It’s Sunday night with Monday back to school ahead of us in the morning and The Sunday Game paused on the DVR I’ve only time for a few quick thoughts at this point on today’s action at Croke Park. With three weeks to go to the final, though, there’ll be more than enough time to chew the fat on all salient issues before this and then.
The Dublin-Kerry match was nothing if not absorbing and with Croke Park packed to the proverbial rafters – or nearly, the official attendance today was just over 81,500 – it certainly felt like a major championship clash. Six goals and 29 points later it felt as if we’d just seen a re-run of the OK Corral.
Dublin finally persevered in this shoot-out but a better team than Kerry would surely have pushed on having lashed in those two early goals – though Mannion’s punched riposte to the second one was astonishingly good – and Kerry’s limitations were increasingly exposed the longer the day wore on. They died in the second half against Cork, they did the same against Cavan and then eventually did so again today, only this time they didn’t have a big enough lead to fall back on. They still could have squeezed home – they led by a point with five minutes to go and Declan O’Sullivan missed a chance to restore that one-point lead with a minute of normal time left – but then finally were floored by that late Dublin fusillade.
You have to admit that there’s something about a Dublin goal at Croke Park which makes the place really come alive:
And, of course, the second late one put the tin hat on it altogether:
It was a gutsy win for Dublin but, unlike many of you in the comments tonight, I wouldn’t exactly be overdoing it with the superlatives where it comes to them. The Dubs may have ended the day with their best team on the pitch but major questions can rightfully be posed about Jim Gavin’s team selection for this one. The two young corner backs O’Brien and Cooper were cleaned out in the first half and Ger Brennan was never able to come to terms with the Gooch either. McCaffrey never got the chance to rampage forward in the way he’d done in previous games and in the forwards Kilkenny and Mannion (who, in spite of that goal, did little else of note) both ended up getting hauled off, with neither of them sparking in the way they’d been expected to.
Gavin put his faith in youth this year and the way the five young lads that he started struggled quite badly today now leaves him with a bit of a dilemma for the final. Does he leave the two lads in the corner on and hope we don’t do the same to them? Or does he put Philly on from the start and hope he doesn’t start WWIII before five minutes has gone? Does he think Jack will get a better licence to roam against our suffocating defence than he did today? And will Kilkenny or Mannion do better against us than they did against what was a poor enough Kerry defence?
The bottom line is that Gavin – a rookie senior manager, don’t forget – is now heading into an All-Ireland final with serious doubts about one-third of his starting side as he prepares to face a settled, battle-hardened outfit, one that’s capable of matching his charges in tempo and has a bench that’s at least as good. There’s set to be a fair amount of head-scratching in the Dublin camp over the next few weeks, I reckon.
My own take – as I said on the post-match audio earlier on – is that we shouldn’t be in any sense in awe of Dublin after today’s performance. What we’ve seen from our lads this year – ranging from the utter destruction wreaked on Galway and Donegal to the manner in which we slugged our way through Tyrone’s tricky challenge last weekend – is at least equal to anything we’ve seen from the Dubs this year. Can we beat them in three weeks time? Too bloody right we can.
And we can be confident, very confident in fact, that the minors will get us in the right mood for the big one by landing the Tom Markham Cup in the curtain-raiser on the 22nd. Roscommon should, of course, have come through today to make it a unique all-Connacht All-Ireland but it looked like they suffered from a bad dose of stage fright and allowed a limited but game Tyrone to snatch the spoils from under their noses.
In truth, neither side looked all that hot in today’s minor semi-final – on today’s showing (not to mention our lads’ display last Sunday) it’s hard to believe that Roscommon should have beaten us in the Connacht minor final back in July but they had enough possession that day to do so and they had more than enough to prevail today as well. When the game was there to be won in the final ten minutes, however, they simply wilted and put up little or no resistance as Tyrone poured forward to claim the game’s winning scores.
We should have enough class to handle the Red Hand lads easily enough in the final but, of course, the thing we’ll need to be prepared for in three weeks time is all that nasty, cynical stuff that the young Tyrone lads showed today they were fully fluent in too. You know the kind of stuff – all the things they don’t coach Tyrone teams to do in any kind of systematic way.
It would give me immense pleasure to see our lads give them a right hammering in the final … and then see the seniors do the same to the Dubs. If Carlsberg made All-Ireland final days, in other words.
Thanks for the audio report Willie Joe, I have to admit I needed some reassuring after that game.
One of the best games in a long time. We should have no fear of Dublin.
Hello, Just checked Paddy Power and he has Mayo evens and Dublin 11/10.
The rossies will be disgusted to have left this behind them. Wasted chances and messing in front of Tyrone goals cost them dearly! From what I saw of our minors at HQ the last day were in with a serious shout! Ask for the main stage take the gooch out of Kerry today they had very little! Dublin made very hard work of beating a team that consisted of a number of 30+ year olds! We’ll match them for fitness if not exceed them in every area of the field! M D had a great game at midfield but can’t see it happening against AoS! The game is there for us we must make every chance count! Is feidir linn! Maigh Eo Abu!! Heads up every one we’ve been kicking ass all year let it not stop now!
IM not 100% on bookies odds but that saying paddy power still had us favourites?
Once Mayo put on a performance i have no fear.Im sure they will be careful not to give away a lead.Good audio WJ.When i was watching game i wad thinking same that we will carve them right open.Dublin love to attack but not defending and they cant tackle right as i mentioned before.If we can turn Dublin over in their own back line and stop them from getting on their bike we are in clover.Mayo to win .Dublin next year .
Agree with you wj. Kerry showed us today how to beat dubs. Think horan will be quietly confident. We know how to beat Dubs. Interesting to see Dubs wonderkids all struggle today. Pressure is a funny thing. Dubs best team probably finished the match. Delighted to see Brennan destroyed by Gouch. Class will always win out.
Lastly am I the only one who cant stand seeing that bollox Cian O Neil pretending he is the manager. His back looked to have had a miraculas recovery. All year I have not seen Buckley on any sideline. He is doing his job nice and quietly. Like for gods sake how hard is to coach a Kerry team? Any eejitt could do it!
Good audio WJ. Think we have all the components to beat this dublin team althugh not quite as confident as you are. Their full back line is desperate and there for the taking. Philly McMahon will probably start and we saw how that worked out for them last year!
I would worry about them when they break and we need to ensure the middle is shored up and they don’t get through as easily as today. We won’t die like kerry did though and have impact subs to come on and keep the tempo high.
Once Cluxtons kick outs are shut down, he panics and kicks the ball aimlessly. This happened today and in the semi last year. Dean Rock needs watching when he comes on but has no pace so should be markable. I thought brogan was good today but Mark O’Se isn’t the player he once was.
Their defence foul a lot instead of executing proper tackles. It is vital that we sort out our free taker for the final. Rory O’Carroll is there for the taking if Freeman turns it on.
As for the minors, I would expect us to win comfortably if we don’t freeze. The Tyrone centre forward needs watching but they have very little else. They have some proper tramps on that team and we need to ensure we don’t react to them.
The double is on…..don’t stop believing
Jesus, I was thinking Dublin will have us for breakfast. Are you guys for real that we will carve them open?
I don’t know about that, Tyrone are no great shakes and we struggled for a long time against them last week.
I wish I had your confidence, WJ, yourself especially on the audio. I hope you read the form and game a lot better than I do. I think we will be awfully lucky to win it.
The minors on the other hand are a different proposition, they will win easily if they just play their football. A classy team.
Today’s senior game was a cold shower for me.
David-“BELIEVE”
after that display by the Dubs they have to be favourites and I very much doubt Paddy power would see it otherwise…
Trying to believe SamSuun,
I just think Dublin are much better than anything we’ve met so far.
If coc was fit it would be a bit different in the goal scoring department, we”ll need a few goals for sure
The media will drive Dublin mad, that’s the only positive I take from today’s game. The stars might have not shone for the dubs but the subs are there for those type days and it worked
Dublin were made to look good against a very poor Kerry backline. Our forwards will think that they are dreaming when they see all the space that they get from the Dubs after coming up against Tyrone and Donegal in our last two outings. My initial reaction was that neither teams defence was good enough to win an AI and I stand by that after the game.
WJ is right. James Horan will be delighted and Brennan if he starts will be targeted. If he doesn’t and they play O’Sullivan there, then the midfield is weakened as Bastick is less mobile. Kerry were dominant around the middle at the start of the second half until they ran out of steam.
If Cillian was fit, I’d be supremely confident that we’d put at least 3 or 4 goals past them and plenty of points too, but even without him we’ve a great chance.
David,the defences on both teams were awful today,our backs are all allstars in comparison,mayo won’t fear them and none of their boy wonders impressed today,I think we have enough to win and a minor victory in the early will also give them a lift.
Remember we also have the experience of all Ireland final day and a lot of the dubs, including the management don’t. Virtually all our boys were involved last year. My hope would be that a lot of their young lads will let the occasion get to them, which to a certain extent happened today to jack mc, Kilkenny, o’brien, cooper and mannion, all of whom I thought were poor. It was the guys who we beat last year that stood up and performed.
I have huge faith in Horan and Buckley devising a way to beat them. We will need to take our chances, that’s for sure but barring 30 minutes against Tyrone, we have done that all year.
WJ, did brogan go off injured? I thought he was just out of gas but I only watched on tv. He will need serious watching in the final as has the potential to be a match winner.
This final is very hard to call, if we were to take the Mayo hat off for a minute, the attacking ability of Dublin is frightening , yes we have better defenders than Kerry have at the moment but it still doesn’t diminish the scoring power of the Dubs.
Bottle is a term thrown at Mayo supporters a lot because of our teams apparent lack of it in the past and when it comes to finals especially , I really think bottle will come into this game , the atmosphere for this game will be electrifying , it will be more intimidating than anything we have experienced imo , there is a general feeling in Dublin we cheated our way to victory in the last encounter.
Bring your bollix with ye lads, ye will need a fair pair for this one.
Brogan showed signs today that he is coming back into form too. He scored a few nice points from play.
I know David but I’m surely hoping mickey c will fill that void from play and between freeman and henelly the frees will be looked after! Keep her lit I’ll never last the three weeks!
A major problem for Dublin is some of their players are playing for themselves rather than the team.They have about 4 players who take on scores instead of passing to a team mate in a better position big big problem having lads like this.There also one dimensional.If you remember Donegal in 2011 when they went out to Dublin in the semis Donegal was set themselves up very defensively.they came back last year and tweaked their play and went a little more attacking.Mayo do both and as shown against Donegal.That is why Mayo will beat the Jacks and Dublin will win next year.
@remember51, agree with you on cian o neill, i too think he is a gobshite and annoys me when i see him on screen. The mere sight of him in his shorts roaring at players just gets under my skin. Buckley does his stuff nice and quietly and obviously is alot better coach.
Hi All,
As always I hope you dont mind a Dub commenting, I am just back from the game and it was a great match. It will be another great match in 3 weeks and another great atmosphere but here goes the search for tickets, best of luck to you all.
Kind Regard’s,
Martin the Dub
I think you may have read the Power odds wrong. They have Dublin even money favourites and Mayo 11/10. They go 9/1 the draw. If COC was in the full of his health I think we might have a good chance. Conroe is game, runs all day but is not a lethal finisher like Cillian.
’twas a grand open game of football today but as was said by Eddie above, the defence was woeful on both sides. I think each side went one-on-one which you can be damn sure Mayo won’t. They met the same kind of naive defending against Cork and were close enough there too.
We will rip open the defence and should rack up a good score, we would be well capable of matching the 3-12 Kerry got today. If we keep a clean sheet or even restrict them to one goal we will win, they haven’t met a decent defence or even a blanket defence all year.
Good man Martin, great win today, fair play to ye. Should be an epic final.
Hey Martin
thanks for that and very well done today.
One thing for sure, whoever wins sam will have earned it.
paddy power has dublin as slight fav’s.
Thanks, Martin – a gentleman as always. There’ll be some fun up here – not least in my own house – over the next three weeks and one hell of a final to come then!
Cheers Martin….i think i said the dubs by 6 a few days ago….ye have a serious squad, will take some stopping. Gavin has a panel there that will be at the top for years to come.
Great game.
Frankly Dublin looked awesome.Anyone suggesting we will beat them easy is blinkered.We can beat them though but it will take a massive performance and a slight change of tactic.We wont win with higgins as sweeper.we need him on brogan or mannion and barrett as well. Maybe Cuniffe could move out .Conroy should start ..Andy should not.
We need power and speed all day to open them up like Kerry did .Kerry tired ..we wont.Kerry started well…we must.
Time to stop this nervous crap if we want to win anything.feck all nerves when you win.
Think we are going in in right frame of mind.We have to believe…no more excuses.
Minors are better than Tyrone…end of.
Good man John Griffin…
C’mon t’fhuck!!!!
Ciaran: I work for Bamburys up here in Dublin and they are quoting Dublin 5/6, Mayo 6/5
I think Dublin are evens and we are 11/10 with Paddy Power which makes them the slightest of favorites. Either way the bookies see it as a 50/50 game as I do. It will come down to the oldest of cliches, who performs to their best on the day. They have some serious weaknesses at the back but have some serious fire power up front. They do play a Kevin Keegan type game of we will score more than you but that is a high risk strategy if their forwards don’t perform or don’t get enough service and they are leaking at the other end. In my opinion they have the more dangerous forwards but our backs are far superior to their backs. The kick outs and primary possession, and possession won from breaks from the kick outs will determine the winner of the final. To use a Donegals man saying, if we can keep our net clean ( goalless ) I an convinced we will score enough to beat them. We have been shown today how to beat them, will Horan be brave enough to start with fit pacey inside forwards? I believe we will win game six, and I will sleep much better the night before the final facing the Dubs as opposed to our old nemesis. Our lads will die for this one and I think that will make the difference. BELIEVE !!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe we will win if:
1. We play with speed with as JOhn Griffin says no nerves. Bad starts have been our downfall.
2. We learn from Donegal.Dont let the forwards run through.
3.Dont know about Higgins. He hasnt been as effective where he has been played but Cunniffe has played well in backs
4.Big games needed from everyone.
5.We must be the hungry ones. 62 years is too long!
h’on Mayo
We fear no one. The days of that are gone. We plan, we prepare, we’l respect the dubs, we’ll turn up and give it a right good crack…and if that’s good enough then so be it. Our day will come. Be damn sure of that!
we have been favourites in every game we played in the championship and the bookies were right , so hopefully we can edge out the dubs in the betting in the next few weeks . AS for the comments on cian o neill ,i think we should refrain from making snide remarks about him , as he has done us a huge favor by moving out and letting a very good coach replace him in mr buckley, W J , i thought brogan had a good game until he was replaced . plenty of things for us to work on , but lets us show to be confident but not arrogant for the next few weeks , best of luck to all
Yes, there is money coming in for Dublin, they are now 4/5 and will probably go lower. There are presumably more Dublin gamblers than Mayo gamblers.
Still, there seems to be great confidence among the supporters on this site. What a game to look forward to.
I would not be surprised if Cillian O’Connor started. It is great not to know everything?
One of Dublins tactics in the league semi was to target Flynn/Vaughan on kickouts with great effect. That will need to be countered. If Brennan survives to start then Higgins would crucify him for speed so I can’t see him being placed there.
Hi Willie Joe, Mayonaze, tonyk & Juan….thanks for your comments and I greatly appreciate them. The win was great today of course but there was a tribute to my hero Kevin Heffernan before the game and there was also a great tribute to Paidi O Se which makes a special day more meaningful. Take care gents and I know Willie Joe will have to have a Dub flag hanging from somewhere because of his care!! cheers
Speaking of Cillian. If he hasn’t had the operation by now, it must mean that he hopes to play at least some part. If he was definitely out then surely he would have got on with the operation. Obviously he could have had the op and they are keeping it quiet to keep the Dubs guessing but this kind of thing gets out especially these days.
As i said before the dubs are too one dimensional like Donegal in in 2011.The Dubs game is all about attack attack attack and its lovely to watch.But what happens when Mayo crowd them out around the middle of field and force them to kick from angles? Mayo’s game has a little more depth to it.We can attack and defend .Dublin cant defend .They also have too many Conor Mortimers. Does anyone know if Ticketmaster or tickets.ie will get an allocation for the final?
Tickets only from clubs etc but not ticketmaster or tickets.ie.
Incidentally see Gavin stirring it up that they are not getting frees. Surely an attempt to influence ref? Now what does Conroy or Freeman have to do to get frees I wonder.
Brolly talking usual crap today I hear. Only thing that changes is his mind. In fairness he is consistently boring and rude.
By half time I thought my prediction that Kerry would win looked the outcome and I honestly wished they wouldn’t because they would take some stopping, especially after winning a game of this caliber. The football played by the Kingdom in the first half was sublime, the footpassing (especially the Gooch) the way the ball stuck and the movement was Kerry at it’s best.
The Dubs took over in the second half as Kerry tired and it ended up easy enough for the blue and navy, though the scoreline did flatter them.
Cluxton was beaten 3 times today and I wonder how they’re backs would manage against a team running at them at speed through the middle as well as the wings (Kerry was slow and deliberate and but for Gooche’s wonder passes , the scoreline would have been ordinary enough)………….That said the Dubs have a wonderful attack and as stated above, their mantra seems to be ‘we will score more that ye’. I also think that they haven’t come up against anybody like us throughout The Championship and we are there on merit the same as themselves by putting to bed all in front of us. It is setting up nicely for the 22nd.
MaighEo Abu
Jazus I don’t know what game ye were watching but the dubs frightened the brown stuff out of me! Kerry did everything you could ask of a team and they were superb but they were not good enough. If we are good enough to beat this Dublin team then were we really are one of the greatest teams ever to play football. That is the level we are talking about. I am seriously worried and I reckon a lot of others are too.
The Dublin fullback line was atrocious v Cork and even more atrocious today. Does Gavin replace his two corner backs? He has a big call to make but either way we can get some serious joy I feel by letting plenty of quick ball in. Mickey C would be ideal
I’m 100% sure we’ll do it, we have a far better defence than kerry and can cause that Dublin backline far more trouble. We’ll compete far better at midfield too
Agree McCaffrey had his poorest game and I forgot Kilkenny was even playing till he came off. Rock had a huge impact though and will prob be given the 14 shirt for the final
Anyway roll on 3 weeks! Cannot wait and 100% believe we’ll do it
I just don’t understand all this talking down of Dublin by so many posters on this site… one dimensional, having serious weaknesses etc. Have ye completely lost the run of yourselves? This Dublin team will devour us in 3 weeks time as they did in our previous two encounters earlier this year. Their forward line is simply outstanding and that’s going to be the key difference on 22nd Sept. So lets remove the red and green tinted glasses and get real. Only a complete collapse by Dublin will give us any hope of victory. On a positive note, I do think our minors will be All Ireland champions in three weeks time – Tyrone looked very ordinary and very beatable.
What an outstanding game and a credit to both sides for going all out to win it, as opposed to not lose it. I have to admit that at different times today I didn’t want to meet either side as for periods of the game they were both brilliant. I thought Kerry might take them, despite all the evidence against them, but I knew there would be a serious performance from them. I didn’t particularly want to meet the Dubs and initially after the game I was concerned.
However, after having a right good look at it again, and digging around a bit deeper, I am a little happier. The big scoreline is somewhat skewed by the late goal from Dublin but the things I take from the game are as follows…
1. For all of Dublins speed and endurance, allied to the ageing legs of the Kerry backs, Kerry actually led at 62 mins and should have gone back in front at 68 mins when Declan O’Sullivan badly shot wide.
2. Kerry failed to score in the last 10 mins of both halfs (or should that be halves?) yet Dublin still were struggling to beat them.
3. Kerry did not score from the 43 min to 56 min until Cooper drew them level, during this period, from the 44 min to 50 min, Dublin score 5 unanswered points.
4. A cheap lazy foul by Sherwood who was just introduced, in a very scorable position let Dublin pull level again in the 68 min.
5. Early in the second half Kerry pushed well up on Cluxtons kick outs and robbed 4 in the first 8 mins. Cluxton is very reluctant to kick it long and so he is always looking short. We have the legs to push up and mark the 6 Dublin backs all day, so Cluxton will have to go long more often against us.
I don’t know about the “golden boys” not doing their stuff. Mannion scored the crucial first half goal to reply immediately to the second Kerry goal.
@ 45 Dublin were great today no doubt.But i would stand by my comments that they are a one dimensional team as in there all out attack.They don’t defend well or tackle well which they are going to have to do with us and i don’t believe they will devour us either.
Fat Boy Cahill is on form tonight, “well, you know, could Kerry have given any more?” with his customary dopey expression. On the day that David Frost passed away, it is fitting that such an accomplished performer as Dessie is on tonight. Kind of lessens the blow!!!
45 – if you want to post defeatist stuff like that, then I really think you need to do it somewhere else. I’m all for telling it like it is but saying things like “only a complete collapse by Dublin will give us any hope of victory” is simply pathetic, defeatist nonsense. The team – the best Mayo team I’ve ever seen in the thirty years and more I’ve been supporting them – deserve better than that. Shame on you.
Correct mayomaningalway they ain’t going to walk over us that easily! It’s hard to call it a good win for Dublin when they were level up to 69 minutes
When it all comes down to it Dublin’s superior fitness and pace won it for them. At sixty eight minutes it was level and had three Kerry players not gone for the same ball and missed it with Kevin Mc grabbing it and getting that goal this would have ended a draw. Very enjoyable to watch and remember Mayo the hand of history is on your shoulder but it is not around your neck. Composure, confidence and steel from fans as well as teams required now, no point in giving up 3 weeks before the ball is thrown in.
While Dublin must be commended for their “gung-ho” approach, I have to agree with mayomaningalway in that they are one dimensional. It is all-out-attack, no sweepers, no withdrawn half forwards, no blanket defense, and it is great to watch. However, it does give opponents a chance. Jim Gavin admitted as much after the game in that he said he knows the game will ebb and flow because of their tactics. Fair play to him. However, it may prove to be naïve.
We learned last year that just because one starting 15 was good enough to beat the Dubs in a semi-final it did not automatically mean that the same 15 and tactics were good enough to win the final. We will not leave ourselves exposed at the back and I expect a similar defensive set-up as that which we used against Donegal, with a slight tweak, should be enough the “mind the house”. I would withdraw Higgins to a position behind the no.6 and in front of no.3. Hold the line and cut out any cross field balls and only break forward when the ball is in hand. Bear in mind also that the Dublin half forward line will not track back as much as our lads will.
I believe that if we keep a clean sheet, Dublin will not score enough points to win the match, particularly with their backs, because we should rattle up a good score. It will be a cracker of a final and in fairness I don’t think there is any spite or bitterness between the 2 counties. I always enjoy the crack with the Jackeens beforehand anyway.
Hon Mayo
Absolutely right Willie Joe.We have massive chance.
Good man Willie Joe was thinking what you just said! Were all together for this one. As the song goes ‘ the only way is up’!!
Willie Joe, hypothetical I know, but would you have been as confident (some would say bullish!) about our chances if Kerry had scraped through?
The game was great to watch if you were neutral – entertaining and very close
No doubt Dublin had problems at the back with the movement of O’Donoghue and Cooper
They will need to watch their discipline as well as Brennan, McMahon and O’Carroll have short fuses
I thought Kerry would hold on – they were leading by a point with 3 minutes to go
Another big mistake made when McMenamin ran straight at them
The match ups should be interesting
McCauley v AOS
Caff v Brogan
Who will pick up Connolly
And who will they have to mark Alan Dillon – he ran the game last year
Should be a great final to look forward , but there’s plenty of time for discussing that
Nobody commented on the fact that just before half time Kerry missed three easy scores which would have given them a 5 point lead at half time. Could have made a difference.
I would be very cautious about how easily we will beat Dublin.
We saw two wonderful teams to-day; a credit to Gaelic football. I hope we can match it. The shite talk has started already!!!
We need to go for 70+ minutes; hope for the breaks, (which are always needed in a close game) and then pray some. I can see a game that will be hard on the heart. Both sets of supporters were shitting themselves at different times to-day. I like the close up of James Horan in the crowd.
As you say, Horan’s Brigade, it is purely hypothetical but I’d say I’d have been even more confident about our chances had Kerry come through.
Good man W J with supporters like that who needs Brolly
Agree 100% WJ
Another little stat, on 2 occasions in the first half Dublin went scoreless for 8 mins. That’s 16 mins without scoring in 35 min of the half. That is not exactly keeping the scoreboard ticking over. That is 45% of the half gone without a score.
However, only scoring 6 points in the second half was never going to be enough for Kerry to keep ahead. They nearly did it though. I thought the 2 O’Se’s were massive in the first half and even into the 55th minute and a credit to their parish.
this was a very good game but am i the only one that thought dublin looked ordinary enough in the first half, kerry had them knocked for six and they scrambled. the dubs pushed on better in the second half, good bench helped and mccauley was given too much leave in the middle, god help me but when that self satisfied look on cluxtons face was busy gathering the ball from the back of the net, i was glad.
we can take them if we play to our best @mayoforsam @seaofgreenandred
Interesting! Overall, I think I’m happy Dublin got through. The thought of Kerry in a final is off putting!! Too much history. There’ll be another chance to right ’04 and ’06 some day. One step at a time!
Dublin are a serious outfit and proved it today. Their forwards are class and Brogan, Connolly and Rock are serious operators. And it’s hard to see Kilkenny and Flynn being as quiet again. The tempo they played at was outstanding today and ultimately was the difference in that Kerry just didn’t have the legs or personnel to match it for the full 75.
However, as many have commented previously, there is plenty of room for hope. Their defence and midfield are definitely suspect. If they are as open at the back again, Mayo will have the legs to do damage. Vaughan and Keegan in particular would relish the freedom of being able to charge forward.
Plenty of time to do a full analysis of the match ups later. However, I would worry about the lack of a centre forward for the final. Brennan is not a good man marker (as was proved by Cooper today) but could flourish in a free role. Plenty of food for thought!
Firstly, congrats to the Dubs for grinding out a win today and for their part in providing us with an incredibly exciting afternoon’s football. Commiserations to Kerry – their defence let them down in the end, and it’s a wonder it didn’t sooner – the Dubs missed three goal chances in the first 25 minutes alone.
However, I’d share in WJ’s confidence after watching that. The dreadful Kerry defence was the Dubs’ biggest weapon today, and while not taking away from Kerry’s fighting display likewise the Dubs’ own poor back line made Kerry look better than they were. Far from a display of “complete football” by any means.
Dublin have incredible pace; this is true. But based on what we’ve seen from Mayo this year, if we get a good start (which will be crucial, make no mistake) do any of you think for a second they’ll get a tenth of the room they got against Kerry today? And defensively, Kerry carved through their full-back line numerous times today like a hot knife through butter – we are more than capable of doing similar. Our levels of skill are superior – our tackling this year has been clean and effective, and we’re not afraid to take on defenders any more.
Dublin showed us today in that display everything we need to know to put a plan in place to beat them well. Gavin too has some big calls to make, and we can also capitalise on that uncertainty. After what looked like a deceptively “all-round” performance today, the Dublin hype machine will be in overdrive. This is where we need to continue with the confidence we have all year, and go in there believing we can and will do it. Our support will be crucial on the day and under no circumstances can the heads go down like they sometimes do. This is where we as supporters need to come into our own, and we at the very least owe these guys that firm support for the fantastic year they’ve given us.
This is our time, mark my words. It won’t be easy, but I have no doubt this team is more than ready and able to put the wait to an end. Maigh Eo abú.
@45 I’ll take your ticket for the final so, cheers!
I would be targeting straight down the middle, heading straight for goal. I would do this for 2 reasons. Firstly, if Cillian doesn’t make it we will want our frees to be centrally placed and within the shooting range of Freeman. If he tacks over a few handy early frees, the lad will be unstoppable for the day. Secondly, Ger Brennan can’t defend with any sort of discipline and any replacements, e.g. moving O’Sullivan back, or sitting McMahon there, is only rearranging things and that may negatively influence things elsewhere for Dublin.
I thought Johnny Cooper was lucky to avoid a red card today and is one of a few hot-heads that could be suspect on the day.
I though MacAuley had a huge game today but I cannot see him getting so much freedom the next day.
Sarah i agree with what you said about Dublin looking ordinary in the first half.Kerry was awesome though and their kick passing was top class and their accuracy was unbelievable.Great game of football.My thoughts on Kerry was ok they got goals but they need to get some points on the board and if they had Dublin would have being in a bit of trouble.As Joe mc said Kerry could have being 5 points up at the half .That Kevin Mcmanamen reminds be of a bull in a china shop he comes on and all he wants to do run like fuck.If AOS stood in front of him he would get nicely bounced off Aidan .If we can pressure all their forwards and push up on them as much as possible to force mistakes.the same on their back line we need to be all over them not just mcaffery or macarthy but all of them If we can stop their runs we on the way.I do think the lads will do that .
I hear well what 45 is saying about the green and red tinted glasses. That was one hell of a game and a credit to all involved.
45 this is not the league now. Do not despair. We have the greatest Mayo team this county has ever produced, under the guidance of the greatest manager and management team that this county has ever been priviliged to have.
Fear not 45, the blur and the open space. Mayo have the belief 45 and the tentacles to wrap that space secure. . You see 45, this Mayo team and all involved Believe that they will overcome. Don’t mean to get all Martin luther King on ya 45.You’re a sound fella but your mind is dwelling to much on past failings.
I agree that Dublin were superb and always looked liked winners. They attack with a fury and intensity that is hypnotic. Even if they fail they will come back even stronger. A sight to behold 45.
Bottom line 45 we both want the same thing. Mayo to win the All Ireland. You 45 believe that they won’t and I believe that Mayo will win with style.
An aging Kerry team played out of their skins today and did their county proud. They almost had them with 68 minutes gone. Fair play to Dublin for finding a way.
Let Dublin be the hot favourites 45. Mayo are on their own way. Whether you want to believe or are just afraid to believe, it don’t matter much. This Mayo team will come through. It will be difficult in spots but the outcome is inevitable.
Mayo will be crowned All Ireland Champions, 2013.
Free at last free at last, thank God Almighty, free at last.
Couldn’t resist the last line with the week that’s in it.
“Come On Mayo!!!”
Enjoyed the game and well done to the Dubs. I think our defence of the D will be central, we have learned a lot from playing the Northern Defence, I think I might get a mass said for a few of those light Dublin players. Keep the heads right and make sure the frees are converted would be my 2 issues.
Mayo have the advantage of seeing the Dubs at their best ,Will need to up there game big time if there to have any chance,Lets not kid ourselfs.
Hey there Willie Joe, easy on 45.
S/he’s giving a personal assessment of some of the formidable aspects of the Dubs, which are there in spades and in the process he is helping to damp down the lap of honour stuff to which we are all addicted – before matches take place.
Surely you are not trying to censor anything that casts doubt on Mayo winning??
Not sure where all the Mayo confidence is coming from. Dublin’s forwards are miles better than Mayo’s and if we turn it into a shoot-out, the Dubs will do what they did to us in the league. We have to set up defensively to have a chance.
Also, have to disagree with the bench comment above. Mayo just don’t have the fire-power on the bench (i.e. Rock and McManamon) that Dublin have. Also, what’s with everyone raving about Jack McCaffrey? The lad is clearly a decent player, but outside of his pace he doesn’t look much of a footballer to me.
I was fairly fearful till I read through all the comments and there’s plenty to be positive about.Cluxton is like a club goalie facing a team with a county player (who’ll always play midfield)-ie he’ll kick it everywhere away from him so if he was afraid to kick 50/50 kickouts all season he def won’t like kicking 25 times down the O’Shea brothers throats!
As for our two league defeats in spring-we were far from full strength in both & what stood out for me in the league semi,Horan wasn’t bothered with the win it was all about blooding Alan Murphy & Michael Walsh among others…he had bigger fish to fry!.As it turned out poor execution stopped us from notching several late goal chances if my memory serves me right!
Team selection will be vital with Conroy,Carolans pace very attractive & the forgotten Jason Dohertys nose for goal a huge trump card
Seanod87 – there’s simply no way the final will be played remotely like the league semi-final. The more you look at that one, the more it looks as if it was a game we didn’t want to be in and didn’t want to win, as it would have upset plans for Salthill far too much. So I wouldn’t read anything into how that match – or indeed the earlier league meeting (which we should have won, by the way) – panned out. And, yes, it wouldn’t exactly be the shock of the century to see us set up defensively, which is exactly what I’d expect us to do. I think I made the point about the bench and I’d stand over it. We have lads like Shane McHale, Barry Moran, Cathal Carolan, Richie Feeney, Michael Conroy, Jason Doherty and others among our subs and this depth of strength easily compares with what Dublin have. Rock and McManamon were great subs for Dublin to bring on for sure but my point I guess is that they should have been on from the start and I think Gavin was damn lucky to get away with a very dodgy first fifteen selection today.
Olive – I deleted that “is there any truth in the rumour that …” comment. You should know the score by now about me and rumours – this site isn’t the place for either planting them or fishing about them. I prefer debates that are grounded in hard facts rather than rumours.
Have y’all seen the pic of the eye gouging on the Gooch?…if it happened in the incident where he was tripped & kneed in the head it was quite a triple whammy!.
I forget what they said about that incident on the Sunday game,Also the second yellow johnny Cooper should’ve got…oh maybe they hadn’t the time or the balls to mention it!
Well if we are going to start making comparisons to the league Mayos fitness levels were not up there with the Dubs at the time and i think everyone would agree that we have uped our performance and intensity since the league.The few last games Dublin were in looked as if they actually went backwards since league.Yes the Dublin forwards are top class.But our defense is top class and believe that they will contain a lot of Dublin threats.Along with going forward and taking scores .compare this to the Dublin back line which is weak as piss and it was all clear to see.We have the best midfield partnership in the county with Aidan and Seamie.We might not have the forwards Dublin have but yet we have put high scores in all the championship games bar the last game and when dillon,freeman,conroy mcloughlin,are on they will take scores from all over the place add that to our back line who can also score.Kerry lost the game on fitness.Mayo will track the Dublin runs a lot better than Kerry So i don’t see why people are worried .Once we put in a performance we WILL win.
The league games are bad example all right but what I’m saying is if we go man to man like Kerry did, Dublin will win and probably win easy.
I think our bench is equal to theirs in defence and at mid-field but (and this is my whole point) Dublin’s (and Kerry’s) inside forwards are a long way better than ours. Andy Moran is miles off the pace, CO’C is injured, Varley is such an unintelligent footballer, Conroy is gamey and shows well, but just can’t score enough. For me we need a massive game from Alan Freeman, he’s the one inside forward we have that actually has real talent. What we’d give to have someone like James O’Donoghue.
I’m feeling better after reading all the positive posts. I am sincere when I say the following, I think Dublin are a monster. 3 18 against Kerry in Croker park in a semi.
God bless all our players and management. They will have plenty to look at in today’s game. Coming up with a plan will be easier after seeing today’s episode but still, it won’t be easy.
The Dubs are poor at passing the ball out of their backline, a lot of errors (fodder for our half forwards) they are however very effective at passes once past the midfield going forward but isn’t that where they’ll come up against probably the best halfback line in the country, interesting times ahead……………………….on the above blog about Jason Doc, you could have a very valid point there.
At the end of the day, we are probably the strongest physically prepared side in the AI so far this year and won’t be bounced about the place before completing the pass or in trying to win the ball………………….the league semi, as was stated by many the week after was only a trial by James and a game where we had to avoid further injury to the side at all costs ( we had a lot of the lads out) because of the looming Salthill clash, we were not to peak at that stage and I think the ambition for where we are i.e. in the AI final was the reasons for this. So it seems that sofar all is going to plan and we are ready for that last push……………………………………..It took a lot for the Dubs to rise for the Kerry semi and maybe for them they have peaked as it is very hard to carry it forward for two games in a row…………they had to win this one but are ‘expected’ by many to win the next one and we are cozily beneath the radar again……………….Sleeping Giants.
MaighEo Abu
I think too many people are putting Dublin on a pedestal, sure they beat Kerry today but it’s quite similar to Mayo beating Tyrone. If Mayo emulate their Donegal performance I think they’ll win.
Dublin haven’t played a team like Mayo this year. We are on the same level as Dublin, everyone else is playing catchup, this is no ‘hail mary’ team, have some faith. They might not win, but they won’t hand it over on a plate.
PPS on all the talk about the Dubs and Kerry, after watching Ross v Tyrone in the minor semi. I think our side will will provide the perfect warm up for the seniors and put ‘puke football’ to bed for the year as they should rightly and deservedly lift the Minor Title.
MaighEo Abu
I do think Doc will get a run out at some stage in the final and if he hits the form he did in league we are in business.I would love nothing more for my fellow club man to come on and rattle the back of the net like i know he can.
This should be a great final.
I honestly believe we can do it. Dublin fell over the line against an aging Kerry team
i cant see the Dubs waltzling up the field on the 22nd the same way they did today and I think our forwards will put serious pressure on their counterattacks
Im going to have to give up the internet for a few weeks….Im already getting nervous
The whole gang of us in the house today roaring and shouting at the telly not caring really who won but great crack and hugely entertaining.. I for one thought Dublin were going to run Kerry off the field today and have to say fair play to them for making this so close.. My initial impression was.. oh dear god have we to play these.. but then having watched it again I would be in the camp that we have a really great chance of beating Dublin.. I couldn’t believe Kerry brought on Donaghy and started pumping high ball into him (Donaghy is no good in that role).. there legs were probably getting tired but its a ploy that dosn’t work.. Now a good quality elevated ball into Freeman will definately ask questions of this Dublin defence.. I have to agree with other posts about the amount of space afforded to man on the ball today.. Mayo will be a lot tighter, more physical and defensive..pushing up on their kickouts.. dropping back when necessary and dominating midfield.. either way for those lucky enough to get a ticket this is gonna be squeaky bum time.. At the end of the day its 15 v 15 at any one time and I believe we have the better team.. Maigheo Abu
We will not be beaten.
So boys pull together in all kinds of weather
Don’t show the white feather wherever you go
Be like a brother and help one another
Like true hearted men from the County Mayo
2006 all Ireland semi final had to win. Pushed up on the Dublin kick out. Result was mayo win. 2012 league game (replay) in castlebar had to win. Pushed up on bollky bills kick out! Result was mayo at their ease. 2012 pushed up again on bolliky bills kick out! Won after a dream performance for only playing for 56 mins. Result mayo win! 2013 stop bolliky bill and his short kickouts and you win??
Just watched the Sunday game (night) show and Tony McAtee reckons a thing Mayo lack in comparison to what worked for Kerry today was a play-maker to open up and create big goal scoring chances.
Whilst he has a point regards McLoughlin and Higgins to an extent, I think hes forgetting the maestro in Alan Dillon (hard to believe this is gonna be his 4th AI appearance!) whos form is nicely brewing now come 22 September. Any who watches (they’ll be few I’d say :)) a re run of last years encounter with the Dubs will realize the fantastic play-making role Dillon played. Very similar to Cooper today and if we are gonna reach our top attacking form against, Dillon will be certain to be the main man opening up the Dub defences lock
Harking back to the league again, lets not forget that it was this Dublin team that could only manage a draw against a Donegal team that we now know were past their sell by date.
With regard to the Dubs defence today though, it has to be acknowledged that they didn’t give Donaghy a sniff of the ball when he came on and coped well with high ball. We have strength where it matters, right up the middle, we can foot pass with the best of them, we have fitness, heart and commitment and while Dublin seem to rely on the individual, Mayo is all about teamwork.
(Trying) to look at it objectively I think we have enough to do it. We have nothing to fear except fear itself and are 70 minutes away from glory and history It will be an interesting duel and football and Mayo will be the winner. Lets do it.
That was some match! I thought it was there for Kerry in the 68th minute, tied match and Declan O’Sullivan puts what would have been the go ahead point wide!
From the kickout, three Kerry men go for it, they fumble it, MDM gets a hand to it and sends Kevin Mc through….game over!
Despite their age and at times, lack of pace, Kerry had them on the rack. O’sullivan pops that one over, it’s the 69’th minute and a different mindset for Dublin.
Having said that, I can’t believe McManamon sucker punched Kerry, again! And that Kerry appeared to back off of him….unforgivable considering the damage he inflicted 2 years ago.
It will take some team to stop Dublin, for they are relentless. No matter, they believe they will out score you. However, they haven’t met a team like us yet so they will have plenty to think about and so will we. Plenty to ponder for the next three weeks …it will be torture for sure. Downside here is that tickets will now become that much harder to get. We should get half the hill….don’t give me up. No effin way!
Was great to be home a few weeks ago and take in a few games,, v London & V Donegal and feel the buzz building back home. When I got back to Auckland dragged a few Kiwi mates out in the small hours for the Tyrone match. One of my mates made an interesting comment at half time,, he reckoned we were doing a Muhammad Ali and were going to destroy them in the second half. He got that right as regards the destruction,, still not convinced re the Ali though. Anyway, I have seen a fair amount of mayo games last couple of years but I won’t have seen enough football from Dublin over the last year to make a 100% informed opinion but based on what I have seen here we go,,, If Mayo put the full 70 in they will win, and win comfortably 7 or 8 points +. The speed that Mayo attack with is just lovely to watch and I don’t think that the Dublin defence will cope. It has more holes in it than a Thai brothel. We should look to get the nerves jangling early in the game and pump a few high ones into the Dublin box. Dublin were good yesterday but it was really when the kerry legs faded that they got themselves back in it. I do not think Mayo will fade the same way. Areas of concern,, well we can’t be as wasteful in taking our chances as we were against Tyrone or indeed London. We also need to make sure that one of our strenghths does not become a weakness. The breaking half backs linking up play and getting a return and taking points is brilliant and a wonderful feature of our play but if those passes are not accurate and don’t stick Dublin will hurt us badly. Final verdict,, when have Mayo ever put in a full 70? It will be a nerve jangler,,, Mayo by 4.
P.S. I’m more nervous at the moment than Justin Bieber at a Slayer concert.
Christ on a bike it’s time to show you have some fuckin faith in this Mayo team lads!! Since when did we crawl up Dublins ass??!! By all means compliment both teams today but some comments are OTT. Nobody in camp Mayo should fear the Dubs! With that attitude they eill be 1-4 up in 5 minutes!! We never backed down from them before in Cship we won’t start in a f****ng All Ireland. I BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM. I BELIEVE WE WILL WIN.
Fine WJ no problem with the rules. I did not think i was breaking house rules by asking about a past event. Anyway will not happen again. Time now to concentrate on how we as supporters can best help both our teams before and during the finals….
We can beat them, but we will have to cose down cluxtons kickouts and get the better of the midfeild as we will both get lots of scores when primary possesion is secured. We must take are goal chances which is what we didnt do in the league semi and dublin took 2 of theres and won the game on that. However i think we have improved more than dublin since that encounter.
In advance of yesterday’s match I was asked several times who I would prefer Mayo to face in the final. When pressed I tended to plump for Dublin, given our poor record against Kerry in finals.
At half time yesterday I decided that it was irrelevant who came through. I trust this Mayo squad and management. I have faith in their ability to set themselves up to meet any challenge put in front of them. Dublin have strengths. We’ll target them. Dublin have weaknesses. We’ll go after them too. But most importantly of all, we’ll play our own style of ball, move forward at pace and seek to inflict maximum damage on turnover ball.
This squad will give everything to get the county over the line for the first time in far too long. All they ask and deserve is our unwilting support and faith. It should be a given.
PS – I think talk of the minors having the cup in the bag is a little premature. We look to have a serious outfit but Tyrone have a great pedigree at this level. I’m confident that if the lads turn up and perform as they can they’ll come through but lets not burden these kids with talk of a done deal.
Lads in our semi v Dublin last year,ROC the dub fb got a hold of one of our lads whilst he was down after getting a knock,he kept lifting him and throwing him back down x2,who was it,i cnt think who it was but can remember the incident.
Im asking as there is a pic i seen this morning involving ROC that looks like him gouging a kerry playr again whilst the player lays on the ground.
I remember the incident against Dublin last year but can’t remember which one of our lads it was.
Olive – that’s fine, my concern was that it was a rumour about a player concerning a story that hasn’t, to my knowledge, been reported publicly. My position is that if something like an injury doubt has been reported in the papers then it’s fair game but unreported stuff that’s swirling around (most of which can be completely unfounded, some of which is stuff that’s better off remaining unsaid) isn’t.
Rock – absolutely correct re the minors and I’ve been guilty myself of suggesting that this one is as good as in the bag already. We can, for sure, win it but it could be a very tough final for the lads.
Sean – you’re absolutely correct about Rory O’Carroll in last year’s semi-final and the player in question was Enda Varley. I’ve seen that photo too and I’ve also seen that the Irish Examiner’s John Fogarty tweeted that he’d asked the GAA about whether or not they planned to investigate it but was told that they “act on unedited video footage, not on single shots” and quoted the Mayo-Donegal game (presumably the Anthony Thompson incident involving Kevin McLoughlin) as precedent for this.
One of the things that most struck me yesterday was Stephen Cluxton’s performance.
For a man who is normally the epitome of calm he’s was behaving yesterday like a kid hopped up on 2 bags of Skittles.
From not being able to take short kickouts, at one stage leading to the ref throwing it up and a score, to his panic on seeing a Kerry forward enter the square he did not seem to be in control
The run to the 45 when the game was still in the balance in the last minutes was astonishing and his concession of 3 goals was out of character.
I hope he gets the keys to the sweets press again on the 22nd.
Hup Mayo
It’s true Dublin have some serious forwards and create a whole host of goal chances. They have pace and power and are fit for the 75mins. They’ve a good bench and in McAuley they have a player and leader I’d seriously rate.
It’s also true they rely on the short kickouts a lot. Close them and you hurt Dublin big time. They also have a discipline problem, which Gilroy to his credit managed well but it seems to be coming back now, Brennan, Cooper, McMahon, O’Carroll and Connolly all have short fuses. They also have weaknesses at the back and in the air at midfield.
So there are pluses and minuses. Dublin tend to defend by trying to dominate possession from there own kickouts and trying to break even off the oppositions ones. This is a crucial area for us. If we pressurise their kickouts and trust in the O’Shea at midfield it gives us a big chance. We also need to do well in our half-forward line. I’d have Higgins sweeping around the middle and have Dillon as a playmaker with Andy dropping a little off the front. This would give us options; long to Freeman, into the corner for Conroy, an out ball to Andy who can set up the half backs with little pop passes. Dublin go one on one so pulling them around a bit like Kerry did today is vital.
If we get on top early I feel their discipline issues may arise. I hope they don’t start Bastick at midfield and put O’Sullivan at CB, they looked like a much better team after that move. I also hope they don’t pick Cullen who gives them some leadership on the field. Really at the moment their forward line is quite young (Mannion, Kilkenny, Rock) or unreliable (Connolly, Brogan) and they haven’t many leaders there. They look to McAuley, Flynn, Cluxton and Brennan (to a lesser extent) to provide constant leadership. Great teams attack their rivals strengths as well as weaknesses. We should pressure Cluxton on kickouts, dominate McAuley at midfield and put Flynn and Brennan on the back foot.
In previous finals we went in looking at the opposition and thinking “Jeez if they have an off day and we play to 110% we’ll have a good shout”. Now I’m thinking if we play to our potential we will win no matter what they do!! No room for complacency though Dublin are a serious and dangerous outfit if we aren’t at our max and provide them with space through the middle they could definitely win it.
Not to be too pessimistic but Dublin were very impressive yesterday. Scoring 3-18 in an All Ireland semi-final is just that. The game also will stand to Dublin I feel. first of all they beat Kerry which is significant in itself. Also the fact that the game was so much in the balance for great periods of the game was significant.
And serious questions were asked by Kerry yet still Dublin came through. It shoes they can handle pressure and have serious belief in themselves. i would say the vast majority of Dub fans were very impressed with that performance. Surprised they are just slight favourites now.
It will come down to who wants it the most and i think that will be us and the minors can get the day off to as great start and again tell famaily an friends let all mayo supporters who have a ticket get into croker early for the minor game and help push our young lads over the line……I think mic. conroy will start ahead of andy moran who will be a good sub to come in the last 10-15 min. Also heard from a good source that c. oconn will be back….. Roll on 2 weeks sunday and the party will be goin full steam this day 3 weeks in castlebar…C,mon muigheo…….
Mayo News reported he was seening a specialist today.fingers crossed
WJ – if this blog is exclusively intended for positive, upbeat comments only and where Mayo supporters concerns cannot be raised, discussed, debated in an open and objective manner then maybe you are right, I should look somewhere else. I, like everyone else, desperately want Mayo to win Sam Maguire but I’m also careful not to allow myself to get carried away with blind optimism and will always try to base my views of ourselves and our opposition in an analytical and objective manner….If anything less than gloriously optimistic comments on our chances in our next game in this current season are unwelcome then maybe the wording of the invite on this page to “speak your mind” should be altered?
Do you still feel the same as you did last nite 45? I cant speak for anyone else but this the first time i am going to see Mayo in a final where i am confident we can win and not going in hope.Last i went more in hope.The game yesterday 45 was the most open game i have seen in a long time it reflected a minor game.The game actually suited Dublin.Kerry ran out of steam pure and simple and could have one.Mayo wont play that open and be better equipped to track the Dublin run.They will also be able to put more pressure in the Dublin back line and indeed their forwards than Kerry done.We will be stronger in midfield.There are soo many pluses to Mayo.And ill say it gain all Dublin want to do is attack they cant defend properly.Mayo can defend and indeed can turn players over in possession.We also have Doc sitting on bench who of one of the top scorers in the league. Im confident 45 and not mindless hope and optimism.Believe 45.
45 – that’s not the purpose of the site as I think you well know. I’m all for open and objective debate but I fail to see how your comment from last night predicting that Dublin “will devour us” with their “outstanding forward line” and that our only hope of success would be if they have a “complete collapse” could in any sense be seen as “analytical and objective” especially since it came after a stream of comments prior to the game positively gushing about how brilliant Dublin were. You have to travel a long, long way along the spectrum from those kind of negative, utterly defeatist sentiments to get to the “gloriously optimistic” end that you appear to have a problem with, which leaves plenty of room for healthy debate and, yes, for people to speak their mind. But this is a site for supporters and I guess a prerequisite is that comments are grounded in that fact. Your one from last night simply wasn’t.
As Keith Duffy would say “Don’t be nervous buddy!” This is the best Mayo team I have ever seen. Not one weak link that you could say he should not be there. I’m with @ mayomaningalway. I believe this time we will win. I don’t hope I believe!!
WJ – I would be delighted if my comments from last night were completely off target and far from being grounded in fact. Christ I hope I’m looking at this Dublin forward line through the wrong end of the microscope. Nothing would make me happier than to admit that I got it completely wrong and had totally overestimated their abilities in going up against our full back line.
45-I see where you’re coming from.
I think I was in the same boat as 45 after the game. Still not as convinced or sure as others but I will say it will be a 50/50 game. A million things can happen in a game but if mayo keep calm and do their thing they can succeed
Last years loss is fresh enough to drive them on
Look at reservoir dubs website.
They seem supremely confident too, there will be one winner
I know I predicted a Kerry win and was almost right but I also know that almost right is still wrong. Was a little uncertain after yesterday’s game but not now, we will do it.
I always find it best to sit tight ,say nothing, and have people think you’re stupid than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
We have the measure of Dublin , if we just play our own game.