Galway can look back on 2018 as a successful year. A National League final was followed by a second Connacht title in three years.
Unfortunately though, they succumbed to the Jim Gavin juggernaut in the All-Ireland semi final.
Considering only four points separated the sides in that League final, many expected Galway to be able to rattle the Dubs this season.
A Damien Comer goal early on gave fans hope, and despite missing a penalty, it looked all to play for at half time. Unfortunately, the Tribesmen capitulated in the second half and fell to a nine point defeat, that could have been more.
So what went wrong with Galway?
On Monday’s GAA Hour, the lads broke down the semi final clash and dissected where Galway lost and Dublin won.
Wooly couldn’t understand the difference in Galways first half and second half performance.
“Their performance in the first half, I thought was very very good… they played three men up front at all times… it was a more attacking minded Galway than we had seen.”
“I thought Galway’s system was as close to a system that might trouble Dublin in the first half, but then in the second half Dublin just went up a gear.” said Wooly
Galway’s decision not to utilise the long ball into Damien Comer seems to have cost them dearly, given his goal in the first half.
Wooly said, “It’s criminal how much they don’t use Comer. How many more balls did he get after that goal? I can’t remember one or two. Now that’s brain dead.”
He continued, “Comer, because he’s being marked from the front all the time, is peeling off his man and he is calling ‘give me one, give me one'”.
“They gave him NONE, and Comer is shouting for these. Laois gave you the game plan, you’ll get a one on one around the far side of the field and Comer being the bull that he is he will go past his man.”
“I think tactically they got it arse-ways. While their set-up was right, they just didn’t give Dublin anything to worry about a part from that little spell in the first half”.
Cian Ward highlighted that Dublin were poor in the first half, but the difference told between the sides as they converted their chances. Where as Galway failed to make the most of the chances they had.
Ward said, “Galway’s efficiency in front of goal really let them down. Lads like Sean Armstrong had a couple of misses, these are chances that these lads are on the team to get. On a day when you play Dublin all those chances need to go over, and unfortunately for Galway, when they had their spell of dominance and had their chances they weren’t able to take them”.
“Dublin were so efficient down the other end, that when they kicked into gear in the second half and started playing with more aggression, Galway had no answers to them”. said Ward.
Galway can look back on what was ultimately a successful year for this group of players. Saturday was always going to be tough, a first semi-final against a Dublin side who were contesting their ninth in a row. The odds were stacked against them.
However, the Dublin train keeps on rolling though, and now looks ahead to a fourth All-Ireland final on the trot, where they will be hoping to make it four wins on the trot.
