Poll: how far will we go this year?

vote

This waiting around is tough, not least because we still don’t know who we’ll be playing in the quarters, and we’ve another week and a half of this to come as well. At least by the weekend we’ll know who our our opponents will be on August 3rd and that’ll give us something tangible to focus on.

There’s been a variety of opinions expressed over the last few days on how we might fare out from here on in the championship – ranging from “We’re the only team that can beat the Dubs”, to “Will you stop? We’ve Cork and Kerry to get past first”, to (my favourite) “We don’t even know if it’s Cork we’ll be playing next” – so I think it might be worthwhile, just to pass some time, to see what the general feeling is on the issue. What do you reckon – how far do you think we’re going to go in this year’s championship?

How far will we go this year?

  • All the way, baby! (42%, 132 Votes)
  • More tears on the big day (31%, 95 Votes)
  • Semis (19%, 59 Votes)
  • Quarters (8%, 25 Votes)

Total Voters: 311

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52 thoughts on “Poll: how far will we go this year?

  1. Maybe it’s all those final defeats that make mayo people natural pessimists but we have a great chance again this year. I keep thinking back to the 1st half last year when the dubs were rattled. No one has rattled them since. Of course we can win it..
    I can take the despair, it’s the hope I can’t stand………

  2. I agree with the notion that we shouldn’t be talking in terms of who we may (may not) be playing on the other side of the draw. There are far tougher matches to concentrate the mind on from our own side of the draw. Plus it simply is disrespectful to those on our side of the draw.

    As regards our side itself I think Kerry will prevail over the winners of Galway/Tipp. they simply have too much class and experience not to at least reach a semi-final. Ally that with their new (behind closed doors) training policy. Plus with Cian O’Neill you can see a new sort of increased beef in Kerry that was not there before.
    In past years they generally used their guile to beat physical Cork teams in Munster. This year they have bulked up themselves and have their own physical presence along with the guile. So will be a tough prospect for any team.

    As to Cork/Sligo it’s difficult to look past Cork. Speaking to a big Cork supporter yesterday he said that you can’t really use the Munster final as a gauge to judge them by. Yes they were shocking on the day but the real Cork are simply not as bad as that performance. So ok – probably no world beaters but underestimating them on that performance is the completely wrong attitude to take.

    Finally there is usually at least 1 shock every year in the 1/4 finals. And although last year all of the favourites won the battles the Ulster champions were still knocked out. It’s quite possible that one of the provincial winners could fall this year as well.

  3. Waiting around till the 3rd of August is doing my nut in. GAA consumes my head from morning to nite still could be worse. I wont make a long term prediction until the evening of the 3rd but i do feel we will get over the next hurdle

  4. Think we’ll make the final again, alright

    I’m not one bit worried by Cork (that team they selected last night is one of the worst Cork starting 15’s I’ve ever seen) and I think we are a good bit ahead of Kerry, who are in a rebuilding phase and without several key players from last season.

    I think the win over Galway was very under-rated tbh and it’ll look much better in a few weeks time I think when they will either beat Kerry or push them very close (in my opinion).

    So yeah, I think we’ll take full advantage of a very manageable path to the final but I think there’ll be “tears” again

    Dublin look on a different level to everyone, they look to have improved from last year (I still maintain they were very beatable last season) and have a ridiculous bench to call upon and a very good manager.

    Our main hope is for them to be caught before final day I think, but I can’t see it- in fact I think they’ll do a serious number on Kildare/Monaghan and Donegal. Believe me that 2011 match still winds up a huge amount of Dubs I talked to at the final last year and it’ll no doubt be the same with the players. One thing I can’t see them doing is going lightly against the 2012 champs. The worst part for Donegal is people seem to be talking them up in terms of giving the Dubs a game which is not one bit ideal (coming in “under the radar” is generally best)

    In fact if we make the final, and if it is as expected vs the Dubs, I’d hope they’d be coming in on the back of hammering everyone and being talked up like there’s no tomorrow

    But yeah I think we’ll lose our third final in a row

    Then again this time last year I was convinced we’d win it out so who knows, I’ve been wrong before 🙂

  5. JPM- just to pick you up on “Cork will never be as bad again” they were blessed to beat Tipperary also so it wasn’t a one-off! A lot of people seem to forget this

    There can quite often be a shock QF winner but to be fair there hasn’t been one since 2010. Think Monaghan and Tyrone were similar odds last year and in 2011 and 2012 all provincial winners won their quarters! Maybe ourselves beating Cork was a little surprising in 2011 though in fairness!

  6. Cork would be marginally ahead of Sligo on their lesser form and well deserving of their favourite’s tag if they play fairly well. However, with a new manager, they started fast and looked too fit too early (opposite to ourselves), which may stand big time to Sligo.

    Kerry too on current form look a good bet. Earlier in the year when Cork were fVouites to take Munster by practically everyone, I went for Kerry ( including in this blog), becauseI figured they had oceans of time to plan with Cooper, and have serious talent in depth – sleeping lions. I don’t see a fast improving Tipp or inconsistent Galway turning them over in the Quarters.

    Other than Donegal doing a frustrating 14 man behind the ball and breaking efficiently to upset the Dubs, I agree that Kerry or Mayo are the only ones that will beat them playing football, as we used to know it!

    On current form in my book, we are joint-third favourites with Donegal, behind Kerry in second and Dublin.

    Our problem is our backs have not achieved the level of dominance they did last year, we don’t seem to know our best midfield pair that complement each other and the team and we’re trying to make other midfielders in to forwards to accommodate them.

    We have only the forward unit that’s being selected on form and consistent to a high level, while others that could contribute are more or less sidelined. So we’re not doing bad to be joint-third favourite on current form. We need to seriously get our act to together in the next match with our best team and form – the game after will be too late !

  7. i was speaking to a Donegal lad recently and he is very confident that if and when they do me the Dubs that Donegal will take them. So we shall see 🙂

  8. I agree with Hill St Boy that we can go all the way. If we play well we can beat any team including the Dubs.It will be down to the performance on the day. It is time we gave our best performance in the final. Maybe we are headed for it this year. I’m not worried by the semi-final. We are always up for that. It is expressing ourselves on the big day that we fall down in. We would have beaten Donegal and Dublin if we played to our ability

    I have a worry about Cork though (if they get through Sligo – a brilliant qualifier team!)
    I was in Croke Park for the League Semi Final. Cork were a revelation against Dublin in the first half. They frightened me as I thought that here is a resurgent force for the Championship just when we felt that Dublin were all we had to worry about. Hurley was extraordinary and unmarkable and they were 13 points ahead at one stage. Only a very good team could do something like that. The fact that they collapsed in the second half in the face of Dublin’s brilliance is something that we can understand having coughed up a similar lead to Dublin in 2012. It doesn’t make them a bad team. Something strange happens to the head when you are that far ahead. We must remember that they topped Division One and beat the Dubs in Croke Park earlier.

    They played badly against Tipp but Cork and Kerry always play badly against the other Munster counties, who they are expected to beat every year.

    So what happened in the Munster Final? Are Kerry that good? If James O’Donaghue was marked it would not have been half as bad. Cork seemed leaden footed as if they were over-trained. If they get it right as in the first half of the League Final they will be extremely hard to beat. Goulding, Hurley,O’Neill, Kerrigan, Walsh etc have not suddenly become poor players. It should be a great match.

  9. In the run up to last year’s final I said that we would win but only if everyone played at their peak. Everybody didn’t and we lost by a point. Dublin look better this year but they are in the same position as we were last year, winning every game at a canter, which may not be to their advantage when the pressure comes on. Donegal v Dublin will be a very interesting game as Dublin backs have had no test whatever this year. Re Kerry, all that needs to be said is that they are Kerry. They are not unbeatable but take them for granted at your peril. Some say Cork are not as bad as Kerry made them look in the Munster final but, judging by the number of changes he made for Sunday, the Cork manager seems to agree that they were. Perhaps the new team may do better but if I were a Sligo player I would be looking forward to making my mark. It’s the best chance Sligo have had in the qualifiers since they met Kerry [in 2009??] or Tyrone/Armagh 2001/2002??] Good luck to them, it would be nice to have two Connacht teams meet in the quarters. I do not think that Galway are good enough to trouble Kerry and perhaps an all Munster quarter would match the all Connacht one.

  10. Should have said that if, like last year, everybody is fit and at heir best, we will win. If not, well what’s new? I do hope Tom Cunniffe gets back to full fitness as I think he is by far the best equipped to deal with either Kevin McManamon or Colm McFadden. Wonder is is long since the McManamon’s left Mayo for Dublin?

  11. I would be roughly of ciarans way of thinking, we are the best of the rest, we caught Dublin on an off day last year and didn’t take advantage, I feel we will make the September Sunday but I fear for a thrashing a la 04 and 06 then.

    I hope I have read this completely wrong.

  12. I really hope the mayo players dont read this blog, this talk of playing Dublin in the final is lunacy. We have a massive game coming up against cork/sligo In under 2 weeks. Thats all that should matter for now.

  13. I agree Juan the shock of championship could be galway and Kerry galway could beat Kerry. And cork are hurting after Kerry so mayo better watch out.

  14. Seriously worry about the Cork game (if it is indeed the rebels we face). Although they have not performed well recently, they have to be hurting badly from the Kerry game. Dont forget they win two matches and they get a crack at righting some wrongs against Kerry in a semi final. Talk of facing Dublin/Donegal in a final are very premature in my opinion.

  15. Quarter final is all that matters. No doubt in my mind JH and the squad are not looking beyond that game. We’ve been improving incrementally all season and we need to continue that evolution on Sunday 03 August. A repeat of the performance against Galway won’t be enough.

  16. I dont think Cork have it in them mentally. I think if there is to be an upset it will be Sligo to beat Cork . I just cant see Kerry being beat by Galway. I have being impressed with how kerry are kicking the ball around.

  17. I think we will not beat Dublin.We will do well to beat Kerry but we are better than Cork Galway and Tipp.
    Injury free we have a remote outside chance but I dont see an All Ireland.I think Dublin will wallop Donegal.Their system will be shown up..they do not have forwards.
    Those looking for All Ireland relying on passion hope and emotion.Fact is based on current performance we are not good enough.
    Unfortunately we are unlikely to be for a while too.

  18. I am glad none of the posters are managing mayo, ifso they would not show up, I dont see why we cant make the final once more and if it is dublin we wont fear them.i feel we have a very good chance of beating them with a bit of luck.have faith in james and his team.also as I have said before not many have left the squad, so they must be happy enough, and while I would like to see some different players, I dont see them in training so I believe that the best players are being started

  19. WJ any chance of killing that poll off for now and reactivating it in September if the dream is still alive then? I think we should just dream about a victory in Croker on a balmy Summer Sunday on Aug 3rd and a few beverages to boot similar to July 13th in Castlebar. I know is all just a bit of craic but dreaming about Sam has not brought it a jot closer to our shores. The Donegal qf win last year was perfect is so many ways most especially because we were all focused solely on that game and the feeling leaving croker was brilliant. On the other hand the league semi this year was such a downer because we thought we had it in the bag and we were eying up a final prematurely.

  20. I wonder have Mayo ever reached three successive All-Ireland finals? It just shows what a hard thing it is to do. I know we reached 3 finals in four years in 1948,50 and 51, losing in the semi-final in 49. We did get to two successive finals in 1996, 1997 and 2012, 2013. We won six league titles in the 30s and one All-Ireland title. Did we reach 3 finals in a row back then? If we did manage to do it, this year, what an achievement that would be. Our loss to Derry in this year’s league semi-final should help us to not get ahead of ourselves though. Its all about the quarter-final game at the moment and getting our own house in order.

  21. I think Kerry will get the semi’s again this year. They will be making sure that Cork do not progress beyond that point. They are looking to get to the final.and they will be difficult to beat if they can progress. Cork are always a good side with a new manager and a new approach. I can see them getting to the final in the next couple of years. I will be expecting a severe test from them should they win next weekend. They are already eying up Kerry in a rematch. They do not fear Mayo and they never did.

  22. While I don’t wish to do a U-turn on my views on this, I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with expressing a realistic belief that we can go all the way this year. I suppose I feel the dodgy territory is when we start to talk about who we’ll be playing in a round or two ahead of our next game! I know the two may amount to the same thing but I still think there is a subtle separation. For instance, while Kerry totally believe that they can win Sam every year, and anything less is a failure, they don’t overdo it or talk (openly at least) about who they’ll meet in the final, and so on. However, they still believe they’ll get there, and often, rightly so.
    For Mayo, I think belief needs to be there; and I think this was missing after Andy’s goal in last year’s final. It was palpable from a Mayo point of view. (Interesting to hear a legend like John Mullane mention at the weekend the importance of the crowd and how it can drive the team on). I don’t think this would happen again and I think we are full throttle behind this team at the moment – but I feel we just need to be a bit clever about it.
    Can you imagine the feeling if (when) our team play well in the final and there is a green and red surge and explosion of sound throughout the grounds. There is no doubt the impact this would have and you can be sure it would be nothing like the lads would have ever experienced. And I suppose what I’m trying to say is we won’t be able to get behind them in this way (given our history) without a good deal of belief, which to me, seems like we are steadily building towards. I hope I’m not contradicting myself!

  23. I was talking to a mate from Kerry recently and he says everything is going to plan for the Kingdom.
    He reckons they targeted beating Cork and are now focusing on the semi where he is confident they will meet and beat Mayo.
    They feel that fitness cost them last year against Dublin. Remember the game was level approaching 70 mins and
    Tomas O’Se hadn’t the legs to get back, and they have put in a huge effort in this department for this year.
    Also of note was that they reckon they will definitely play Dublin in the final. He is delighted with the cute hoors in the media such as Tomas on the
    Sunday Game tipping Mayo to get there and Dara o Se’s piece in today”s paper is all about Dublin v Donegal.
    Like last year they want no reference made to Kerry at all. Their focus now is on cruising through the quarter final and then winning their next 2 games.
    They feel they owe Dublin for 2011 and again last year.

  24. It would be wise to fully focus on nothing else but our All Ireland Quarter Final against Cork. They are a very good side with several top class players who have something we don’t have – All Ireland Senior medals! Be under no illusion – they will get their act together for the Aug 3rd showdown and we best be fully prepared. If the Mayo players go into this game with the attitude of some posters on here we may be in for a very unpleasant afternoon. Nothing less than an uber intense full on 70min performance will be required to come out on top and graft out a narrow victory.

  25. Absolutely agree re. Darragh and Tomás. Spotted that a few weeks back and it’s gas to see people falling for it.

    In fairness Darragh made it a bit obvious in today’s paper the way he was buttering up Donegal. They’re looking tough but they are not back to 2012 form and they are not yet ready for Dublin – a serious QF performance from them is required to bring them up another level or two.

    After the Munster final Darragh was very careful to tell us all about how terrible Cork were, just in case anyone would be paying Kerry any attention. And Tomás buttering up Mayo too with his new-found ‘soft spot’ for us…spare me the seafóid, Tomás, maith an fear.

    Praising every other team to the hilt so those teams will be thinking they’re great. You couldn’t be up to those brothers.

    They didn’t get it from the wind. Páidí was always at the same craic in his Sunday Independent column, tipping the opposition for every Kerry match (especially if it was Cork).

  26. I think is set up lovely for Mayo, A good test and win against Cork who will restore some pride in running Mayo close. Get the monkey of our backs by beating Kerry in a game that really counts, and at the same time going into an All Ireland against the Dubs with no expectation after they have blasted everything in site. I hope the Dubs are gone off the boil by that stage.

  27. I said it months ago, the Kerry boys are really gearing for an assault on sam and the legendary cute hoor plan has been in full swing for a while re tomas and daragh .

    We have the winners of Cork Sligo next which will be a big task but if we were lucky enough to make it to a semi v Kerry , i would not fear them one bit and they are kidding themselves if they think Horan and our team are going to pay one bit of heed of any shite talk they try to peddle through the media.

    Support is vital now , our side of the draw has some badly supported teams in it and we can really do our bit for the cause by getting right behind the bucks, i hope there is a massive drive to get a crowd up. Free tickets to kids in schools is where id start .

    How far can we go ? We have the stuff to take it but we had it last year too, i believe we can ,we are supporters it is our job to believe

  28. Yeah its interesting to note that the Kerry pundits in the national media always play down their own chances and build up the opposition. While the Mayo pundits do the opposite, build us up and criticize the opposition, giving them some extra motivation to beat us. You get the feeling that the Kerry pundits always have the mantra of (Whats the best thing for Kerry football). They always see the bigger picture. They feel like they should never say or do anything to harm their own chances of winning.

  29. Have to expect it will be cork in quarters though hope I am wrong. If it is cork then we would be foolish to take them for granted. Up til 2011 I never saw Mayo beat cork in an important senior game We could beat them in early stages of league alright but come bigger games they always beat us, 1989 in final, a quarter in 2oo2 , that horrendous semi in 1993 and a few league finals for good measure. I know lots of cork gaa people and they would always feel they could beat Mayo. Was I thrilled when we beat them in 2011. Anyway that’s all in the past. But don’t under estimate them, They were dire v Kerry and lucky to beat Tipp but they do have some really excellent footballers especially up front who could seriously hurt us if given space. Their 3 dual players have a run at the football now that their hurlers are in a semi which is not on for a few more weeks. All 3 were poor v Kerry. Plus the have an extra game in which to put things right. So if it is to be Cork lets be ready for them and treat them with respect. As for Dublin and Kerry, they don’t exist until August 4.

  30. In fairness to Tomas O’Shea he has been complimentary towards Mayo since 2011. It’s not just this year because we MIGHT meet in a semi-final.
    Look, from here on in it is all about getting it right on the day. From the quarter finals on, no matter who we MAY meet, you can be sure that they will have the ability to beat us. The important thing is that we also have the ability to beat anyone on our day and we know that if we perform to our very best we cannot ask for any more. Then it is down to the bounce of the ball, the 50/50 decisions, and any bit of good luck on the day going our way.
    I don’t believe that passion alone will get us over the line from here on in, if it was only down to passion we would be going for 3 in a row. And, in case anybody thinks we are, we are not the only county that passionately loves our football and wants Sam in the county come September. I believe that tactics, mental & physical preparation and belief is what is needed from here on. It is the smallest of margins, at vital points in the game, that can make all the difference in the end. That extra 3% or 4% improvement, the inches that we need, will only come our way if everything else is in order.
    All we should be concerned about now is August 3rd at 12pm and 4pm. No point wasting mental energy on anything else.
    Hon Mayo.

  31. Hill St Boy

    I find that post objectionable.It is in breach of all the rules that I can see and adds nothing at all to debate about football.I know you have the right to express your opinion but insulting other counties add nothing to debate.
    Personally I find most other counties very fair to Mayo .We can hardly blame them for supporting their own.
    That post is truly horrific.

  32. Mayobornandbred. You’re right. I apologise to everyone. I was ranting ill keep my venom in check from now on. I just want mayo to win so bad

  33. How far will we go this year ?
    As far as WE want is the answer.
    It is always more about yourself than the other guy.
    Three fences left to jump.
    You cant be thinking about the second and third jumps before you’ve safely negotiated the first.
    Step by step then & if we’re single minded enough it’ll take us as far as WE want.

  34. I totally agree with HopeSpringsEternal views on the Mayo media, with the exception of Sean Rice they do the Mayo cause no favours by building up our team and dismissing the opposition.Kerry are so cute building up the opposition,remember Darragh and Thomas o Sea’s brother Mark is on the current Kerry team. I believe Cork underestimated Kerry this year and paid a heavy price,Cork were playing at home and Kerry had not won there in years.I believe Cork are a much better team than they looked in the Munster Final. A lot of shocks in the football championship take place at quarter final stage, I hope we do not underestimate any team at this stage.

  35. Mayo are an anomaly this year. August is approaching fast and Mayo are still in the running. If you were to pick an AIF winner based on performance “so far” a blind man with shite in his eye would pick Dublin. They’ve obliterated all opposition and it looks to me that they haven’t even got out of first gear. Mayo struggled to beat Roscommen and credit to them they eventually found their way. I wonder how would Dublin have fared against The Rossies but I think that we all know the answer to that already.

    Were still here and in the mix. I hope that we face Cork but we will have to wait and see. Personally I can’t see Sligo causing an upset based on their form this year. Cork look poor too but there still Cork. We have no another rational minded option than to focus on the next match because that could be the end of the line for this year. So regardless if it’s Cork or Sligo, Mayo will go no further in the championship unless they win.

    I would love to see, if Mayo can lumber on through to a game three and then pull a performance out of the hat akin to the Donegal match last year. End this waiting for once and for all.

  36. I think galway can take Kerry cause am sure Kerry will be eyeing a rematch with cork and could get cocky

  37. Tomás in today’s column, talking about the Dubs:

    ‘Maybe when they come up against a very effective defensive unit, like say Donegal or Mayo, they might have difficulties. To me, they’re the two teams probably best suited to catch them.’

    Can anyone guess which provincial winner he didn’t mention?

  38. ^^^ ehh maybe he’s just being honest???

    I’d hardly call Kerry a defensive unit now would you?

    I agree with him in a way, while I can’t see Dublin being beaten I still think the teams with the best chance are those that can stop their forwards doing damage and keep their score down as low as possible and hope to cause damage on the counter. Donegal and Mayo certainly suit this description more than Kerry

    I think O’Se is one of the more honest pundits we’ve seen in quite a while. He’s a breath of fresh air

  39. Anyway whats all this about Kerry being “cute”, “coming in under the radar” and all this?

    Bizarre talk- they’re either good enough or they’re not. It hasn’t done much for them in the past 5 years

    I’m disappointed our fans aren’t more confident we can beat them if we meet, and worse still some I’ve talked to are even afraid to meet them

    We made the last two finals remember, they certainly didn’t

    We are the team to beat if we clash, they should be the ones afraid of us

    2004, 2006 and even 2011 have zero relevance, zero!

    Anyhow, call me daft but I’m certainly not ruling out Galway beating them in a quarter next week. Kerry are well on the way down and have been for a while now

    Need to get past Cork/Sligo first but anything near our best and we should be more than sound

  40. Ciaran
    Cant see Galway within 7 points of Kerry or Sligo within 6 of Cork.
    Mayo to beat Kerry by four after a close game and Dublin to open up and destroy Donegal in second half.
    Final will be close or not depending on injuries in both camps but Hard to see the holy grail coming west.
    Manager has big role to play with his selectors…good calls will be decisive.
    Every one connected with team will give their all including best supporters in the land.We may argue or discuss among ourselves but we are fully behind Mayo.
    Agree about O Se ..breath of fresh air…pitywe have to putup with cahill to hear him.

  41. I wouldn’t call Mayo a defensive unit either, Ciaran. Witness the 16 points plus a penalty plus two other good goal chances we gave up against Galway. That’s before you get into the number of shots Galway failed to convert (14).

    We all thought this was going to be sorted out after the League. No sign of it yet, and IMO our half-backs need to be told in no uncertain terms that they are defenders above all else. Leave scoring to the forwards and midfielders. It’s certainly about time our forwards in particular took on a lot more of the scoring responsibility than they have done under James Horan’s reign.

    My point is that both Tomás and Darragh are buttering up Dublin, Donegal and Mayo at every opportunity as if Kerry are an afterthought, and thinking they’re being ‘cute’ by doing so. This is deliberate. They’re trying to get players/managers in these counties thinking that they’re better than they are just because the O’Sés said so. Alex Ferguson used to do the same thing all the time – he’d refer to it as ‘throwing my opponent a piece of toffee’ to soften them up.

    Most will see through this, but some won’t. That’s what they’re hoping for. This isn’t meaningless chat in the paper. Darragh O’Sé is Kerry u-21 manager. Tomás is only retired a year and is still close to the team. Marc O’Sé is still on the team and family is king with these boys. They’re going to help the senior team any way they can. If they can turn even a couple of heads in the Dublin/Donegal/Mayo camps with high praise in the national papers, they’ll be delighted.

  42. Kerry have already pulled off one coup d’état this year, they have now moved on to their next prey or threat, as they see it, which is us. Just think back to a couple of months ago, Kerry were playing Cork at home in the League in the final round game. Cork were already through to the semi-final, while Kerry needed the points to make the semi-final. It seemed to be a nothing game for Cork and with Kerry at home, needing to win, most people thought Kerry would win it. What happened, Cork hammered them, blew them out of the water. What happened next, all the talk was of Cork being real live All-Ireland contenders, they would really put it up to Dublin. It looked like Kerry had no chance of even winning a Munster title. They were no-hopers for the season ahead. It was been said that getting rid of Conor Counihan and some of Cork’s older players was a great move. Who was doing most of this cheer leading in the national media, the Kerry pundits of course, they were reveling in it. They all sing off the same hymn sheet. Cork were lulled into a false sense of security and ambushed on Munster final day. They fell for it hook, line and sinker. Kerry went up to Cork, with little chance of winning it seemed but they annihilated Cork on the day. Kerry are using these tactics even more now, playing down their own chances and building up the opposition, especially with their team not been as good as in previous years. We have seen the evidence with our own eyes of this, Kerry pulling a rabbit out of a hat. They pulled the wool over Cork’s eyes. You know Kerry were almost too clever for themselves even, they didn’t expect Cork to be so bad. They showed much more of their hand than they wanted to. They prefer to put in a performance like that on the third Sunday in September after stumbling into a final. Teams have been forewarned, now will they be forearmed for the challenge they present both on the pitch and even more so off the pitch?

  43. Kerry can also be the prey, as a couple of Northern teams showed for the best part of a decade. Outcomes and expectations change all the time, and while they should be respected (like a number of other teams still in the competition), they should not be feared.

  44. Spot on Mayobornandbred. The only thing I’d differ with is the comming west point. The line need to make sharp decisions when the match is in the melting pot and Mayo are the team that’s melting, for no good reason that I can comprehend. Sharp on the field. Sharp on the line. We have the team. It’s rare enough. Why not just go and win the thing out right for a change?

  45. Roger,enter Wiziwig on net and under other sports it will show gaa national league. Go from there,maybe Sky Sports3.Click on X on top of blog on right to get rid of annoying clicking sound.Dont forget the pub later.Hopes this helps-Sean.

  46. Mayo have done fantastic this year winning a forth straight connaught title. That achievement needs more respect. In the last 25 only one team kerry have managed back to back all ireland’s. The demands of reaching the standard again the second year are to demanding for in the modern era. So it would take a monumental effort for Mayo to get to the last Sunday of September 3 years in a row. Be realistic people they may do it as they are a fantastic team whose day we hope will come. Let’s celebrate there outstanding achievement do far.

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