Footballers in crisis after humiliating loss to Laois

GALWAY 0-8

THERE’S little point in kicking someone when they’re down but the Galway supporters who travelled to Portlaoise last Saturday evening left O’Moore Park in a state of some bewilderment after a defeat of quite shocking proportions.

Stocks of patience built up over the past few years, a time during which Galway picked up two All-Ireland under-21 titles, are now exhausted . . . with the county desperately struggling to retain an acceptable level of competitiveness against the second tier of teams in the country.

It is a serious conundrum with no lack of honesty or effort from either manager Alan Mulholland or his charges, but three successive defeats – all involving the concession of large scoring totals – seems to have drained every ounce of confidence from the panel.

Over the course of Galway’s three league ties, they have conceded a staggering total of 5-54 (3-18 against Meath, 1-16 to Donegal and 1-20 to Laois) – last Saturday evening as the home side sauntered through the second half of this match scoring almost at will, and giving all their subs a run, there was a real sense of humiliation for the travelling supporters from the west.

In terms of confidence and morale, there is something of a ‘Catch 22’ situation prevailing. To win a game, some stocks of confidence are needed, but the only way to access that commodity is through success – Galway are now swirling about in that vortex of self-doubt and failure.

It’s an old line by now, but really Galway shouldn’t be that bad. No one for one second will assume that under-21 titles are a guarantee of senior success, but they are still an indicator that some decent players are coming through the under-age system – for the moment though the transition to senior level is just not happening.

For the first 25 minutes of this tie played before a crowd of about 4,000, Galway held their own well. Fiontán Ó Curraoin and Thomas Flynn were securing a fair break in the middle of the field; the defence looked reasonably solid while Adrian Varley in attack was showing well for quick ball played inside.

But gradually Galway got bogged down. A few short kick-outs led to the defence being caught in possession while too many bodies in the half forward line led to a complete clogging up of the attacking space – time after time, Galway had ball turned over around the Laois 45 metre line.

Galway also seem to have got themselves into a kind of tactical malaise in terms of their attacking strategy. What would be wrong with leaving a player of Paul Conroy’s power on the edge of the square as a target man for the likes of Adrian Varley, Danny Cummins or Eoin Concannon to feed off.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.