Galway Advertiser 1986/1986_08_21/GA_21081986_E1_008.pdf 

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Lack of Placekicker Cost Galway the Game
ID modem Gaelic football, the accurate placekicker is a must for a winning team. You can roll off the names without much difficulty, Barney R o c k , M i c k e y Shecfcy, Matt Connor, Jimmy Keaveney and Tony McTague. In the halycon days of Galway football, Cyril Dunne and Sean Parcel! did us proud here. But we lost last Sunday's s e m i - f i n a l to T y r o n e because of our lack of even an adequately efficient placekicker. Stephen Joyce, Padraic Kelly and Barry Brennan once failed miserably in this department. Our minor placekicker Tommy F i n n e r t y w o u l d have provided us with a win. Mature quickly Tommy. The score, Tyrone 1-12; Galway 1-9 (half-time Tyrone 0-6; Galway 1-3). POOR SUPPORT Travelling to Croke Park before the Minor game I thought I'd never come across a Galway supporter. Even at that early stage Tyrone had taken over the place with their banners and red and white flags. They had come expecting to win and I have never heard a support to create such a din in the Hogan Stand. Not since Armagh came with their many flags and took over the Canal End in the "77 final v Dublin have I seen such razzamatazz. Gal way's football support after years and years of frustration has lost heart. It will take a new era to bring them back. Maybe this Minor team of so much promise will do just that. But we musn't rush them or spoil them along the way. As of now they have a lovely approach and gave an exhibition in trouncing a highly vaunted Down team by 3-10 to 0-6. In fact 8 members of the All Ireland Colleges S.F. champions of this year St. Colman's College, Newry were on the heavily defeated Down team. Cooney orchestrated the scene with great assistance from his senior aide de camp Anthony Cunningham, Michael Connolly (Craughwell) and substitute P a t N o l a n . Galway now have 3 teams in All Ireland finals, the Senior and U-21 hurlers and the Minor footballers. And all three are sides of great potential. N O SCORES Quite honestly, I thought Galway had sewn up the game with 10 minutes to g o . Then ominously our whole forward plan seemed to get cluttered in the right wing of attack. Barry Brennan had almost every one of his kicks for goal blocked. Stephen Joyce was getting bottled up. N o scores were coming from good possession. Gay McManus had shown the way with 3 rapid points from play in succession. His example should have inspired his colleagues. In fact i f Galway won McManus, who has often been the villian of the piece in supporters' eyes and a much maligned and misunderstood figure, would have been the hero of the day. As it was he exorcised all the bad days and at last realised his full potential in Croke Park. In retrospect it was he who should have taken on the placekicking duties early enough to make it matter. For a man on song as McManus was has the confidence and the gut to take on the onerous task of pointing frees despite all the bad-mannered barracking of the Tyrone support. PRIDE Galway won back their pride with last Sunday's display. It showed a bit o f character but there was still a basic lack of spunk in the attack apart from McManus, an odd flash of spirit by Padhraic Kelly and a subdued enough Brian O'Donnell who deserved credit for taking a good goal with the left foot. T y r o n e fought harder, wanted to win more but, lets face it, Galway blew this game for apart from McManus we had inspiring figures in Seamus McHugh, that old reliable who never lets you down, Tomas Tierney when he settled down, Val Daly in the first half and Aodan 6 Se at tames, though that bareback riding jump onto Damien O'Hogan's back was hardly the best way to stop a goal. Gerry Dolan and Brian Talty also played with fire though one moment of indiscipline from Talty brought a hop-ball instead of a hard-earned free to Galway. But despite all the reverses the team can hold their heads high. They were in this game to the final kick, came back after the penalty and almost got a goal from a fine Tierney shot. They were still trying as the final whistle sounded. Thats as it should be. More displays like this with better placekicking o f course and the crowds would be back. But it was a game we should have won. Best of luck to Tyrone now. Its going to be their first final and as Noel Lane would say, Lord God they have been trying for 30 years. Wouldn't it be good to see them win it out. W e will await the outcome of Meath v Kerry in the other semi-final next Sunday before saying anything. But I'll tell you one thing, I fancy Meath unless Kerry have improved a ton since the Munster final. MAGNIFICENT MINORS Ever since the start of the year I have been writing about our magnificent Minors. They were never better than last Sunday. Right from the word g o , apart from some early flutters they dictated the pace and led by 0-6 to nil after 25 minutes and retired at half-time leading by 0-6 to 0-1. Down were more positive on the return and a close game seemed about to develop when the score read 0-7 to 0-4. Then Galway started to put it together. That talented player Fergal O'Neill from Glenamaddy who otherwise had a quiet game by his standards started to spray the passes in copybook style and corner forward Tommy Finnerty (Oughterard) and Tomas Mannion (Monivea-

Abbey), with a personal tally o f 1-4 and 2-2 respectively apiece, opened up the Down defence. This was copybook football and the future o f Galway football looks in secure hands. Finnerty is a gifted player while Mannion's opportunism was a revelation. These forwards have to be good for in the substitutes is N o r m a n Costelloe, my star of the recent Galway U-21 final. ALAN MULHOLLAND But my star of this game was the son of our first citizen, Alan Mul hoi land. Here is a centre half back of real class. Padhraic Fallon (St. Brendan's) beside him is a player of great courage. Midfielders John Joyce (captain) and Kevin Walsh (Killanin) are both giants for Minors. Young Walsh wiped out the memory o f a poor Connacht final with a memorable display of high catching and long kicking. Shades of Stephen Kinneavy and Frank Evers. Joyce has often played better but that is again by his own high standards. It is invidious to mention anymore individuals from a starstudded outfit save one. Substitute Ger Farrell (Salthill) did very well after being introduced for Bosco Walsh (brother of Kevin) who was injured when saving on the goal-line in the first minute. Con Houlihan (Evening Press) is right. This Galway Minor team deserves a g o o d support. As I wrote last week there are 2 great teams left in Cork and Dublin. Watch them in action next Sunday. The score, Galway 3-10; Down 0-6. NEXT SUNDAY On the local scene next Sunday Moycullen (back in the Galway S.F.C.) play St. Michael's once again in the game scheduled to take place some weeks back. If St. Michael's win or draw, Moycullen are out of the S.F.C. If Moycullen win then there is a playoff for 2 quarter final places between themselves, Dunmore MacHales and Tuam Stars. The game takes place on Sunday evening at 6.30 in Pearse Stadium. Over in Tuam at the same time we have the quarter-final replay between Caherlistrane (trained by

Galway v. Down--Victorious Galway minor team.
Billy Joyce) and Mountbellew. My tips to win are Moycullen and Caherlistrane but only if the latter can get their attack moving right. SUPER Q U I Z Next week I'm having a Super Quiz for readers. The prizes for the first 2 correct entries pulled from a hat of correct entries are a Return Ticket to the Hurling Final by train (courtesy C L E . ) and a Hogan Stand ticket (courtesy Galway Hurling Board Secretary Phelim Murphy). Now don't say ye weren't warned. The names of the winners will appear in the special supplement for the Hurling Final. The Quiz won't be too hard. SEAMUS K E A T I N G Seamus Keating, our C o . Manager, is a Tipperary man and a lover o f hurling. He was enthralled with Galway's performance v K i l k e n n y . " T h e best hurling I have seen since the drawn Munster S.H. Final between Tipp and Cork in Limerick in 1949". Sweet praise. MIKE O'BRIEN I have met few Galwaymen than better Mike O'Brien, the President of Liam Mellowes. He is one of the grand old stock fast becoming a thing of the past. He loves hurling and Galway. For the Hurling final feature I have a short interview with this grand Irish gentleman. You will like it. CORRESPONDENCE 27 Rockmount Road, High field Park, Galway City. 6 August, 1986 Sam Maguire Uas., The Galway Advertiser, Gaillimh. A Dhuine Uasal, A few notes of interest to your readers (by this time I h o p e history will be repeating itself) re Galway v Kilkenny. We last beat the Cats in an All Ireland semi final on 16/8/1953 with the score 3-5 tp 1-10. We were ahead by one point when the Kilkenny sharpshooter Jim Langton stepped up to take a 21 yd. free. Lucky for us (alas for him) he hit the ball weakly and low -- the shot was saved and within second the whistle of ref. R. Staichium sent myself and hundreds of flag waving maroon and white supporters on to the field. John Killeen scored the last goal (he scored one other) -- Josie Gallagher of Gort scored the third goal. There were seats then on the sideline with no barriers between spectators and players -- how times have changed. Micky Burke (Castlegar) was our Captain and Johnny McGovern was the Kilkenny Captain. Jim Langton in an interview after the game said he was going for a point but the ball rolled.

The Galway Team on the Clar Oifigiuil: S. Duggan C . Corless W . O'Neill J. Brophy J. Molloy W . Duffy E. Quinn J.Salmon J. Killeen P. Nolan M . Burke J. Duggan M . Flynn J. Gallagher E. Abberton Fir ionaid: M . J. Flaherty, S. Ruane, S. Craven, M . Mclnerney, P. Duggan.

U-21 H U R L E R S It was busy weekend for G a l w a y . H o t on the magnificent performance of the Senior hurlers, Galway, with many of the senior stars o f the previous Sunday aboard travelled to Ennis on Saturday evening last and disposed o f Munster champions Limerick by 2-10 to 2-6. At half-time the scores were identical with the senior semi-final ( F ) the following day Limerick 1-3, Galway 0-6. But as with Tyrone, Galway showed the greater fire in the end, powered by Pakie Dervaa, Pat Mai one, G e r r y M c l n e r n e y and goalkeeper John Coauaas in defence. Up front that jewel o f Galway hurling Joe

Take note: The Duggans were then as the Connollys are today contributing to hurling and the Duggans are still involved -- great G A A people. Also note that there were four Castlegar men picked in the forwards when the programme was printed -- but S. Ruane replaced Joe Salmon and Hubert Gordon replaced E. Abberton from the original line out.

SAM MAGUIRE'S COMMENT Excellent letter Eamonn. Hope you get that All Ireland ticket for the final. I met Mick Leonard the day after the success over Kilkenny and he radiated happiness. Mick has remained a great fan of the game of hurling and so indeed have the others you mentioned.

Renmore &Westside Community Centres
Applications are invited from individuals, clubs, schools, etc., for use of the above centres. Time will be allocated between 9 a . m . and 11 p . m . each day to as many people as possible for the period 1st September, 1986, to 31st May, 1987. Application forms are available from the Admin istration Building, Leisureland, or at either of the centres. Existing users should also fill in an application form. Completed application forms should be returned to the Administration Building, Leisureland (Phone 21455) o a o r before Friday, 29th August, 1986.

Galway v. Tyrone--Tomas Tierney fails to block Eugene McKerma's attempt at a point.

Signed: P. J. G A V I N , Town Clerk.