Friday 23 August 2019

Comer insists Galway must bounce back from 'unacceptable' display

Galway's Damien Comer. Photo: Sportsfile
Galway's Damien Comer. Photo: Sportsfile
Colm Keys

Colm Keys

Damien Comer remains a major doubt for Galway as they strive to pick up the pieces from a "demoralising" defeat to Roscommon in Salthill last Sunday.

For the third time in four years, Galway failed to capitalise on home advantage against their neighbours in a Connacht final, after a 2016 draw in Pearse Stadium and defeat two years ago.

The Galway captain, who has not played football since fracturing a bone in his ankle on St Stephen's Day - an injury which required corrective surgery when it was fully diagnosed more than two months later - will sit out his club Annaghdown's championship match against Tuam Stars this evening.

Comer admits that it's "unlikely" that he will feature in Galway's fourth-round qualifier two weeks later but has not completely ruled it out, depending on how the ankle reacts to training next week.

As the fall-out from their unexpected defeat continues Comer, as captain, feels the players must accept the responsibility for the way the team collapsed on Sunday, scoring just two second-half points as Roscommon came from five points down at half-time to win by two.

"It's a performance that we, as players, are not proud of. I know I wasn't out on the pitch but I have been in that situation before a couple of years ago, it's very demoralising and not good enough on our own behalf," he said.

"It is unacceptable. When you are in it yourself, it's hard to put a finger on what is going wrong out there but for supporters, it is demoralising, especially at home not to give them something to cheer about. We would have given them an abundance (to cheer about) in the first half. Not to carry it out in the second half, we have to reflect on it."

Comer says as players, they must make decisions on the field to sort out problems that Roscommon posed for them.

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"We need to be able to read the game ourselves and we probably didn't at stages. Sometimes it can be tough and that's where your management needs to give that advice.

"The last day, for one reason or another, we didn't stick to the plan. The instruction was no different from the first half to the second half so we should have stuck to that. As players, we need to be able to see things on the pitch and adjust to what we see."


Comer said there was merit in the views of Padraic Joyce, expressed earlier in the week, that they had not kicked the ball in often enough to inside forwards.

"At stages, there probably wasn't anyone inside to kick the ball to, and that's something we have to look back on and see were there kick-passes on. He's probably right in a sense that it's something we have to bring to the next level.

"We owe it to ourselves, our supporters, everyone really. We know we didn't perform in the second half but thankfully we have another crack at it.

"As players it's up to us. We're the ones that can control what happens in games. I've been in that situation myself and haven't dealt with it well but we have a chance to address it now."

Ω Roscommon is in mourning following the death of their full-back from the 1962 All-Ireland final team, John Lynch. An All-Ireland MFC winner in 1951, he was on the team that lost by six points to Kerry in the 1962 showpiece.

Irish Independent


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