MICHEÁL DONOGHUE’S WORDS both before and after last Sunday’s league opener against Tipperary, were telling.
The word ‘performance’ was emphasised throughout his interviews with TG4 and RTÉ both before and after the game. A home win to kick off his second coming as Galway manager didn’t appear to be a priority.
“You have to be brave and give lads a chance,” he told TG4 before throw-in.
“The league is going to be about developing players. We’re concentrating more on performance.”
And throughout the 73 minutes of a 12-point pummelling, Donoghue committed to that approach.
By half-time, his players were struggling at seven points down, and by the 51st minute, when Tipperary struck their third goal to go 16 points clear, Galway were decidedly out of the contest. That deadly blow arrived four minutes after Donoghue made his first substitutions.
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He barely even expressed any signs of frustration on the sideline as the gap on the scoreboard widened. Experienced heads like Conor Cooney and Evan Niland were on the bench, but they didn’t play a minute. Rescuing a result didn’t seem to be in Donoghue’s plan for the evening. He seemed eager to observe and build a broader vision for the team.
Already, the Clarinbridge native can appreciate that this will be an entirely different challenge compared to the one that lay before him in his first term as Galway manager.
“Our remit is to build a team and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said to RTÉ after the game which included four Galway debutants – Seán Murphy, Michael Garvey, Oisín Lohan and Rory Burke.
Cillian Whelan, Shane Morgan, John Fleming and Anthony Burns were the other newcomers who came in as second-half substitutions.
Seán Murphy was among the players who made their Galway debut. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Tipperary also fielded a relatively fresh outfit containing four rookie starters along with two additional first-timers throughout the course of the tie. And it was Tipperary’s cast of first-year cadets who made a stronger impression, as Sam O’Farrell, Dylan Walsh and Darragh McCarthy, accounted for 2-11 of Tipperary’s overall 3-25 tally.
The strong performances of Oisín Lohan and Seán Murphy offered flashes of hope for Galway. Lohan’s strong ball-carrying ability produced three points from half-forward, while Murphy stood firm at corner-back as the team continued to take on water.
Substitute John Fleming also provided one of Galway’s two late consolation goals while TJ Brennan, a defender still finding his feet at this grade, hurled well in the half-back line.
But it was the team’s glaring deficiencies that was the main takeaway for spectators. Puckouts were a huge factor in their poor display, particularly in the first half. They conceded possession from 11 of Éanna Murphy’s puckouts, which directly resulted in 1-6 for Tipperary. Liam Cahill’s side also scored four points from eight turnovers which meant that 1-10 of Tipperary’s 1-13 half-time total came from Galway errors.
Galway could only win five of their own puckouts in the first half and continued to struggle in this area in the second half, leading to two more points for Tipperary. Galway also had seven more turnovers, one of which resulted in Tipperary’s third goal courtesy of Dylan Walsh.
The competition is still in its early stages but given that two teams in Division 1A will be relegated this year, Galway could be in line for the drop in 2025. Their fight against that outcome gets more difficult this weekend as they travel to face a Kilkenny side who fielded an experienced outfit in their league opener victory against defending champions Clare.
Of course, Donoghue still has seasoned servants of his own to draw upon, including All-Ireland winners David Burke, Daithí Burke, Pádraic and Cathal Mannion, and Conor Cooney. But circling back to Donoghue’s quotes in the aftermath of their Tipperary defeat, it does seem like he’s intent on exploring the depths of his current panel to continue the building process.
Mannion brothers Pádraic and Cathal after the 2017 All-Ireland final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
There is a stark contrast between the Galway panel Donoghue inherited when he took over the first time in 2016, and the one he’s in charge of now. Nine years ago, Galway were a team that had contested two of the previous four All-Ireland finals. He had players of Joe Canning’s callibre to choose from too.
There was some turnover in the panel as 2012 All-Stars Fergal Moore, Iarla Tannian and David Collins were no longer involved.
It’s a different prospect this time. Galway struggled in last year’s championship as they failed to emerge from the Leinster round-robin series after disappointing displays against Wexford and Dublin. Under Henry Shefflin, Galway contested the 2022 and 2023 Leinster finals but lost both outings to Kilkenny, the second of which was decided by a dramatic last-minute Cillian Buckley goal.
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After winning four All-Ireland minor titles in-a-row between 2017 and 2020, Galway have not kicked on at U20 level. They last won an U20 All-Ireland title in 2011, coming up short when they contested the 2016 and 2021 deciders.
All-Ireland-winning trio Joseph Cooney, Gearóid McInerney and Adrian Tuohy are reportedly not involved in the current squad, which fits in with Donoghue’s vision for a rebuild. Just six players from the 2017 All-Ireland-winning side are still part of the team, along with Jason Flynn who was a sub that day.
Division 1A, however, will be a hostile environment for a young team to develop, as Tipperary have already proven. Kilkenny will not make that task any easier.
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Heavy league opener defeat shows stark Galway challenge for Donoghue in second term
MICHEÁL DONOGHUE’S WORDS both before and after last Sunday’s league opener against Tipperary, were telling.
The word ‘performance’ was emphasised throughout his interviews with TG4 and RTÉ both before and after the game. A home win to kick off his second coming as Galway manager didn’t appear to be a priority.
“You have to be brave and give lads a chance,” he told TG4 before throw-in.
“The league is going to be about developing players. We’re concentrating more on performance.”
And throughout the 73 minutes of a 12-point pummelling, Donoghue committed to that approach.
By half-time, his players were struggling at seven points down, and by the 51st minute, when Tipperary struck their third goal to go 16 points clear, Galway were decidedly out of the contest. That deadly blow arrived four minutes after Donoghue made his first substitutions.
He barely even expressed any signs of frustration on the sideline as the gap on the scoreboard widened. Experienced heads like Conor Cooney and Evan Niland were on the bench, but they didn’t play a minute. Rescuing a result didn’t seem to be in Donoghue’s plan for the evening. He seemed eager to observe and build a broader vision for the team.
Already, the Clarinbridge native can appreciate that this will be an entirely different challenge compared to the one that lay before him in his first term as Galway manager.
“Our remit is to build a team and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said to RTÉ after the game which included four Galway debutants – Seán Murphy, Michael Garvey, Oisín Lohan and Rory Burke.
Cillian Whelan, Shane Morgan, John Fleming and Anthony Burns were the other newcomers who came in as second-half substitutions.
Tipperary also fielded a relatively fresh outfit containing four rookie starters along with two additional first-timers throughout the course of the tie. And it was Tipperary’s cast of first-year cadets who made a stronger impression, as Sam O’Farrell, Dylan Walsh and Darragh McCarthy, accounted for 2-11 of Tipperary’s overall 3-25 tally.
The strong performances of Oisín Lohan and Seán Murphy offered flashes of hope for Galway. Lohan’s strong ball-carrying ability produced three points from half-forward, while Murphy stood firm at corner-back as the team continued to take on water.
Substitute John Fleming also provided one of Galway’s two late consolation goals while TJ Brennan, a defender still finding his feet at this grade, hurled well in the half-back line.
But it was the team’s glaring deficiencies that was the main takeaway for spectators. Puckouts were a huge factor in their poor display, particularly in the first half. They conceded possession from 11 of Éanna Murphy’s puckouts, which directly resulted in 1-6 for Tipperary. Liam Cahill’s side also scored four points from eight turnovers which meant that 1-10 of Tipperary’s 1-13 half-time total came from Galway errors.
Galway could only win five of their own puckouts in the first half and continued to struggle in this area in the second half, leading to two more points for Tipperary. Galway also had seven more turnovers, one of which resulted in Tipperary’s third goal courtesy of Dylan Walsh.
The competition is still in its early stages but given that two teams in Division 1A will be relegated this year, Galway could be in line for the drop in 2025. Their fight against that outcome gets more difficult this weekend as they travel to face a Kilkenny side who fielded an experienced outfit in their league opener victory against defending champions Clare.
Of course, Donoghue still has seasoned servants of his own to draw upon, including All-Ireland winners David Burke, Daithí Burke, Pádraic and Cathal Mannion, and Conor Cooney. But circling back to Donoghue’s quotes in the aftermath of their Tipperary defeat, it does seem like he’s intent on exploring the depths of his current panel to continue the building process.
There is a stark contrast between the Galway panel Donoghue inherited when he took over the first time in 2016, and the one he’s in charge of now. Nine years ago, Galway were a team that had contested two of the previous four All-Ireland finals. He had players of Joe Canning’s callibre to choose from too.
There was some turnover in the panel as 2012 All-Stars Fergal Moore, Iarla Tannian and David Collins were no longer involved.
It’s a different prospect this time. Galway struggled in last year’s championship as they failed to emerge from the Leinster round-robin series after disappointing displays against Wexford and Dublin. Under Henry Shefflin, Galway contested the 2022 and 2023 Leinster finals but lost both outings to Kilkenny, the second of which was decided by a dramatic last-minute Cillian Buckley goal.
After winning four All-Ireland minor titles in-a-row between 2017 and 2020, Galway have not kicked on at U20 level. They last won an U20 All-Ireland title in 2011, coming up short when they contested the 2016 and 2021 deciders.
All-Ireland-winning trio Joseph Cooney, Gearóid McInerney and Adrian Tuohy are reportedly not involved in the current squad, which fits in with Donoghue’s vision for a rebuild. Just six players from the 2017 All-Ireland-winning side are still part of the team, along with Jason Flynn who was a sub that day.
Division 1A, however, will be a hostile environment for a young team to develop, as Tipperary have already proven. Kilkenny will not make that task any easier.
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Back At The Helm Division 1A Hurling League GAA Galway GAA Hurling Micheal Donoghue