Sorry mate, just saw this now, I’ll see what I can do
Playing the one armed Skehill was the strangest. Conor Cooney wasn’t fit, it was a desperation move. Harte seems to have brain freezes in AI finals.
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Cunningham wasn’t the most tactically adept. Leaving Paraic Mannion on a rampant Seamus Callanan for almost the entire duration of the 2015 semi final, starting James Skehill in goal for the 2012 replayed final with a broken arm would be two glaring examples.
There were question marks over the physical conditioning of Cunningham teams. They fell away alarmingly in the second half of the 2012 and 2015 finals against Kilkenny. In the 2014 qualifier against Tipperary, Galway led 4-12 to 1-15 after 50 minutes and were out scored 2-10 to 0-1 over final 20 minutes of the match.
He held on to the likes of David Collins, Andy Smith, Iarla Tannion and Fergal Moore far too long after their best days were behind them.
Cunningham has 4 years at it and the players were correct to seek a change in 2015.
That never happened
It was Paraic Mannion. Hanbury was eventually put on Callinan and flattened him
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I noticed a fair few of the old Galway players (as in Keadys vintage) having digs at Cunningham.
Is he generally not liked.
He certainly was tactically naive
Absolutely. Thats just the norm now.
Always worked with great coaches in past as well. They just didn’t blow on about it
I did find it a little strange that he was in Croke Park for Cork-Waterford rather than being at Keady’s funeral that day. But maybe that’s an unfair and insensitive observation.
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Yes, sorry meant to say Mannion before Hanbury was switched very late in the game after Callanan had done almost all his scoring.
That was met with disbelief within the county and within the squad. He must have burned some bridges not to have turned up. As the saying goes, he’s now choking on the ashes.
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Agree totally, Donoghue a far shrewder man on the line.
But, AC deserves or deserved a mention in being a part of the original baby steps this panel took tbf.
I don’t know the ins & outs of what went on or why the players acted as they did but the story goes he ruled with too heavy an iron fist. At the time I felt he had to move on once players went against him & felt he had no business fighting it.
Donoghue seems very much a facilitator in the similar role Sheedy had with Tipp in 2010. Very much a cool customer on the line but made all the right calls at the right time. They set out at the start of the year to win every game possible. There was no interest in peaking for Summer as they won Walsh Cup, League, Leinster & Liam McCarthy.
Good managers let their coaching staff do their jobs, let the back room team do what they do best and he plans the route ahead.
Fair fucks to Donoghue, it’s a huge achievement to keep a squad happy & the show on the road to win an AI.
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Cunningham did a fine job - Just fell short - no shame in it at all. But as ever with sport, it’s fine margins. MD got a fine learning curve himself last year and was on the end of a bit of criticism himself - He learned quickly and drove it on to the next level this year in his prep with the team both physically and tactically
Very similar path to Sheedy in 09/10.
Is there a chance he’ll walk now with his head held high I wonder? Tough job and serious time needed to do the job effectively. You could see such relieve & a let go of emotion when he finally met his aul lad.
The job, expectations and pressure are seriously draining.
Last year there was a feeling the players were calling the shots. Donoghue went on to cut most of the ringleaders of the coup against Cunningham, Collins, Smith etc. There was no question who was running the show this season
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Zero. Don’t let his calm and gentlemanly manner fool you. He’s a Galway hurling zealot
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You could tell there was a different cut about him this year from the off.
Hopefully other young managers around the country are watching and learning… Not looking at any county with a 44 year famine in particular.
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I doubt it . Sheedy was moving job at that juncture and there was still an imposing Kk .
Galway will take some beating next year and at this stage I think only a fully motivated , well prepared Tipp might beat them .
Kilkenny were the Walsh Cup 2017 winners. Beat Galway in the final in Pearse Stadium.
What??? But the press had been saying we won it? I’m going to have to revise my review of the year.
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Nowlan Park