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Post by Ballyfireside on Aug 19, 2014 13:07:30 GMT
That's crap but so too was Jack O'Connor's provocation comments re McHigh's 2 trick pony jibe. Pat Spillane was 'approached' exiting Croker. Less said the better but Donegal fans are welcome in Kerry and as it happens they absolutely adore it and the exchanges. Just like when a young Tyrone man got a bit carried away with media attention a few years back, the response was to lay on a snack for visitors to the then upcoming Healey Park game. Jack is an adult, a teacher and hardly needs media attention.
The above article is litght-weight so let the lad find his feet. We know more than he does, so what, Colm O'Rourke recently claimed that some of us don't know what a covering wing back is, and so we should not comment on his 'infallibility'. Another adult teacher who hardly needs to prove his 'heavy-weight'.
As I said already, I think Fitzie will win this from the sidelines in applying our superior class. Living outside Kerry I think our home based fans often over look our superiority and maybe because you don't have ready comparisons. I wouldn't swap what Kerry has for what any team have or ever had; we have strategic differences, some traceable as far back as changes Mick O'Dwyer made and which we still have. Just a maintenance job since and those are the qualities that other teams struggle to contend with. It is not just the jersey, it is what is inside it and just take at Donnacha and Killian, two players that were often under the magnifying glass, these are two stars but we are so spoilt that unless they are stars in the eyes of amateur commentators we loose affection for them. These are two behind the scenes work horses; look at it like this, what Kerry player would you like to face in a match? None for me, we cannot be trusted not to run riot. I have booked a week in Kerry after the All Ireland so we'll all meet up for one in Tattlers. I might even bring along a few Donegal folk to see the lakes, we might even meet up with Jack! Is he fond of the pint?
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Post by sidelined on Aug 19, 2014 13:13:56 GMT
weather forecast for sunday is for heavy rain, will this have any bearing on team selection?. scores will be hard earned, good free taker essential especially from 40 metres plus so sheehan has to start. there will be an amount of scavenging to be done to get the breaking ball , mayo always good at this, would mike geaney start to help out d walsh in this area or even j lyne?. would fitz consider leaving declan on the bench to bring on when game opens up in the second half to guide kerry home?. that would be a brave call [or madness if it don't work out]very concerned about his injuries. all of above could be said for dry day but ball will be spilling more than usual
thursday nite will give indication of their thinking
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Post by skybluezone on Aug 19, 2014 13:58:42 GMT
That's crap but so too was Jack O'Connor's provocation comments re McHigh's 2 trick pony jibe. Pat Spillane was 'approached' exiting Croker. Less said the better but Donegal fans are welcome in Kerry and as it happens they absolutely adore it and the exchanges. Just like when a young Tyrone man got a bit carried away with media attention a few years back, the response was to lay on a snack for visitors to the then upcoming Healey Park game. Jack is an adult, a teacher and hardly needs media attention. The above article is litght-weight so let the lad find his feet. We know more than he does, so what, Colm O'Rourke recently claimed that some of us don't know what a covering wing back is, and so we should not comment on his 'infallibility'. Another adult teacher who hardly needs to prove his 'heavy-weight'. As I said already, I think Fitzie will win this from the sidelines in applying our superior class. Living outside Kerry I think our home based fans often over look our superiority and maybe because you don't have ready comparisons. I wouldn't swap what Kerry has for what any team have or ever had; we have strategic differences, some traceable as far back as changes Mick O'Dwyer made and which we still have. Just a maintenance job since and those are the qualities that other teams struggle to contend with. It is not just the jersey, it is what is inside it and just take at Donnacha and Killian, two players that were often under the magnifying glass, these are two stars but we are so spoilt that unless they are stars in the eyes of amateur commentators we loose affection for them. These are two behind the scenes work horses; look at it like this, what Kerry player would you like to face in a match? None for me, we cannot be trusted not to run riot. I have booked a week in Kerry after the All Ireland so we'll all meet up for one in Tattlers. I might even bring along a few Donegal folk to see the lakes, we might even meet up with Jack! Is he fond of the pint? I'd have to disagree with a lot of this. If Kerry (this particular team) had superior class, relative to Mayo, they wouldn't need intervention from the sideline to apply said class. They would just go out and win it. My belief is that Kerry will need Fitzie to be well tuned in to what's happening on the pitch in order to make the necessary interventions to help Kerry prevail. What are these strategic differences you speak of? Kerry have the best tradition in terms of producing top class footballers, that's why they have the most All Irelands. But it's a bit arrogant to be stating that it's just a maintenance job since the days of O'Dwyer. And its been 2009 since the last AI, so the maintenance policy may well need an upgrade, something more than maintenance perhaps??? I sort of agree on Donnacha Walsh, a much underrated footballer who puts the team first, and all teams need a couple of these lads in order to become a real team. Killian Young I have my doubts about, and he's been the subject of much criticism on this site. In fact he was lambasted after the 2011 final for fumbling around and being guilty of the general lateral handpassing malaise. I think you'll just about get over the line on Sunday, I think Fitzie's influence will be the difference, but it will take more than saying "we are Kerry" to do so.
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Post by Attacking Wing Back on Aug 19, 2014 15:33:45 GMT
As I said already, I think Fitzie will win this from the sidelines in applying our superior class. Living outside Kerry I think our home based fans often over look our superiority and maybe because you don't have ready comparisons. I wouldn't swap what Kerry has for what any team have or ever had; we have strategic differences, some traceable as far back as changes Mick O'Dwyer made and which we still have. Just a maintenance job since and those are the qualities that other teams struggle to contend with. It is not just the jersey, it is what is inside it and just take at Donnacha and Killian, two players that were often under the magnifying glass, these are two stars but we are so spoilt that unless they are stars in the eyes of amateur commentators we loose affection for them. These are two behind the scenes work horses; look at it like this, what Kerry player would you like to face in a match? None for me, we cannot be trusted not to run riot. Jesus this kinda boll**s is why some people hate kerry. Fitzmaurice might be the cuter manager but going on about our 'superiority'. If we win Sunday and that's a big if it won't be because we as a team carry more class than Mayo it will because we have performed better. Run Riot?? I'd be happy for a 1 point win! What are these strategic differences you talk of?
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fitz
Fanatical Member
Red sky at night get off my land
Posts: 1,719
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Post by fitz on Aug 19, 2014 16:27:29 GMT
weather forecast for sunday is for heavy rain, will this have any bearing on team selection?. scores will be hard earned, good free taker essential especially from 40 metres plus so sheehan has to start. there will be an amount of scavenging to be done to get the breaking ball , mayo always good at this, would mike geaney start to help out d walsh in this area or even j lyne?. would fitz consider leaving declan on the bench to bring on when game opens up in the second half to guide kerry home?. that would be a brave call [or madness if it don't work out]very concerned about his injuries. all of above could be said for dry day but ball will be spilling more than usual thursday nite will give indication of their thinking The weather does indicate rain on Sat night and first half of Sunday, but Met are not confident in predictions beyond 3 days, 5 days has plenty of room for change. Timing might change, e.g. rain earlier Sat etc. Let's take rain check until Friday. :-) Don't think the wet suits anyone
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Post by Ballyfireside on Aug 19, 2014 16:32:45 GMT
That's crap but so too was Jack O'Connor's provocation comments re McHigh's 2 trick pony jibe. Pat Spillane was 'approached' exiting Croker. Less said the better but Donegal fans are welcome in Kerry and as it happens they absolutely adore it and the exchanges. Just like when a young Tyrone man got a bit carried away with media attention a few years back, the response was to lay on a snack for visitors to the then upcoming Healey Park game. Jack is an adult, a teacher and hardly needs media attention. The above article is litght-weight so let the lad find his feet. We know more than he does, so what, Colm O'Rourke recently claimed that some of us don't know what a covering wing back is, and so we should not comment on his 'infallibility'. Another adult teacher who hardly needs to prove his 'heavy-weight'. As I said already, I think Fitzie will win this from the sidelines in applying our superior class. Living outside Kerry I think our home based fans often over look our superiority and maybe because you don't have ready comparisons. I wouldn't swap what Kerry has for what any team have or ever had; we have strategic differences, some traceable as far back as changes Mick O'Dwyer made and which we still have. Just a maintenance job since and those are the qualities that other teams struggle to contend with. It is not just the jersey, it is what is inside it and just take at Donnacha and Killian, two players that were often under the magnifying glass, these are two stars but we are so spoilt that unless they are stars in the eyes of amateur commentators we loose affection for them. These are two behind the scenes work horses; look at it like this, what Kerry player would you like to face in a match? None for me, we cannot be trusted not to run riot. I have booked a week in Kerry after the All Ireland so we'll all meet up for one in Tattlers. I might even bring along a few Donegal folk to see the lakes, we might even meet up with Jack! Is he fond of the pint? I'd have to disagree with a lot of this. If Kerry (this particular team) had superior class, relative to Mayo, they wouldn't need intervention from the sideline to apply said class. They would just go out and win it. My belief is that Kerry will need Fitzie to be well tuned in to what's happening on the pitch in order to make the necessary interventions to help Kerry prevail. What are these strategic differences you speak of? Kerry have the best tradition in terms of producing top class footballers, that's why they have the most All Irelands. But it's a bit arrogant to be stating that it's just a maintenance job since the days of O'Dwyer. And its been 2009 since the last AI, so the maintenance policy may well need an upgrade, something more than maintenance perhaps??? I sort of agree on Donnacha Walsh, a much underrated footballer who puts the team first, and all teams need a couple of these lads in order to become a real team. Killian Young I have my doubts about, and he's been the subject of much criticism on this site. In fact he was lambasted after the 2011 final for fumbling around and being guilty of the general lateral handpassing malaise. I think you'll just about get over the line on Sunday, I think Fitzie's influence will be the difference, but it will take more than saying "we are Kerry" to do so. You say you don't agree with me and then you go and agree with me like I can't imagine, Eg 'I think you'll just about get over the line on Sunday, I think Fitzie's influence will be the difference'. Of course I didn't mean that everything was 'a maintenance job' but some things we take for granted that others don't have were initiated by Micko. I can't say what the specific strategic differences will be on the day and that we both agree will win it for us, and I didn't state it was 'just because we are Kerry', I did say it's not the jersey so much as what's inside it. Ah yes we're at odds on Killian but how come he holds down his place? And yes, every team has a sideline team to organise the class and coordinate it and prevent errors, make correctional adjustments, etc, etc.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Aug 19, 2014 16:40:35 GMT
As I said already, I think Fitzie will win this from the sidelines in applying our superior class. Living outside Kerry I think our home based fans often over look our superiority and maybe because you don't have ready comparisons. I wouldn't swap what Kerry has for what any team have or ever had; we have strategic differences, some traceable as far back as changes Mick O'Dwyer made and which we still have. Just a maintenance job since and those are the qualities that other teams struggle to contend with. It is not just the jersey, it is what is inside it and just take at Donnacha and Killian, two players that were often under the magnifying glass, these are two stars but we are so spoilt that unless they are stars in the eyes of amateur commentators we loose affection for them. These are two behind the scenes work horses; look at it like this, what Kerry player would you like to face in a match? None for me, we cannot be trusted not to run riot. Jesus this kinda boll**s is why some people hate kerry. Fitzmaurice might be the cuter manager but going on about our 'superiority'. If we win Sunday and that's a big if it won't be because we as a team carry more class than Mayo it will because we have performed better. Run Riot?? I'd be happy for a 1 point win! What are these strategic differences you talk of? People envy winners and we are guilty as hell. Strategy and Tactics vary in a given day and that is why all teams are managed. Maybe a better word is 'organising'. I just think Horan is weak, he is good but this is the level where only greatness will prevail. James often copies but has never brought new ideas like O'Dwyer, McGuinness, Harte, etc. Fitzies are less obvious but he will make his mark have no doubt. Donie Buckley has made Mayo what they are and good luck to them as they play beautiful purist, football and they can mix it if within the rules, i.e. physical but no dirt. The game is set up for a day to remember.
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kot
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Posts: 1,126
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Post by kot on Aug 19, 2014 16:48:15 GMT
I have a funny old feeling that Mayo are trying to time their peak this year. Last year the highlight was demolishing Donegal after already steamrolling all before & after them in Connaught. They were then just about good enough against Tyrone and were utterly wasteful against Dublin in the first half in particular. Dublin didn't perform marvelous that day but Mayo weren't able to take advantage.
This year they just seem to be holding a bit back, just getting through with a view towards the big one.
I am worried that (aside from the Cork game), we have been more than matched at midfield by inferior teams. Its also been well documented how easily Clare & Galway found it to slice right through the middle of our defense. At the back we have question marks over the new lads and also age is against the likes of Marc & Aidan.
Up front, there is undoubted talent but I would err on the side of caution in terms of predicting anything emphatic as I am almost certain they wont see as much of the ball as previous games.
I will let my heart rule though and say Kerry by the bare minimum.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Aug 19, 2014 16:58:18 GMT
Ultimately, my feeling after watching Mayo in the AIF last year was that, last year at least, they simply weren't good enough to win an AI.
They may well beat us Sunday and, if I can contradict myself for a second, this might give them the belief in the final.
I don't think the Dublin 2011 side were good enough to win that AI but they clearly had spades of belief and that allowed them to keep playing and take the chance to win the thing.
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keane
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Post by keane on Aug 19, 2014 18:04:12 GMT
I have a funny old feeling that Mayo are trying to time their peak this year. Last year the highlight was demolishing Donegal after already steamrolling all before & after them in Connaught. They were then just about good enough against Tyrone and were utterly wasteful against Dublin in the first half in particular. Dublin didn't perform marvelous that day but Mayo weren't able to take advantage. This year they just seem to be holding a bit back, just getting through with a view towards the big one. I am worried that (aside from the Cork game), we have been more than matched at midfield by inferior teams. Its also been well documented how easily Clare & Galway found it to slice right through the middle of our defense. At the back we have question marks over the new lads and also age is against the likes of Marc & Aidan. Up front, there is undoubted talent but I would err on the side of caution in terms of predicting anything emphatic as I am almost certain they wont see as much of the ball as previous games. I will let my heart rule though and say Kerry by the bare minimum. They're could be trying to peak later this year, just not as good this year, or both. All the evidence points to a bit of both unless Horan has a warren full of rabbits ready to pull out of his hat, because they haven't impressed much at all this year to date.
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Post by haryegsnbaken on Aug 19, 2014 19:09:37 GMT
I think when reeling in the years finally arrives at 2014 they wont have much to say about the Senior Championships in both codes.
Unless the 2 semi finals produce high octane closely contested games then it will be a poor enough year for the GAA.
As for the game on Sunday...The closer it gets the more puggled I become.
TBH if someone comes up with a concrete argument for either side then fair play to ye.
If I was pushed then I think we are certainly not the underdogs that some on here predict.
If you put a Gunna Mór to my head then its Kerry handy.
I think the championship needs the Kerry/Dubs Final.
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Post by haryegsnbaken on Aug 19, 2014 19:16:54 GMT
To those who think that teams are trying to peak for the final??
How arrogant can a team of amateurs be.?
This is where you need to peak. Make sure of a final place.
4 weeks then to unwind and rewind.
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Post by haryegsnbaken on Aug 19, 2014 19:43:17 GMT
Ultimately, my feeling after watching Mayo in the AIF last year was that, last year at least, they simply weren't good enough to win an AI. They may well beat us Sunday and, if I can contradict myself for a second, this might give them the belief in the final. I don't think the Dublin 2011 side were good enough to win that AI but they clearly had spades of belief and that allowed them to keep playing and take the chance to win the thing. You know what 'Scaul....At this stage I don't think that James Horan believes they can either.
I think the way the whole year has gone and the paths taken to the final , any of the 4 teams are capable but some aren't able to take that chance.
It gets curiouser and curiouser.
Intriguing last 4 to say the least.
I think its as much mental as physical at this stage.
In that vein then the 2 first names on the 1 to 7 list would have to be Aidan and Marc.
Aidan will give us 40/50 mins of experience as will Marc. If things aren't panning out then the young guns will have to carry the can with Crowley and Griffin coming in.
I always feel if Enright has a good game then we play OK. He is a real Tom O Sullivan type of guy.
Kelly
6 Backs : Marc.. Murphy.. Enright.. Aidan ..Fionn ..Young MF Maher/Sheehan 6 Forwards. Geaney x 2.. Donncadh... Declan ..James... O Brien
5 Subs(If we are under the cosh) Donaghy, Crowley, Griffin. Lyne(BJK),, Darren (In no particular order)
Subs similar to Galway game if we are in control.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 19, 2014 19:43:31 GMT
Seriously? the Dubs got their own personal in-house ref again? Good old uncle Joe was always going to be wheeled out for the Dubs hardest game of the year I assume that this is a wind up
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Post by buck02 on Aug 19, 2014 20:07:44 GMT
Ultimately, my feeling after watching Mayo in the AIF last year was that, last year at least, they simply weren't good enough to win an AI. They may well beat us Sunday and, if I can contradict myself for a second, this might give them the belief in the final. I don't think the Dublin 2011 side were good enough to win that AI but they clearly had spades of belief and that allowed them to keep playing and take the chance to win the thing. You know what 'Scaul....At this stage I don't think that James Horan believes they can either.
I think the way the whole year has gone and the paths taken to the final , any of the 4 teams are capable but some aren't able to take that chance.
It gets curiouser and curiouser.
Intriguing last 4 to say the least.
I think its as much mental as physical at this stage.
In that vein then the 2 first names on the 1 to 7 list would have to be Aidan and Marc.
Aidan will give us 40/50 mins of experience as will Marc. If things aren't panning out then the young guns will have to carry the can with Crowley and Griffin coming in.
I always feel if Enright has a good game then we play OK. He is a real Tom O Sullivan type of guy.
Kelly
6 Backs : Marc.. Murphy.. Enright.. Aidan ..Fionn ..Young MF Maher/Sheehan 6 Forwards. Geaney x 2.. Donncadh... Declan ..James... O Brien
5 Subs(If we are under the cosh) Donaghy, Crowley, Griffin. Lyne(BJK),, Darren (In no particular order)
Subs similar to Galway game if we are in control.
Johnny Buckley or David Moran arent on your starting line up and your not even bringing them on as subs? Do you know something we dont?
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Post by buck02 on Aug 19, 2014 20:09:14 GMT
Good old uncle Joe was always going to be wheeled out for the Dubs hardest game of the year I assume that this is a wind up No, Joe is the man in charge for Dublin vs Donegal. Its confirmed on gaa.ie
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Post by dabomber on Aug 19, 2014 20:16:29 GMT
I assume that this is a wind up No, Joe is the man in charge for Dublin vs Donegal. Its confirmed on gaa.ie Guess at least he can't get the final then?
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seamo
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Posts: 2,016
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Post by seamo on Aug 19, 2014 20:24:09 GMT
I have a funny old feeling that Mayo are trying to time their peak this year. Last year the highlight was demolishing Donegal after already steamrolling all before & after them in Connaught. They were then just about good enough against Tyrone and were utterly wasteful against Dublin in the first half in particular. Dublin didn't perform marvelous that day but Mayo weren't able to take advantage. This year they just seem to be holding a bit back, just getting through with a view towards the big one. I am worried that (aside from the Cork game), we have been more than matched at midfield by inferior teams. Its also been well documented how easily Clare & Galway found it to slice right through the middle of our defense. At the back we have question marks over the new lads and also age is against the likes of Marc & Aidan. Up front, there is undoubted talent but I would err on the side of caution in terms of predicting anything emphatic as I am almost certain they wont see as much of the ball as previous games. I will let my heart rule though and say Kerry by the bare minimum. 100% Agree and it's been coming all year. After 2 years of losing AI finals and not producing their best football in either, this is the year where it's win an AI or the years a complete failure. It's the same to go out in the first round as it is to lose in the final for Mayo, and I have no doubt that is what has been in their minds. All about dong enough before peaking in September, risky, but after losing 2 finals in a row risks have to be taken now.
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seamo
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Posts: 2,016
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Post by seamo on Aug 19, 2014 20:29:31 GMT
I think when reeling in the years finally arrives at 2014 they wont have much to say about the Senior Championships in both codes. Unless the 2 semi finals produce high octane closely contested games then it will be a poor enough year for the GAA. As for the game on Sunday...The closer it gets the more puggled I become. TBH if someone comes up with a concrete argument for either side then fair play to ye. If I was pushed then I think we are certainly not the underdogs that some on here predict. If you put a Gunna Mór to my head then its Kerry handy. I think the championship needs the Kerry/Dubs Final. Yeah the hurling hasn't been it's usual exhilarating stuff, maybe it was down to the nerves with SKY being in town!!lol But the football championship was dour last year two, aside from this stage when Kerry and Dublin served up that classic. Everything else was just a different mediocre to the mediocre we had been used to!
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Aug 19, 2014 23:13:27 GMT
Skills break down under opposition pressure but also under speed.
For example I am the same size as Mr McIlroy but if I try and swing the club as fast as him the results are indicative of my skill level. Not the case for the young man from the North.
If we were to take on Mayo physically we might not go well.
However there is a different intensity - that of tempo - and when Kerry play well we have it.
It is a place where we choose to back ourselves in terms of skill - that ours will hold up and their's will fail.
The tactics and set-up will be already ingrained in the last few weeks - perhaps the single, last minute, 'swing thought' might be TEMPO.
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Post by Seoirse Ui Duic on Aug 20, 2014 0:59:41 GMT
Tjis is the year for Mayo. If they don't do it this year they will never do it in my opinion. So will be able to peak at the right point in time and do they not need to peak this Sunday? Looking at Mayo in the quarter final they could have easily lost that game if Cork had gotten a few more decision their way and if they had woken up earlier. So they would have lost to an under performing Cork team that is full of talent but does not deliver results. Is Kerry good enough to beat Mayo though? I believe that Sheehan would be key to a win and I'm sure that he will start. We seem to have a three man midfield now with Maher, Moran and Sheehan as midfielders and Buckley going for the breaking ball (not unlike the way Aidan O'Shea does in the half forwards). The key things for Kerry are to get on top in the middle 8 and to stop the Mayo half backs and midfield running through the middle. Kerry have been very vulnerable this year when people run straight at them and this might be due to the black card. Since black cards seem to be as rare as hen's teeth by now I think the defence will train on stopping this. If we can get in top there and stop the running I think Kerry will win this game. After all Mayo still don't have the star forward they so badly need whereas Kerry's problem is the opposite. If they double or triple mark JOD it will create space for others and we currently have an almost embarrassing richness in forwards. Mikey Geaney has not exactly impressed me at inter county level but was very instrumental in the quarter final and he seems to make the link with his cousin Paul effortlessly. Paul Geaney is as important as JOD to Kerry and if Mayo choose to double mark JOD Paul will have a field day. Add to that the threat that Darran poses and you can see this turning into a turkey shoot out. I'm not sure whether Lyne or O'Brien will be fit for this game ut as far as I know they are not. Huge loss in my opinion. Especially O'Brien's ball carrying and Lynes exceptional passing. Kerry have a squad of mostly young lads that are fairly light whereas Mayo's squad is a lot heavier and bulkier. It therefore is obvious that a physical game will not suit Kerry but that speed, tempo and kick passing will be key. Kick passing will also circumvent the threat that Aidan O'Shea and the other Mayo middle 8 pose. They would simply have to turn around and run back to their own half all the time. Lee Keegan is another key factor for Mayo but mostly because of his attacking ability, very much like the Kerry half backs so I think this might cancel each other out. I think that Fitzmaurice is a much more shrewd tactician than Horan and will dictate the way the game will be played. If we play Kerry's game it will be a very high scoring game resulting in a Kerry win.
btw, why do we play in blue jerseys and not in the green and gold? Kerry have been way to nice over the years and playing in our away kit. The Kerry jersey is worth 4 points and against a team like Mayo, who have a history of bowing down to Kerry when it matters most, it might be the deciding factor. Mayo will have no fear of Kerry but if the game is very tight and Kerry go in front these doubts will creep into their minds.
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Post by Seoirse Ui Duic on Aug 20, 2014 1:03:17 GMT
Kerry Senior Team to Play Mayo to be announced on Thursday Night The Kerry Senior Team to play Mayo in the GAA Football All Ireland Semi Final in Croke Park on Sunday next will be announced after training on Thursday night and will be posted on the Kerry GAA Website on Thursday evening around 8:30 pm approx. Almost there now.
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Post by buck02 on Aug 20, 2014 8:41:13 GMT
If Kerry are to win on Sunday I think they will need to get more clinical in front of goal. For all his plaudits, James O Donoghue has missed two of the 3 goal chances he has had this summer (strangely he has hit them all with his right foot and the two he missed were easier chances than the one he got), Darran has missed 2 from 2 while Bryan Sheehan and I think Stephen O Brien also missed goal chances against Cork. The only miss I can recall against Clare was when Shane Enright palmed wide.
If Kerry get 3 goal chances on Sunday they should be taking the 3 of them. Especially if the form of our midfield continue and/or Bryan Sheehan gets hurt again.
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Post by MrRasherstoyou on Aug 20, 2014 8:45:10 GMT
Ultimately, my feeling after watching Mayo in the AIF last year was that, last year at least, they simply weren't good enough to win an AI. They may well beat us Sunday and, if I can contradict myself for a second, this might give them the belief in the final. I don't think the Dublin 2011 side were good enough to win that AI but they clearly had spades of belief and that allowed them to keep playing and take the chance to win the thing. You know what 'Scaul....At this stage I don't think that James Horan believes they can either.
I think the way the whole year has gone and the paths taken to the final , any of the 4 teams are capable but some aren't able to take that chance.
It gets curiouser and curiouser.
Intriguing last 4 to say the least.
I think its as much mental as physical at this stage.
In that vein then the 2 first names on the 1 to 7 list would have to be Aidan and Marc.
Aidan will give us 40/50 mins of experience as will Marc. If things aren't panning out then the young guns will have to carry the can with Crowley and Griffin coming in.
I always feel if Enright has a good game then we play OK. He is a real Tom O Sullivan type of guy.
Kelly
6 Backs : Marc.. Murphy.. Enright.. Aidan ..Fionn ..Young MF Maher/Sheehan 6 Forwards. Geaney x 2.. Donncadh... Declan ..James... O Brien
5 Subs(If we are under the cosh) Donaghy, Crowley, Griffin. Lyne(BJK),, Darren (In no particular order)
Subs similar to Galway game if we are in control.
Whether by design or necessity/circumstance beyond their control, Mayo are surely trying to save something for the last two games this year. The quarter final is moot, it depends who you get. In fact the semi can be like that too, if one team doesn't perform on the day. But I do feel that teams who produce their best from the quarter finals can produce it more or less in the final. That though brings me to your point about 2011 Annascaul, au contraire I think we were well good enough to win but that a combination of finding the mental belief to put it into action, especially against the old nemesis, being constricted by the plan of play, and facing a great team, meant it was a very close thing where a break of a ball etc made the difference. I think Dublin should have pushed on after going two or three points ahead but possession and chances were fumbled through over-eagerness etc. If you look at the quarter final performance, against albeit a poor Tyrone on the night, this was a team with great ability. The semi performance was a combination of Donegal, the plan of play, and a mental block about winning semis (had lost the previous 5 narrowly). I was always confident after winning that semi in that way we were set up perfectly for the final, from a mental point of view at least. In some senses the the game plan that day was similar to the semi, it was a sting, wiht a massive effort being saved for the final 10-15 minutes of the game, with the rest of the game being about containment and control to a large extent, and conservation of mental & emotional energy. Now here's the rub for Mayo, and Kerry to a lesser extent. Mayo last year obviously decided to try to keep the same level of performance throughout the summer, no matter what the opposition, in order to be ready to perform to the max whatever happened. It didn't work for some reason and this even though they came through a seriously tough battle in the semi which should have been perfect prep for the final. And they also got as good a first 20-25 minutes in the final as they could have wished. What was it that disappeared from that time on, and was it a continuation of something that started in the semi? Looking at all the finals Mayo have been in since 2004, in each of those years on the way to the final they have produced a massive performance at some stage to dethrone the reigning champions or to win when unfancied against a major contender. Could it be that the emotional and mental fallout of these wins takes from them something that they cannot re-produce? Last year the win over Donegal, as well as marking them out as a media hot-dog, had the added element of revenge pie with cream. And another thng I noticed was some sense of triumphalism in the way the nails were hammered in the Donegal coffin. No doubt the players who indulged in that were feeling some form of catarthis and justification from the pain they felt at losing the previous september. But......I think you can't do that and hope to be mentally right, totally focussed. Another sign of it occurred in the final, when Andy Moran tried to provoke the crowd after his goal. Was he asking for Mayo support or winding up the Dubs on The Hill soccer-style? Either way it could only mean he wasn't 'in the zone' (despite they very well-taken goal!) and it probably served to spur Dublin on too. I think finally James Horan has been a bit of a media junky too and draws unnescessary attention. To me these things are the signs of insecurity from a team, inferiority. Kerry didn't show one iota of that in the semi last year, and for that reason alone I think they will win this week unless Mayo have changed something fundamental in the approach and wellbeing. Certainly Horan has been alot quieter. They haven't exhausted themselves with any mercurial performance yet. SHould they come through no more than a really big struggle against Kerry, in theory they will be perfectly primed to perform to their optimal in the final. Or are the scars too deep? In my opinion to overcome a mental block, you have to face it indepth, embrace it, use it. They certainly have already been forced to do so in the league games against Dublin & Derry and to some extent against Cork the last day. If they have used these experiences the right way, these "worst fear" situations, then they can reach the grail.
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Post by Attacking Wing Back on Aug 20, 2014 8:51:33 GMT
Fitzmaurice: Mayo ahead of Dublin in physicality stakesKerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice feels there has been no dip in expectancy for the team in the county despite the raft of high-profile retirements and injuries. Photo: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE The difference between the Mayo team he is planning for now as Kerry manager and the Mayo team he faced as a player a decade ago? Eamonn Fitzmaurice cuts straight to the chase. Recent pre and post engagement between rival managers hasn't prompted him to mind his step in any way. "Mayo are a way more physical. That has been the hallmark of James Horan since he came in," noted Fitzmaurice. There is no agenda to what Fitzmaurice is saying, no hidden meaning. It's an observation about Mayo that now jumps off the page about them without pause or hesitation. The former All-Ireland winning half-back, known for pragmatic more than dramatic assessments, views them as superior to even Dublin in that one critical aspect of the game. "In terms of their conditioning, they are probably the premier team in the country. Dublin are obviously at a serious level as well. "But Mayo took it there first and other teams had to react. We certainly had to in Kerry," reflected Fitzmaurice. "There is a ferocious togetherness in the group. They showed a lot of character against Roscommon and that was a game that they could have easily folded up the tent, gone home and been beaten in. "But they showed a lot of character to come back and win that game. "They have a lot of the hallmark of champions about them and have been very, very close the last couple of years. "In neither game did they get any breaks that you need to win an All-Ireland final, particularly a tight All-Ireland final. "So they are a serious, serious group. They have an edge about them and if we are going to beat them, we will have to be at our best." Fitzmaurice is conscious of how easily Galway were able to break the Kerry line the last day, with Shane Walsh, Michael Lundy and Thomas Flynn all doing damage. It is a matter that has been given urgent priority. "We were disappointed with the Flynn's goal of course. The backs were disappointed with it but we have addressed it in the meantime," he said. "Mayo have some serious line breakers who can come through the middle, the likes of Lee Keegan, Donal Vaughan, Aidan O'Shea and Keith Higgins. "On the day against Galway it was not good enough certainly and it is an area we will have to improve on." Fitzmaurice feels there has been no dip in expectancy for the team around Kerry despite the raft of high-profile retirements and injuries. "There is still the same expectancy in Kerry. I don't think it is that much of a factor," he said. "Maybe every game we are playing we are fancied to be beaten in, so that might be a liberating thing. "But it is not something we use or not something we talk about. I suppose there isn't any huge pressure on us externally. "Some of the lads have learned the hard way, that if you don't back yourself when you get a chance, you can be a long time waiting for another chance to come around. "So I think a lot of them are in a position now where they know it is a time to really grab it. While it is a young team, a lot of them in the 23-25 age bracket, it's not as if they are 19 or 20-year-olds. "They've had experience where they have been given try-outs before and it hasn't quite worked out for them. "They know it's time to really grab it and they have." Fitzmaurice said he was never intimidated by the prospect of taking on the job through such a period of potential transition, even as successive League campaigns were stalked by relegation. "I wouldn't have taken the job if I did not think that there was stuff there. I knew a lot of the players from the U-21s and the college scene," he said. Fitzmaurice revealed that Colm Cooper has also taken an influential role within the squad over the summer as he continues to recover from his cruciate ligament tear earlier in the year. "Colm been back in with us since we've been training in Killarney from April. Lonely "He's been getting his rehab
work done, he's been part of the group and it's good for him because that rehab work can be very lonely if you're doing it on your own. "He's a presence in our team meetings and if he has a point to make he'll make it. He's still a very important part to the group," acknowledged the manager. "He's enjoying it. Obviously he's finding the game days difficult because he wants to be playing." Cooper is ahead of schedule since his injury in February but still won't play again until 2015, despite the obvious progress they see every night. "Some nights you'd be looking at him in the stadium and he's kicking and running in straight line and he's hopping on trampolines," revealed Fitzmaurice. "He's doing everything and you'd be saying 'it looks like there's 10 minutes in him'. But I'm afraid not." Irish Independent - See more at: www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/fitzmaurice-mayo-ahead-of-dublin-in-physicality-stakes-30521402.html
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Post by Attacking Wing Back on Aug 20, 2014 8:53:54 GMT
O'Neill and Buckley trading places in the hunt for SamCian O'Neill and Donie Buckley have swapped coaching roles with Kerry and Mayo and can provide valuable insight on the opposition Mayo trainer Donie Buckley will come up against the Kerry team he used to coach at Croke Park on Sunday.Without a transfer market, the windows of speculation can be limited in Gaelic games.Talk of movement is often restricted to the managerial merry-go-round that generally kicks in around this time of the year. Sometimes the potential movement of a coach or a trainer can provoke interest too. Like that period in the immediate aftermath of the 2012 All-Ireland final when confirmation came that Cian O'Neill was ending his season-long association with Mayo. The rationale was simple. O'Neill lived in Limerick and the road to any part of Mayo was far too taxing for a back injury that was the legacy of a car accident he was involved in a few years earlier. Round-trips that lasted more than five hours were always going to preclude him from taking on a second year. But rumours were already in circulation that he was on his way to join Eamonn Fitzmaurice's new team in Kerry, a shorter trek from his Limerick base. O'Neill has always insisted that no agreement that he would join Kerry was ever reached before the 2012 All-Ireland final, a point reaffirmed by Fitzmaurice only last week. When Fitzmaurice contacted him for advice on who could look after his team's physical conditioning, O'Neill provided a list of names and they both went about their business. But crucially the new Kerry manager, appointed at the end of August that year, left confirmation of his back-room team until the October meeting of the Kerry County Board, when O'Neill was revealed as part of the team and, more significantly, was listed as a selector, the first 'outsider' to fulfil such a role in the Kingdom. By then James Horan was searching for a replacement for O'Neill, who had fulfilled coaching duties in Mayo throughout 2012. The trawl took him to Ennis where Donie Buckley resides and was preparing for his annual winter trip to Florida that can consume up to three months of his year. For a coach with such a big reputation, Buckley's footprint across inter-county football has been limited. He was joint manager of Clare with Michael Brennan in 2006 before Páidí Ó Sé's arrival for a brief spell in charge and was involved with Limerick when Mickey Ned O'Sullivan was manager as they came close to winning Munster finals in 2009 and 2010. Jack O'Connor brought him on board with Kerry for 2011, but Buckley left in the middle of 2012 when he returned from knee surgery and found that the coaching role he had been fulfilling the previous season had been distilled. The offer to be a selector didn't have the same appeal. Buckley's departure in such circumstances didn't go down well among the Kerry players, who liked his style; ironically, Fitzmaurice was brought back in for the 2012 championship, having stepped down from the Kerry back-room team after the 2010 campaign. Persuasive As a consequence, Horan would have had to use all his persuasive powers to convince Buckley to invest time in the Mayo project. But it has been a good fit. O'Sullivan and Brennan both see the qualities in Buckley the coach. A retired engineer with Clare County Council, they talk of his appreciation of ergonomics, structure, method and systems. Brennan recalls his old friend from NUIG and the Eire Og club in Ennis taking out sheets of paper and drawing diagrams of football drills in his company. He appreciates the technical detail that can be applied to sport. Is it too much of an assumption to make that Buckley's arrival in Mayo has coincided with their development as the most clinical tacklers in the game? Kildare native O'Neill provided the physical conditioning template for Tipperary for all three years of Liam Sheedy's management and for the first year of Declan Ryan's stewardship. But football is in the blood and the prospect of 'coaching' a team as opposed to solely overseeing athletic and strength development appealed greatly. Now head of the Department of Sports, Leisure and Childhood Studies at Cork IT, having previously been a sports performance course director at UL, O'Neill is a respected sports scientist who has never harboured a desire to one day manage an inter-county team. As with Buckley and the improvement in Mayo's tackling, is it too much to assume that the creation of space in the Kerry full-forward line that has set free James O'Donoghue and Paul Geaney, in particular, this summer has its source in O'Neill's blueprint? O'Neill admits that being the first 'outsider' on a Kerry management team hasn't been easy, especially when they were in the midst of a losing sequence at the beginning of last year's League. He expected a backlash then and he expected that he would be at the forefront of it. But it didn't materialise and they rode out the storm. In an age where analysis of opponents is such a vital commodity for managers and coaches, their status in opposite camps is an interesting sidebar to Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final. What the camera doesn't always pick up, human instinct often can - the likes, the dislikes and the bad habits that perhaps only the repetitive viewing of the coach on the training ground can pick up on. Buckley and O'Neill have both had that magnified technical insight into opposite camps in recent years. Fitzmaurice believes O'Neill may have a slight advantage because the pace of player turnover has not been as swift in Mayo over the last four years as it has been in Kerry. "There has been a good bit of flux in our panel over the last couple of years going back to 2012 and that is not so much the case with Mayo," he said. "They are a battle-hardened group, they are similar enough to the group that James Horan put his stamp on since 2011. Cian probably knows a lot of the lads but Donie would be very familiar with the club scene in Kerry, so he would have a good knowledge of players that he did not put through his hands when he was involved before. "Donie is a top coach. Both of them have obviously good knowledge of the opposite camp. "But we are two years down the road now in terms of where both camps are and it has moved on a good bit. "In Division 1 especially, it is taken so seriously that opposition are so familiar to each other really. "I don't think it is as big a factor as it could be." Irish Independent - See more at: www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/oneill-and-buckley-trading-places-in-the-hunt-for-sam-30521404.html
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Post by Attacking Wing Back on Aug 20, 2014 8:55:27 GMT
Tompkins questions Mayo’s ‘stomach’ for big occasionBy Eoghan CormicanTwo-time All-Ireland winning Cork footballer Larry Tompkins has launched a withering attack on the Mayo players, claiming James Horan’s troops "need to grow up" if they are to bridge the county’s 63-year wait for Sam Maguire glory. Tensions between the two counties boiled over in the build-up to last month’s quarter-final with the Cork management hitting out at the “tactical fouling” of the Mayo forwards. Horan blasted the comments of Brian Cuthbert and coach Ronan McCarthy as “disgraceful” and “a new low”. Stoking the embers of that flame, Tompkins believes Mayo “lack the stomach” to reach the promised land on September’s third Sunday. “I wouldn’t be turning around blaming James Horan for the last two final defeats,” notes Tompkins, who also tasted All-Ireland final heartache as a manager in 1999. “You have to be able to process the hype and the suction of the final. A player must be able to keep total concentration. That is where Mayo are falling down. They would want to grow up a small bit. They would want to stop putting the heat on themselves when it comes to an All-Ireland final. They need to get out there and play. The players, for some reason, lack the stomach to get the best out of themselves on All-Ireland final day. They have to rectify that themselves.” The westerners square off against Kerry on Sunday bidding to reach a third consecutive All-Ireland final. The difference between the pair, according to the former All-Ireland winning captain, is the belief coursing through the veins of every Kerryplayer they can deliver in Croke Park. “Kerry believe in themselves and they believe they can beat any team. The Kerry players are not afraid to go into Croke Park and perform. That is the hallmark of a good team. “The All-Ireland final just takes too much out of Mayo. All-Ireland final day is different to any other day. There is no comparison to the quarter-final or semi-final. The spotlight is on you for the three or four weeks leading into the final. Some players can’t deal with the spotlight. “Take Alan Dillon. He has played in four All-Ireland finals, lost all four and taken off in two of them. In the final they just can’t seem to perform. “Cillian O’Connor, Donal Vaughan, the O’Shea brothers and Alan Dillon must step up to the mark when the need is greatest. They haven’t done that yet. Lots of players don’t get to an All-Ireland, let alone get the chance to redeem themselves with a second All-Ireland final opportunity. In Alan Dillon’s case, he has played in four. They have had their chances. Whether they get the chance again this year, I don’t know. The big players in Mayo need to show more leadership. “Players to have to stand up to their performance. Leadership must come from the players on the field. A manager’s role can be over-emphasised in the winning and losing of a game. When I was playing and if we lost I wouldn’t be blaming Billy Morgan. I don’t go along with the saying that manager’s win and lose games. Players must have the will to win and that is developed through commitment and training.” © Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved
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Post by Attacking Wing Back on Aug 20, 2014 8:57:22 GMT
Eamonn Fitzmaurice happy to place his trust in Kerry’s new generationKerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice: “The younger lads like Fionn Fitzgerald and Johnny Buckley, James O’Donoghue and Paul Geaney – all these lads are flourishing now because there are new big leaders and personalities in the dressing room.”Malachy Clerkin Eamonn Fitzmaurice knew what he was getting himself into when he took up the Kerry job two years ago and he knew a day like this Sunday was coming eventually. Eventually a whole world of experience was going to walk out the door, eventually he was going to have to depend on players whose future was ahead of them rather than behind. Talking ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo, he admitted that the departure of Paul Galvin, Tomás Ó Sé and Eoin Brosnan over the winter – as well as Colm Cooper’s cruciate injury in the spring – left a leadership hole that it took a while to fill. “There was initially because they were big players,” Fitzmaurice said. “Definitely when leaders move on there can be a bit of a vacuum there. The lads have stepped up – Declan O’Sullivan is a big leader and it has forced others like Donnchadh Walsh who has established himself as a big leader, Marc Ó Sé is a big leader. “The younger lads like Fionn Fitzgerald and Johnny Buckley, James O’Donoghue and Paul Geaney – all these lads are flourishing now because there are new big leaders and personalities in the dressing room. Fellas tend to keep their counsel but if there is a vacuum there they tend to fill it. Young team“While it is a young team, a lot of them are good ages. A lot of them are 23, 24, 25 – it’s not as if they are 19- or 20-year-olds. They are a good age. They’ve had experience where they have been given try-outs before and it hasn’t quite worked out for them. I think they know this time for a lot of them it’s a time to really go and grab it.” While a weakened Kerry might come as a blessed relief to the rest of the country, Fitzmaurice insists there is precious little leeway afforded them on their home patch. They may come to Dublin as underdogs in the wider consciousness but the Kerry manager knows it won’t spare them the rod if they return beaten on Sunday night. It doesn’t make their task any easier, either. “There is still the same expectancy in Kerry, I can tell you. I don’t think it is that much of a factor. I think the lads are fairly good at being clued into what’s going on in the group and what we’re trying to do in the group and that’s all that matters really. “Maybe every game we’re playing, we’re fancied to be beaten – so there might be a liberating thing in that. But it’s not something we use, not something we talk about. “I suppose there isn’t any huge pressure on us externally. There’s a good atmosphere in the group. They know they’re capable of winning things – they won a Munster championship this year already and for some of them it’s their second in a row. It’s trying to put something with that now that’s the next step. Some of the lads have learned the hard way that if you don’t back yourself when you get a chance you can be a long time waiting for another.” No illusionsMayo stand in their way, a team that Fitzmaurice never lost to as a player or selector. He’s under no illusions though that the challenge offered by the current incarnation of Mayo is of a different colour to what Kerry teams met in the past. “They are a way more physical,” Fitzmaurice says. “That has been the hallmark of James Horan since he came in. In terms of their conditioning, they are probably the premier team in the country. Dublin are obviously at a serious level as well. Mayo took it there first and other teams had to react – we certainly had to in Kerry. “There is a ferocious togetherness in the group, there is a massive spirit there and there is a lot of character there. “They showed a lot of character against Roscommon and that was a game where they could have easily folded up the tent, gone home and been beaten. But they showed a lot of character to come back and win that game. Serious group“They have a lot of the hallmark of champions about them, they have been very, very close the last couple of years. They were only beaten by a point last year and by four in 2012. In neither game did they get any breaks that you need to win an All-Ireland – particularly a tight All-Ireland final – so they are a serious, serious group. They have an edge about them and if we are going to beat them we will have to be at our best. It is as simple as that.”
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Post by Attacking Wing Back on Aug 20, 2014 9:00:07 GMT
John Maughan more wary of present than history with KerryFormer Mayo manager believes county has no reason to be anxious about the past Former Mayo manager John Maughan during the All-Ireland semi-final win over Kerry at Croke Park in 1996. Photograph: Lorraine O’Sullivan/Inpho.Seán MoranStrangely, given the overall history of the fixture, Mayo have become Kerry’s most familiar opponents in the past 20 years. Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final will be the seventh championship meeting of the counties since 1996. Prior to that year’s semi-final you’d have to go back a further 64 years to cover the previous seven championships in which they had met. Since 1996, the county has sustained five straight defeats at the hands of Kerry, spread over three All-Ireland finals, a semi-final and quarter-final. John Maughan managed the county in all of those matches except the two most recent, and he argues that the discouraging record is more a product of coincidence than some immutable relationship. “On most of the occasions we’ve played them they’ve just been better and at times luckier – the ball that hit off Darragh Ó Sé’s chest and then his knee for his only championship goal and we lost by three points in 2005. ‘Poor record’“But it’s a very poor record in the championship, one win in over 60 years. We’ve beaten them quite a bit in the league but that doesn’t count for anything in championship. Of course there’s no team better than Kerry at hitting the sweet spot when it matters most and they’ve done it extremely well over the decades.” The semi-final win in 1996 was something of a coup, as Mayo in Maughan’s first year were coming from Division Three of the league and although Kerry, in what was also Páidí Ó Sé’s first year of management, had won Munster for the first time in five years, their young team, based on the All-Ireland under-21 winning teams of the time were favourites. “If you listen to Jack O’Connor, who was a selector with Páidí in those years, Kerry celebrated too much after winning Munster,” recalls Maughan of the emphatic six-point win. “That mightn’t be my conclusion because we played remarkably well and got most of our match-ups right.” Strong record
For any county, playing Kerry can be daunting. The county has such a strong record against nearly everyone else but Maughan was confident going into the match. His first managerial appointment had been in Clare, who he led to an historic Munster championship in 1992, the county’s first in 75 years. So he wasn’t intimidated by Kerry and believes that history won’t be an issue on Sunday. “Not really because I had been involved with Clare in ’92 when they beat Kerry in the Munster final. They didn’t frighten me. No team, irrespective of history or lineage or reputation would frighten me if I had a good team.” What does concern him is the lack of new faces on the Mayo teams in this championship. The great majority of James Horan’s team has been around for the four years of his tenure: “I suppose from the management’s point of view a number of the newer players who have played in league and championship have come up a bit short with one or two exceptions,” according to Maughan. “Jason Gibbons might feel himself a little bit unlucky, as he had a fantastic league campaign but he also picked up an injury. “Up front is where Mayo have been searching the last year, hoping to find somebody. I’d like to see Alan Freeman getting in because I think we’ll need fresh legs against Kerry and maybe leave one of the older players on the bench. “Andy Moran came on in the Connacht championship when we were in danger of losing to Roscommon and he turned the game around with two glorious points and he brought a new energy into the forward line when it was needed most. He mightn’t like to be told that but it could be a more suitable role for him now.” Whatever the line-out announced for the semi-final, the former manager is a little bit jumpy about what he sees as complacency in the county. “I’m concerned about Sunday, a little bit worried. We’ve no reason to be over-confident and there are people talking about a Dublin-Mayo final. Crazy talk. We’ve no right to see ourselves in that position.” That’s certainly the lesson of history.
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Post by iorras on Aug 20, 2014 9:07:08 GMT
well lads, a lot of confidence evident here, and who can blame ye, last few championship meetings have been fairly one sided (and I include 2011 in that) so its only natural. I think its too close to call, this talk of Mayo trying to time a peak later in the season is a load of nonsense, yes I believe they have made changes to their physical training but that is more to make sure that they dont run out of steam in the second half of an all ireland final like they did a bit last year. But its not to try and taper it so that they wouldnt be hopping off the ground in a quarter final. that would be madness and anyway who says that Mayo only almost got caught by Cork because they were looking at a semi has no credibility whatsoever. Mayo almost got caught by Cork because: 1. Cork crapped themselves against Kerry and came out with a totally different attitude against Mayo. They believed they could bully Mayo physically and some of the *e they pulled off the ball was pathetic given how like lambs they were against Cork. So it was different Cork team in terms of attitude that collapsed to Kerry. Cork also gave up just after half time. 2. James Horan didnt deal with Donnacha O'Connor, for a while no-one on the team seemed to know who was marking him, eventually the lads figured it out but he had got his goal by then. Taking off Andy Moran was a mistake, I would have been critical of Andy up to half time but he had started to play his way in. When he went off the ball to the forwards was like it was coming off a wall, nothing was sticking. Those substitution accounted for a 7 point swing. I believe this is where ye have the advantage, Mayo will probably take to the field with a better team but I think Fitzmaurice will be better able to make tactical substitutions to positively influence the game as it progresses in Kerry's favour. I'm not saying its a guarantee of winning but we shall see.
One thing ye shouldn't lose site of however, is that this team is not the stereotypical view of Mayo teams that ye would have had in the past, i.e apply a bit of pressure and they will fold. History of this team shows that they never know when they are beaten and will not lie down. They are also an extremely dedicated and determined bunch of players. What they dont get enough credit for is what they have done in coming back from the excruciating pain of losing two all ireland finals to get back to where they are now. Its correct to say that the only winners are the ones who go home with the cannister but when this is all over, whatever the outcome, I certainly would be pointing out some of the lads on that team as role models to my own young fellas of examples of determination and persistence in life. Personally, at this stage, having followed Mayo for manys the year I am almost numb to the whole thing. emotion has been suspended, I find it hard to believe we'll ever win the shagging thing. Thankfully my county men who pull on the jersey dont share that weak minded view.
Do I think they will win it, no I dont, not without some massive slice of luck. Its possible we could win on Sunday, and I hope we do, just to quiten some of the Kerry folk I have met in my travels who have been obnixous about the whole thing. Dont get me wrong, we have our fair share of yahoos as well, and I have met an equal number of Kerry people who know their football and want to talk about it rationally. But sure you know ye're selves, meet one eeijet whos trying to stir it up and you want nothing better than to put him back on his arse. But also for this team, to say, that even if they dont manage to get over the ultimate line that they have beaten all of the major teams in the championship during this 4 year spell, Cork twice, Tyrone, Down (questionable if they are a major team but in 2012 they were in the final 2 years previous), Dublin, Donegal and it would be nice to add Kerry to that list.
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