Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Galway already eyeing bigger targets
Galway's Niall Daly and Owen Gallagher at the final whistle. ©INPHO/John McVitty
Galway impressed in winning the Connacht SFC in Salthill yesterday but they will also know there is scope for improvement. They will be a handful for anyone in the quarter final. They will be keenly aware that Kerry and Dublin are at the other side of the draw and there is a live chance for everyone at their side of making an All Ireland final.
With an ambitious Paraic Joyce in charge they won’t want to leave it at just a Connacht final. Thirty mins after the final whistle their subs were doing MAS (Maximal aerobic speed) runs on the Salthill turf, underlining the forward planning has already commenced.
Joyce and his management team deserve huge credit for their game plan. They got most things right. They made it very hard for Roscommon to score at their end while providing their own forwards with the platform to shine. Shane Walsh and Rob Finnerty were outstanding. Damien Comer had an excellent second half while Patrick Kelly and Johnny Heaney also made significant contributions. Walsh displayed his full array of skills, which is always a joy to observe. His movement, pace, balance and kicking are exceptional. His goal epitomised all of these as he took that dramatic sidestep of his that takes out defenders and opens up space. His finish was magnificent. Finnerty also gave his most consistent championship display in a Galway jersey yet. He always threatens but today he backed it up throughout the game.
At the other end of the pitch they got plenty of bodies back to flood their own ‘D’. Kieran Molloy snuffed out Enda Smith and Galway made the Rossies earn every score. In addition John Daly was outstanding in a sweeper role. He dropped off and minded the middle. He took away the obvious ball inside and intercepted some in the second half when Roscommon were coming at them. He also drove forward in possession. It was a change from their approach against Mayo but gives them flexibility going forward and adds another string to their bow.
At the other end Roscommon also tried to protect their defence by working a plus one at the back in the first half. However, Galway were wise to it and exploited it brilliantly. Cathal Heneghan wearing 12 but played at 10 dropped to 5 when Galway were in possession. This allowed wing back Conor Hussey to sprint back in front of his fullback line to give cover. However, Galway reacted straight away and repeatedly attacked down that side. Cillian McDaid in particular constantly punched holes and helped create scores. Significantly, Shane Walsh’s goal came at that side of the pitch also and Heneghan was one of he players he danced around. It just didn’t work for them. Heneghan was replaced at half time and Eddie Nolan tried to sweep from midfield after that, with limited effect. When they went after the game in the closing stages and ditched the sweeper it suited them better. A consideration for the next day for Anthony Cunningham.
While Cunningham and co will be very disappointed with the defeat, and their first half display in particular, he will be pleased with the spirit shown in the second half fightback. It gives them something to build on for a qualifier in two weeks. They will need to work on their defensive setup as previously mentioned. However I think they will also have some remedial work to do on their forwards. When they get to play in space they are excellent and will score for fun. However in the claustrophobic confines of Pearce Stadium yesterday they struggled. They played keep ball without punching holes. Ultan Harney was the honourable exception here and he did cause Galway problems when he ran hard at them and ended up with three points from play.
More significantly their inside line was static while these periods of possession were unfolding. They need to be constantly moving and buzzing to make themselves available as outlets or at least as decoys. This forces the Galway defence to move around and openings will result. As it was yesterday it was too easy for John Daly to just sit in front and it made Roscommon predicable.
Galway also have work ons for their All Ireland quarter final. In particular there are two areas that they will look to polish over the next few weeks, which are interlinked. In both of the big games in Connacht they let significant leads slip. They will need to get better at managing games out. I am sure they will be practising this precise scenario in training over the next couple of weeks.
On Sunday they came under severe pressure on their own kickout late on which fed into the Roscommon momentum. By the end they conceded 2-1 from long kickouts lost. Conor Gleeson has a big boot on him and in general their kickout worked well. They mined 2-9 from it. In that period when they were under pressure Roscommon were winning all of the breaking ball. Much of the breaks were on the offensive side for Galway. Their inside forwards will practice being out in front. It is a simple tweak but an effective one. They also need that go-to get out of jail kickout when they come under pressure and lose a few in a row.
These are the kind of things that are a joy to be working on as a coach at this time of year and I expect Galway to be better again the next day out.
Dublin were hugely impressive Saturday evening in Croke Park. They worked hard played crisp accurate football and were ruthless. When they were relegated last March the criticism levelled at them was in three main areas. They were predictable and static upfront lacking movement, their defensive structure was poor and their squad depth had all but disappeared. In the meantime they have dealt with all three.
Con O'Callaghan’s return has obviously transformed them in an attacking sense but there is a noticeable difference in the way they are playing. At least two and sometimes three of the full forward line have deep starting positions. As late as possible they are making sniping runs to be available as outlets, but close to goal. Critically Dublin are kicking the ball to them. When O'Callaghan, Dean Rock or Cormac Costello win the ball they are often one on one or have runners coming off them as happened for two of their goals Saturday evening.
There is a clear willingness to kick the ball more and refreshingly they have moved away from the slow possession game that had become synonymous with them, but which had clearly ran its course. Defensively they are getting a sweeper in place at all times. This rotated as the game went on but Brian Howard was tasked with the job at the start. He played at 7 and cheated off Alex Beirne from there. For Kildare to negate this and draw Howard out they had to get Beirne on the ball to allow him to threaten offensively, something they failed to do. Howard’s positioning meant the Dublin full back line was afforded much better protection than they were during the league when they leaked 11 goals. Finally their squad depth is not what it was but, does it need to be? By keeping Jonny Cooper and Niall Scully in reserve they have two experienced operators to come in and see they ship home. Aaron Byrne did well and with the likes of Paddy Small to return they have further options.
One factor that may come into play later in the year is their reserves are more suited to seeing out a game than chasing it. Time will tell but they are coming at the right time and with a chip on their shoulder as Brian Fenton said after the Wexford game. Watch out.
