Where now for Galway?

Big_Dan_Campbell · June 20, 2011, 2:02pm

The fact that pretty much all the hurling clubs in Galway are based in the South East of the county and are in close proximity leads to a lot of contempt between the sides as well

Sidney · June 20, 2011, 2:03pm

That wasn’t Kelly, it’s Peter O’Callaghan you’re thinking of. Don’t think Canning got any goals that day either.

fenwaypark · June 20, 2011, 2:35pm

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.

excellent point sid.

Ive always said that dublin now have 22/23 lads of a very decent standard and certainly are not carrying any player. i just feel that they are lacking players of the next level to become a genuine contender for top honours. Maybe some of the team can develop into this type of player as they get exposure to more championship hurling.

Certainly these questions will be answered in this and subsequent championships

fenwaypark · June 20, 2011, 2:39pm

@ Sid, Taz and other dublin supporters. what ever became of the lad who captain the dublin colleges team in 2006, connolly i think his name was? looked a hell of a prospect

croppy_boy · June 20, 2011, 2:55pm

Not Diarmuid from the football side is it?

fenwaypark · June 20, 2011, 2:57pm

no he was midfield. ciaran i think his first name was, played centre back. that was some team.

Arseboxin · June 20, 2011, 2:57pm

Was sure it was Kelly. My mistake

Arseboxin · June 20, 2011, 3:00pm

Conor Connolly. Been poxed with injuries since then and has just this year transferred to Liam Rushe’s club Pats Palmerstown. Never lived up to his potential

fenwaypark · June 20, 2011, 3:06pm

thats the lad, injuries will ruin a lad at that age. easily one of the best croke cups teams i have seen.

Arseboxin · June 20, 2011, 3:13pm

He had the unluckiest run you could imagine. Tore ankle ligaments/knee* - out for 6(ish) months. The DAY he got all clear to play again he went straight to the club to train, fell put of the van and did his ankle ligaments/knee*. When that cleared up he was doing something in work and glass tore his hand. Think he spent the guts of 2 years injured from non-playing injuries

one or t’other

fenwaypark · June 20, 2011, 4:29pm

i think people need to recall the beating that cork handed out to tipp last year in the munster championship. There was not many forecasting them to go on and win the all ireland after that defeat and many a tipp supporter was asking questions of sheedy.

Lazarus · June 20, 2011, 5:38pm

Where now for Galway indeed…
‘It’s not about Galway, our families or the supporters, it’s only about us as a team now and nothing else’. That’s a more or less direct quote from a Galway senior hurler I talking to yesterday. It might be just as well they take this approach as frankly after Saturday no one else in the county seems to really gives a shit about them.

I’ll give Dublin a lot of credit, they had their homework done, fought for absolutely evry scrap, worked brilliantly from one unit to the next and seemed to hurl with a deep resolve and belief that Galway hurling folk can only dream of. Rushe is a star player no question he’s been doing it solidly enough for years now at high level although in the longterm I think it’s a mistake in playing him down so far the field as he is the one player Dublin have whose got the natural goalscoring ability that is such a premium in the modern game. Dotsy to a lesser extent. This is an area Dublin will have to improve upon as 18 points won’t win many games at this level.
I don’t particularly like Anthony Daly(or anyone from Clare to be honest) but he is proving himself to be an excellent coach granted hi job was made easier by his counterparts on Saturday some of whom’s decision making(or lack of it) would file neatly enough into the retard slot. Cody is unlikely to be quite as clueless as Mcyntire and co who are way out of their depth. That said I think the Leinster Final is set up nicely for Dublin. It is a conflict between a force that is evidently showing signs of being on the wane V a force that is progressive and improving every game. From a racing perspective I’d generally always favour the improving types over the ones who are exposed and if Dublin can factor a couple of goals into their game then I’d genuinely give them every chance against Kilkenny.

As for my lot well who the fuck knows what’s going on with them to be honest.

KinvarasPassion · June 20, 2011, 5:55pm

You sound like a broken man Laz…

What sickened me was that noone broke timber across that tramp Dywer after what he did, have they any fire in them at all.

When the heat is turned up, they go missing. Last game that we hurled as men is as far back as Lanes era in 2001.

Lazarus · June 20, 2011, 6:08pm

Not broken KP, let’s face it we’re well used to it at this stage. I’ll be there cheering the cunts on again against Clare. I am bitterly disappointed in Saturday nights performance, I think evryone is. It’s one thing being outhurled but showing no spirit or fight is just fucking sad.

Sidney · June 20, 2011, 6:29pm

Reminds me of a younger version of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQfqxb2Nuk8

keep the faith mate

fenwaypark · June 20, 2011, 6:35pm

+1, KP and Laz keep the faith. Ye won the league last year and ran the eventual all ireland champions to a point in the quarter final of championship. From 1-7, ye played pretty well the last day. Problems were from 8-15. I cant believe how poor david burke was as he is a smashing player. If ye get farragher and tannion back, ye will have better shape in the forwards. Good teams dont become bad overnight.

Lazarus · June 20, 2011, 6:43pm

Fenners and Sid cheers lads

Arseboxin · June 20, 2011, 7:24pm

A very fair & dignified summing up Lazarus. Fair fucks to you.

Now more than ever your team needs ye

Julio_Geordio · June 20, 2011, 7:32pm

Could be worse laz you could be from Limerick.
Last year was the bleakest year ever as a Limerick man, but this year we’re full of unwarranted optimism again. Ye’ll come back again stronger for it, though ye may need a radical overhaul of management and personel. Ye’ve got the talent at least which is a huge start

hannibal · June 20, 2011, 7:56pm

+1. Things will improve lazarus, ye have a decent squad and ye ran Tipp to a point last year so the material is there to work with. May take some hard decisions and a few bruised egos but ye will return.