chance to show if this approach leads to any change in fortunes at u20 level.
I’m not even sure how you go about that or what he means. Is it a case of just giving everyone game time and not caring about the result?
Joes a legend & we’d have fierce time for him in Limerick but that kind of talk seems like a safety net for when you are bate.
They definitely played a fairly extreme short ball possession type of game. Which would not be something usually associated with Galway sides. It worked extremely well you’d have to say all the way up to the final but Clare put a lot of pressure on the Galway backs and midfield and their execution broke down under that pressure. Leading to dropped balls, turnovers, cheap scores conceded, etc. I guess they could be criticised for only having one way of playing and once it malfunctioned they didn’t seem to know what to do.
1 Like
I’d tend to agree with you. But maybe you focus on getting in athletic lads who are a bit raw in terms of hurling skills and try to sharpen them up, rather than the best 15 hurlers in the county who have limited scope for improvement. Like I said I’d be suspicious of such talk but the best way to test it properly is to let the same lads take them from minor to u20.
3 Likes
I think it’s a fantastic Clare team tbh. The Niland hype probably made Galway seem the top dogs for most of the campaign but they were well looked after.
Plus they were at a physical disadvantage in most of those exchanges
1 Like
They seemed to be encouraged to over play the ball. Too many short passes. Inviting trouble and they got it against Clare. You get less and less time on the ball the higher up the grades you go so to adopt this style seems odd. This batch seemingly beat all before them up through the grades. To think that a winning team starting to lose at an older grade is no big deal is a bit daft.
I’d rather they do overplay it and get used to playing, or trying to play high skill precision hurling under match conditions.
Galway thought they only had to turn up after pissing through Leinster. Clare sent them home with their tae in a mug.
2 Likes
Confidence seems rarely in short supply at minor. Clare were better across the board and absolutely drilled us.
2 Likes
The line were telling the backs to play short passes to a player in a better position. The problems arose cos they also passed to a player in a worse position. This faffing allowed opposition defenders time to organise a bit better. Delayed ball then getting in to Niland or Rabbitte who were double marked. Neither of those two seemed to have been told to pass to a player in a better position. The sidline hindered those minors. Now they’ve been promoted.
Its all about the PowerPoint presentation.
And acting the hardy buck on the pod.
I was supporting an English premiership team today pal but I heard it went down the wire. Hope noone was hurt, them lads hugging the Roscommon border would fill St Anthony’s ward for you.
The wire?! OMG there’s the wire and then there’s the minute fibres of the wire. 
1 Like
2 Likes
Today’s County Senior and Intermediate Hurling Championship Results
Brooks County Senior Hurling Championship
Preliminary Quarter Finals
Turloughmore 0-22 Moycullen 0-14
Clarinbridge 2-20 Ardrahan 2-16
WINAHOMEGALWAY Intermediate Hurling Championship
Preliminary Quarter Finals
Carnmore 2-19 Kiltormer 3-13
Kinvara 2-19 Ballygar 2-18
Senior B Hurling Championship Quarter-Final
Ahascragh/Fohenagh 1-17 Beagh 0-16
Senior Hurling Relegation
Tommy Larkins 2-21 Portumna 2-12
Intermediate Hurling Relegation
Craughwell 2-14 An Spideal 0-13