Not all heroes named Willie Joe wear football boots.
I had been let down by my ticketing source. A source that to their credit had supplied me all year but, much like Annie Power in the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2015, had let me down at the final hurdle.
It was Wednesday last when the news was broken to me and from then until the early hours of Sunday morning, I scanned Done Deal looking for reasonably priced tickets. However, I soon saw a pattern emerging. A new ad would appear on the website. I would click into it, gather the seller’s information and ring the number with haste.
One of two outcomes would always occur within the twenty seconds it took me to go from spotting the ad to calling the ticket holder. Either, the ticket would be gone, or the seller had gotten a big offer of money for a ticket which I then was asked to counter offer. I preferred the former, the disheartening and disgusting feeling of being asked for €200 or more for a Hill ticket is not one which I am fond of. Touts should have no place in this organisation but sadly they do.
I had lost all hope, I had shut down the laptop and was getting ready to hit the hay for a sad sleep when my phone vibrated. It was Willie Joe of Mayo GAA Blog fame and he had just made my Sunday (even though it was only an hour old).
“I have a ticket for you”.
The shattered demeanour which I had displayed before this had suddenly vanished. I was ready to drive to Dublin that instant in order to grab the hand off Willie Joe and get my hands on the golden ticket.
Common sense prevailed, however, and instead I fell in and out of sleep with excitement before setting off at 6am. The motorway was beautiful but quiet at this time of the morning. Light traffic meant I was in Dublin earlier than I expected and the sky on the way was breath-taking.
The sun was shining brightly as I began my arrival into the capital and I was met with two Mayo flags which hung on the bridges above me. We weren’t here to take part, we were here to take over the capital and the flags planted on the bridges reminded me of that.
Willie Joe’s directions to his house were spot on, my navigation on the other hand was not. He had broken down my path street by street, road by road, and I still managed to get lost. A quick chat and an exchange of a ticket with the man himself (I can’t thank him enough) meant I could relax for the rest of the morning and afternoon … until 3:30pm that is.
I got breakfast and was greeted with ‘good lucks’ and well wishes from the opposition fans upon first glance at my jersey. I wasn’t sure if they were ‘May the best team win!’ or ‘Ye’ll need it’ good lucks but I replied with the same statement.
While waiting for the lads to arrive, I shared a pint of the black stuff with John, a die-hard Dublin fan. I knew he was a die-hard before he opened his mouth, his 1990s Arnotts jersey had been through the wars (and the wash) on various occasions and the peeling and fading of stickers and colours alike could testify this.
John admitted that he wouldn’t begrudge us a win but he did say it at a lower tone than the rest of the conversation. In the brief 30-minute conversation we shared, I could tell he was a gentleman and a great story teller. The jersey reminded me though that he would probably be a different character come half-three and, who knows, maybe he was thinking the same of me.
He’s right and all, whatever it is about Mayo, they turn me into a person I am worried about. A person with a fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, a foul mouth and bad temper. One of the lads thought our Lord had risen again on the third Sunday in September with the amount of times I mistook Conor Lane’s name for Jesus Christ.
Photo: MichaelMaye.com
What a pulsating game, forgetting the two own goals for a moment, what a first half performance from the boys. Our turnovers and tackling were immense and we kept the unbeatable, untouchable, unstoppable Dubs scoreless for thirty minutes.
It was just a shame we couldn’t kick on in terms of scoring for ourselves, which brings me to the own goals. Joe Brolly mocked Mayo at half-time, promptly shouting ‘curse’ and “when have you ever seen one own goal in a match, never mind two” as if Boyle and McLoughlin had intentionally gone out to put the ball into their own net.
Two freak goals and there could have been two more if it wasn’t for David Clarke, his erratic style of keeping meaning he’ll dive, jump and run anywhere in order to get to the ball first, even if it means battling with Dean Rock on the ’21!
McCarthy’s black card only added fuel to the already burning bonfire that is the black card debate. If that was a black card, there should have been many more – Connolly, MacAuley, Aidan and Cillian to name but a few who had similar challenges it seemed.
Photo: MichaelMaye.com
Who even knows anymore what is deemed bookable black card offence? We’ve just learned not to complain about it as long as the decision goes our way. Funnily enough, Cillian’s incident came a minute before his magnificent equalising score so if you believe in curses, you better believe that was some sort of blessing in disguise.
Anthony Finnerty’s famous goal chance against Cork in ’89 was before my time but I have seen it often enough to be able to recall. Andy Moran’s point mid-way through the second half was an almost carbon copy of that, the only difference between his shot on the acute left angle and Finnerty’s was that his provided a score in the end.
Five points in the opening ten second half minutes, trailing going into injury time – I’ve talked about it before, when this group of players are under the cosh, they stand up and fight. A scoreless Bernard Brogan hitting the bench after 60-odd minutes was a delight to see, an injured Alan Dillon hobbling off after ten minutes on the pitch was not. He scored a wonderful point and his intelligent reading of the game would have been just what we needed to see out a victory in the dying minutes. What a shame.
Connolly and Kilkenny fighting over the sideline ball which Connolly eventually blew wide showed how much the Dubs had been rattled. They were relieved and in disbelief to have the lead in the closing stage despite being outplayed.
If they had been in control all game and were presented with that sideline, they would have played keep-ball until the final whistle. They were in shock and Connolly’s bizarre decision to take on that sideline ball showed just that.
Vaughan’s shot to narrow it down to one was extraordinary, what nerves of steel and confidence must he have to take that opportunity. As for O’Connor’s equaliser, that was out of this world.
Not the shot itself, anyone who has seen O’Connor play at club level or even at county level before knows he is capable of it but the setting it happened in made for an unbelievable score. He got his hands on it in the build-up play, before getting it back, jinking a dummy and hammering over. Voice gone, emotional stability gone, but faith still firmly intact at the final whistle.
Do you think RTÉ focused on our performance? Not likely, this was a poor Dublin performance, they won’t play like that again, Connolly, Brogan, McManamon, Flynn, they will all be improved in the replay. Basically, the replay is Dublin’s for the taking.
It suits me fine if RTÉ want to portray that but they are harshly mistaken if they think that Mayo won’t improve for the replay. There is much room for improvement in the two O’Sheas, while Diarmuid O’Connor played in third gear for the whole game and still put in a big shift. An eight or nine-star performance from those three alone can wipe any team on any given day, never mind if Cillian, Vaughan, Harrison or Durcan to name but a few, replicate their Sunday performances in the replay.
We held, and should have beaten, this Dublin team firing on only seven or eight fully working cylinders instead of the usual fifteen. We’ll need all fifteen to be firing on the 1st of October.
As for Lee Keegan, he kept the country’s best player quiet for 70 minutes with only one point coming from Connolly. Time and time again in these tough Dublin clashes, Keegan sacrifices his usual attack-minded game in order to do a job on Connolly, one which he executed perfectly on Sunday.
Photo: MichaelMaye.com
Mayo’s loss going forward is also their strength in the back line. He irritates Connolly, (Lord knows it’s not hard) but more so than anyone you can tell that Connolly hates Keegan, a feat which Keegan is visibly proud of and a feeling which is most definitely mutual. The Irish Times described the marking on Connolly like “tickling a grizzly.” I don’t think anyone would like to get ‘tickled’ by Keegan.
So, the 1st of October it is. A county holds its breath for another week and a bit. There was a post doing the rounds on social media about ‘the curse’. Apparently it only ever applies to finals which take place on Sundays in September and won’t be relevant on a Saturday in October. As if the gypsy or priest or ludraman that put this ‘curse’ upon us followed it up with a contract containing terms and conditions which we are forever seemingly trying to find loopholes out of.
Curses and conspiracies eh? But if you do add 1+9+5+1 you get 16!
Enjoyable read and good luck with the ‘Ticket Hunt’ (Part 2) !!
Yes and Dublin a bit cursed themselves in last 4 decades in even numbered years.
Whatever about the Dublin bear being poked I don’t think from reading that that you’ll be hibernating until 1st October.
Dublin no bear, just 15 mere mortals on the pitch. Mayo understand that now. It’s 15 against 15.
Connolly’s attempt at pointing in injury time, which some saw as a blow up, is actually nothing of the sort. If it can be thought of as a bad decision, then it’s a marginal call that way.
The sideline ball produces two outcomes. Play keepy-ball for the next 3 minutes, in a game where turnover is the norm, against a team desperate to take it off you, or go for it.
In going for it, again two outcomes exist.
The ball goes over the bar – and it’s game (more-a-less) over. Mayo have not honestly threatened the goal all through the game, and need to point twice in maybe 2 minutes of play, just to eke out a draw.
The ball goes wide and dead. Dublin, during the sideline ball, have a chance to setup for the full court press on the kickout – and they actually do this. Now almost a minute of time has elapsed and Clarke has his kickout under extreme pressure, and either goes short to a defender who will be put under pressure himself, or go long into a midfield that Fenton has owned all game. Even if Mayo retain possession, they have precious little time to engineer a point that still only gets a draw.
Only O’Gara’s extreme brain-fart of moving off his marker toward Clarke gives Mayo the reprieve they need to work the score. (Which was very well worked and taken).
Connolly, in taking the ball from Kilkenny (who will clearly try to play possession football with it), has done what he always does – standing up and picking the option that goes for the jugular.
He knew damn well what he was at, and I honestly can’t fault him for doing as he did. He had essentially a free shot at burying Mayo, and he went for it. Looking at the outcome and judging the action by it, is results-based thinking.
His dead ball to Dean Rock for the goal was another example of how he’s sees the game differently to most of us. It caught the Mayo defense completely by surprise. Only Dean spilling it gave cause for Boyler to lash out at it. If the pass sticks, he’s one on one with Clarke, who has too much distance to make up to close him down. I’d like to have seen the attempt, but we’ll never know.
There is no doubt that Keegan negates Connolly’s influence to a certain extent, but the inverse is also true. Lee has scored one point less than Aidan in this championship, and didn’t even get a sniff last Sunday. Connolly did score, albeit alot lower return than would be typical. But let’s not kid ourselves, and what he does, Keegan is probably the best around at doing it.
Alot of people call Keegan an apprentice of the Dark Arts, and there is substance to that. But let’s be honest, there isn’t a county team in Ireland where he isn’t a nailed on starter. He has the attitude needed – upper hand at all costs. Watch him fist pump when Connolly is shown a yellow, it says “I’ve done my job”. Fair play, even if it isn’t strictly speaking, fair play.
Him and Dermo are opposite sides of the same coin.
One day we will rue that they no longer play, and harken back to days like Sunday when there were proper 1 on 1 contests to be seen.
More of the same next time out please. Tá mé gorm agus tá mé bródúil.
Whats this i hear about Police taking flag poles off Mayo people going into the Hill the last day?
On grounds of health and safety? You can bring the flag material in, but not the flag pole. Even Big Bertha was pulled up according to our own Mayonaze.
This is fucking crazy lads. I saw that one or 2 flares went off in the Hill with blue smoke.
So that is alright then is it? Was there any Mayo flares anywhere? Cant remember seeing any.
Keegan did not fist pump when Connolly was shown a yellow. He was looking towards the umpire indicating that Connolly had punched him.
Section 311…. they are out
so the game goes to extra time if it is a draw , what happens if it is level after extra time ?
A replay the week after ? or two weeks after ?
@Jim Flag – The Gardai were taking poles off everyone, health and safety apparently.
Never been a fan of smoke and flares – too much scope for something to go wrong.
Love that nifty sum 1+9+5+1 = 16 and three ones in the equation for the !st of October. Think we’ll definitely do it now !
Jaden, two things, the outcome of Connollys decision was Dublin left the AI behind them, it was be incorrect decision in the conditions.
Keegan did no fist pump.
Connolly – Keegan battle is fascinating but is far from a one-sided outcome. No doubt Keegan curtails connolly by comparison to most but that is not to suggest connolly did not make a massive contribution on Sunday.
His pass to Rock that led to the second goal was absolutely sublime notwithstanding Rock fluffing his lines. He also hit a similar pass to Paddy Andrews in teh first half that led to a point. He may have only got one from play himself but he never goes hiding despite Keegan’s attentions – he is always looking to get on the ball and create something – a lot of that gets snuffed out, brilliantly, by Keegan but anyone that doubts this is anything other than damage limitation is ignoring Connolly’s overall contribution – which as some has pointed out manifests itself in one of the games outstanding attacking defenders been negated from doing any attacking.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing when it comes to the sideline ball – but I think if you had asked every Mayo fan in the stadium would they have preferred Connolly to have a shot at the posts at that time or Kilkenny to recycle possession, i think you would have found a lot of them choosing against the Russian roulette of letting a player like him taking a punt at the posts. I certainly wouldn’t have backed much against him to miss. So as Jaden alludes to above…we are all wise after the event.
That pass from Connolly was otherworldly. Dean Rock didn’t have to move and it hit him square in the bread basket from 50 metres.
I could see Dublin using Connolly as a passer more than a scorer in the next game. His passing is arrow straight. If they do that on occasion we will need to mark from the front and on other occasions we need to mark from side/behind. Depends on the setup. Deep towards our own goal I prefer marking from behind as they can steal back 2/3 yards and suddenly an accurate pass has us split open.
Yep Connolly is a class act really. The chances are it’s going to be dry sod in Croker on Sat week which will suit the dubs. I expect they’ll come out all guns blazing..I hope we are ready.
These teams know one another inside out at this point. 2nd replay in a year…we ran out of juice with 12-15 mins to go in last years 2nd game. We cannot afford that to happen again.
Keegan was indicating to the umpires that he’d been punched in the face twice and to maybe bring that to the refs attention. Connollys vainglorious attempt at the match winner actually showed that when the pressure was ramped up, one of the main flaws that Gavin had worked so hard to eliminate came back to the surface, and that’s individualism. The lid will be even tighter on the pressure cooker Saturday week and if Mayo can keep the heads, there is a high probability that Dublin will get a man sent off, with the main suspect being Connolly. He will have had two solid weeks of the hamster spinning the wheel with thoughts of kicking away a certain All Ireland victory combined with the fact that the man who has kept him from a POTY over the last three years has again gotten the better of him.
Mayo have smelt blood and have had their belief that this Dublin team is well beatable confirmed.
Dublin have dodged a bullet and had their worst fears confirmed, that they’re not as good as everyone said and this Mayo team have zero fear of them.
I dunno, on a wet day and with the referee always favouring the team who are behind it is pretty hard to play keep ball on legs that have played for 80 minutes.
I thought Connolly was right to go for it. If he nails it and he is probably 35% from there then it was pretty much game over. If he missed there was still time gone off the clock and Dublin had a chance of winning the ball back from the kickout.
We probably did plan to get Conor OShea on the pitch but the injury to Dillon cut one sub.
Conor OShea will be great at driving hard to take a point or two late on. Conor is probably our quickest big man with the ball in hand. Parsons is quick but he always seems to be at 3/4 pace when on the ball. Conor can drive full pelt.
Connolly is pure class. And going by his handshake with Lee at full time, looks like he has accepted the challenge and acknowledges Lee as a peer. I’d be very wary of him in the replay. Although he cannot win a game on his own.
Mayonaze, you should be headhunted by met eireannn for their 10 day forecast.
We need Cian OSullivan handling for 80 minutes the finest of broad shouldered Mayo brawn coming through at pace. Inevitable yellow card in the first half. What can he do but just leave a hand in after that?
Driving hard at their centre I think will cause overlaps and have them out on their feet in the last fifteen minutes.
No two games are the same. I`ve seen games where fellas who excelled the first day
can have a stinker the next. So have you.
I expect our lads will have to cope with an opposition player ` in their face` for much of
the time. That will have been an instruction. But we mus`nt react. Just laugh at them.
I have seen too many of our boys getting sent off after provocation in replays.
Anyone know if Counties outside of Mayo and Dublin get the same ticket allocation for the replay. Have heard that the other counties will not get the same allocation. Yet clubs in Mayo have had only a marginal increase in the tickets they have been offered, which would be counted for by no Minor Counties involved. If they are not going to the other Counties, where are they going?
There was 40 seconds left when Connolly took that sideline kick. Surely they could have played keep ball for that length of time, worse case they get a free.
True Chicago…up in Dublin today with work..they are all certain up here(and not just dubs saying it, neutrals too) that the dubs will blitz us the next day. I’m saying little in response. I’m actually sick of hearing ‘mayo’s chance has gone’.
Really hope our boys deliver the goods and play out of their skins in the replay and prove to everyone that they can do it. Tired of being the ‘almost rans’
I’m suprised if they won’t specifically get on to the referee about Kilkennys overcarrying. He is taking this slow lazy bounce in which he is taking another three steps in the act of bouncing the ball. It is allowing him keep two hands on the ball longer than he should be allowed. He already has changed direction with two steps before he takes another three steps.
Jaden. 7 minutes of injury time were indicated. Connolly took his kick at 76.20. So there was no need to play as you say “keepy ball for 3 minutes”. Another 40 seconds of passing it around would have seen you home.
The only reason the clock went to almost 79.00 was because of head injury to Harrison, after Cluxtons kick out, after Cillians pint, after Mayo’s move up the field, after the wide from Connolly. This sequence of events would not have happened if ye simply threw it around for 40 seconds at 76.20.
Huge difference between 40 seconds and 180. Anyway its all history now and we move on to the next day.
#pray4rain
Agreed, JP – I really can’t see how Kilkenny gets away with his overcarrying, which is off the map entirely. There was one incident in the second half when he took about ten steps, then did a little jig and stuffed the ball under his oxter and took off, clocking several more steps before he finally offloaded. I’d say if Lane saw him then his brain mustn’t have believed what his eyes were telling him. It’s definitely one to highlight before the next day.
It’s a little bit like Alan Brogan would leave the ONeills in his palm down soloing hand without actually bouncing it. But it used to look like he was in the act of bouncing.
Kilkenny canters around nice and easy breezy so he is not drawing attention to the fact that he hasn’t soloed the ball. When he kick solos it he is fine, he doesn’t only do it when using the bounce and the bounce is most players first solo these days.
He has one other technical foul. He is almost handpassing the ball rugby scrum half style with a completely horizonatal handpass. It travels a long way and is hard to intercept as it has no height on it. But if you watch what he is doing he is really getting into the handpass with the hand holding the ball. Now I know you are allowed give a bit of momentum to the ball with the hand holding the ball but he is like entering some Olympic event where you have to near throw/hit a ball far and horizonatal.
* he only does it when bounce soloing (my double negative was wrong)
Overcarrying is so rare refs are probably not paying attention to it. Small things like this do make a difference.
@ east cork exile…I know what you mean but a dry pitch and good chance neither of the two goals would have gone in. Who knows…
I’m not convinced weather will be much of a factor next time. All I’m sure about is that this Mayo team still need their best performance of the year to win. Sin é.
It’s all well and good talking about Kilkenny over carrying etc on here but that won’t be noticed. It should be highlighted as should treatment of oshea but I have heard absolutely nothing in the national media about any of it. Where are our guys in the media they need to step up. Also as fans we can post in the comments section of The Independent. It’s not looking for unfair advantage I don’t believe as its fact
Season tickets are issued. 309 for me. Was 302 on Sunday. Bring it on
some of our lads overcarried the last day as well, jason doc had a solo run that never saw a solo, andy picked the ball off the ground and then ran like a hare , i think the dubs were so shocked they never called foul. i think there will be a massive contrast between lane and deegan and I hope our players are ready for that and play the ref.
Im the same mayopiggy, Cmon Mayo, No Surrender.
307 row A for me. Practically on the pitch!
Cue yet another text from the mother watching on the telly: “Will you for the love of god sit down and stop shouting!” …
Don’t care, just delighted to be there.
Great piece Darragh as always.
Darragh – excellent, just excellent.
I don’t know Diarmuid Connolly from Adam, only from what I’ve seen on the tv and at games. That man plays the games hard and tough, something we applaud in our own bucks. His decision to have a pop last weekend is something I’m glad didn’t work out but wouldn’t fault him one bit for it. He took responsibility. Manned up. Just like Cillian O’Connor. And not unlike Aidan O’Shea. It’s a fine line between being called brave and vainglorious. The man backed himself 100% and it didn’t work out I’m sure that hasn’t ended there for him.
There’s a sthreak a mile wide in him, that’s not news, but I would never critisise any player on any team for having a go and backing themselves.
Still, I hope Keegan roasts him Saturday evening week and he backs himself and it goes wrong over and over. I’ll be glad if he does but I wouldn’t knock him for it.
My favorite line was “whatever it is about Mayo, they turn me into a person I am worried about. A person with a fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, a foul mouth and bad temper”. Something I can certainly relate to!!
Connolly is a great footballer and yes he was brave to go for it but it was the wrong decision and not just in hindsight. First choice play keep ball, second choice have Rock take it.
The draw is glossing over some serious cracks.
AOS and SOS made some v poor decisions when in possession, driven by having only Andy inside, we need this to be rectified.
I think Barry could go in there. Something needs to change anyway.
Clarke kicked away THREE kick outs in a row right before 70 mins when we needed them the most. It was the first thing highlighted on the Sunday Game.
He also fouled Rock when running out thirty yards from his own goal, crazy stuff.
He also fisted a ball out over the end line.
There were at least ten kickouts that barely went fifteen yards into the corner putting us under immense pressure.
It’s these small margins
Mayo made a lot more unforced errors than Dublin so a lot more room for improvement in my opinion.
Got 307 this time around as opposed to 301 in the first game from the croke park season ticket. They always said it was a lottery
I don’t think we can complain about over carrying too much when Vaughan took 9 steps for his point near the end!!
Tickets out now! Hoping for an upgrade, got a downgrade instead to 309,JJ.. It’s alright, so long as the result is the right one. I should be dry in any event. Don’t think the weather will give any team any particular advantage. If Barry comes on in the second half, I think he needs to come out to midfield and give Clarke an option, Clarke seems to get increasingly nervous as the game draws to a close. Remember his ill judged hand pass out to Paddy Durcan, late on in the match versus Tyrone. We were lucky on that occasion, Barry was not on the pitch versus Tyrone to give David Clarke the option. He was on versus Dublin but inside in the Full Forward line. Barry should have plenty of energy to come out to midfield and give Clarke the option especially when he has not been too long in the pitch. I think Clarke is more comfortable going short when he has the added option of going long. Mayo paid a price for this last Sunday. But we had the solution on the pitch. One more thing to work on for Saturday week!
Can’t wait for Saturday and delighted to have season ticket but Im 311 this time was in 302 last week. Had a quick look on eir stadium view and majority of Dublin supporters were middle of pitch while the majority of Mayo were at either end of the pitch is it a lottery or random I’m beginning to wonder.
Wecandothis, I was in 307 on sunday between right on the 45 and there wasnt a Dublin supporter anywhere close to me, couldnt see one blue shirt within 10 rows, which suited me fine. In fairness I thought Mayo got a fair share of central tickets.
Got 307 again this time around but different row, hope for the same type of company again, it was electric last sunday.
Alot of people calling for Barry in full forward, whens the last time he played there before Sunday? He doesn’t play there for his club. I heard O’Mahony tried it years ago but I don’t remember. He certainly wasn’t a forward when I played with him for our school. I did hear one commentator say that he freed up the centre forward area when he went in as O’Sullivan went back to mark him so I wouldn’t be totally opposed to him going him there with 20 mins to go but playing him there from the start would be crazy in my opinion. I would also want Dillon on the pitch if he was in there, hes still one of our cleverest footballers and best passers and would be needed to make sure of good quality ball going in.
Hi mayomad is yours a season ticket aswell. Maybe it’s just groups that are moved to either end. I’m in group of 7 this might be making the differance.
Be gone on hols so miss the match up Mayo and hopefully they will do it. Mayo have to improve a good bit too.
I’m exhausted already and we’re not yet through week one!
The intensity of the game is one thing but the intensity of the analysis and commentary is just as bad.
Wecandothis, yes mine is a GAA season ticket, I would think you are right regarding groups, same deal as bring a friend earlier in the season, bring a friend and get moved out to the corner.
NiallMc, I remember Barry as a full forward, OMahony did have him in there, he looked ok then and did pick off a few goals but that was when he had the pace of youth. The twin towers was tried around that time with AOS, to limited success. In saying that, mayo in General wasnt going well under the second coming of OMahoney. I would agree Barry to ff isnt a runner, especially as Andy is going well in there.
Just for a side note to ease this pressure. Does anyone know much on Robert Holian? Seems like lad needs a years fitness.
Fair play…excellent article and I love how Mayo people look after one another for tickets.That is real support.
It’s been said that we will be blitzed the next day. ARE WE READY team, management and supporters. ARE WE READY, let’s all say that out loud and often.
JP, Is Robert Holian in the swuad or what?.
Wecandothis and MayoMad I’m in a seating group with 8 others and we are in 307, same as last week. Doesn’t seem to make any difference!
Is robert holian the lad from the Neale who went in at 14 against Kerry in the 2nd half of the junior final..caught a few balls. Good hands.
Chicago…….I expect the dubs to have more supporters in next time around and they’ll make a lot more noise on the Hill from the get go….their team too will be anxious to prove their worth, particularly in attack and I’ll be really surprised if they dont go hell for leather at it….So you’re right Chicago…Mayo need to be ready…really tuned in. Sundays performance wont be good enough. This Mayo squad should be very accustomed to replays…3rd year running and all that. Maybe they might go and bloody well win one… but lets be sure, it’s gonna take one hell of an effort now from all involved….including us, as supporters.
We were in 302 for drawn game, now in 311 for replay. Anyone know how the Mayo county board/ clubs are going to distribute the 2,500 juvenile tickets?
Mayo need to be cold, calculated and concise. We do not want a burn out like last years replay!
Concise? I meant cohesive!! It’s been a long day!
Up Mayo!
Dublins forwards confidence will be low and the best cure for that is for the first couple of balls to go over in the replay. We need to put huge pressure on them, if the first couple of shots go wide due to pressure it really will put doubts in their minds.
@Mayonaze, ya thats him. Must be in the squad, otherwise why would JP be asking about him?.
In 2012 Joe brolly did a job on deegan by highlighting some issues dublin had in our semi win over them. Now our own mayo media by praising our intensity last Sunday are highlighted incidents that took place that were let’s say on the edge. Just look at pictures in western people and Casey outbursts as examples. I hope deegan had his ears and eyes closed this week or we could be in trouble.
We will beat Dublin! There the ones who left it behind them.5 points up at half time they couldn’t cone out and put us away.then were 3 points up and blew it.pressure on them !!!
No he’s not in the squad Robert Holian but there was chat on Barry at full forward. Robert Holian I first seen him in the Intermediate final and then with the juniors. He seems to have been unnoticed. But my thoughts on him are that for a big man he has football in him.
Just wondering if anyone in the know knew much more about him.
Sometimes a big man if he has the skill you just need to work intense on fitness like ODwyer did with Bomber Liston.
wecandothis says:
September 22, 2016 at 5:28 pm
Hi mayomad is yours a season ticket aswell. Maybe it’s just groups that are moved to either end. I’m in group of 7 this might be making the differance.
I have a seating group of 10 (same every year). We were in 302 last match, we’re in 308 for the replay. Seating groups don’t make a difference, its the seating group admins initials it seems.
Just read Alan brogan in the indo.
Absolute masterpiece.
Pitch suited mayo more than the dubs.
Kerry game took their eye off the ball
Dubs didn’t play and will improve
Mayo nothing else to give.
Dubs always bounce back
I’ve held the best till last.
“A dry pitch will give a truer reflection of the teams”
Well we have Aidan Diarmuid Tom and Seamus to return more towards their typical level. That will bring a pretty big rise in performance.
tonyk, you took the words out of my mouth! …lol….
Below are the words of Alan Brogan in The Indo:
I wonder will we get a truer reflection of the teams on Saturday week if the rain holds off.
Not that you’d accuse anyone going into an All-Ireland final of complacency but maybe, on a psychological level, they put so much into beating Kerry – a match they knew was coming from a long way out – they couldn’t quite get into the same frame of mind for the final. A mini psychological hangover.
The Mayo mindset will be somewhat different. They brought huge aggression and physicality to Dublin last week but I’m not sure if there’s anything they haven’t thrown at Dublin already.
It would appear that they felt they played well last Sunday. Dublin will feel the opposite.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Some more fuel for our boys? Well lets throw plenty more at them. So they feel it was complacency, the weather and the pitch that was the reason for us getting the better of them in many positions. We’ll see about that!
@leantimes So do you think we should persist with Clarke ?
The best thing is the tool is very close to the Dublin camp.
In fairness, I work in Dublin and his views are shared by most dubs.
Dublin season tickets are in the upper Cusack
It was the ball.
It was the rain.
Too many boggers in the Hill.
IT WAS THE PITCH
Of all the excuses this is the best one. Effectively your home ground, which you get to play on more than any other team in the country, is now a liability it appears.
De Hedeld must be using a swollen arsed baboon out of the zoo to ghost write this horse shit.
Gives a mighty insight into the thinking though….
Scottish guy and GAA Football virgin here desperately trying to get my hands on a couple of tickets (there are far many more deserving than me, I know)
What’s my chances guys? 0%
Came over for Hurling in June and loved, desperate to come to a football match now.
Any help would be appreciated.
Why is everyone so surprised that Diarmuid Connolly was kept so quiet, I have been saying it for a while that I believe that Lee Keegan is one of the best if not the best defender to ever wear the ‘Green and Red’. He is a 3 time all star (him and Keith Higgins are only Mayo players with 3).
If Connolly is a ‘class act’ then so is Lee..
Got me season tix. Section 309 this time. Not too bad but not as good as last weeks seat.
Just askin! What happens if they are tied again after extra time? Will there be a winner regardless next Saturday?
Dont believe in post mortems on spur of the moment decisions made in play. Diarmud Connolly is a very talented player whose only flaw may be a bit too hot at times which could be interpreted as passion. What is concerning is the lack of respect opponents have for one another in the game. Keegan and Connolly are both to blame for this. I personally find this and so called sledging abhorrent. A hard physical game is fine. But do we really want to promote this aspect of our game. Can we pass these values onto the young lads coming up.
can someone explain to me why some matches you have to scan your season ticket, some games the tickets are posted out and more often than not some you print yourself?
surely the season ticket itself would be enough?
I’m not complaining, just wondering.
I don’t think the weather was as big a factor as is made out. Dublin won the AI last year under far worse conditions. I wouldn’t pay too much heed as to what the papers are saying. Dublin did play poorly some of this was down to Mayos tackling which was immense. But one thing i noticed from Dublin’s display was the ball carrier had no options. I don’t know if this was Mayo’s marking or that Dublin where just not at the level required. Normally the ball carrier has men running off the shoulder and he has two or three options. This meant that the Dublin ball carrier was running the ball into the tackle and resulted in turnovers. Mayo are a very physical team and the last thing we(Dublin) should be doing is carrying the ball into the tackle.
My prediction for the next day is that Dublin will up their intensity. They know that they get there arse handed to them on a plate. This i think will be the motivation they needed. Having said that Mayo are not going to roll over. It is going to be an epic battle and i could see a few red cards. Mayo and Dublin games are always close.
On another note i was driving through Ballindine today there is more Mayo flags there than was in Croke Park last Sunday. You are definitely a fanatical bunch. As i said at the start don’t get too sensitive about the papers, during the 00’s they used to hype the Dubs up before every match and then slate them when beatin. I remember Kerry slaughtering us by 17 points in a game Dublin were going to ease through. Take it with a grain of salt.
Luckily i think this Dublin team are a bit more immune to the hype. As was said previous on this blog Mayo will only get any real respect from the papers when they win the AI.
PS Willie Joe , you being a St Vincents club man i am sure you are hoping Diarmuid Connolly gets man of the match the next day and brings Sam back to the club???!!!
No, Dubindwest, I keep club and county loyalties in separate boxes! Hoping Lee does the business there again on Saturday week.
Love the fast reply wj. Leaving no doubt over your loyalties.
Have to say, the dubs who post on here are mostly sound and know their football.
Fair play WJ i didn’t expect any different.
Lee is the man for that Job they always seem to nullify each other.
Would be interesting if Dublin moved Connolly into the forward line. This would remove the threat of Keegan getting scores as he would be so far up the field.
I don’t know if this tactic would work and i am no expert. I do think Dublin management need to do something to get the best out of Connolly.
PS keep up the good work enjoy the blog
No white feather
Tonyk that is true. At least 3 dubs coming on here and all 3 know their stuff alright and know how to write a decent post. Credit where due. I think Willie Joe’s house rules keeps the owl riff raff away.
Liam. Love the post.
If Willie Joe had a poll for best post I’m sure you would win. I really hope you have a ticket for the next day. I think that sack Brogan and that other clown Whelan write (or should that be shite) for de hedled.
Anyone see what was wrong with Aidan’s goal in the first half. I know players stopped playing but I couldn’t, see any foul, maybe before the ball was played into the square. Bastick picked the ball straight off the ground as he clashed heads with Evan. Couldnt understand the free for Dublin, sitting pitch side looking at it. I thought Seamie had a great first half but tired midway through the second when he gave away a few sloppy ones. Did Barry get his hands on the ball at all, didn’t seem to go his way.
If what Alan Brogan and others are saying reflects the thinking within the Dublin camp then brilliant. Because it really is a flawed analysis. The truth is Dublin were not as bad as people are saying? They just weren’t quite as good as they expected to be because Mayo didn’t let them. There is an assumption also that Mayo have performed to their maximum. This is also flawed. The truth is that Mayo weren’t great either in some aspects of their game. We made loads of mistakes. We also had players whose performance was below par.
For certain Dublin will come at us with all guns blazing. But equally Mayo will go at them in the same way knowing well that it is the best way to beat them. So a titanic struggle is in store. The key for us is to survive the early attempt to blitz us and again lay down the marker that we are not going away. Dublin have been a superb team and are now so used to teams rolling over for them that being taken on in this aggressive way is pretty new territory for them and they are not at all comfortable here.
If Dublin underestimated Mayo last Sunday it would seem they are heading in that direction again going by the stuff in the papers. However, I doubt if the players are thinking like that. its hard to see how that would happen having been through the battle that was last Sunday. Intriguing prospect.
Some of ye on about Barry at FF. I recall he did well enough in a qualifier under JOM scoring 1-1 I think against Cavan. Also Castlebar used him there in 2014 in some games I think. I don’t agree with starting him there but he could be a very good target for our kickouts late in the game coming out from FF line to midfield. I also think if Dublin need to spring Bastic that Barry is a good foil for him in midfield.
Prior to Aidans non goal he puts two hands on the back of the defender. It was slight but a foul. Defender much smaller and Aidan is strong enough to sit you down on your heels flat footed. It was shown in live play just after the pass is kicked in, but it was not shown in the replay.
The dubs didn’t get a free near the end, the referee stopped the play because of head injury and then the dubs keep possession.
I was in section 311 on Sunday which was a real cauldron of Mayo support.
A lot closer to the Hill for the next day – section 302, row HH. Let’s keep the noise and colour at fever pitch again.
Maigheo Eo Abu!
Barry Moran played FF in the replay of the league match called off due to fog in 2012 v Dublin . I cant remember if O’Carroll was FB that night but whoever it was they were roasted and toasted by Big Bird that night – He won any amount of ball and laid it off for Mort Dillon and Conroy. Mayo won by 0-20 0-08. The thing is its not about the person at FF its about the ball played into him and you gotta say we haven’t been great in that regard. Sort that out and we will sort Dublin out
Thought Mayo played well the last day and like a lot of people feel they can improve , think they matched Dublin , if pundits etc think Dublin had an off day why didn’t they improve in the second half ? They scored 2 from play first half and 3 from play second half , they had 40 minutes to up their game a d they didn’t , what makes people think they will for the replay .
Mayo.Mick says; I have a seating group of 10 (same every year). We were in 302 last match, we’re in 308 for the replay. Seating groups don’t make a difference, its the seating group admins initials it seems.
I don’t think the initials is how it’s done either as I was sitting just a few rows from you on Sunday but now we are in 311. Also some more that were in that section near us are in 309 – 311. It must be just bad luck swapping one corner for the other one.
Leantimes, Clarke was giving me a heart attack with his kick outs. He does not seem comfortable with short ones and does not pick out a man when he goes long. Think Dubs will put more pressure on kick outs next day. He is best shot stopper and made 3 brilliant stops first half but came out a couple of times and nearly another own goal and then got caught in no mans land 2nd half. Agree we need to give him options, but also need a plan to go long when short kick out not on.
For all the talk about Cluxton, we did not put him under any pressure last day. I think winning of this game could come down to pressure on keepers and unforced errors. We need to get in on top of Cluxton next day as he is dodgy under pressure as we have seen more than once. Remember the sending off for a stupid trip on Andy Moran in the league.
Bumped into an old friend this morning. One of the 89 team. He pointed out that we were wasting our breath talking about last week’s own goals skewing reality. His attitude was that Dublin had got the ball into those extremely promising and threatening positions and that, when we were not in a position to deal with either/ both situations, it was then academic who applied the coup de grace and put the ball in the onion sack. In other words, when we allowed the ball to be dropped into such a vulnerable position for us, well, then, we had what was coming to us. One view.
For the more serious students of the game, don’t pass these links by, very informative and I presume at the level both team’s backroom boys are at;
bhttp://www.sidelineeye.com/blogPost.php?blogID=51
http://gaaprostats.blogspot.ie/2016/09/why-mayo-came-so-closeand-whythey-didnt.htmlhttp://l.facebook.com/l.php?
https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdontfoul.wordpress.com%2F2016%2F09%2F20%2Fdublin-v-mayo-2016-all-ireland-final%2F&h=QAQGcDNiw&s=1
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/gaa-statistics-mayo-had-to-pay-a-scoring-price-for-their-four-man-markers-1.2800768
100% absolutely agree with source of the robe there. Far too much being made of these own goals. If we concede openings like that the next day again we are goosed.
justoutsideballagh – agree we should put Cluxton under a lot more pressure. I cannot recall seeing him make a save in all the games I’ve seen.
Mayo 51,& Justoutsideballagh, Dublin will have seen this potential weakness of Clarkes restarts. Mayo, need to be aware of this and work to eliminate this. Barry offering an alternative to the short kickout late on is one of many ways. to deal with this, however there is the first 3/4 of the match to manage before Barry gets on (I would imagine). There are a number of things Mayo can do, Another one I taught of is to name Robbie Hennelly as Goalkeeper! whether we play him or not? It would certainly defray the Dublin thinking as to how they would target our restarts!. I think it’s about a 75% probability that Clarke will start,. It’s far from certain, How can it be otherwise, with two outstanding goalkeeper’s? Mayo have been hard to predict this year, it’s been one of our strengths, maybe Cillian, Leeroy , Higgins, Andy, AOS, Vaughan, Boyle, Parson’s , Jason D, DOC, Harrison, Mcloughin and Durcan all have a 95%+,chance of starting, that leaves two possible changes in my opinion,! Of. course that’s counting everyone being fully fit. No. harm. to have Dublin guessing! That’s going to have us guessing as well. Definitely think Rochford should name Hennelly, whether he playes him or not! I. think it’s a good move, let them (Dublin) not be certain which of the Mayo keepers restarts they have to target. It’s one area where in the Fun and games that goes on before an All Ireland final where Mayo have an advantage. Wrote certainly know what goalkeeper we will be facing, and be sure we need to do a better job at targeting his kickout than what we done last Sunday. As for your question Mayo 51, I will leave the decision to the Mayo management as who. they pick in. every position. It’s a management that I am becoming more impressed with as time goes on!
Leantimes, I think its virtually 100 percent certain Clarke starts. I agree Dublin put our kickouts under severe pressure in the last 15mins and a couple went astray as a result. Parsons has been our main outlet for kickouts and Dublin coped on to this, much like Galway coped onto it and Hennelly got roasted for it.
More options is whats required to sort out this issue, Parsons is one outlet, does AOS play a deeper role on Saturday around midfield to offer more options. imo I think we are set up nicely in defence, Dublin will start Andrews but Durcan should be able for him. I think we need to flood midfield more, suffocate Fenton and MDM, controlling midfield is vital to curtailing supply into Dublin forwards.
Cluxton can be got at but constantly pressurising his kickouts I dont think is an option, that would leave alot of space infront of our defence whjch is not a good thing. Being compact and disciplined is the key and push up at stages, 5min spells here and there of pressure on Cluxton, do real damage and then regroup.
Mayo need to be controlled in what they do at all times. The game can not be allowed to break out into a shootout or an off the cuff type of match, thats when the team with the better individual forwards start to get on top. Control the game, suffocate them in midfield, get our boot on their throat and keep it there.
– It’s now time to segregate fans for semi-finals and finals before a major incident/injury occurs
– Drunk supporters should not be able to gain entrance to Croke Park, I seen one Mayo supporter leaving the ground with an almost empty whiskey bottle.
– Proper security guards required, 90 year old Stewards or ones bigger than Shawn the Sheep no longer suffice.
– Put a Senior and a Minor team in the Hogan Stand dressing rooms and same for Cusack Stand dressing rooms, this will prevent tunnel incidents and will stop scaring John Casey
– Wake up Mr President ‘Are u for Real’ and make the changes necessary to ensure Croke Park deals with changing times
– One last thing, please buy a new clock for the Dublin dressing and/or ask Jonny Cooper to put on his fake tan the day before so team arrive on the pitch ON TIME.
You are definitely a breaffy man @leantimes
You come on here every time after most games critising Clarke , stating hennelly is the better option which is not the case in most people’s opinion
Clarke had an excellent game up to the last 3 mins and is the favourite for the all star with all the bookmakers
At the end he still showed balls to kick short to the wings for cillians equilizer
Instead of key board bashing him , maybe look at means players out the field can give him more options.
Agree that it’s 100% certain that Clarke will be in goal Saturday week
@mayomad, I could not agree with you more, we did so much right the last day especially in defence, we do not need wholesale changes. Controlled aggression as they say. Never let a Dublin forward get a shot off with no pressure, keep them outside the scoring zone, if you need to foul do it out the field, don’t let them take quick frees, Dublin are used to taking up huge scores as they physically dominate teams and most teams tire towards the end which opens up space. The opposite was true the last day.
The segregation of fans in Croke Park really would be a sad day and not one we should be encouraging.
As for the eternal goalkeeper debate (seriously, will this one ever die?) we can’t have them both. And even though Clarke’s kickouts got progressively worse over the day on balance I think I’d take his shot-stopping abilities and strong command of the square, particularly in the absence of a full back. That said I have no doubt that Dublin will be targeting those kickouts the next day, so as Ned says the rest of the lads will need to work harder to give him better options.
Agree too that we should probably push up more on Cluxton’s kickouts but it’s not a tactic you can sustain for a full game. We certainly should be in his face a bit more though – I don’t think we played that card enough.
I’d be hoping for another wet day too. It slows down the game and puts a halt to Dublin’s running game, allowing us to dictate the pace a little more. Dublin did win last year’s final in poor conditions but with all due respect Kerry put in a shite performance. I think it still ranks as the worst game of football I’ve ever sat through.
I can’t believe we have made it this far this year without a “proper” full back – it’s a credit to the lads but is a gap that needs to be plugged next season. Sourceoftherobe I think your mate was spot on, and the excellent analysis linked above by Mayo Mattie demonstrates that very well.
On another note, our team might have adopted some of the dark arts, but it appears our own media representatives are still a bit too straight up. Brogan is clearly still a bit green, but I’d expect some of our more seasoned operators to be playing it smarter.
Christ, another week of this torture to endure.
Anne-Marie. Seeing that you will be in row A, it could be down to you to trigger PLAN B after Maurice Deegan’s final whistle signals the end of a 23,750 day famine.
I’d pity the poor fella with the blue mesh fence in front of ya trying to hold ya back and indeed the marauding masses following on behind. It could well be a case of “stand aside now young man or be trodden underfoot, we are going on”. “There are men out there who need to carried shoulder high to the steps of the Hogan and we are going to carry them”.
@Sourceoftherobe
Former players are a funny breed. There is still currency in Mayo for players that played in finals lost and in particular those of 89 and 96 vintage. As long as the Mayo team fails to reach the promised land that currency won’t be devalued. One need only look at Up for the Match to see Larry Finnerty taking centre stage regaling stories about goals and missed goals in AI finals. Liam McHale is another media darling when All Irelands come around. Conor Mortimer too spent plenty of time in proverbial Hair ‘n Make Up over last weekend too.
Is there any other county where there are so many former heroes with not an All Ireland medal between them are household names. How many ex Kerry or Dublin players that failed to lift Sam have this level of prominence – look at Irish GAA punditry landscape – McStay, Brady, McHale, Carney, Finnerty, BJ Padden, Mortimer, Casey…it goes on, better known at this stage for exploits off the field than on. But with no disrespect to these guys they become the first casualties of this Mayo team dispelling the relevance of all those lost opportunities. It will be Keegan and Higgins and others that Up for the Match will want to interview going forward, the national papers will no longer be interested in recalling anecdotes about Mayo sorry tales of coming up short in the past.
This is not to suggest that bona fides of these men in wanting to see Mayo win in their heart. It is just human nature that deep down no one pines for the demise of their own status. Human beings are complex creatures and wanting two mutually exclusive outcomes at the same time is well within our sphere of capability.
So while may of these ex-players will see themselves as the equals of the current players in terms of achievement (beaten finalists)…their status in the pecking order risk massive decline every time a Mayo team take the field in a final. So when an ex-89 player says they can have no complaints about the 2 own goals, it is a narrative that probably fits well with the survival instincts in their subconscious. Yes Dublin opened them up but they got exceptional luck in still getting goals from spurned opportunities – Mayo also opened Dublin up when Moran blazed over by a whisker but it didn’t hit the underside of the bar and go in for him.
When you see athletes and competitors proclaiming happiness that their records are broken don’t believe it for a second. So here’s to this Mayo team putting an end to the business of Mayo’s version of the Dead Poets Society.
Here, here Cantini, here, here.
Cantini, that flowed beautifully.
MDM has to be favorite for Black or Red next week. He always gets reckless when under pressure. Fenton, will not get the same room, I’d imagine we’ll stick a runner on him.
on another note
It was amazing how much high ball mayo won in the square. This was not down to exceptional fielding, the dubs defense, just didn’t contest. They waited until mayo man was coming down and dispossessed him. On a dry day, more ball might stick, but we are into October now. This tactic is pointless unless mayo have a player playing off the target man and put doubt in the dub defense. Is he going to catch it or knock it down??
I’d love to see AOS fist the first ball back out 15-20 yards to a runner, for a simple tap over, then try and flick it over his shoulder, then bring it down. We are just a little too predictable here and these tweaks could make a big difference.
Olive, it will be a sad day in GAA when fans are segregated. It is one of the great things about supporting GAA that you can sit beside an opposing supporter, have the banter maybe a heated discussion depending on how things are going) and shake hands at the end of it all. It would be a sad day indeed if we went the way of soccer segregating fans.
Anne-Marie, the eternal debate regarding goalkeepers will end when Mattie Flanagan takes his place between the sticks.
You are correct about the ff issue. Caff will be a welcome addition next year, even though it is a serious injury he has. I have a feeling we will be seeing Harrison move into the fb position sooner than later with the emergence of odonaghue in the corner.
@ Cantini ,
Sorry but I think you are stretching the realms of reality there with your assumption that ex player Mayo pundits subconsciously want Mayo to keep losing finals so their status is maintained!!!
It strikes me you are going to extreme lengths to crush the argument that the two own goals the last day were not necessarily all down to bad luck!!
On review on the match Seamí O’ Shea switches off and lets Brian Fenton drift in on goal after a simple one two pass which forces Clarke to make a magnificent one on one save. Had Seamí tracked Fenton like he did countless times during the game then he would have forced him wide thus stopping the shot thus stopping the own goal.
For the second goal Colm Boyle was ball watching which allowed Dean Rock to spin free and Connolly threaded a magnificent pass to him which again resulted in Boyler scrambling back to try and stop a certain goal.If Boyler has just bumped or blocked Rock’s run then the chance would have been snuffed out!!
While it may be harsh but inches decide big games like this and even one second of loss concentration can lead to disaster at the elite level these two teams operate. While lady luck might have on another day prevented these two goals both were also in the power of the Mayo team to prevent as well!!
I don’t think you should let your dislike of the analysis provided by the ex County men (or those ex County men themselves) cloud the fact that they all toiled above and beyond to land Sam for Mayo and to suggest they would begrudge ( even in their subconscious ) this teams glory to maintain their profile( a profile you assume they all wanted and all need to keep) is a very bitter position to take especially posting anonymously on a internet blog!!
Personally I don’t agree with alot of what these pundits say but if somebody is willing to pay them for their opinion then good luck to them.
Stall the ball there, Ned – Leantimes has made a point, which s/he’s gone into at length so if you’ve any problem with it, then please address the substance of the argument made and refrain from aiming your fire at the person making it.
@CB
Well for a start – its a tad rich castigating me for my anonymous status unless you yourself are the offspring of some greek superhero with an interest in GAA and the art of defending.
I don’t think there was any bitterness in what I said. I fully recognise what those players contributing and went through in trying to win Sam. I’m simply making an observation on human nature that I stand over. It is with absolutely no disrespect to the man that I would say Mayo winning this all Ireland will mean an awful lot less to Conor Mortimer (and I’m not singling him out at all here) than the average Mayo GAA fan that never contributed to the cause what he did down through the years. It’s just the difference between fans and players. Everyone is different of course and my observation are probably less true of some and more of others but I certainly believe there is a strong element of truth in it. I once met Bernard Flynn (a man I found to be very fond of himself but yet immensely likeable) – I mentioned that he had scored 5 points from play in an All Ireland and yet ended up on the losing team – he was very quick to point out that it was in fact 6 he had got. Players like to be well remembered. A win on Sunday week for Mayo will erode the extent to which many people recall Mayo heroes of the past – if given the choice the vast majority of those old heroes would of course want that to be the case….but until it happens they will continue to feel there is good as that has wore the red and green for the last 65 years.
I still disagree with you on the own goals. In both cases Dublin players botched the chances – in both cases they scored goals. In fact if Dean Rock had caught the ball I think Boyle was close enough to him that a goal was far from a certainty – I would in fact venture Rock would have had to turn back outside…but its all speculation. If neither of those goals ended up hitting the net no one would be saying Dublin deserved to win the match because of the chances they had – yet miss them they did and they still ended up with 2 goals. That’s just the bizarre reality of the situation.
But let me reiterate I have nothing but respect for county players from every county that has given their time and effort down through the years for the cause.
@ Cantini ,
I think if you read my post back carefully I criticise the content of what you post and your argument but not yourself personally.
I am very careful to focus on the argument/opinion and not the person because I wish to post anonymous on this blog.
Maybe I am James Nallen or Kevin Cahill or Danny Geraghty or John Finn or none of these people but I feel as long as I don’t make my arguments personal with any poster and give reasons why I disagree with their opinion or position I feel I am entitled to post under an anonymous username.
“offspring of some greek superhero”, I luv it!!
if you were to compare some of our current players to superheros, who would you choose for who???
I’ll make a start.
Higgins = Road Runner
Keegan = Has to be superman
AOS = THOR
D O’Connor = Flash Gordon
SOS = The incredible hulk
Donie =Banana Man
@CB
Well if u read my post carefully there was no disrespect “dislike” or “bitterness” expressed towards any ex player and as such I will take exception to the charge….but this is just handbags stuff so let’s be done with it. We both have our own views honestly held.
Cantini
I take your point completely and it’s well made. I know you understand that, in my post, I wasn’t giving my personal opinion but rather that of a member of the 89 team who is an old friend.
A couple of observations:
I feel that there is some validity in the former star’s view.
The point about equally considering Andy blazing over the bar where he could have goaled and won it for us was made by my brother when I related the view of the 89 man.
Anthony Finnerty was absolutely brilliant on Up for the Match. He had all, including Alan Brogan, enthralled and hanging on his every word. He appears to be smart, funny and likeable. But, as I watched him, I thought to myself, can you imagine a Kerry player, having missed an opportunity to win an All Ireland, being so celebrated in Kerry or elsewhere.
Sourceoftherobe, exactly. Finnerty is more famous for missing a goal opportunity than actually scoring one! And people give out about Brolly calling us ” celebrity losers”. It’s time to put all that shite behind us and just go and win the f***ing thing.
I predicted a 3 point win for us as I hadn’t seen anything in Dublin this season to frighten me. I’m going for a 5 point win on Saturday week. Dublin will improve, but we’ll improve more.
Ease up on Larry, he did score one, not an easy one, and all we ever talk about is the one he missed. who are the B****xs