58 thoughts on “Sunday match reports”

1. A young couple.got married on knock
   And herself she was ready to rock
   She kicked off her kickers
   And slipped out of her knickers
   But her man he collapsed with the shock.

2. Revellino, seriously?

3. Revelhino
   What caused him to collapse? Did she have a Dublin tattoo somewhere?

4. Meanwhile back to the football !!!
   – “Old dogs for the hard road” held true yesterday once Andy, Doc and Leeroy came on Limerick could not get the ball past the half line and COC benefited hugely from a non stop supply of ball.
   – As regards “Young pups for the boreen” James Durkan did great in first 25 minutes but faded. ..Hanley surprisingly easy to knock of the ball and his marker the Limerick number 5 won a lot of ball and tore up the field time and time again.EOD steady..and Nally did very well but got very little time on the pitch. Evan failed to impress and needed to score big time but could not… Loftus disappointingly subdued when he came on..both of those should have been flying in the goals rather than COC and Andy.
   – Very hot at the game but fitness looked great. Well done, nothing to c here next game please.

5. Wrong blog me thinks ! Great win by the u20s but like seniors tougher test’s ahead .

6. Well done Olive for fair analysis. Maybe with more game time newbies will be a force. We are going to need stregth in depth. Imo Adam Gallagher deserves another look.. especially in the light of some bench players not setting the world on fire.

7. Jason Doherty won a power of kickouts after he came on

8. Cian Hanley is very athletic but it’s going to take a while to bulk him up. He’s built like an 800 metre runner. Strong but slim.

9. Player Ratings
   1.David Clarke 7
   2.Eoin O’Donoghue 7
   3.Ger Cafferkey 6
   4.Keith Higgins 8
   5.Colm Boyle 7
   6.Chris Barrett 8
   7.Paddy Durcan 9
   8.Seamus O’Shea 8
   9.Stephen Coen 5
   10.Kevin McLoughlin 7
   11.Aidan O’Shea 7
   12.Cian Hanley 7
   13.Evan Regan 6
   14.Cillian O’Connor 10
   15.James Durcan 7
   Lee Keegan 8
   Jason Doherty 7
   Conor Loftus 7
   Andy Moran 8
   Caolan Crowe 7
   Shane Nally 7

10. Made the same observation on Cian Hanley myself last night JP. That’s his build though . He is very lithe . Don think he will ever bulk up much if he didn’t whilst he was a professional!
    Also noticed he is carrying the ball very loosely under his paw. Like an oval ball……….don’t think we will see the best of him this year tbh

11. Hanley got penalised for an Aussie rules style hand pass in the first half too. He’ll come good eventually I’m sure.

12. It is a bit early to assess James Durkan and Cian Hanley on this their first start, I think they have a lot to offer and a lot to learn but they did fine. James Durkan has a good turn of speed but needs to steady up when shooting. Cian just needs plenty of game time.
    At this stage I would be expecting a lot more more from Evan and Conor Loftus , I know Evan is only back from injury and would make allowances for that
    This is a great opportunity for giving those boys proper game time as we should take a lot of the opposition in tomorrow’s draw, Monaghan being the one to be avoided.
    If the draw is perceived to be easy I think Shane Nally should be started as he is a very accurate kicker from hand or dead ball
    on the right hand side, where we have a problem.
    If you go back to Maurice Sheridans time his biggest contributions were from placed balls.
    When Dean Rock started with Dublin he was a very average player, his main purpose was as a free taker.
    Anyway it is a great start and congratulations to players and management, just waiting to see who provides the opposition tommow.
    Slan

13. The heat must be getting to Revellino, looking at all the light Summer clothing, it has got to me also, feels like Italy here in Dublin this past few weeks.
    Time for Mayo to test out the impact subs over the next two games, to be ready for the big guns.

14. “to hear the banner roar really drove us on ”

    I’ll just leave that here for those who think vocal support means nothing . It means everything you deluded people. The roar of the gael is a magnificent lift . Ask any county player

15. Is it an open draw tomorrow or do we meet a semi final provincial loser,I wonder what teams can we draw??

16. Has to be a semi final loser Tommy. Leitrim, Monaghan, Longford, Sligo, Tipp, Down/Donegal an 2 others i cant think

17. Clare and Carlow I’m guessing

18. ‘I think the crowd and atmosphere can have a major impact on the game.’
    Ger Cafferkey to me in a message Sep 2016 when I was trying to get that Stand up for the Mayo men chant going for the AI final. Anyway I agree with Sean Burke. However I do think what’s going on or not going on on the pitch affects the crowd too. Galway match was not the most riveting for long periods. Some people will roar if nobody else is but others feel self conscious when not everybody around them is. I’m a bit of both. I try to get behind the team every match but I feel it’s hard to keep Mayo Mayo going when nobody else is joining in and I start to give up. I think each to their own though, we are all different but some don’t feel able or the need to be roaring lunatics like some of us. Doesn’t make them any the less of a supporter. I’d be a self conscious person esp of public speaking etc. and this carries into match shouting at times. It is frustrating when nobody is getting behind the team vocally but irish people generally need a bit of alcohol to perform ? I nearly killed myself trying to get that damn chant going in 2016. I really believed in it at the time but since I feel as long as we raise the noise levels and passion and show the team or push the team on it doesn’t matter the chant etc. mayo mayo is hard to keep going though but it’s staying. I think in big matches over the last two years the mayo supporter is way more vocal and passionate than any other county supporter. Galway Mayo match was a boring enough match so need to move on from it and let the quieter folk amongst us off the hook. Mayo fans are all wonderful supporters. I don’t care if fairweather supporters at times either like AI finals – the more Mayo the merrier.
    Looking forward to the podcast on way to work and the draw.

19. Remarkably, Kevin Mc Stay has already named the Roscommon team for the Connacht Final, one week before the match…Unchanged.
    I hear they scored 5-20 against Cork in Ennis on Thursday night.

    Monaghan are the obvious team for us to avoid, but I wouldn’t relish a trip to Newry either

20. If we were to draw Carlow where would it be on ……….don’t think their ground could take the crowd ?

21. Watching Dublin v longford it would depress you.The Gaa administartion is a disgrace .You pity Longford a good Gaa county with some nice footballers but when your pulling from 40 thousand people against 1.4 million you havn’t a hope.

22. I see that giant Mayo flag in the picture above. Does anyone know how big it is. It made my flag look like a handkerchief.

    Poor Longford are trying their best.
    @Roger Mila. Can you see now why it’s very important to give the back up goalie game time.

23. Its like groundhog day listening to Colm and Tomas waxing lyrical about the Dubs..Theyre playing a more traditional brand of football that hasnt been played by …..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

24. Cluxton took a fair hit there, not that i like to see a player get injured or anything but dublin without cluxton are a much lesser team.

25. You also have to ask why RTE decided to show Dublin’s game over the other 2 games on today… it’s another predictable annihilation.

    I see Brolly in his Indo article questioning why AM got 2017 POY (over McCarthy) and why Clarke got AllStar instead of the much hyped Clucko. The answer? Because they bloody well deserved awards over the two Dublin players – that’s why!

26. The Mayo supporters should present an award every year.

    We could call it

    The Gobshite of the year award

    We could have a tie this year and award it jointly to Sean hee haw Cavanawh and Joe Broccoli and we could give Tomatos O’shea an honourable mention as a very close runner up.

27. It’s really hard to know what the new players are like in a game like yesterday’s. One thing that cannot be quantified is the mental strength of the players. This applies to u20s as well. Guys can look super in club football and against lesser opposition. But at senior, we are looking for players with the Lee Keegan/ Colm Boyle mentality. You can’t pick that out in an underage team. Some people have it – some just don’t. You could describe it as character, I suppose it’s the ability to turn the tide when it’s going against you through sheer force of will. We need players with this mentality to come into the team and I’m not sure some of these fringe players have it. We really won’t find out till the need is greatest.

28. Jonny coopers elbow – what a dirtbag. Tomas o se giving him a free pass is even more irritating. Diarmuid got dogs abuse for his sending off a few weeks back.

29. Another mini rant here after reading brollys column today – as the months have passed since last years all Ireland final, Dermo Connolly’s contribution at HT has assumed the stuff of legend amongst the general GAA public. Apparently he single handedly came on and dragged them over the line?? I don’t quite remember it like that myself now. Ok he made a reasonable contribution, scored a point, maybe set up one or two more scores. I remember him taking at least ten steps before passing into rock for the 61st minute point. He also manufactured a soft free from Dublin Joe to win it in the end I suppose. For me James McCarthy made a much bigger impact for Dublin but I suppose Connolly is the flavour of the month these days. Brolly is pathetic having a cut off Gavin because if there was simply a grudge with Gavin, he would be playing for Vincent’s. But he’s not, so it’s obviously something else. A fact Conveniently ignored by joe though

30. Joe knows exactly why Diarmuid isn’t playing for club or county..The end.

31. Would we rather avoid a trip to pearse stadium, a game mayo should win obviously but longford acquitted themselves reasonably well today and can shoot if given the chance, monaghan obviously the team to avoid, anyone else should be a straightforward win.

32. Please dont be listening to the garbage from Dessie Dolan during the live match, talking up Longford for the qualifiers, terrible poor team in a dead province.
    Time to start with only 8 teams in the A / Sam Maguire championship, and put the rest into the B championship, the Gaa are looking for any excuse to have more games, higher revenue etc.
    Look at the Munster Hurling championship, the best teams in the A competition resulting in tough, tight, great games, the lowest team ib the group goes into the B competition.

33. One more thing, I for one have been calling for severe treatment to be dished out to a few Dub players, Cluxton is one of those, after watching the referee today dishing out a red rather than a fair yellow card, I can see now how well drilled the Mayo guys are when playing the Dubs.

34. Exactly Regina. He knows well. There’s no denying the difference Connolly has made unfortunately and whether it was a manufactured free or not it was the difference at the end of the day sadly …

    Cooper is dirt, but we knew that already. The double standards that apply however from RTÉ are beyond sickening. I stopped watching the Sunday Game but am at my desk today and stuck it on in the background just to keep one eye on proceedings … sure Jonny plays on the edge… that’s a good thing. Their exact words. Good man Dessie Dolan. And Deegan as always played a blinder. That was a fierce hit on Cluxton though and well late; I’d have no issue with the red. Your no. 1 is your no. 1 though and I don’t see Dublin playing their sub keeper apart from when they have to. There are other means of keeping players sharp.

    Don’t really have an issue with the Dubs being shown today despite the borefest that it was. They are the AI champions after all and despite all their advantages it’s not really the Dublin team’s fault that no-one else in Leinster can get their shit together and give them a proper game.

    Larry Duff – good point about the mindset/mentality and mental strength from younger players. It’s tough at the top and seeing calls for U20 players to be promoted cold to the senior squad puzzles me – do people not understand the level of the step up?

35. If I’m right in saying,the stewards in Limerick went mental when the huge flag was unravelled,I taught there was some having a heart attack,they passed me that quick to have the flag put away.

36. Rte radio sport just said Tom P doing the draw in the morning at 8.40am. Maurice Deegan drives me nuts as a ref. Why did i read Brolly article- thought it was about D. Connolly leaving, but it ends up as usual having a rant about Aido, Andy, David C and mayo in general.

37. The stewards were sound regarding the flag, they didn’t say anything to me anyway except could we give them a green and white one for the hurling today. Thanks to all that helped out with it, I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to have at a game but I hope it adds to the colour and excitement before the games.

38. Don’t read the Dublin independent and don’t watch the Sunday game. You’ll be a lot better off.

39. Flag looked class, keep it coming =)

40. I agree Niall Just don’t read or watch that rubbish It does wonders for the blood pressure when you don’t.

41. Great post Sinead. First match in our 28 year relationship that my beautiful wife attended . She’s finally getting it. Sometimes you have to see for yourself. It’s way more than a game. Sometimes it’s everything. Enough of that. A few observations.

    Mayo won out the gate, always a good thing.
    Lee looked good fit and ready for sterner tests ahead.
    Hanely is eager and quick and will in my opinion have alot to say when all the talking is done.
    Start Loftus! Give him a proper chance when there is nothing to lose.
    Big Bertha was heartening to see but why not raise on either end stand to avoid mass evacuation. Love to see her would not want to be swallowed up by her. Just a thought.
    Limericks ease scoring the second goal, I find slightly troubling as we move forward.
    Aidan tracking back, to much chasing. Prefer to see him chased, by a division 4 outfit in disarray.
    Last and least. Are there no singing people in Limerick? What was up with the national anthem? It was like something you’d hear in North Korea on a most glorious day. Get them trained for the fleadh ceoil ,rapid like.

42. I love the flag Misc,I just mis read the situation

43. @Anne Marie, I mentioned about bringing in the two best u20 final years. Not into the 26 but to be around the setup in the height of championship in order that next year as 21 year olds they have a slight bit more composure.

44. I’d love to beat them more than anything in this world. We make the super 8 , ya never know we might get one more crack at them and that crack could split them open .

45. Brolly the molly, taking over from Dublin joe now, there must be a brolly bonus to negotiate, as for Cluxton it was a late hit, but he followed through as well with a closed fist, the pundits see what they want to see, and that includes the 3 geniuses today, Cooper did nothing wrong in their eyes, ah sure we should know by now i suppose, the boys in blue never foul, our jonny would never do that. Never mind another easy draw in the morning, will be perfect, Up Mayo.

46. Just a question about Cluxton. He went off, according to the commentators, as a blood sub. I support the idea around head injury protocols and could see her was winded but does there have to be blood before you can be a “blood sub”. I know that others have done this in the past but I thought it was clarified since.

47. Revellino, how about doing a piece on brolly, been presented with the award u mentioned earlier, and being in the running for a fourh, this coming year, same as the dubs, bet it would be hilarious, with ur sense of humour.

48. Hello, My name is Joe Molly,
    I’m never prone to a Folly,
    I’ll tell you damn straight
    When it comes, “Super Eight”
    I can always get off on my “BROLLY”

49. As far as is I am concerned everything any Mayo supporter needs is here on this blog (even if it takes awhile to sink in for some of us, ahem!?!) and thanks to WJ and the contributors for that. The national media are just that, national, with no loyalty other than to flog shite in whatever shape or form that sells and good luck to them. There bias is questionable at least. Everything we need is here. And the Mayo News, of course!

50. The 2 replays I had on the Cluxton hit was he was taken out and it’s a straight red every day. Mayo88 to me is trash talking when suggesting taking out certain other players. Sport is supposed to be.. well sporting. We should play as hard and within the rules as much as possible. There’s cynicism around and it’s up to the GAA to try and address it but taking out players especially in a pre meditated way as you suggest is just thuggery, on a different level to cynicism. The Longford no 14 had to actually line up the hit with precision to catch him.
    Apart from that Longford coped well for 15 or 20 mins of the 2nd half with 14 and most of their many wides during the game were caused by lack of composure and fear of Dublin.
    Dublin were good but not brilliant despite the big score, the last 7 or 8 points were all Dublin.

51. I don’t actually mind brolly too much. I think he’s a wind up merchant more than anything else.
    Sean Cavanagh is venomous though and really does not like us. I suppose he’s young. He might grow up a bit, have to wait and see.
    Des Cahill is sneaky as in when he asked the entire panel at the end of 2016 would it be possible for this mayo team to win an All ireland.
    I used to like Mcstay when he did the Sunday game.
    Spillane and o’rourke are part of the furniture.
    Whelan is part of the big Dublin windmill. It’s all he can see and his true colours will be seen later in the year like they are every year.

    Tackle on Cluxton was most certainly dangerous.

    Small got away with another dirty contact as he always seems to do. Ref might not have seen it I’m guessing.

    Saw the umpire outlining the square box with his hands at our game last night as if he was calling for hawkeye on one of the attempts. What was goin on there ? There was no break in play for a review or anything or did his square box signal mean something else?

52. @Revellino – “Small got away with another dirty contact”.

    Except Small didn’t play today – He’s injured…….

    Maybe less poetry, and more attention to games might be in order.

53. Was it Johnnie Cooper?

54. @Jaden I tend to make a good few mistakes. I wish I was perfect like yourself and I wouldn’t have to worry about the mistakes. Actually, come to think of it, making mistakes doesn’t bother me at all but thanks for correcting.

    I get the feeling you want me to write a little piece about you Jaden but I could be mistaken there too 🙂

55. A small error there revellino though in fairness there are similarities between small and cooper

56. Jaden, in your honest opinion do you think Coopers contact on the Longford player’s face was intentional or not and whether it merited a card from the referee?

57. Rub adub adub adub adub in a tub
    Look how squeaky clean they play the more that you scrub
    Coo Coo Coo Coo Coo Coo Coo Coo Cooper ain’t Small
    Jaden pointed that out told me watch more football

    Jay Jay Jay Jay Jay Jay Jay Jay Jaden was right
    Pa pa pa pa Pack up with the poetry it’s shite
    I thanked him for his con con con con con con con concern
    Already I feel more per per per perfect
    Goodnight.

58. Do none of ya feel it, thank fook for the players.