Where now for Galway?

[fenwaypark]

@tazdedub

Well said Caomhain.

I think the big change in Dublin this year is the return of Keaney to the team. I think he has added not only his skill put his off the field experience of competing in finals with the footballers. The last couple of seasons I always thought Dublin are missing the experience of being involved in big games or having players in the squad who have been involved in big games, but with the likes of the Shane Ryan and Keaney coming back into the hurling and the experience they bring in terms of coping with the big games has helped the lads in the hurling on dealing with the big games.

If the league final against KK had been played 12 months ago, Dublin would not have won because they couldn’t cope with the big day but they have learned now and we seen that in the League final and now in a big game against Galway. Ok, they could have lost if Galway had taken some of their chances but in saying that Dublin could also have gone into their shell after conceding the goal and loosing their full back, instead the changes were made and the team got on with things, no bitching or moaning, no complaining to the ref they just got on with it, even after loosing a man in the middle of the second half for doing something stupid. The next game now against KK is going to be a big test, do I think they will win? My heart says yes but my head is saying no but I hope with put in a strong performance and we make KK work for everything in that game, that’s all you can ask for from your team.

As for marquee names for Dublin, well you have Keaney, Rushe, O’Dwyer, P Ryan, McCrabbe and Dotsy to name but a few. However the lads work as a team as was emphasised towards the end of the match were Galway nearly got a second goal but instead it was saved and then backs burst their balls trying to get it out, I remember seeing Keaney bursting through to get the ball while being held in a headlock by one of the Galway players, I seen Dublin players chasing down Galway players even without their hurls.

Roll on the next game now, I cant wait. What a test to play KK in a Leinster final when the cats will be all out for revenge for the what happened in the league final? If Dublin overcome them and win whats going to be said then? Oh its only a Leinster, it doesn’t mean anything, similar to what is being said now about our league win, or will it be more about KK not performing as it is now about Galway not performing and nothing being said about the sheer tenacity and hunger that is being displayed by this Dublin team.

Its about some of the hurling snobs get their heads out of their arse’s and start accepting the fact that maybe Dublin are a good side and stop putting them down every step of the way. Begruding fuckers.

Taz
are the players you mentioned above of the same ability as tipp and kilkenny’s top players?

[Big_Dan_Campbell]

Is Alan McCrabbe the most overrated hurler in the country at present?

[caoimhaoin]

@Julio Geordio

Galways problem is they have too much choice. They dispose of fellas way too quickly and never give them a real chance to get up to intercounty standard.

They pushed the panic button way too early yesterday. Either JC takes all frees from ye’re 45 onwards or he only takes the ones closer in. Either way you don’t change that in the middle of the match. He should have been up there winning the ball instead of driving it wide. People expect too much of him. The reality is he hasn’t fufilled his potential yet and just isn’t that great. Maybe ye’d be better off without him and making other lads step up to the plate?

Bull shit, Cork have had a bigger choice over the years and it never stopped them being good and winning All-Irelands.

I actually think Galway are just not good enough, and the underage success with well balanced sides is just not producing enough class individuals like they had with Gerry Mac, Keady, Cooney etc etc.

[tazdedub]

@fenwaypark

Taz
are the players you mentioned above of the same ability as tipp and kilkenny’s top players?

Yes they are of the same ability however the difference is that KK and Tipp players have the edge in the experience department, where as Dublin big name players would be more prone to a mistake during an intense game due to inexperience at that level, KK and Tipp players have that experience right throughout their squads.

[fenwaypark]

@tazdedub

Yes they are of the same ability however the difference is that KK and Tipp players have the edge in the experience department, where as Dublin big name players would be more prone to a mistake during an intense game due to inexperience at that level, KK and Tipp players have that experience right throughout their squads.

i could not disagree more but will be first to admit i was wrong if they do turn out to be these type of players. The only player who has the potential to of the standard i refer to is rushe in my opinion.

[Big_Dan_Campbell]

@fenwaypark

i could not disagree more but will be first to admit i was wrong if they do turn out to be these type of players. The only player who has the potential to of the standard i refer to is rushe in my opinion.

& Oisin Gough, who is a class act

[Julio_Geordio]

@caoimhaoin

Bull shit, Cork have had a bigger choice over the years and it never stopped them being good and winning All-Irelands.

I actually think Galway are just not good enough, and the underage success with well balanced sides is just not producing enough class individuals like they had with Gerry Mac, Keady, Cooney etc etc.

:rolleyes:

Cork didn’t change the core of their team though. Galway have used up and spit out an unreal amount of hurlers who never got a chance. Cork are at the other end of the scale where they should have been trying to bring a few lads through to keep their momentum going from the early 00’s but instead they let things go stale and are only coming back around now.

[fenwaypark]

@chewy louie

& Oisin Gough, who is a class act

agree with that, but gough can only exert so much influence as a corner back.

[caoimhaoin]

@Julio Geordio

:rolleyes:

Cork didn’t change the core of their team though. Galway have used up and spit out an unreal amount of hurlers who never got a chance. Cork are at the other end of the scale where they should have been trying to bring a few lads through to keep their momentum going from the early 00’s but instead they let things go stale and are only coming back around now.

im talkingabout over 100odd years :rolleyes:

[Fran]

@fenwaypark

i could not disagree more but will be first to admit i was wrong if they do turn out to be these type of players. The only player who has the potential to of the standard i refer to is rushe in my opinion.

I’d have to agree with Fenway on this. Dublin have just won their first title in yonks and all of a sudden they have truckloads of marquee players. Of the players Taz has mentioned as marquee names

Keaney - First year of championship hurling. Should have made the switch a long time ago. Still has it all to prove at the highest level
Rushe - Excellent prospect. Very good league and underage record - a future star but hardly a marquee name yet
O’Dwyer - A lot to prove at championship level. I’d doubt he’d get his game for his county of birth
P Ryan - First year of championship hurling and looks like a super prospect.
McCrabbe - Had a good year last year. Will struggle to compete with the really physical midfielders I think
Dotsy - Not a marquee name

[Arseboxin]

What’s the criterIa to become a ‘marquee’ player??

[Big_Dan_Campbell]

@Fran

Keaney - First year of championship hurling. Should have made the switch a long time ago. Still has it all to prove at the highest level

no it’s not, he was a hurling all star nominee in 2003

[Fran]

@chewy louie

no it’s not, he was a hurling all star nominee in 2003

Apologies Chewie louey

[Sidney]

@fenwaypark

Taz
are the players you mentioned above of the same ability as tipp and kilkenny’s top players?

At the moment you would probably say no but as Taz says Tipp and Kilkenny have the edge in expeience and have proved it whereas Dublin haven’t had the chance to yet. It took a long time for the likes of Lar Corbett and Dan Shanahan to develop into really top class players and I’m sure there’s plenty of other examples I can’t think of now. Rushe only turned 21 on Saturday and has everything needed to become a top class midfielder or centre back. Gough and Keaney are top class too. There aren’t any glaring weak links in the team. We are solid in almost every position now. We don’t have a Kelly or a Corbett though. Developing a goalscoring threat is the last piece of the jigsaw which has to happen IMO if a genuine All-Ireland challenge is to be mounted at some point over the next two or three years.

Clare wouldn’t have been thought to have many really top class players before the 1995 season but that situation changed very quickly. I would have agreed with you to an extent before Saturday as pessimism is the default setting of Dublin hurling supporters (Tom Humphries apart), but this team has had constant exposure to top level hurling for a few years now and coupled with the excellent coaching they are receiving it’s beginning to push them into or near enough to the top bracket of teams. I’m definitely starting to believe in this team now.

[Julio_Geordio]

@caoimhaoin

im talkingabout over 100odd years :rolleyes:

Your an unmerciful retard. Galway have won all Irelands in the last 100 odd years are you suggesting these teams “are just not good enough”

If so you are completely and utterly simple.

The reality is we were talking about the current teams and you couldn’t disagree with what I said so you changed it to the last 100 odd years which as I stated above makes no sense.

Its okay to be wrong Kev.

[Fran]

@Arseboxin

What’s the criterIa to become a ‘marquee’ player??

A marquee player is an athlete of exceptional skill and popularity (according to my google search)

Current hurling players in this catagory would be
Lar Corbett
Henry Shefllin
Eoin Kelly
Tommy Walsh
John Mullane
Joe Canning
Donal Og Cusack

and a couple more

[Sidney]

@Fran

A marquee player is an athlete of exceptional skill and popularity (according to my google search)

Current hurling players in this catagory would be
Lar Corbett
Henry Shefllin
Eoin Kelly
Tommy Walsh
John Mullane
Joe Canning
Donal Og Cusack

and a couple more

Cusack

[The_Runt]

@Julio Geordio

Your an unmerciful retard. Galway have won all Irelands in the last 100 odd years are you suggesting these teams “are just not good enough”

If so you are completely and utterly simple.

The reality is we were talking about the current teams and you couldn’t disagree with what I said so you changed it to the last 100 odd years which as I stated above makes no sense.

Its okay to be wrong Kev.

That’s you firmly into the “no nothing about hurling” camp now Julio.
A big problem with Galway as well from my own experience, is that there seems to be a serious lack of unity amongst the players/suppporters when it comes to county matters.
I’ve watched matches with lads from Galway where they would refuse to cheer on a player because his club. I’ve heard stories as well that filters all the way through to the players themselves. I’ve never met a more in-fighting, bitter crowd than those on the Galway hurling scene. (all personal experience and not stating it as fact :rolleyes: )

[Big_Dan_Campbell]

Out of interest who are the current or recent Galway lads that haven’t been given enough chances

[Sidney]

@The Runt

That’s you firmly into the “no nothing about hurling” camp now Julio.
A big problem with Galway as well from my own experience, is that there seems to be a serious lack of unity amongst the players/suppporters when it comes to county matters.
I’ve watched matches with lads from Galway where they would refuse to cheer on a player because his club. I’ve heard stories as well that filters all the way through to the players themselves. I’ve never met a more in-fighting, bitter crowd than those on the Galway hurling scene. (all personal experience and not stating it as fact :rolleyes: )

They have very poor support too which is a result of what you say. A lot of that has to be down to the fact until 2009 they were isolated in Connacht and up to not long ago the most the county team could play in a championship year at any grade would be two matches. With such a lack of inter county activity the hurling scene there became quite insular and focussed on club rivalries to the detriment of the county team. That’s my take on it.

Derry football is quite similar for whatever reason, they always seemed to focus on the club far more there and there is the same infighting and lack of support for the county team. Up to yesterday obviously.