If Andy Moran does, as expected, become the first Mayo player since 2006 to win an All-Star when this year’s awards are announced next month, it now seems certain that he’ll have to accept the gong on crutches as it’s been confirmed that he broke the fibula (which is here) in his left leg at the weekend while taking part in training for the upcoming International Rules series. While this is yet another reason to hate this bastardised makey-uppey compromise rules nonsense, it is more importantly also a case of desperate bad luck for our standout player in 2011.
It’s, I guess, some comfort (though I suspect not to Andy himself) that this accident has occurred at a time when the inter-county scene is about to go into cold storage for several months and so there’s every likelihood to believe that he will hit his own deadline of being back in action for the first round of next year’s NFL. From what I’m hearing, there’s nothing uncomplicated about the break, which should aid his recovery still further. Best of luck with the recuperation, Andy, and thanks again for all those stirring performances this year.
worrying though that he may not come back to his best after the leg break. He should not have been near the rubbish makeie uppie game anyway. What a way to break you leg.
Best of luck to Andy and a chance now to rest up and come back even stronger in 2012.
Best of luck Andy , i always had my doubts about your quality but you answered them this year, hope you get back to your best as quick as possible , oh and one more thing , please practise not shooting the ball straight at the goalie next year, yours in football , RM
I think it’s only fair to add to that Roger a plea to the ref to penalise Marc O Se for swinging out of Andy like a monkey as he was trying to get his shot away!
He hadnt a bad 2011 either WJ 🙂 Would be a real shame if he didnt get what he truly deserves – an alll star !
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out, Ted – I’m usually okay with words but numbers are a different animal altogether.
listening to rte radio 1 tonight,some kerry sports hack started listing all thetimes the ref got it wrong, and how dublin players should have been sent off . ‘WILL THEY EVER JUST GO HOME AND SHUT DA FUCK UP’…
Bad luck for Andy, but I’m sure the All-Star will be some consolation. I’d be amazed if he didn’t get one, particularly as he can be placed in any of the 6 starting forward positions.
And well done to the Dubs. I’ve not really been a fan of theirs through the years, but this team is likeable enough, and Caffrey seems a decent skin.
Cluxton is a bastard though! I had the draw backed, so he cost me my nights drinking money.
Jack O’Connors quote today is laughable – “Maybe if we were a cynical team we would have pulled McManamon down on the way through, but I suppose that is not in our DNA”
Caffrey???? I think I meant Gilroy…..
Never mind me WJ….im sure you could have taken out the red pen to my spelling in previous posts if u wanted!
Cant believe O Connor said that…did he not see what Donaghy was up to for the whole game. Besides O Sullivan was completely wrong footed by a very subtle sidestep, not to mention the 7 steps he took! I must say its generally speaking it has been a result that has been popular with most outside of Kerry
Best of luck Andy. You were brilliant in 2011 and I believe you will inspire other players to lift their game in 2012.
Just want to add my best wishes to Andy Moran. He was our best player by far this year and never gives less than 100%. He is also a very decent man off the field. My young fella was at a Cul Camp a few years ago and he still talks about how friendly and helpful Andy was to all the kids. He is a real role model and deserves an all star.
I think the kerry sports hacks have more than a point ed.k. Was at the game, so only watched it in the TV last night. They were rode by the ref. Imagine if that was Mayo in Kerry’s position, we would be outraged. Was at the match and was delighted with the result but looking at it gainlast night the ref made some very bad calls. Brennan should have seen red, Brosnan did nto touch the ball on the ground and the last free was a dive.
While I am glad they lost, they were very hard done by seeing it again last night. Just because everbody wanted Dublin to win, does not make it right.
dead on facetheball…just because it has become customary for Kerry to win ‘sam’ doed not permit poor media controlled referring to twhart them.
I don’t buy this theory that it was the ref who won it for the Dubs on Sunday – any team that is able to come from four points down against this great Kerry side in the last 7 minutes of the final and outscore them by 1-3 to 0-1 (all but one of those scores coming from play and the free a hugely pressurised 50-yarder) deserves to go home with the Sam Maguire. McQuillan wasn’t biased, he was just bad but it’s not last Sunday that Mayo supporters woke up to this fact (remember Galway in Salthill in 2007 and then Meath in Croke Park in 2009). His handling of the match on Sunday was atrocious but both sides profited from and were punished by his mistakes. And, as I keep saying, Kerry are well able to play the ref: every time Darran O’Sullivan comes into contact when challenged, he arches the back, throws out the hands and goes airborne. Gooch is well able to go to ground too and did so when Killian Young gave him that hospital pass when Kerry were still, I think, four up but on that occasion the dive was even too obvious to fool McQuillan. Where Kerry can feel aggrieved is in relation to the added time but, once again, this isn’t a problem that first reared its head last Sunday.
Good words Willie Joe I started off ambivalent but ended up roaring for the dubs
What i really liked was their unity & diciplin and esp their handling of the galvinotar, at one stage after he fouled Brogan he was met with a friendly pat on the back rather than a bone crushing dig from the upended Dub.
Also Dublin as a team kept going to the end unlike us in the semi who largely lost interest in proceedings with 10 mins left to play with some exceptions it has to be said Andy and a few more. We really need to buy into the team as one notion rather than a preoccupation with unearthing individual brilliance I think the team we have can be brought on with the right coaching although I thought Martin Connelly was the right coach Hopefully Horan has an even better one in the bag
to get this bunch of guys working as a unit.
Looking forward to 2012
Up Mayo!!
think u have hit many nails on the head there Albany. Once kerry got on top of us we seemed to go flat or maybe we just werent fit enough to stay with them . Dublin are by no means a talented outfit but the had team ethic and serious fitness levels. They were going as strong at the end as they were at the start. We need to improve on what we have in terms of fitness and ethic and stop lamenting the fact that we dont have 6 colm coopers up front!
ted , oh for one colm cooper up front 🙂
agree with your basic points and albany too, the team ethic is vital for champions
Dubs had a great team ethic, fitness and strength, but would not have a huge amount of outstanding natural footballers compared to Kerry.
Cork would be my favouties for 2012, followed by the Dubs, then Kerry.
We are in the next group with Donegal and Kildare.
Galway. Ross, Tyrone, Wexford, Armagh, etc in the next group then you have the divsion 4 teams in 4th group.
So we are 2nd seeds. That’s my take on the way things stand.
I must echo what jinkin joe has to say about Andy off the pitch. I was at a challenge match a couple of years ago with my young fella and he went up to Andy for an autograph. Not alone did Andy sign it but he made sure that every other member of the panel that were sitting in the dugout did so as well. Top man.
I think it was Dublin who, were treated unfairly by the Ref. If you watch the game closely, in the second half Kerry fouled Dublin seven times around the middle of the park. Each time the ref gave advantage, however the dublin lads were moving so fast they were unable to move ball on and were gobbled up by Kerry men. The Kerry tactic was to destabalise the Dublin runner, with a slight push or trip.
The Dublin full forward line ate the kerry full backs and a free from around midfield would have been far more advantagous. It was only when Dublin ran the legs of Kerry that the game changed. In my opinion, the best team won and good luck to them.
heard the tipp fitness coach cian o neill who resigned from hurling duties being touted by jh
best of luck Andy