As expected, Louth will occupy the spot reserved for the beaten Leinster finalists in Group 1 of the upcoming All-Ireland SFC group stage. They lost out this afternoon in the Leinster decider to Dublin, who wrapped up their gazillionth provincial title in a row on a scoreline of 5-21 to 0-15. As the Leinster runners-up, Louth now join Kerry, ourselves and Cork in Group 1.
The Wee County, buoyed by enormous support this afternoon at Croke Park, started brightly, with Dublin only registering their opening point after eight minutes. Once the Metropolitans got motoring, though, they proceeded to rip Louth asunder with grim efficiency. The Dubs had all of 21 points to spare at the finish.
The permanent holders of the Delaney Cup clearly look to be in fine fettle as the start of the Championship proper approaches. Drawn in a group along with Sligo, Roscommon and Kildare, Dessie Farrell’s charges aren’t likely to face any probing examination of their capabilities over the next few weeks either, with their place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals all but assured before a ball is kicked.
Louth, meanwhile, now face a major task to pick themselves up again after today’s mauling. At least they don’t have to play next weekend but they then entertain Cork the weekend after that in the opening round of the group stage. Whoever wins that one will be in a great position to advance, regardless of how they subsequently fare against ourselves and Kerry.
We entertain Mickey Harte’s charges in Round 2. That match, at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, will be played either on Saturday or Sunday of the June Bank Holiday weekend and it’ll be our first Championship meeting with them since the All-Ireland final of 1950.
They will cause us problems in mchale park .
Ah they won’t Sean,
They are not at Mayo’s level or anywhere near it.
I agree but I just don’t believe that level divide is easy to find in mchale park .
Is it me only or is anyone finding it impossible to distinguish between the Derry and Armagh jerseys. Surely both teams could have changed.
It’s not just you, Rober! I’m colour-blind and this clash is a total joke. All the more so as Derry aren’t wearing their primary strip. How the GAA allowed this to happen is beyond me, it’s utter amateur hour stuff.
So much for Mickey Harte having improved Louth. Worse they have got if that game is anything to go by. The gap between Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Galway and the rest is growing all the time. These teams are probably spend about €1,000,000 on their senior teams. No way that others can compete. Likewise with Limerick in the hurling. Money talks.
Just realised we’ve two servings of colour clash hell coming up. For some unknown reason there’s never any colour change when we play Cork (which makes distinguishing between the teams impossible for us colour-blind people) and Louth have the same strip as Cork so I guess there’ll be no colour change for that one either.
Dublin will be hard bet this year with those lads back and a fit Con. Kerry, Galway and hopefully Mayo in the chasing pack. On todays evidence Armagh or Derry wont be going too far. Maybe next week has taken on a bit more complexion than i first thought. A good show in Killarney and they’ll be up there ..
Jesus this is incredibly boring stuff.walking football for the majority of the game and another 20 minutes of this mind numbing rubbish
An awful lot of sledging going on in this Derry Armagh match. Its clearly visible and its getting very tetchy.
Thedarkyfin,
I don’t buy that,
Dublin have not played 1 decent D1 side and won’t until the QF.
They are reliant on a 41 year old keeper, 2 33 year old backs and for me they don’t have massive game changers on the bench.
Rock ? Another 33 year old lad who was never the quickest anyway.
Look they’ll be there come the business end but they aren’t out infront at this point.
It also is the last dance for atleast 3 of those legends.
Surely Armagh should have had a penalty instead cof a free at the end, a clear goal chance as was given against Monaghan in the league
West Kerry – I know today was a cake walk and they have a few players in their twilight but you could see enough in them to think they are serious contenders. There were within a point of Kerry last year without Con and now they have Mannion and McCaffrey back to who are 2 great players. They are favorites in my book I’ll gladly eat the humble pie if Mayo were to turn them over in a final though ..
Thedarkyfinn,
True they were but Kerry basically had a really nervous 20 mins in that 2nd half and should have been 7 up at HT.
I know they didn’t have Con bur sport as you know doesn’t always work like that.
I don’t think Roscommon will be any pushovers for Dublin. They’ve shown that if they prepare properly they can be competitive and they do love a good ambush
@FrostThehammer have to disagree on that one dublin will beat rossies out the gate well maybe not out the gate but dubs will beat the Rossies easily.
I think unless they do the same blanket defence type play like they did against us that’s an awful game to watch we can thank Jim mcguiness for the blanket defence type of play ha! Rossies are not contenders this year I Don’t think so anyway.
As others said only 4 or 5 teams now in with a shout .
Congrats Derry, 4 provincial winners defend their titles incredible achievement
Now onto the big stuff!
Not for another few weeks Ciaran, have 24 games to remove 4 teams first….
Louth could come to McHale Park with two points on the board, against Mayo on nul points. That would put a bit of pressure on.
@catcol we should still be beating louth ha
I do not like the Derry style of football but they showed huge resilience to draw that game, and took the penalties well. Armagh still lack that ruthless winning mentality.
The leinster & munster championships have gone ridiculous everyone knows what’s going to happen I actually feel bad for louth.
I don’t know what you could do to change the annual hammering teams in munster & leinster get from the dubs&kerry ? They get such an easy run.
My dublin mates were at the game in croke Park today they said it was sooo boring and not exciting at all and that they need a proper test .
At least connaught & ulster are more exciting usually haha!
While I expect Dublin to beat Roscommon I doubt if they will beat them out the gate as Clare suggests. I hope they don’t anyway as in case we forget Roscommon were too good for us in Castlebar. Tough defeat for Louth to take but they were absolutely slaughtered on their own kick out. The kick out is becoming so important now in football. I’d say that’s why the dubs brought Cluxton back but he was far from perfect today as well. Louth have a few really good players but they were mercilessly punished for their mistakes. First half of Ulster final was a tough watch but second half and extra time was compelling. Both teams showed remarkable courage and resilience. Should have been a replay of course but as a consequence of the crammed season that could not happen. Thought Rian o Neill and McGuigan were outstanding. How McGuigan didn’t get an all Star last year is baffling. Comer got it ahead of him. Comer had a super semi final for Galway, but was just ok in most other games, while McGuigan was very good in all games for Derry
@To win just once I did say maybe they won’t beat them out the gate I said they will beat them easily after wards if you read my full comment.
Rossies are no match for the Dubs.
You cant judge how the rossies beat us in castlebar! We just played a league final the week before we were dead flat on our feet the rossies had a break and they needed the win more then us. As commentators said there was more upset in the stands between rossies & mayo supporters then on the pitch as we had our safety net anyway .
We will come bouncing back in killarney and the provisionals will be gotten rid of in a year or two they are pointless!!
Seems to be a lot of folks forgetting Kildare only lost by 2 points to Dublin a couple of weeks back, in a game Dublin only took the lead in the 64th minute and where Jack Robinson will still be kicking himself he didn’t bury his goal chance. The provincial finals were shocking in 3 of the provinces but 3 of the 4 had genuine contenders for Champions along the way.
(We can all just nod and look away from Munster. It’s not a healthy place at the minute. Hopefully Cork having a bit of joy at underage in recent years against Kerry might improve it going forward)
@Jr: Absolutely. Inside the 20 and denying a goal scoring opportunity should have been black and penalty for sure.
A mess made of the shoulder charge on Odran Lynch putting it out for a 45 too. He was inside the small square at the time so should have been a free out for the charge (Umpire initially signalled a wide ball before changing it to a 45 to further compound the mistakes).
Dublin are starting to go through the gears after a slow start early in year when peak levels not needed. They are far from the world beaters of few years ago but still my team to beat. It’s likely that last hurrah for some of the old guard so they will give it socks.
Comparing wins and losses from league is largely pointless. For example, Derry only beat Louth by 3 points in league. Derry bested Armagh today, who we drew with. Does it mean Armagh, Mayo, Derry and Louth are all pretty much as good as each other? I don’t believe so.
Similarly would Mayo have demolished Louth in Manner Dublin did today? I wouldn’t bet on it, that’s what makes Dublin so dangerous. We threw away winning positions this year, Dublin have not lost the habit of going for the jugular when they smell blood.
Gizmobobs,
That’s ok against Louth but when Dublin play against Galway, Kerry,Mayo or Tyrone they won’t get the space they get in D2.
They are one of the favorites but they are beatable.
Looking at some of the paltry attendance at some of the Tailtain Cup match’s..more people would be expected to turn up for the opening of an envelope!
I expect Mayo, to at least come 2nd in group, and win against Cork or Louth in provisional quarter finals. But love to get a result in Kilarney, and win group. One less game, and probably a more favorable quarter final.
West Kerry, that’s why I said they are far from world beaters. They’ve come well back to the pack and there is nothing much between themselves, Kerry, Galway and ourselves on any given day.
But their player returns this year and Moran’s loss for Kerry give them the edge for me. They could have won last year in spite of those respective personnel differences mentioned.
@The west is best in fairness Mickey Harte took over louth when relegated to Div 4 having lost 6 or their 7 games, They were basically at Leitrim’s level and they finished 3rd in Div 2 this year and reached their first leinster final for 13 year if that isn’t improving them I don’t know what is.
They got a trimming off the Dubs today however Dublin can do that to a lot better teams than Louth when they click, and seem to a have point to prove after a sluggish performance against Kildare. Roscommon whom finished 3rd in Div 1 this year beat Mayo and pushed Galway all the way will do well to be competitive against Dublin next in that mood.
Well in yet another provincial final, we got the expected slaughter of the innocents today. I could’nt work out how some people, including Oisin McConville and McGinley were suggesting that Louth could give Dublin a game and rattle them-I don’t know what evidence they were basing that on, but I can only assume that it was because of the Mickey Harte factor-we all know that Mickey is a top manager, as his record shows, but he is neither a magician or a miracle worker. Difficult to judge Dublin, because of the opposition, but they did look impressive and I expect them to be involved at the business end of things. As if we needed any further evidence of the utter farce that the present group seeing system is, the total whitewash of three of the now second seeds in their provincial finals provided it-this just has to be changed. Speaking of farces, how on earth was there not a change of jerseys in the Derry v. Armagh game-I am not colour blind, but I found it hard to distinguish between the teams, at times. And I read recently that Pat Spillane was singing the praises of Derry’s style of play-on today’s evidence, I hav’nt a clue what he was on about. Right, on to Killarney and Kerry next weekend and that will give us an idea of where we are at.
The jersey debacle in clones today just just another small example of an organisation that has become completely erratic and unprofessional in its decision making – the GAA. People complaining about lopsided provincial finals – the GAA created this beast and allowed it to flourish unchecked and this is what it results in.
It’s not just Dublin by the way – a small handful of counties have been allowed to become professional in all but name (we are one of them) and they are streaking away into the distance further and further each year. No one cares or wants to tackle the real issue – how to rein in these counties. Spending a million euro a year preparing your county senior team is so far removed from what is possible in the vast majority of counties and is causing these blowouts.
All the cool and edgy GAA talking heads over the last few years love talking about structures. Tailteann cup this, Paudie o se cup, who bloody cares! More tiers and levels aren’t solving the problem only making it worse by compounding the level these players play at. Louth are an example of a “good” team that moved from D4 to D2, got their house in order, would probably win the tailteann cup if they were in it, and still they are just cannon fodder for Dublin.
There should be a cap on spending of the elite teams each year and sponsorship should be pooled for the good of all counties to allow mid ranking and lower ranking counties compete and prepare more evenly. That would be a million times more impactful for creating a level playing field than these stupid tiered competitions that no one cares about (you would get a bigger crowd at some Mayo intermediate club championship matches than some of the tailteann cup games today).
The GAA which always prides itself on its socialist model of governance, has ironically allowed the dublin, Kerry and Mayo and Galway type outfits to become akin to the English premier league top 5 or 6 sides. For the health of the game overall, it’s shameful amd it’s probably already too late to reverse it.
This talk of “last hurrahs” in relation to Dublin but I don’t think any outfield player over the age of 30 actually started yesterday except for mccarthy?
I’m still recovering from the aftershock of the Armagh – Derry clash. The tactics aside, it was undoubtedly entertaining but Leinster has become the most drab of affairs it has to be said. I can see Dublin being frustrated by Roscommon, and they’re not going to underestimate the challenge posed by a very astute manager in charge of a well-drilled team. Depending on how the chips fall, this year is definitely more open than many doomsayers are predicting. Mayo have every chance of exorcising ghosts of the past. Spillane might be right about an unpredicted name being engraved on this yrs trophy.
Still fond it crazy they brought a 41 back to the Dubs he’s he’s class player come on must be desperate for 1 more all Ireland with the likes of these guys haha
It would be interesting if it turned out one side refused to change jerseys. In that case, forfeit the game. That was unacceptable yesterday that colour clash.
What I keep coming back to on the colour clash was that Derry switched from their normal strip to create the clash, otherwise it would have been perfectly fine. Someone seriously asleep at the wheel somewhere in the GAA to let that happen.
Ciaran,
Correct but when Fitzsimons returns their 2 most important backs will be 33 and likely their last year.
Cluxton 41
Rock on the bench but in his 30s too.
Plus there is serious miles in other lads some playing into their 11th Championship year.
Its a young man’s game now and I really do see this as Dublin trying to squeeze one more out of this team.
@west Kerry you are clutching at straws there in trying to talk Dublin down. They are always going to be a top end side.
Look at Sean Bugler and Lee Gannon. These guys first appeared 2 or 3 years ago on Dublin panels. I think it’s fair to say neither looked anything particularly special at that point. But through access to superior training, coaching, S&C, a more professional environment in general, Sean bugler is all of a sudden looking like he’s in a completely different class to any of the Louth players.
I guarantee you if he spent the last 3 years on the Louth squad instead of the Dublin squad he would look no different to several of the Louth forwards today, and would be no where near as good a footballer.
It’s the same for young players that get into the Mayo squad, or Kerry squad or Galway. Would the likes of Jordan Flynn be the same level of player he is today if he’d spent the last 5 years on the Sligo panel? Of course not.
This is the issue the GAA should be trying to solve but they have no interest in doing so. Instead it’s just create a few more tiered comps while the top sides get even better.
Think the Dubs are definetly ahead of kerry and i would fear the Dubs a lot more then kerry !
probably its dublin kerry mayo Galway but hopefully we can give kerry a good rate next sat haha
Mikey,
Gannon and Bugler are fine players but I know plenty of Dubs and they all say the same thing.
Dublin may very well win the all ireland but the manner in which they are talked about is over the topic my opinion.
Mayo, Galway and Kerry can all beat Dublin.
Clare,
On what basis to you make that comment ?
Genuinely interested since Kerry best them last year, infact haven’t lost to them since 2019 ?
You may have a different opinion of Kerry on Sat evening.
@west kerry I just think the Dubs are agead of ye guys and also as others have said the Dubs Dubs going for one last hurrah with the likes of couxton etc
Dubs would have beaten kerry I’m last years semi if they had con no question!
I don’t think I’ll have a different opinion of Jerry cone sat night I fully believe we will give ye a good rattle sat it’ll be a tough test for mayo but tough for ye guys to !
Man in the middle announced yet ?
Clare,
No disrespect but thats ridiculous I thought Kerry were only a one man team ?
If Dublin had 1 man they’d have won apparently.
Sport doesn’t work like that.
If we are using the the IFs and BUTs argument Kerry should have been 7 up at HT and were unfortunate to conceded a fairly fortuitous goal.
Now maybes it’s a form of PTSD with the Dubs but look at their season to date.
Won a poor D2 with fortunate wins against Cork and Clare.
2 good performances against Laois and Louth.
Haven’t played a good D1 team yet and the closes they did was Kildare who had them rattled and Derry who they beat and lost too in D2.
Dublin are aiming to squeeze 1 more all ireland out of thus team but as soon as Mccarthy Fitzsimons and the likes of Byrne go them I don’t see any ready made replacements there.
@west kerry you say no disrespect but say my comment is ridiculous ha? Can’t handle the truth .
Kerry will be a tough test for us no question wasn’t saying otherwise ! But I do think mayo will come bouncing we may not win but we will certainly do everything we can do to win we won’t take a hammering like poor clare did anyway !
Con makes a huge difference to dubs outcomes & results when he plays its just facts same way as the Clifford’s make a massive difference to the kerry team when they play !
I agree with others it’s the Dubs the team to beat this year with the rest chasing behind ha!
Your comment is ridiculous because you ate contradicting yourself.
According to you,
Kerry are a one man team and yet Dublin would have won but for 1 man missing.
As I said I’ll worry about the Dubs if and when that happens but there’s zero evidence for the last 12 months to back up that the Dubs are the team to beat.
Thats purely based on past glories.
Anyway back to Kerry v Mayo…
The ref for Saturday is Seán Hurson.
@Sean Burke: Yeah. Sean Hurson, Tyrone.
(Up there with Cawley, Gough and Devenney among the best performers IMHO this year.)
https://www.gaa.ie/football/gaa-football-all-ireland-senior-championship/kerry-mayo/2529379/
@ Sean, pretty sure I saw somewhere that Sean Hurson is doing it… open to correction.
Sound , he’s middlin ref , prefer gough tbh . Killarney crowd can influence.
I see Kerry have got stronger with the bookies over the last couple of days. 4/7 , 8/15 , 1/2 and now 4/9 . Looking forward to seeing our teamsheet , this is a big test for mcstay and co . Have they anything up there sleeve, time will tell . It’s a daunting task for any management team , how do you limit Clifford’s influence , kickout is going to be so vital here
The bookies can barely split Kerry or Dublin so by my reckoning there is no single “team to beat” this year.
I saw the Dubs first hand in the league 2 final and they were shocking in the first half. Derry had them where they wanted them but didn’t have the killer instinct to put them away. A better team than Derry would have been out of sight. Mannion made a big difference from the bench and Con was a different player in the second half.
There is no doubt that Mannion and McCaffrey will improve Dublin but I’m not sure about their depth of panel. As we used to find out at our cost they were once able to replace All Stars with All Stars but that isn’t the case now.
I think the top 4 or 5 could beat each other on any given day. I include Tyrone in the top 5 purely for their stealth factor. Kerry are indeed not a one man team but the odds shift if David Clifford is out. Same with Con, Shane Walsh or Cillian.
It is of great credit to us that we have won 2 league finals without Cillian. We should have really landed another final in 2021 but the less said…….
Whatever the result on Saturday our fate will not be decided either way. The main objective is to avoid injuries.
We are in a decent place and I still believe if we can get Cillian Ryan and Tommy in the forward line at the same time it will take a good team to beat us.
Guys & Girls,
It’s time for a bit of realism now.
We have the same Provincial winners as last year.
Seriously can Mayo halt the Dubs or Kerry if they get into their stride ?
It would be great to top the group but we need to be realistic also.
Would Mayo have blown Louth away yesterday in the manner which the Dubs did?, they would have won by more only that they were greedy and went for goals rather than pass it to a better placed player or else they were taking the piss.
Look what Galway did to Ros and likewise Kerry did to Clare.
Derry the weakest of the four Provincial winners.
Only question to be answered this week is how is Mayo going to mark D Clifford, Paudie and Sean O Shea, get that right and we win. Who picks up David is most important, any player can be marked if right player is put on him.
Very entertaining debate there about Dublin and Kerry ????
@Culmore
McBrien on David Clifford
Paddy Durcan on Paudie
Enda Hession on Seanie O Shea.
As Sean Burke said earlier the kick out will be vital. The best way to limit Kerry is to choke the supply line. We have some big men ourselves in the centre and no David Moran to contend with so it is vital that we win the battle in that area. Big games needed from Jack Carney, Mattie, Jordan and Diarmuid.
@west kerry not contradicting myself because the Dubs aren’t a 1 man team they have plenty of talents .
The Clifford’s make kerry what they are today just my opinion so it’s not ridiculous it’s an opinion obviously you wouldn’t like it if someone didn’t say kerry weren’t great team as your from kerry ha if your just going to say everything is ridiculous that you don’t agree with well what can I say haha
This is all a bit childish anyway .
Saturday will really tell where both mayo & kerry are big test for both teams .
Big problem evident from the league final.
Wide open down the middle for goals, how many goal chances did Galway get ? and also Roscommon a weaker team ?
These things don’t just fix themselves, history tells us this.
Wide open at the back in 2012 and 2013 finals, badly caught out at the back v Tyrone in 2021 final.
Sin e an Sceal.
@Mayo88 yet colm reape saved all the goal chances from Galway? We still won the final wasn’t pretty but we did .
Can’t imagine what people would be saying if we lost the final can’t give mayo credit either way guess not until we cross the line haha
Hurson is a good ref, you barely nitice him which is always a good sign, no issues there. Thought Gough was excellent in the ulster final
If mayo were to come in the runner up positions in the group stage do we know what group they are likely to be paired with in the playoff
My understanding is it’s an open draw Supermac
Ah ok Sean Burke, was wondering because group 2 would throw up a tasty opponent with one of armagh/galway/tyrone in the playoff spots.
I’d agree with Paul Flynns assertion on the Sunday game that tyrone will be the most likely of the ulster teams to contend when it gets to the big games in croker
Sorry Clare but it is absolute nonsense to suggest Kerry are what they are because of 2 players it’s also fairly insulting to a team that won every competition last year.
We could give Dublin a run for there money if it was played in their home ground. but I am sure the Gaa will make allowances and play it in Croke park. Its madness how they have been getting away with this for years. I can’t even remember when they lasted played a championship game in Parnell park. Some lads on the team probably don’t even know where Parnell park!!
@west kerry its just my opinion you can think what you like to I’m not going to continue this conversation as its ridiculous haha and I’m not the only one with that opinion but anyway end of conversation on that issue haha!
Should be a cracker of a game in kerry next Saturday either way!
Does anyone know if the mayo team managed to get accommodation?? Last I heard they couldn’t couldn’t surprise there..
The colour clash yesterday really was the limit. Galway regularly played Cork in hurling without either changing colours. And of course we famously played Meath in the AIF without either team changing colours.
But Galway did change to white I noticed, for the Connaught final, which did provide a good contrast with Sligo’s black.
@westkerry. It’s ok for clare and others to have the opinion that kerry are not as potent without Clifford and i agree and as I posted before any of the top 6 would win or at least be favourite for the all ireland if David played with them. It doesn’t mean kerry are poor and I fully see your point that Dublin haven’t been tested this year and about their ageing panel and maybe your also right regarding ptsd as i also think the dubs could be the team to beat. Keep posting anyway as I always enjoy your posts and it’s nice to get the kingdom perspective from someone on the ground
Just from anecdotal memory Derry are wearing that mainly red strip for most games all year. That is not by accident. Do you really think Derry would change their jerseys because they like it or deem it lucky or some other gra for it.
They’re wearing the red jersey as it picks out easier to the human eye in a split second.
They would then have the benefit yesterday of confusung Armagh for long kicks into the forward line when they know they themselves rely more on a handpassing game where you only send the ball 10 to 15 yards.
My understanding was teams wear their main colors and there is protocol around wearing second colours and third colours and colour clashes.
No team should entertain the idea of playing this Derry team in anything but the correct jersey.
Realistically this is a very difficult game for us on Saturday.if Dublin Galway Tyrone were going to Killarney I would be expecting Kerry to win .our last performance was very poor and the form of some our key players is questionable.it will a big test for mcbrien on David Clifford but unfortunately Kerry have threats coming from a lot of areas .gavin white caused mayhem in last year’s league final and Tom o Sullivan likewise in the quarter final.I would be hopeful though that we can pull out a big performance
Mayotillidie. Mayo will not be playing cork or louth in a provisional quarter final. If we don’t top the group we could get a real stiff provisional quarter final
Going to Killarney is probably the toughest assignment in Gaelic football, even if this a long way from a “great” Kerry team.
Only David Clifford would be knocking on the door of all time Kerry greats IMO.
Seanie O’Shea has the potential but not there yet.
Geaney, O’Brien and Murphy in the category of good servants
The one thung I guarantee. Whatever about the football side, we will be bouncing off the ground fit and fresh. This applies especially to the bigger lads. The nature of smaller players is they can play many games and be zippy and fresh. They’d play a championship game on 3 hours sleep and a mars bar for breakfast.
Now, bigger athletes, they’re like finely tuned racehorses, you need to put the proper prep into them being ready to go.
This suits towards the main thingMayo need to do which is win the middle eight battle in the air and on the ground. A size, power and height overload.
That’s what we can and need to bring to the table
Agree with you @Jp think we will be bouncing to ! It certainly won’t be the same mayo that played against the rossies they will have their bounce back!
@No doubt thanks as I said its just my opinion on it kerry will still be a tough test in killarney for us but we still be for them to . @west kerry do continue posting of course always good to see outsiders opinions !
Hope they got accommodation and don’t need to fly up and back or bs it up and back even worse!
No Doubt,
Thanks a million,
The point I was trying to make about Dublin is that it’s not 2016-2020 and that Dublin team that were invincible are gone.
Time waits for no man and honestly I think its brilliant that there is no 1 dominant team like Dublin.
Without sounding patronising I know 2021 stung alot and maybe you feel you’ll never get there but honest to god you can get there.
That’s why the whole Dublin thing wears on me because Mayo are more than a match for them as are Kerry and Galway.
On a separate note I do hope as many of ye that can travel down on Sat do.
It’ll be a carnival atmosphere as we haven’t had a big game since our game in 2019.
For those that haven’t been before Killarney is brilliant on a summers day.
The same vibe as Westport just a bit bigger.
There will be savage music and craic and the weather is looking good too.
Mayo bring fantastic colour and atmosphere and your all very welcome to Kerry.
Hi folks like all here everyone in Kerry is really looking forward to this huge game it’s going to be a belter I’d imagine. Safe travels to all and book accommodation early as in Kerry we have a very high number of hotel rooms and other facilities taken to provide a roof for those displaced in the war.
Tralee is about 30 mins from Killarney, Castleisland is a little closer and Abbeyfeale is also a good option as the road between there and Killarney is very good, it’s about 35-40mins I’d say and it may provide better value. I think the Mayo team stay in The Rose hotel in Tralee when they visit.
Just a question for the Kerry posters here. There’s two skills that Kerry players do and one of them is it seems a default.
Kerry players more often than not solo left hand to right foot, with a much smaller more controlled drop of the ball to the foot. This seems to be the default solo for right footers.
Secondly, in forwards the bounce is used before shooting even when not needed as an evasive move. Kerry players you will often see take a settling bounce and then they will shoot.
My question is are these skills simply observed or they are coached formally or informally as the ‘Kerry way’ of doing things.
JP,
Tomas OSé would have often solo’d like that.
Technical you should solo right foot upto right hand but lads get used to doing what’s comfortable as kids and continue with it.
The hop is an interesting one,
They did it alot against Clare it helps settle the shooter and can unsettle the back or the keeper.
It can buy you a little space as well.
The most important skill for a Kerry footballer is his or her ability to accurately kick the ball.
Kick passing is key for me and Jack often references it.
On the Kerry vs Dublin debate, I’m wavering back towards Kerry the reason being the 2 managers. Jim Gavin controlled everything, their current setup is not as unwaveringly meticulous or ruthless. On the other side I don’t like him because of his dour demeanour but grudgingly accept Jack OC is a very successful manager up there with the best of them. Anyone who beats Kerry will have to work hard regardless of how great or otherwise some of their players are because they will be well organised. I think we’ve a decent chance the next day without being favourites because our S&C will be at a savage level and players raring to go and we’ve loads of talented players albeit no Clifford.
On the who marks Clifford question it’s straightforward, McBrien is fit to play so it’ll be him.. he will be a full back of the ages if he gets a few years free of injury. It’s early days yet but he’s the guy with the most FB attributes in our current team. If Oisin was around it would likely be him. Not saying McBrien won’t get cleaned but he’s a fast guy and shipping 1-3 or 5 points from play on such a great player wouldn’t be a disaster if we can limit the damage of others. I’d have a plan for Killian Spillane if he comes off the bench, put on a fresh sub. Some Kerry new looked good in the league but mightn’t get a chance in championship. Sean OS is a handful too but not as consistently dangerous and definitely well behind Clifford on scores from play.
@JP,
Certain players have certain styles that they make their own, referees seem to let it go.
The classic one for me was Michael Darragh McCauley of Dublin, he always lead with both elbows up in position of the ball and the opposition player could not tackle but was often knocked out of the way.
It is surely different Rules for different players.
The idea that David Clifford can be contained for a full match ( without fouling of course) is a myth, for a big man his reflexes are lightning speed, fielding, two feet etc.
Mayo88
How MDMA got away with that was outrageous.
I never saw a guy who won so much but couldn’t kick the ball.
Not having a go at him but he was limited as a footballer yet he maximised his skills.
I think the game in Killarney is a huge test for us and will give us cleared picture of where we are at, as the League doesn’t give a proper indication. Kerry will be really up for this, in their own back yard and we will also need to be up for it. There are a number of factors. Obviously David C is a big danger and Kerry are not as good without him. It is impossible to completely contain him, so we need to limit him thro’ man to man marking and also cut off the supply to him. But he is not the only danger Kerry possess. It would help our cause if we could come out on top in the midfield battle and while Kerry miss David Moran, our midfield has not exactly been setting the world on fire this year either and we need a big improvement there. The kick-outs will be vital as possession will be very important. While we have the forwards available now to take scores, especially against non-blanket defences, as long as they hit form. However, and I keep repeating myself, our biggest problem all year has been our defence. It is far too loose and coughs up way too many goal chances and you simply cannot rely on your goalkeeper to save all of these–he would be doing well to save half of them. We need a huge improvement here and, if we don’t tighten up considerably, Kerry will have a field day and we will be toast. I feel this will have a major bearing on the outcome. I look forward to a good game and I am hoping for a big performance from Mayo, regardless of the result. A bad beating would be a serious set-back and could affect our performances for the remainder.
I think with the left hand kick solo you can look around you better and it’s less prone to error.
Really hope hurson is wise to Kerry this time for dragging and pulling, he let it all go in super 8’s against kerry in 2019
@mayomanindublin agree kerry are no angels but neither are mayo it is gaa though I guess ha
Clare that day in 2019 we couldn’t buy a free, shocking
Mayomanindublin..
Love it ?? Get the retaliation in first !!
Sorry those question marks were supposed to be laughing faces !
@mayoindublin i remember it well think I actually switched it off as it was to depressing ha!
1 agree with you @1985, Tom O Sullivan ( not that talk if I am correct) is a machine operating with a corner back number on his jersey, doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
Mayo need to choose the forwards carefully to deal with his runs from deep.
Mayo made a balls of that match up last year in Croker.
I only hope that there will be fit numbers to pick from.
Tom O Sullivan ( not that I meant to say ).
Last time, Tom O Sullivan ( not that Tall ).
Toughest draw we could have got. All Ireland champions away from home. Kerry are obviously an excellent team and deservedly All Ireland champions. They possess in D Clifford the most outstanding Gaelic footballer at the moment. I would rate Galway second and Dublin third with little separating them. Galway has a strong defence, powerful midfield and some potentially excellent forwards like S Walsh. Still can’t be sure of the Dubs because they have not been tested and operated in Div 2 but the have lots of good players. Can’t make up my mind after that. Derry, Tyrone, Mayo and possibly Armagh all have the capacity to turn in a powerful performance on any given day and Roscommon are not too far behind. Think AI will be won by one of the top 3. If things go our way we could make it to semi final, but I would say a quarter final spot is the most likely destination. Hope I am completely wrong and we get the better of them all but draws permitting I reckon a repeat of last years final is a strong possibility
Galway are not ahead of mayo just below us or pretty even I would say Shane walsh meant to their best forward and he’s been way off form .
It’s Dublin kerry mayo then Galway. We are also better then Derry &, Tyrone I think anyway even though they are always tough to play.
New freebie pod is up, in which we sample some of the content available for club members on Patreon over the past week, featuring audio from the interviews with Kevin McStay, Seán Deane and Michael Moyles.
Any word when we’ll have a date and time for the Louth game ?
Paddyjoe, if you look at the GAA website, they have provisional fixtures in for 3rd and 4th June. I note that they start with Group 4 and work their way down to Group 1. That suggests to me that they are reversing the order in which they first round was played (Group 1 first), so I would say our match with Louth will be on Sunday, rather than Saturday.
We were better than Tyrone in 2021 as well and see how that turned out
Any buses goin to Killarney Saturday
A draw would be a ok result against this Kerry team!!! But we really need the win and to send out a clear statement that we have not gone away. We need quick direct ball into the forwards, be direct and ruthless and efficient. Long ball into O shea. Bully them all over the field. Close off the supply of ball to their forwards and Clifford. We need to get into their heads this is a war. Kerry have got the better of us in the championship in recent years, it’s time to make a stand. Never give them a moments rest. Get in their faces, show them we will not back down. We should be chomping at the bit to be let out in Killarney. We should be seeking revenge for the hammering we took there a few years ago in the championship. It’s been over a month with no football. Hit them like a freight train. Legs should be fresh. We need to turn this into a dogfight, get nasty, possibly a sending off or two. Let’s show the rest of the country we are not to be messed with. We looked out of it against the Rossies ,very disappointing result against an average side. Even a week after a league final a team like Mayo if we are serious, should be cruising past the Rossies, instead it looked like we had no fight in us whatsoever. The lads looked like they didn’t have the legs or the desire. A big response and statement is needed if we are in fact back at the top table. This is a game we should be looking to win, if we are to be contenders. A loss here does not bode well for the rest of this championship as far as I’m concerned!!!
@To win just once don’t don’t anyone needs reminding of 21 .
We will find out in the coming weeks if we are better than Galway and if Dublin are better than Kerry.for now kerry are the all Ireland champions and are the team to beat.weaknesses were exposed in our last two games where we have given away numerous goal chances and conceded a needless penalty and a sloppy goal against Roscommon.we don’t have an out and out ballwinner in the middle of the field.diarmaid o Connor drops into defence a lot and Matt ruane just isn’t that sort of player.we could still do with a Seamus o Shea type midfielder.this is a huge test for us and we will know alot more about where we are in the pecking order on Saturday evening