As expected, Dublin enjoyed a relatively comfortable win in today’s Leinster SFC final at Croke Park. They had eight points to spare over Kildare and so the six-in-a-row All-Ireland champions now move forward to an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with our lads the weekend after next.
That semi-final has now been confirmed for 6pm on Saturday, 14th August at Croke Park. A maximum attendance of 24,000 has been set for this game so tickets will be as scarce as the proverbial hen’s teeth. My understanding is that tickets won’t go on general sale for the fixture but will instead be distributed via the club route in both counties.
Today’s Delaney Cup decider was a disappointingly pedestrian affair. Kildare, shorn of the services of three key players in advance due to injury, seemed to be in damage limitation mode from start to finish. They never really took the game to the champions at any stage.
Every time the Lilywhites attacked, they did so at an extremely slow pace and when they hit half-way the lateral hand-passing routine started. Their shooting was poor throughout as well, landing seven balls into Evan Comerford’s hands and as the game wore on their efforts at the posts became wilder and more wayward. Daniel Flynn’s excellent second half goal did, though, redress that balance somewhat.
Dublin, meanwhile, did what they had to do. They never took the vehicle out of second gear – because there was never any need to – and they picked off enough scores to win at their leisure.
Big game players such as Brian Fenton and, in particular, Con O’Callaghan didn’t fire at all today – the latter got just one point and he should have been done for overcarrying on that one as he took a dozen steps before getting his shot away – but Ciaran Kilkenny, Cormac Costello, Brian Howard and James McCarthy gave them sufficient forward impetus.
Dean Rock looked distinctly unimpressed when he got the curly hook ahead of the second water break but by then the game was won and he’d already contributed five points to the winners’ tally. He was, in fact, Dublin’s leading scorer on the day.
So Dublin stroll on to another All-Ireland semi-final. Their march through the moribund Leinster Championship wasn’t as impressive this summer as it’s been in other years but, then again, it didn’t have to be. The champions are back at the business end of the Championship without having a glove laid on them and without suffering any injuries to key players.
We can be sure they’ll be well ready for us the weekend after next and while their less than stellar form this year gives us renewed hope of finally getting the better of them, we all know just how hard this will be to achieve. But we also know that James Horan’s team will hit them with everything at their disposal in their pursuit of victory.
Dublin will obviously be the favourites to advance to yet another All-Ireland final but today’s match certainly gives James and his backroom team a few pointers to work on about the chinks that may be appearing in the champions’ armour. We’ll find out on Saturday week if this year, for the first time since 2012, the Dublin conundrum is one we’re capable of solving.
Will OHora be fit? he’ll be needed
and no early goals, we’re in with a shout
Maigh Abu
Have a nice feeling about this.. A 3 points spread so the bookies think there won’t be much in it as well.Mayo will raise some heartrates and cause damage if they click and play as they can. They certainly don’t fear the Dubs!! Any idea when tickets will go on sale?
Beatable for sure, they seem to have lost their balance but we need to really perform. Game at 18:00 on the 14th is showing zero consideration for the Mayo team and supporters….
My own club got no tickets for Connacht final………not sure what the story was there as a fair few club members were at the match went through ticketmaster like myself.
Imagine there will be more demand than tickets for the semi now too so will most likely be a draw
Not enjoyable to watch today Kildare lacked ambition and Dublin played more backpasses than Declan Rice. One has to presume Dublin will be much better against us and one has also to presume that we will be better than Kildare and to at least go for it. Poor old Dean didn’t look too happy when taken off but then he didn’t appear to be himself today Didn’t run into or push anyone after he scored his frees. That used to be his party piece v Mayo
Willie Joe , I thought it was a poor game. I hate all this back passing. Kildare seemed to be on a damage limitation exercise and the Dubs were just going through the motions. We are certainly much better than the Lilywhites and I hope we play much more aggressively the next day. I have that feeling that the Dubs are on the downslide and if we don’t beat them , the yerras definitely will. Keep up the good work with this blog. Up Mayo
Kildare played with fear and only lost by eight, I wouldnt have the heart to tell them it is the same result as losing by eighteen. Ten scores in a final is PP by any standards, and they have some good footballers and they need to lose the fear. I can guarantee you Dublin A v B is nothing like this game this afternoon. This is football in slow mo. Good media management by Dessie this season fair play to him. Nobody calling for Dublin to be broken up or any of that BS. They are just doing enough and getting by.
We get another shot.They will be a different animal in 2 weeks and could spark to life a bit like we did in 2017 v Roscommon in the replay.Still I give us a real chance in this one.
Nothing to see roll on the 29th
1 thing is for certain is that we are fit enough to keep with dublin. I’m hoping our scoring continues as it has improved alot this year. Matchups will be interesting. The 1 thing is if Aiden is at full forward that good diagonal ball goes on to him. He should also break left and right to create space. I dont want to see him like a statue under a high ball . Turnovers will kill us.
This Dublin team are absolutely there for the taking. I would fancy any of the 3 provincial winners to topple them on current form, they are sleepwalking completely and I don’t see how they will suddenly switch on the intensity in a fortnight.
Even their go to guys like Fenton, con and mccarthy were poor today for the 3rd game in a row.
They didnt carve out a single goal chance
Dublin players look as bored as the rest of us are at them winning.
Its a huge chance for mayo
Dublin strolled it again. Kildare left their shooting boots at home. To have a star player like Daniel Flynn in your team, you have to be feeding him constant ball
Its difficult enough playing against Dublin but when the ref is getting calls wrong it ramps up frustration .
Thought Flynn’s dispossession of Mc Carthy and that goal was pure class..
I actually give us a great chance in two weeks if Hennelly keeps a cool head and the holes in defence get sorted..
Shipping two goals to Dublin like we did against Galway cannot happen..
It will be an easy win,by eight I believe,the Dubs are finished
I think we need to attack their half back line with pace and run at them. I’d love to see paddy durkan in the half forward line. Our best hope is an early blitz. They have definitely come back a bit and their bench isn’t as strong but the 2 Basquels are good players and their forward line is still very dangerous.
Aido at the edge of the square and clever ball in. It’s an exciting prospect. Let’s hope for a full deck going in…
We’ll keep it kicked out to them, it’s the least we can do. It’ll be wonderful to witness the Dubs on their farewell tour in their home ground on route to beating Kerry in the Grand Final. Yerra, Arra etc.
On a serious note, we can 100% beat them. Have no fear and run at them at every chance. No f**king soft goals.
Hard to know with Dublin. When you lose the calibre of players they have in past 12 months through retirements and stepping away it would always be tough. Plus a few of their best players are 30+. For the first time in a long time, Dublin’s squad is looking very thin. First thought that came to me head was in previous years, Cooper would be marking Cillian who is not quick so it probably suited him. Now he’ll be up against Ryan O’Donoghue who is much more mobile and quicker. They don’t have anyone that will be able to deal with the pace of Tommy. It’s going to be very interesting. Does James go with same team that started against Galway and save some players for second half that Dublin have done to us down through the years or start Kevin and Eoighan and try and hit them hard in first half. Hopefully Ohora is fit, he can mark Con, I don’t want Lee to be on him as he’s struggled massively against him last couple of times they played. Need to pressure Evans kickouts aswell. He won’t have played in such a big game before so needs to be tested. Roll on two weeks.
Anybody know if the County board will move the round of league games that’s scheduled for the Saturday 14th? Friday the 13th games??
Not for one minute do I buy into this narrative about Dublin on the downslide. They have done all they needed to do. I fully expect them spitting fire for Mayo… just enough to do a job on us. I wish it wasn’t true but you don’t just become a poor team overnight. They’re not sick of winning…. I wouldn’t be if it was Mayo. Every win is sweet and the Dubs don’t want to lose, to Mayo or anyone else. They’re getting the rub of the green too with opposition injuries. I’d give anything to have our fully fit panel, for once to give it our best shot.
In my heart, always Mayo. Hope my head is wrong.
Obsiously I’m going to look for possible ways that Mayo can win the game v Dublin next Saturday week.. 6PM, a ridiculous time for those of us who will be lucky enough to secure tickets, but the CCCC couldn’t care less about Mayo supporter’s as they have shown down the years.. Anyhow I think that Mayo might have more pace throughout the team in comparison to Dublin.. But Dublin won’t be slow in trying to slow down Mayo players by fair means or foul… Mullin, Keegan, Durcan, Ruane, Eoghan McLoughlin are something extra special counter attacking at pace, inside we will have Tommy Conroy and probably the pace and strength of James Carr to come on… Kevin McLoughlin in addition to being probably the best and most intelligent play maker currently in the game is still one of fastest Mayo players in the team…. So overall that’s an area of the game where Mayo has a significant advantage.. What is absolutely crucial for Mayo is not to concede an early goal and to give Dublin an advantage on the scoreboard, as we seen today, Dublin are just as good as they were at playing keep ball and sucking the oxygen out of the game, regardless of the pace all over the Mayo team. .. We need to start something like our second half team v Galway, Dublin won’t blow a 5 points lead if they ever get to that v Mayo.. Whoever will ref the game will be very important, I hope Geogh gets the game, best ref in the game, brings a good team with him and will ref what he and his linesmen and umpires sees.. I have a very strong feeling that there will be some shenagains in the game, especially if Mayo make a good start.
I would rather be seeing Dublin playing at full tilt before our game.
They will certainly step it up against us in two weeks, but I think we are a better team now than when we last met.
Don’t think there is any chance that we won’t show up for this one.
If the Dublin reign is to end this year then it is only fitting that it would be ourselves that would end it.
We certainly will be asking questions in two weeks that Dublin have not been asked so far this year. The boards are begining to creak on the Dublin ship. I believe we have a great chance of sinking them.
if cluxton was between the sticks in two weeks time , would it be a negative or positive for Dublin?
I guarantee Dublin will be a lot better in semifinal against Mayo, they’re doing enough in each game to win comfortably enough, they’ll move up a couple of gears for Mayo, it will be a very good game. If Mayo get their tactics & markups right they will win for sure, but every thing has to go well, they have to be very tight in defence, they will set things right.
I will take ticket if people do not want to travel on Saturday evening, I am unlikely get a ticket as not living within the county, or a member of a club in Mayo.
Regarding the Dubs, I expect that they will raise their game, they have enough star players who may be playing on memory so far this year but the competitive juices will be flowing once they face the green and red. It appears obvious that things are not right in the camp and we have a good chance, and another great experience for the younger players.
It would be great to beat them I think it’s very unfair to have the game on at 6 it will be all hours before people from Carratigue Geesala Blacksod etc get home but that’s another story Will Dublin Joe be appointed will Imelda May Aslan Damo Dempsey or any other quintessential Dublin band play the half time entertainment to please the home crowd? Damn right they will like every other time we played the Dubs but we’re not bitter
Mo-Direach You are correct Dublin are still the AI Champions, and I beleve that they will beat Mayo and the winner of the other semi final. They will go on to win another AI in August. The posters falling over themselves here tonight to talk down Dublin while talking up Mayo will spare nothing in 2 weeks time if we do not win. Some posters have previous form on days like this. A couple of weeks ago it was all about not having Cillian present for the Connacht Final and no body could say where our scores would come from. All too predictable I am afraid.
If Mayo win the toss, play into the Hill in 1st half and canal end 2nd half. That always suits us.
If Dublin win the toss, don’t they prefer to play into the Hill for 2nd Half, meaning we kick into the canal 2nd half. Again that suits us.
So no matter who wins the toss, the only way it can be fucked up is if one team chooses something other than their preferred option just to spite the opposition.
The lack of high level play from the Dubs this year.
Will mean they will have no choice but to have Dublin Joe and his team officiate at the game..
Mayo will ask the questions in 2 weeks time, Dublin still may have the answer as we won’t be as defensive as kildare, but I think are bench could have a bigger impact, are running game could cause havoc for Dublin
Put simply, if we’re to win we cannot be leaving it to Lee in the last 20mins to yet again do the impossible. Other lads (plural) need to stand up and be counted. Damn it, we have the players, it’s just a question of whether they can reach their potential and beyond their potential in the final quarter. We can talk tactics and match-ups til we’re blue in the face, but if this doesn’t happen we’re going to lose. It’s a simple game really.
Has anyone posted yet to tell everyone to say “no hype please “ 😀
Like the players are on here reading it and then losing because of supporters getting a little excited !
Enjoy the build up folks and hopefully we will all get tickets
Dubs won by eight. We played one good quarter against Galway. We need everyone fit and on form to beat Dublin. They are not the team they were, but neither are we. However hopefully James brought in enough young players to beat a Dublin team that look like they not be unbeatable. Should be a cracker in 2 weeks!
As I understand it the u-20 final is on beforehand so kiss goodbye to about 5000 tickets….what a bloody joke of a decision to put on another game beforehand.
This will be an intriguing contest in 2 weeks.
Are the Dubs able to lift it to another level ??
Can Mayo go out and play without fear of conceding early goals??
Mayo management cannot overthink their matchups, its obvious enough what needs to be done.
I would love to see the power of two of Mayo subs, one in around the middle for his strength and the other bearing down on goals.
As others have pointed out the referee will once again have a big bearing on this game, is the advantage rule gone now where a player is fouled on the way to getting a goal ?, Kildare were pulled back in the 1st half for this.
One would have to feel a bit more confident this time out facing Dublin, barring any injuries picked up in next 2 weeks.
Don’t see how there could be hype, seriously. We’ve had the best players of a generation over the past 10 years and we still couldn’t beat Dublin. We’ve found every conceivable way to lose against them, time after time after time. Those amazing players we had were at their peak all at the same time, a bunch of warriors who still failed to win. How is this current team any different?
Look, I don’t want to sound too negative and I love what James is doing with this Mayo team. We’re in with a right chance of putting it up to them. But I’m certainly not getting overexcited. Too many losses. Groundhog day after every defeat to them.
To win in 2 weeks time we’ll need to see something we’ve never seen from Mayo.
Spotlight I’m hoping maybe the reason for the 6pm throw in is that u20 Game will be on around 1pm and they will have to clear the stadium then allowing the full 24k in
Otherwise it’s goin to be crazy altogether trying to get tickets . Unless you know someone in those two counties…..
The u20 hurling final is on next Saturday
At Semple stadium …..
Backdoor Sam if I get a ticket and Mayo are doing well at halftime I’ll enjoy Imelda May, Aslan and Damian Dempsey, some of my favourite artists and I’ll gladly sing along with The Auld Triangle if the Dubs win but that ain’t going to happen It’s The Green And Red Of Mayo that will be blasting round Croker. Maigh Eo Abu
Both teams have improving to do. I would rate both in the same ballpark.
A few key Dubs underperformed.. Rock from play nonexistent and Con OC kept quiet. Kilkenny very good in 2nd half, also kept quiet in 1st. Fenton man marked was quiet too.
Kildare had the tactic to make a real game of it but turned conservative far too early and Flynn came way too far out to the wings. He may be talented but Aido is a far more clever player. Davie Byrne unable for Flynn when he played closer to the posts. Cooper past his best. Dubs more beatable for sure but still have a very good team and panel. We have way more running pace than Kildare. How many wrong decisions did Kildare make, dozens I would say. Dublin made some too but not near as many. Kerry look like the team to beat so far but a high performance win for either us or Dubs could change that.
Was shocked by James Mccarthy performance today. He’s been their rock for the past few year. For me, he’s been their most important player. Might not be a popular opinion but if he plays well, so do Dublin. They played well in fits and starts today. Mccarthy was doing his utmost but his legs looked gone. He’s a class act down through the years but definitely on a downward slope. He’ll probably give the game of his life in the semi to prove me wrong!
I see it that Dublin will set up a blue wall on the 45 and by fair or foul try to stop us there and break fast. We struggled in the first half against the Galway shawl though some of that was down to the lower level of intensity that we brought in the first half v Galway, have to vary the attack with the cross field ball in to aidan on the edge of the square, if he does field that ball , he should have nothing else in his head but to play the percentages , call the mark and tap it over the bar , take the point !
Without Cillian we do not have proven long range free taker to make the longer range free opportunities count , the dubs will see this weakness as an opportunity and concede frees on the 45 m
Young Odonoghue has done very well from frees from 30 yards in, steady as a rock so far and great for the confidence of the team and us watching on ! , I was at the Galway game , I do not recollect a shot at the sticks in Galway game from a free further out than 30 yards until Robbie was brought up for the 45 direct in front of goals at the end which in fairness he converted with yards to spare,
Is Conor Loftus an option for frees 40 to 50 yards Out in normal play ?
I don’t like the idea of Robbie being up the field for 45’s unless the plan is to use him to apply the Kerry and Tyrone or monaghan tactic to try to block up the half back line for the long kick out option after the score , very dangerous tactic to adopt v the dubs and not to sure Robbie would be very comfortable in such a role not to mind us looking on!
Crucial to win the throw in restarts , how many times have Dublin scored directly from throw in restarts over the years? often raising the green flag. Did it to us in last years final and Kerry the year before , it’s a preplaned play when the opposing team is most vulnerable, with a man coming at pace creating the overlap with only the 6 defenders between the goal and 50 all of whom are well spaced out. Has to be stopped, by foul or fair means , gets them 3 on the board which gives them the scoreboard space to manage games and as we know only too well, there is nobody better at managing games than the Dubs theses past 7 years .
It might be the optimist inherent in us Mayo people but I do give us a serious fighting chance Saturday week. They will raise their game from what they have produced in Leinster but I feel that we just might have enough this time.
Last 50% capacity train back to Mayo leaves 10 minutes before kickoff , well that was well thought out again said no one
Again the key is not to concede goals against them to give ourselves a fighting chance.
Kildare seemed to block up the middle on front of their goal well to stop the goal chances.
Would play 5 deep lying defenders Formation along the lines of.
Hession, OHora,Coen (on rock)
Keegan, KMcl,
Plunkett, Mullin, Durcan
DOC, Ruane,Loftus
ODonnoghue
AOS, Carr
Start with Carr and OShea initially.
Conroy, EMcl coming off the bench for impact
In fairness Jeff trains are up to 75% now and you would assume a special will be put on
I dont understand where people think tickets will come from, in a 24k pie v Dublin, id highly doubt there will be any available through public sale and youd still only see a 7/8 k max portion to Mayo .
The Dublin of last year and certainly the year before would have had this Kildare team beat out the gate by half time. They don’t look like a team that are clicking up front . They are taking on and missing shots they wouldn’t have previously. Will they improve for the semi ? I’m sure they will but nothing I have watched this year makes me fear them . We have a great chance lads make no mistake about it .
From our clubs hopefully Seán
Jeez there was great comfort in the season tickets for matches like this .
The GAA are delighted they don’t have that portion of tickets gone for this match I’m sure ……
Yes but id imagine it will be similar to an all ireland but worse cause of reduced capacity , clubs are rarely able to meet demand for finals never mind a croke park at 24k , granted its a semi but when its Mayo v Dublin in the context of demand its not that different ie 2015 im pretty sure was a sell out.
Personally ive just said to myself this morning , it will be a TV ticket for me . I will say this though it astonishes me where the support comes from when i think of sitting in mchale park v leitrim in the rain where only 2k out of 3600 tickets could be sold and then the lack of demand for the galway game too and like i said at the time they will all be up for the next one .
Centrefield I like ur plan but conroy has to start. I feel we need to put dublin on the back foot and put them under pressure that they have not yet experienced.
Centerfield, there is no way Horan will set up like that. You’re robbing peter to pay Paul there I’m afraid and our attack suffers big time. Andy Moran regularly says you need to score 20 points to beat Dublin – that formation wouldn’t I’m afraid. With that formation, there is no way we can push up on comerfords kick outs either, therefore handing Dublin possession from every one of their own kick outs which is manna from heaven for them. They’ll gladly retain possession for 5+ minutes (a scourge on our game – the GAA need to look at bringing in a basketball type rule of no back court or a shot clock) and work a score.
That type of formation is what Leinster counties have been doing for years -damage limitation and it doesn’t work. We do need to shore up defence with a floating sweeper between 6 and 3 – this can even be number 6 if we play a deep midfielder at 8 playing between the 6 & 8 positions.
We do need to shore up defence and not concede more than one goal and Dublins attack is better than Galways. But we have been the ones who have pushed Dublin closest when they were at their prime by playing a high octane whole field press. We don’t need to rip up the script now – they are not as good as they were and losing Cluxton is huge. I don’t think dessie Farrell is well liked by many of the players from reading between the lines to be honest. Certainly that’s why mannion walked and what a loss he is.
If we get a fair rub of the green from the ref (against the dubs this is not a given), we have a great chance. Conroy and McLaughlin should be frothing at the mouth to get a second shot at Dublin so soon after December. Maigh Eo abú
Kildare kicked 5-6 into Comerfords hands. They were poor in fairness and played a very cautious type of game. The ref was ridiculous. Dubs had a few shitty wides – a few players not at their best. But I still think Dublin were in control for the most part of the game.
Whatever the result in a fortnight Mayo will challenge Dublin with pace and experience like they haven’t seen since Christmas. If Dublin win, they’ll have earned it the hard way. Can’t wait.
Leinster final 2020 , 3-21 to 9 points . Beating Meath by 21 points . Big difference in the Dubs this year.
Semi Final tickets cost €50 in 2019, would expect a price increase this year based on other games so tickets could cost €60/€70 with no deductions for children or older people.
While I firmly believe that the Dubs are on the downslide I cannot ignore the fact that the bookies are offering 11to 4 on us to beat them. Probably realistic but being the eternal optimist I’ll probably invest. Mind you , 13 to 2 to win the final is bad value. Dubs are not as good as they were but have we improved by much?
Whilst it’s great to see so much optimism among posters about our chances, I fear that some of it is unfounded.
In 2021, Dublin have shared the Division 1 League Title with Kerry, and retained the Leinster Title yet again….Sounds like a ship on course to me.
Mayo have gained promotion from Division 2 after beating mediocre opposition such as Westmeath, Down, Clare etc.
We had a procession against Sligo and Leitrim, who this year, were as poor as either have ever been. Yes, we are Connacht Champions after a blistering second half against Galway. But let nobody forget the poverty of our first half performance.
If we turn up against Dublin, and perform like we did in the first half against Galway, need I spell it out.
What we need is a repeat of the second half performance , but for most of the 70 minutes.
If we can throw that level of performance at the Dubs, and sustain it, it will ask serious questions of them.
We need to hit the ground running, and keep running, and then we’ll find out if the Dubs really are in decline. But please folks, when assessing our prospects, don’t make the mistake of basing them on what we did against the likes of Sligo and Leitrim.
We now face our biggest test of 2021 so far.
I don’t think anyone thinks the Sligo and Leitrim games have any relevance. People are going on the All Ireland final last year, which we were very competitive in despite Paddy Durcan getting injured in the opening 5 minutes.
It does appear Dublin have gone back a bit, they won’t have mannion and Howard coming off the bench, however they are still obviously favourites.
Our chances of beating Dublin rely entirely on three things.
1. Getting our defensive matchups right in order that we are faced with an achievable winning points total. Basically no point scoring 22pts if we concede 23pts.
2. How well we operate as a team Aidan at 14. This has five elements. Number one commitment and patience. I don’t want to see the batman signal after 15mins because we need Aidan at midfield, patience. Number two the ball kicked in has to be to our advantage, not out wide, not 50 foot high, not in on top of the covering goalie, not skidding along the ground.
Number three, the near support of Ryan and Tommy. Number four the deep runner support from the middle third. Number five taking the occasional mark.
3. Impact from the bench. If you want to beat Dublin 7-8/10 performances are needed from the bench. Too often our bench has trended 4-6/10 against Dublin.
If any of those three are off we will not be beating Dublin.
If we achieve all three I think the win is there for us.
We are fitter than last year, we have more scoring options, we have a better bench than last year.
Centrefield, personally feel James Carr has done nothing to warrant a start over Tommy Conroy. Tommy way quicker and more accurate. James really should have buried that one on one v Galway, it was unforgivable tbh.
With regards Dublin, yeah they’ve come back a bit, but are still winning handy. They’ll only be on the decline when they are bet. The mere sight of the green and red jersey will fire them up, if its a lack of motivation thats bothering them.
When Cillian got injured, (our top scorer from play in last years final) i thought we’d do well to retain the nestor cup. We’d have enough to get through an Ulster team, but not Dublin. Im sticking by that. We’ve over achieved this year considering retirements and injuries. Dublin will win by a few, and I fully fancy them to dispose of Kerry in the final, having being brought up to speed by us.
Km79 , one special even at 75 % capacity would be a joke , yet again the Dublin hospitality sector takes preference over Mayo supporters .The GAA along with the Dublin mafia have known for a long time that Kerry and Tyrone fans exit the city as soon as the game is over ,while the Dublin fans do fill the bars the hotels suffer every time Dublin play
A massive performance needed. Defenders cannot afford to switch off for a second, we simply cannot give away soft goals.
Carrot face – It appears the Dubs prefer to play into the Canal End in the 2nd half too, so we’ll need to win the toss for us to get our way 🙂
While I think Dublin don’t look as formidable as previously, they got John Small & Eoin Murchan back on the field yesterday & you can be sure they will be tasked with tagging 2 of our danger men.
The matchups will be key & intriguing.
Kilkenny, Con & Fenton probably the key ones. Rock is a quality footballer who always tags a few points. Costello looks to have really cemented his place. And Scully is a serious operator too. And Paddy Small has a very good first step & wins a lot of frees.
Kildare never once pressed the Dublin kickout, that is criminal. If we allow Dublin the short one all day, we cant win in my opinion. We have to press hard, especially after a big score, as the Dubs are masters at keeping the ball for an age & taking the sting out of things. Not to mention the fact that Comerford is new & has yet to be properly tested (he has looked good so far to be fair to him). Cluxton was often rattled, but he was very always able to recover & compose himself.
We’ll need a Personal Best performance from the lads, but I feel we have it in us. Roll on Saturday week
I do think Dublin have lost a bit of depth. Their bench isn’t what it was. I still think we will need to be operating at full tilt to beat them as they will up their game for us considerably. I don’t think they want to be beaten by us. I think if they were beaten by Kerry, they would take it on the chin, but I think they really don’t want us to do a job on them.
I believe we have a great chance though. We have the fitness to keep up with them for 70 minutes. Need to be moving the ball fast – get up the pitch as quick as possible, get the runners on the go. I also think for the first time in years, man marking jobs on specific Dublin players will be effective in diminishing some of their impact. In previous years, it nearly seemed like man marking jobs didn’t matter because of their depth and quality all over the pitch and on the bench – they always had another option. Now, I’m not so sure.
We need to be tight at the back too – frustrate Rock and Con. Don’t give them an inch.
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is Comerford. The second half in Semple stadium against Kerry they pushed up on his kick outs.
That resulted winning the second half.
Comerford has never experienced a high press in croker and you can be sure Mayo will go after him from the start.
Pressure and panic him and we could be well on our way.
Mayodunphy
not saying Carr warrant selection over Tommy.
Tommy was not at his best in the AIF last year or against Galway in 2 high pressure matches so i’m saying bring him in off the bench to take some pressure off him. Play big physical presence on edge of square first 20-25. Then switch it AOS out as defensive MF and Tommy and ODonoghue inside
depending on how things are panning out.
Personally have no problem with Carr taking point the last day pushed match out to 2 goals
Those complaining about ticket prices , time of throw in , hotels , train times , if anything puts you off availing of a ticket , ill gladly take it off your hands and ill even throw a few quid on top of face value .
I think Dublin beat us comfortably in last years final. When we got close to them they upped their game and pulled away again. In second half – we never looked like winning.
To beat the Dubs the next day – we will have to be at least 30% better than last year and Dublin will have to have regressed by 30% – that’s a big swing.
Cillian is going to be a huge loss. Who is going to take the tricky 40 meter free into the breeze. Ryan from the hands??. Still no left footed free taken – can Darren McHale take frees.
Mayo dunphy. I with you on this one too. Lost so many players to retirements. Then coc injury plus no Harrison. Kildale conceded no goal and still went down by 8. The problem is we will concede goals. Wing backs playing as corner back s only gets us so far. A keeper thats not commanding but has a great distributor..everything would have to fall right for us . 2006 Higgins late block . Vaughan misses 45 etc. Fenton is still a top player..we have taken galway. A team that had brutal form since lockdown. Unless there is some magic formula to shore up our goal leaky defence its hard to see us winning. But hope springs eternal.
Loftus may also be nominated to take longer range frees. But its likely Robbie will take those along with 45s. But no harm to have options.
i agree Craggy Bogland with your analysis.
The other thing is there’s little evidence of work being done on protecting the Mayo goal.
Dubs conceded a goal in a match a few years ago and story was that Cluxton et al spent a few hours correcting the errors that caused the goal to stop it happening again.
Dubs will go after goals the first 20 min of the match and try to land a couple of knockout blows that is absolutely guaranteed
@Craggyboglands your hit the nail on the head there. Are we 30% better without Chris and Cillian?…I dont think so. As sure as the sun rises in the East, we’ll concede two goals in Croker. With Murchan and J Small back i feel the Dubs will be a different proposition to what we’ve seen so far. Heart will always say Mayo, but head says Dublin by 6. Obviously hope to God im wrong.
From a goal stats point of view we have conceded
16 goals in the last 8 champ meetings against Dubs (2013 onwards) averaging 2 per match with zero clean sheets.
Dublin have conceded 6 goals in these same matches averaging 0.75 goals per match and not conceding more than 1 goal in any of these matches.
The last time we kept a clean sheet against them was in 12 when we beat them.
Dublin will be a different animal on Sat week – on cruise control yesterday. There’s no way Fenton, Rock and O’Callaghan will be anywhere near that quiet again. Despite comments to the contrary James McCarthy was commanding the midfield apart from the one slip when he was dispossessed by Daniel Flynn (an outstanding footballer). Hoping we get David Gough for referee – “Dublin Joe” McQuillan, is known to be a little ‘whistle-happy’. Maigh Eo Abú. (btw Mayo are 5/1 to win outright – tempting but….?)
A poster mentioned above that Comerford hasn’t experienced a high press in Croke Park.
I was wondering recently – has Robbie had to deal with a press? In Croke Park or elsewhere?
Personally I’ll never forget the press put on by the Kerry players against D Clarke in Killarney in 2019. I was directly behind him in the stand and it was a formidable sight to behold.
Only mentioning this because Robbie will have to prepare for the high press too. One thing he has is accuracy. And the Mayo players are used to working around presses.
But Dublin are very cute and might see this as a weak point for us.
On another point, we need to go ahead and stay ahead, have them chasing us, and cut out this horrid keep-ball tactic they use (uafásach).
Match ups for Dublin
Padraic O’Hora on Dean Rock the slowest of Dublin forwards
Oisin Mullin on Con O’Callaghan the quickest and most dangerous Dublin Forward
Lee Keegan on Cormac Costello
Paddy Durcan on Ciaran Kilkenny has past experience on him
Stephen Coen on Niall Scully man marking job for Coen
Eoin McLaughlin on Jack Small
Diarmuid O’Connor on Brian Fenton
Matty Ruane on James McCarthy
If we are to beat the Dubs we need to have a plan to stop conceding soft goals and also to keep them under pressure with a high press. Easy enough to say especially with our defensive record so far this year. The Kildare full forward line put Dublin under severe pressure when the ball was feed into them. This didn’t happen often enough but you could see that they were vulnerable when it did. Based on our 7 matches so far this year, these are the players who have been outstanding and others who need to step up.
All Star potentials:
Paddy D, Oisin M, Mattie, Aido, Ryan O’D, Kevin Mac. All have been consistently brilliant over 7/10 per game.
Above average
Rob H, S Coen, C Loftus, Tommy C. These 4 need to maintain their form on Sat week.
Average,
Leeroy, O’Hora, Eoin MacL, Diarmaid, D MacHale. Some are carrying injuries, others back from injury. MacHale very unlucky to be subbed the last day. All need to put in a huge shift if fit and selected for us to have a chance.
Subs
Carr, Flynn, Walsh, Hession, Brickendan, Plunkett. If full forward line is misfiring, I’d bring in Carr at full forward to run at the Dubs.
The Dubs haven’t been tested recently. Only Kerry in the league has put it up to them and that was way back in May. We badly need a defender who could organise our backs similar to how Cillian organised our forwards. How we will miss him.
What’s the story on Boyler – he hasn’t had much game time recently and may have lost a yard or two (but what’s the evidence of that?). Keith Higgins admitted himself that when he began to slow his trump card was gone. Boyler has often been outstanding against the Dubs – could he do a job in 3rd or 4th quarter? We must start Kevin – his speed and guile can occupy the Dublin half-backs.
I like those matchups TH, some real quality battles.
Mullins on O Callaghan
and particularly
Durcan on Kilkenny would be epic to watch.
Not sure O’Hora is the guy to watch Rock. He’s not the fastest, so pace isn’t the issue, but Dean has a way of nearly always being in the right place at the right time. I feel it’s a big ask to level up to that kind of football intelligence just yet for Padraic.
Based on Costello’s current great form, and Keegan coming back from that shoulder injury, that pairing would definitely favour the Dubs. That could turn into a roasting very easily.
Dublin may win but not by 6,i think this will be close even at the 70th, going to be hard on the nerves.
Is it fair to say there not a hope in hell on getting tickets for this one
We could do with Donie Buckley back as a defensive coach for next year. Our defence was a lot tighter and more intensive in their tackling, without conceding frees when he was there before. I think he is the missing link in the setup.
Going to be near impossible by the sounds of it. Don’t have an issue with the tickets being allocated through the clubs but it will be grating to hear the usual event junkies who dont go to any games but ingeniously manage to show up at games such as this.
Any update on OHora?
As there’s no Cardie Mugheo season tickets this year. Let’s hope those people who spent 250 eouros on a wall tile will be given the option of buying a ticket. Many of those tiles have been bought by Mayo people outsider the county. If the tickets are given to the clubs that’s there chance of getting a ticket as zero.
While I think Dublin are not the team they were there is no great evidence that we should beat them. People saying Dublin were poor yesterday yet they scored 20 pts against a very defensive system. We were all elated (and rightly so) when we beat Galway but look back at the game Fair first quarter, dire second quarter, good third quarter, fair last quarter Galway folded the tent in second halfWe scored 16 times I would expect Dublin to be much better in 2 weeks I also expect us to be better Our hard running game might give them problems but we simply can’t afford to give them goals especially soft ones which drain the confidence Cillian will be a big loss for us but we must go toe to toe with them and put them under as much pressure as possible. Dublin deserve to be hot favorites I’d give us a chance but bookies have the odds about right Maigh Eo abu.
@TH, this crack worrying about matchups is not going to win anything, this is admitting fear. The inform players will be needed to attack from the middle, not worrying about Dublin players. The game needs to be played on Dublins half, this means a squeeze on their kickouts.
This is the reason why the Dubs win, too much fear in case they might get an early goal, it has happened on a few occasions now. It’s up to management to have all players ready / up to the pace of the game from the throw in.
Very simple for Mayo to win it must be all out attack in 1st half, they will need to keep well ahead on the score board, this close finish in injury Will suit the Dubs.
Goals, points, marks all will be needed in 1st half.
Any word of a date and time tickets will go on sale on the Ticketmaster website?
The big positive for Dublin is John Small and Eoin Murchan are back now and both will start the next day. That means either Sean McMahon will be dropped or they might move Brian Howard to the forwards in place of Paddy Small or someone else.
@swallow swoops, yep Robbie did experience plenty of pressing.
Last 20 mins of the 2015 semi replay and the entire second half of the 2019 semi.
I don’t think anyone needs reminding how those games finished.
It’s now a key feature of modern day inter County football pressing kickouts and winning as many of your own kicks. The possession gathered from kickouts directly translates into the running games being employed by the big four teams.
So for me it’s crucial Comerford is hounded. This will be his first real test.
Well lads – looking forward to hearing Rob back on the pod this week.
Any updates when tickets will be on sale?
Thanks
I’d say it fair to say not a hope in hell of these going on general sale, I think I will book the couch
The Mayo News says this morning that details on ticketing haven’t yet been finalised. Some online sale of tickets might happen but it’s not clear how many or when or indeed if this will happen at all.
I was looking at hurling and it doesn’t look like tickets will go on general sale for Limerick so I can’t see it been any different for this one considering the demand
I’ve been tracking Limerick v Waterford, which should be much the same as our match. No sign of any tickets on general sale, and going by the Limerick Leader the clubs seems to be the distributors.
Why should they go through clubs? Is general sale not a fairer method? Why are seaso ticket holders not getting first option?
Again, going by what others have said in relation to tickets – this weekend’s hurling match sees punters know if they have tickets later today and later this week.
Don’t mind if the game is on late Saturday evening but it’s the utter disdain for supporters that leaves it until the middle of next week to see if we can get a ticket for a game a few days later.
Late Saturday throw in makes me want to book a hotel room – be very valuable if the game goes to extra time!
I know I could provisionally book a room now but feel bad for hotel if I cancel for free a few days before the booking.
Why not release tickets this week? There’s no logic in leaving it until next week.
Kickhams man, thank you for those details about the 2015 SF replay and that SF in 2019. I appreciate that and it helps make a clearer picture in my mind about Rob’s, and our, experience with the high press.
I was in the Nally Stand for that game v Dublin in 2019. I had forgotten it was Robbie in goals. That was a ten minutes of fire that he had to endure.
I actually didn’t realise Dublin were pressing his kickout for that ten minutes as I was at the other side of the park. I’m pleased you pointed this out to me.
Spotlight, season tickets are not in operation this year, no one has paid for a season ticket so cant be expecting priority treatment. Going through the clubs is the fairest way to distribute tickets. It’s the clubs, funded by the members that pay very high levys every year to pay for McHale park and fund Mayo gaa so I have no problem with clubs getting tickets first. There is a lot of talk about “genuine supporters” “loyality” etc etc, most of it is complete rubbish but no one can question club members loyalty to the GAA.
There are going to be a lot of loyal fans left disappointed for this one. Whoever gets a ticket is no more loyal than the next fan, they’re just luckier so make sure you bring the noise and support and let’s try outnumber the dubs!
For sure, and I’m sure alot more loyal than me, it’s a lottery for the year that’s in it, I think it would be easier to get one for the final than this match tbh, Ill think I’ll be happy at home and hope we can cause an upset
Definitely will be luck as most clubs will have to do a draw
My own club is now junior with no county players and a large membership so it will be like winning the lotto if I get one
And I need two 😀
Dublin are not what they were but neither are Mayo. We need to pull something out of the hat defensive wise for this one. We need a sweeper system of some sort. Concede a few goals and we are goosed, the trick is how to do this and still have a full press on Dublin kick outs.
Why is everybody getting so excited about AOS doing damage at full forward v Dublin?
We have seen him posted at ff against dubs on umpteen occasions and he has never had an impact there.
He needs to be out around the 40 somewhere foraging and tackling, that’s where he will have most impact
Are the Dublin midfielders as potent as they used to be ?, I’m not so sure they are. Maybe McCarthy and Fenton have lost a bit since last year.
Could Aidan have more of an impact this time around the middle, for a while anyway.
Agree that AOS needs to be out around the 40 – his hand passing (often overlooked) and tackling are outstanding.
Its safe to say Dublin find it hard to fully rise themselves against the Galacticos of Meath and Kildare… They will be a completely different animal Saturday week. Mayo and Kerry now stand between them and 7 Heaven. The two teams im sure they “hate” the most, these are the games these players live for.
For me, Aido has to stay at FF no matter what, its better for the team as a whole and will give Tommy and Ryan a little bit more room. You just never know how Comerford will handle Aido and high balls in? Its imperative he stays there. Keep him away from the throw in’s aswell, for obvious reasons., Any slim chance of victory depends on us bagging goals, we need him at FF to create mayhem.
People spooked by 1 throw in Aido lost leading to a goal. His return isn’t as high as several years back but that’s more because of targeting and he still wins > 50%. He was a fingertip away from winning that one last year. Leave 2nd midfielder to sweep and defend and Aido our best ball winner in.
Anyway the bigger discussion is Aido at FF. Flynn won plenty there last week. Aido has a lot more football intelligence than Flynn showed on Sunday drifting out to the wings removing the threat. That said he still blasted Davy Byrne aside for a great goal. O’ Sullivan is maybe a bigger loss to Dubs than others as always seemed tuned in to the best positioning and kept their goal count low. Howard who excelled as sub last year didn’t impress from 6 and his replacement Small is foul prone. Murchan is quick but will he be 100%?
I think Dubs still have good forwards, great ones if let but not as confident of their backs. Carr and Darren Coen need to use more game smarts and get into higher percentage areas than last year’s AI if coming on. Darren McHale has jumped ahead of both, fast and direct, plays quite central.
Kildare learned from Mayo that match ups work well. That’s worth noting for us again.
I would agree agree with an earlier post from Tommy+Joe on James McCarthy. He’s the beating heart of Dublin and is central to fixing any problem they might have. Need to close down an attacker – he can sit right in. Need to win some ball – push him into midfield. Need a score to settle the nerves – he’s more than comfortable pushing forward.
He’s been one of the best players I’ve ever watched. So I was gobsmacked when he was stripped of possession for the Kildare goal at the weekend. He even looked very laboured trying to chase back.
Now this might just be an off day and he may well lift it straight back to usual service against Mayo. But make no mistake, he’s a huge part of this team and tends to mask a lot of other deficiencies. If we can get McCarthy moving backwards we’d go a long way towards shifting the balance of this game.
Not having Cillian O’ C available is a huge loss for sure. But another way to look at it is that when he does play Mayo seem to be a bit one dimensional with most forward play going through him (not saying that there is anything wrong with that). But maybe just maybe with others now having to step up we might have something new to worry the Dub. I know that some of you will be saying that I’m talking through my Ahole but just think about it for a sec !
RahoonSean – I’ve changed your handle to this name in the comment you posted there, both because it’s one you’ve used frequently in the past and because the MayoManinGalway handle has been used for years on here by someone else. I know you’ve posted under that handle the odd time too but I try to avoid having different people posting comments under the same name as it leads to all manner of confusion. If you could stick to the RahoonSean handle from now on that would be helpful.
Willlie Joe, sorry about that and any confusion caused. I knew I had another handle but for the life of me I couldn’t remember it ! So RahoonSean from now on, besides some of the “natives” Corrib side would say that there are too many of us here in the first place ?