Jamesie O'Connor: Five talking points ahead of Galway v Laois

Jamesie O'Connor picks five talking points ahead of Saturday's Leinster SHC semi-final between Galway and Laois...

Once bitten, twice shy

Last year Galway came in undercooked against a Laois side who had been playing round robin matches, but this time they have two competitive games under their belts and that’s a big positive.

The improvement from the drawn game against Dublin to the replay was noticeable. They were very lucky to get out of Croke Park with a draw. Had David Treacy converted that late free it would have probably put the game beyond Galway’s reach.

But in fairness to Galway, they certainly made it count in the replay. On that basis I think they’re heading into the Laois game with a lot of confidence and under no illusions, given how difficult the last two years have been.

This Laois team deserve respect and Galway are likely to be on guard to a greater extent than they were last year.

Defensive duties

The Galway half-forward line worked very hard out the field the last day and that left huge space in front of the inside line. The other thing was that Galway fed their inside line with ball. There were a lot of bad decisions made by Galway players in the drawn game when there were opportunities to get the ball into Cathal Mannion, Jason Flynn and Joe Canning, but instead they took low percentage shots.

That changed the last day and they got a serious return from their full-forward line, who scored 5-8 from play.

If Laois are as successful on Saturday night as they were 12 months ago at limiting Joe Canning’s influence, they’ll feel a lot better about their chances.

Laois, however, will certainly play with one sweeper and they often withdraw a second forward into midfield or even deeper. Galway will find it a lot harder to create the same space and if Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett needed any affirmation about whether that’s the strategy he needs to deploy, he saw the price Dublin paid for being so open.

I’d imagine Laois will make it a lot harder for Galway to get goals. They kept a clean sheet against Offaly and if they can prevent Galway from raising that green flag it gives them a real chance.

Goal rush

I think it was Neil Foyle last year who had a really good chance before half-time. He was really unlucky; his shot flashed past the post. If that had gone in it would have been a huge shot in the arm.

Obviously there’s a trade off in that when you play one or two sweepers; the opposition are going to have spare bodies at the other end of the field. That makes it very hard for Tommy Fitzgerald or whoever is up front. You can find yourself surrounded by a sea of opposition jersies.

At the same time, you’re unlikely to go 70 minutes without getting some sniff of a goal chance, whether it’s a ball coming back off the upright or a defensive error. It might only be a half-chance but if Laois are going to win, they have to take them.

Laois got some unbelievable points from distance against Galway last year, and also in their win over Offaly earlier this month. Zane Keenan and Willie Hyland are accurate forwards and are coming in with a lot of confidence.

To hit 0-29 against Offaly was a great return, regardless of the opposition. They didn’t start particularly well in that game but that’s a very good sign in a team. They believe in what they’re doing, they don’t panic, and they trust the gameplan.

Key match-ups

Laois did a superb job of limiting Joe Canning’s influence last year; he only scored two points from play. Matthew Whelan is again likely to be the man tasked with marking the Galway full-forward and that is a key match-up that Laois have to win.

There were signs in the second half of Galway’s win over Dublin that Canning was starting to find his feet. He scored two goals and although the game was already over by that stage, he remains a top class player and the key guy you have to stop.

If Laois are as successful on Saturday night as they were 12 months ago at limiting Canning’s influence, they’ll feel a lot better about their chances.

Who will reach the Leinster final?

I expect Galway to win. They have real quality up front and with Cyril Donnellan back, they have balance in their forward line. You’ve got a good mix of workers and fellas who have the ability to win ball, as well as really good finishers inside. Jonathan Glynn or Donnellan can go to full-forward too.

You’d feel that given the experience in their team, and the fact they’ve struggled against Laois in the past two years, they’ll be much sharper. Galway won’t want anything close to the uncomfortable afternoon they had against Laois last year, particularly the end of that game when the shock was a live possibility.

Cork knew how Waterford were going to set up but when you actually come against a team that has been playing this way week-in week-out for a couple of years and are very comfortable in the system, they can be a lot harder to break down than you think.

I expect Galway to win but I don’t think they’ll beat the eight-point handicap.

Watch Galway v Laois live on Sky Sports 5 on Saturday from 4.30pm