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Post by Annascaultilidie on May 1, 2022 19:18:58 GMT
Maybe Tyrone will do yet another post All-Ireland disappearing act.
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Post by veteran on May 1, 2022 19:23:48 GMT
Just like the hurling game in Galway, there seemed to be no warmth in the managers’ handshake in Omagh.
I remember a NFL game in Tralee between Kerry and Donegal and, to put it as inoffensively as possible, I was not impressed by Rory Gallagher”s antics on the sideline.
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Post by john4 on May 1, 2022 19:26:57 GMT
'Football’s much more than a game for defiant Tyrone' - what a kick up the behind Joe got today? What happened Tyrone, I must admit I thought they were immune to flopping - could they have a bigger plan, they are still in it? I hate mentioning bookies as some of ours are depraved, but the Red Hands are now out to 14/1 for Sam. With us at 6/5, it's a massive margin respective to events since we met in 2021. I wouldn't worry too much about Tyrone's dip today. Once they're fortunate enough to avoid the dreaded Covid I can still see them in a semi final.
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Post by veteran on May 1, 2022 19:28:41 GMT
Once more Eamon Fitzmaurice made the match more interesting than one would expect with a one sided contest. Also, he seems to dovetail well with Darragh Moloney. I hope RTÉ make this duo their A football team , except perhaps when Kerry are involved.
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Post by Mickmack on May 1, 2022 19:36:26 GMT
Had Tyrone won today they would be playing Monaghan on 15th May and an Ulster final probably v Donegal on 29th May. Then a 4 week delay to QF. After today, they still have just 2 games to play to reach the QF. Two qualifier matches. One in 5 weeks time on 29th May and the other 2 weeks later with the QF on 26th June. Which schedule is better preparation for the QF, SF and Final. With Tyrone you never know. I remember in 2008 they were absolutely cat in Ulster. They scraped in the QF and took down Dublin and we know the rest. They are always a far better team in Croke Park. Their panel is weaker this year tbough. Once the u20 competition is over, can those players join the senior panel? Preliminary round of the qualifiers is the weekend 21st/22nd May - that's if there are more than 8 teams in the Sam Maguire qualifiers. First round of qualifiers is 4th/5th June with the second round the following weekend 11th/12th June. Quarter-finals are the 25th/26th of June 5 teams confirmed in the Sam Maguire qualifiers. Tyrone Armagh Mayo Clare Louth 1 from Monaghan/Derry 1 from Kerry/Cork At least 1 from Dublin/Kildare/Meath (and 2 if Westmeath get to the Leinster final) If they lose their next game (versus) Limerick (Tipperary) Donegal (Cavan) Galway (Leitrim) A minimum of 8 teams and a maximum of 12 teams. U20 players can join the senior panel once they are done with the U20 championship. Thanks for that. So the definite schedule is Weekend 4/5 June Weekend 12th June Weekend 19th ...rest Weekend 26th QF. Whoever reaches the QF from that run of games will be a tough nut to crack as the provincial winners will be 4 weeks without a game. Lets say there are 12 rather than 8 and a preliminary round is needed at the end of May....how do they decide which 4 in in the preliminary. Finally.... are qualifiers at a neutral venue or do first team out of the hat get home game.
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Post by onlykerry on May 1, 2022 21:24:09 GMT
'Football’s much more than a game for defiant Tyrone' - what a kick up the behind Joe got today? What happened Tyrone, I must admit I thought they were immune to flopping - could they have a bigger plan, they are still in it? I hate mentioning bookies as some of ours are depraved, but the Red Hands are now out to 14/1 for Sam. With us at 6/5, it's a massive margin respective to events since we met in 2021. I wouldn't worry too much about Tyrone's dip today. Once they're fortunate enough to avoid the dreaded Covid I can still see them in a semi final. Surely you mean once they get a bout of the dreaded Covid they will bounce back......
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Post by onlykerry on May 1, 2022 21:29:12 GMT
There are plenty of banana skins on which Kerry can come a cropper - each game needs to be treated with respect.
Looking at the possible schedules the one that worries me most is if Kerry keep winning the gap between Munster Final and the AI QF - this is possibly when we will be most vulnerable and the gap for (all) provincial winners does them no favours.
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Post by dc84 on May 2, 2022 9:29:45 GMT
The quarters could be epic although of course a lot of the big guns could knock each other out ! Question marks over all of them obviously but particularly Tyrone after yesterday poor from them to get beat out the gate at home. Derry were excellent in fairness and will be interesting how they get on against monaghan. Should make for a few good games in the qualifiers. Dublin for me are favourites at the moment serious fire power and if they can avoid injuries at the back and play mcarthy at 5 have a very decent defence. Plus of course playing at home for rest of championship unless kildare can make a big push. ( bit early for them this year I feel ).
Are the qualifiers home or neutral does anyone know the round with provincial finalists will be I presume?
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Post by Annascaultilidie on May 2, 2022 11:46:32 GMT
I guess the major question for this championship is how are Dublin actually going and when will we find out.
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Post by Mickmack on May 2, 2022 12:33:15 GMT
Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Rory Gallagher's flawless plan executed perfectly
MON, 02 MAY, 2022 - 07:45 Eamonn Fitzmaurice Éamonn Fitzmaurice
Last week as I did my obair bhaile for the Tyrone and Derry game I gave Cahair O'Kane, a Derry man and journalist with the Irish News, a shout to get a sense of his native county. His information was on the money but one thing he said really stuck in my head. He stated that Rory Gallagher would be regarded in Derry as one of, if not the top coach in Ireland. I had come across him plenty of times when he was in charge of Donegal but we had always got the better of them.
While I obviously respected him I also expected for us to win when we met. As I watched his progress with Fermanagh I wondered had he become too wedded to an ultra defensive gameplan. He has seriously evolved though and his Derry team now are a serious unit. He is maximising the players at his disposal by appropriate use of their best attributes. Lockdown 2020 was an important time for this Derry team. It provided a pause point that allowed a callow group to really develop physically.
They are now extremely well conditioned and are packed with pace, particularly in the middle third. There are days in management when all the work in the training ground and meeting room comes off and this is as enjoyable as it gets. Gallagher had one of those days yesterday when he nailed his game plan and his players executed it perfectly.
From the throw in when Tyrone attacked all of the Derry players retreated, which is a ploy straight out of the Gallagher playbook. I groaned to myself thinking this is going to be a long day out but that was Gallagher 2015, this is Gallagher 2022. I was pleasantly surprised. As they retreated they were careful to keep their lines in place. When Tyrone had the ball the full forward line of Benny Heron, Shane McGuigan and Niall Toner became the first line of defence, usually retreating to an area between their 45m and 65m lines. This was critical from a shape point of view.
As soon as they won the ball back Heron, McGuigan and Toner sprinted up the pitch to be available as options in the counter attack. Often they would go all the way and get inside the 20m line before they began making runs for the their on rushing team mates. The searing pace that Derry now possess in the middle third worked brilliantly in the counter but they also had kick options. At times when they turned the ball over they allowed things to settle before they took off at pace.
It reminded me of Pep Guardiola speaking about how he guided Manchester City back to their best last season by focusing on the concept of ‘la pausa’ – literally, the pause – the composure and self-possession to allow that delay that allows space open up. He spoke about the importance of controlling the rhythm of the game, of understanding that sometimes it’s more effective to slow down than to speed up. Derry nailed that yesterday. They scored 11 points from turnovers won and counter attacks which illustrates their hunger and the effectiveness of their plan.
In the past, Gallagher teams would have tried to carry it the whole way up the pitch, now they have pace to burn as well as kick options and their decision making means they know what suits best at different times in the game.
Rumours were flying around Healy Park before the game that Gareth McKinless had headed Stateside for the summer and would not play. Instead he lined out at midfield where he gave a tour de force in the first half. He repeatedly linked play and drove forward. He punched holes and put Brian Kennedy on the back foot.
He helped out defensively, getting one great block on Cathal McShane and despite a height disadvantage he contested kickouts with vigour. He frustrated Kennedy to the point that the Tyrone man lashed out with a kick and got a red card in the 25th minute effectively ending Tyrone’s resistance.
In the second half McKinless was deployed as a deep lying sweeper in front of Tyrone’s dangerous inside duo of Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan. He may not have been on the ball as much but he was extremely effective ensuring that Tyrone didn’t get the goal they needed to get back into the game. Another player to impress was Paul Cassidy who played a key role in the first half.
As Tyrone got bodies behind the ball to protect their goals he occupied the area at the top of the ‘D’ centrally. He was repeatedly available for 1-2s that broke the Tyrone rearguard open. After this happened a few times Tyrone cottoned onto the strategy and began to push out on him, which left space behind. The Derry penalty was created because of said space that Cassidy himself had moved in to.
Conor Doherty was also excellent and played another important role. Nominally he was marking Frank Burns who retreated as a sweeper when Derry had the ball leaving Doherty free. Doherty pushed up, played as an extra forward, scoring two points and causing plenty of problems for Tyrone. Conor Glass was critical as he goes about his business with a calm authority.
He took Conn Kilpatrick completely out of the game while influencing the match himself. Any time that Tyrone got a bit of a press on, Glass was the target for Odhran Lynch and more often than not he did the business as Derry won 75% of their long kickouts. All of these little battles were pre-planned by Gallagher and played out exactly as he expected. The trust that builds between a manager and his players and vice versa from this kind of performance and result is incalculable.
It is far from the end of the line for Tyrone but this inept display was not part of the plan. We know that they can recover from big setbacks, think back 12 months ago to Killarney for a reference point. What it would be like to be a fly on the wall of their video review this week. Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan will be furious and there will be a lot of hard talking to be done. Their handling and energy was off from the start. The more frustrated they became the less disciplined they were ending up with 13 men on the field.
This year they have averaged nearly a red card a game. Obviously the Armagh league match influences that statistic but it still speaks of an issue, an issue that needs to be addressed and fixed. Is the constant appealing of every card enabling this? Only Tyrone can answer that one. They have five weeks now to regenerate themselves.
In my experience that regeneration often comes from shuffling personnel, giving panel members that have been showing form a go. With the seven departures from the squad is that personnel available to Logan and Dooher? Time will tell. The qualifiers is fast becoming a minefield but like Mayo and Armagh if they pick up a couple of wins and some momentum they will be best avoided in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
For Derry the trick is to repeat their performance in two weeks time against a seasoned and confident Monaghan. Gallagher and co have been preparing for Tyrone since the draw was made last November and will now look to shift focus immediately. They will try to surf the wave and look to harness the confidence and buzz that this win will bring. Yesterday, they announced their arrival in Healy Park against the All-Ireland champions, two weeks time is the day to show they now belong.
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Post by givehimaball on May 2, 2022 20:00:41 GMT
Finally.... are qualifiers at a neutral venue or do first team out of the hat get home game. For the preliminary round and round 1, first team out of the hat gets home venue. For Round 2 it's neutral venues with CCCC deciding - good chance that some of these will be in Croke Park I'd imagine. All of the rounds are open draws - i.e. teams can be drawn against teams they have played before. However in Round 2, the four provincial losers will be on one side and the fours teams who come through Round 1 will be on the other so all four games will have one provincial loser versus one Round 1 winner.
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Post by Mickmack on May 2, 2022 20:15:50 GMT
Finally.... are qualifiers at a neutral venue or do first team out of the hat get home game. For the preliminary round and round 1, first team out of the hat gets home venue. For Round 2 it's neutral venues with CCCC deciding - good chance that some of these will be in Croke Park I'd imagine. All of the rounds are open draws - i.e. teams can be drawn against teams they have played before. However in Round 2, the four provincial losers will be on one side and the fours teams who come through Round 1 will be on the other so all four games will have one provincial loser versus one Round 1 winner. Thanks for that. Assuming there are 8 teams in the qualifiers, that route could suit a county that gets a run of momentum going. Qualifier on 5th June Qualifier in Croke Park 12th June Qf on 26th June Semi 9th July Final 26th July 5 games in 8 weeks
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Post by Ballyfireside on May 2, 2022 23:07:49 GMT
I'll take Éamonn's word over any conspiracy theory re Tyrone, suffice as to say they ain't gone away.
FYI Derry had parochial issues with Dungiven and on down towards South Derry being the powerbase, while the soccer mad North Westerly city population felt they weren't getting a fair hearing. I'd love to hear JoeB's take on this and with respect, all counties went through this phase - Donegal, us, etc.
Ulster football is obviously alive and well, and Derry vs Monaghan in 2 weeks will be a roaster.
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kot
Fanatical Member
Posts: 1,128
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Post by kot on May 3, 2022 16:32:13 GMT
The coverage decisions on Saturday was mind boggling, local derby with both teams in same division next year not on tv or at least streaming capability via GaaGo.
They really need to sort out the available coverage, stuck in the dark ages. Making games available to see will not have a major impact on attendance!
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Post by Mickmack on May 5, 2022 8:08:59 GMT
Royal County and Leinster Council should have insisted semi-final game was played at a different venue about 3 hours ago Ciarán Murphy
The draw for the Leinster championship semi-finals was held live on The Sunday Game on Sunday night, with Kildare first out of the hat to play Westmeath, and Meath drawn first to play Dublin.
The first question a person might ask is just why the draw for this particular provincial championship wasn’t already set in stone, when in every other province the bracket is already well and truly set out from the start of the year.
The answer to that question is that, for the last 15 years, the prospect of playing Dublin in either a quarter-final or a semi-final has been enough to deflate even the most optimistic and upwardly-mobile of Leinster county teams – to the extent that the draw had to be formulated like this to ensure players and managers don’t lose faith in their right to a place in their own championship at all, before the year had even begun.
The mere fact that you would be standing there doing this draw, alone among all the provincial councils, with the championship already into its third weekend, would be enough to prompt soul-searching in most organisations . . . but the Leinster Council is not most organisations.
Would the team drawn out first get home advantage? No. It would, inevitably, be a double-header in the 12-in-a-row-chasing champions’ home ground.
At what stage do you reckon maybe taking Dublin out of their comfort zone might be an idea worth trying? Seán Moran has already reported in these pages this week that Kildare and Westmeath had stated a preference to play Dublin anywhere other than in their home ground of Croke Park if they had been drawn against them.
So what the hell are Meath thinking?
They’ve been beaten the last seven times they’ve played Dublin in Croke Park, with some of those occasions ranking among the most dispiriting days in the long and distinguished history of football in the county.
At what stage do you reckon maybe taking Dublin out of their comfort zone might be an idea worth trying? If not to Navan, then to Portlaoise, or Tullamore. Maybe Meath aren’t in love with playing in either of those venues – but maybe Dublin aren’t either.
If Meath were concerned that such a demand might make them look weak, then a combined loss by 37 points in their last two games against Dublin in Croke Park before last year certainly hasn’t made them look strong.
And let’s not absolve the Leinster Council of blame here. Instead of thinking of the extra 5 or 6,000 people they might get to buy a ticket for this double-header in Croke Park, they could have thought about how best to ensure they still have a functioning championship of any kind to organise in five years’ time.
Cracking atmosphere Surely it’s not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility for them to think a Leinster semi-final that makes the possibility of Dublin losing even 2 per cent more likely, might actually be good for business in the long-term.
Dublin were very good on Saturday, against statistically the third-worst team in the country going on league form this year And leaving aside the Dublin-Meath game, Kildare and Westmeath will be playing their game as a curtain-raiser in front of 7,000 or 8,000 people in a 90 per cent empty Croke Park, when they could have been playing in front of a similar crowd in Newbridge, where that number would make a cracking atmosphere, and an occasion befitting its status as a provincial semi-final.
Dublin were very good on Saturday, against statistically the third-worst team in the country going on league form this year. Dublin played seven league games in Division One this year, and lost five of them. They are still weaker now than they’ve been at any time in the last 10 years.
I know Meath people who looked at how Mayo closed out their All-Ireland semi-final last year and realised that with a bit more conviction in the Leinster semi-final, that could have been them. Now was the time to test Dublin’s mettle.
Meath don’t have too far to look for inspiration in 2022. The Cork players were shafted by their own county board when they fixed an Ed Sheeran concert for the weekend before they were supposed to be playing Kerry. They stood up to the Munster Council when that game was fixed for Killarney, and the Munster Council backed down.
Earlier this year the Antrim footballers were robbed of their home Ulster championship game against Cavan because the Ulster Council thought they might sell a few extra tickets elsewhere. They stood up, kicked up a fuss for a hot minute, and the Ulster Council almost immediately backed down.
Antrim got their home game, and lost it. Not many Cork fans attending their home game in Páirc Uí Rinn this Saturday hold out much hope of springing a surprise on Kerry. But at least both those teams sent a message that, despite being outmatched on the field, they were not going to be treated as second-class citizens.
Meath didn’t even have to push for a home game against Dublin (although they should have) – they just had to insist it wasn’t a home game for Dublin. Should any of us be surprised if Leinster continues to be a joyless trophy-gathering exercise for even a weakened Dublin, if what we saw this week was all the fight their provincial rivals can muster?
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Post by Mickmack on May 5, 2022 9:11:42 GMT
Ian oRiordan
Criticism passes and good work remains, as Monet once said about the great artists, and there’s a similar sense about Dublin football now and especially coming from Cormac Costello.
Five weeks ago Dublin were a team in crisis, plenty of criticism around their own confidence, relegated from division one of the league, and then as if by magic they beat Wexford by 23 points on Saturday night and suddenly all the good work remains.
We look at each step as they come. The challenge now for us is in two weeks against Meath, that’s where our focus is Costello was one of nine Dublin scorers on the night, chipping in with two from play, and when he politely insists he wasn’t listening to any criticism during the league that’s partly because he missed most of it, sustaining a knee injury in the opening loss to Armagh at Croke Park.
“It’s the same to be honest, we wouldn’t be looking at it like that or listening to the noise,” he says of Dublin being written off. “We look at each step as they come. The challenge now for us is in two weeks against Meath, that’s where our focus is.
“You hear obviously a little bit, but I wasn’t looking into it too much. I think we tried something like maybe 50 different players during the league campaign, so there was a lot of squad rotation. A lot of lads were out with injuries; we were trying to try out new systems of play.
“Individual performances probably weren’t good enough and that consistency piece. We were more concerned about that, as opposed to looking outside and thinking of a crisis.
“You know, when you’re not winning games, you know when you’re not in a good position. Ultimately after we lost to Monaghan and were relegated we knew that this wasn’t our goal. But, look, we analysed the league and we looked at where we can do better. We know it’s a consistency piece, so we parked the league and all our focus is just on championship.”
Senior debut At age 27, making his Dublin senior debut back in 2013, Costello has won it all: nine Leinster titles, seven All-Irelands, a minor and under-21 All-Ireland to boot. Last year’s semi-final loss to Mayo was only his second ever senior defeat.
He has also started the last five championship matches for Dublin, and was surely in line to start last year’s final had Dublin made it. This means he has yet to start an All-Ireland final for Dublin, and if he insists too that is not what it is about there is a sense Costello wants to correct that.
You’re sent on to do a job – you have to park your own individual goals for team goals at the end of the day “You want to be playing; if you’re on the team you are pushing to start or play as long as you can, but at the same time I was under no illusions. I was in a very privileged position where there were lads not on the team or lads who weren’t coming on as a subs, so any time you get to play you are very thankful for. It’s something that it is what it is, and I’m thankful I got a few starts and we’ll see what happens over the summer.
“You’re sent on to do a job – you have to park your own individual goals for team goals at the end of the day. Whether I came on as a sub or didn’t come on at all or start the game, you are given a job, and you are trying to execute the game plan and the task you have been given. It’s something I just focus on. ‘Ok ay what am I being ask to do, and can I do it to the best of my ability’ and that’s what I’ll do.”
Speaking at an event of Dublin sponsors AIG to launch men’s and women’s golf cups and shields and men’s and women’s Irish Amateur Close Championships at Elm Park golf club in Dublin, Costello points to Dublin’s restored consistency against Wexford as the most satisfying part of the night.
Campaign “Last year it [lack of consistency] wasn’t just the Mayo game, you saw it there in the league, and our second-half performance against Meath last year, our Leinster campaign. I think throughout we weren’t good enough, we weren’t consistent enough, throughout the four quarters as it was, with the water breaks.
“And it was just the same again against Mayo, the same story. We weren’t consistent enough. We were a lot happier with the four quarters [against Wexford].
“Yes, there are lots of areas we need to improve that won’t be good enough in two weeks’ time. But I think in terms of consistency kicking 1-24, scoring in each quarter, was something we failed to do in the league this year.”
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Post by Mickmack on May 5, 2022 9:23:39 GMT
The Dublin bench didnt look that weak in the Wexford game even if not as strong it it was in 6inarow recent years.
Lee Gannon and Tom Lahill are definite finds for Dublin.
Dublin:
D O’Hanlon; E Murchan, M Fitzsimons, L Gannon; R McDaid, J Small, J Cooper, B Fenton, T Lahiff; S Bugler, B Howard, C Kilkenny; C Costello, C O’Callaghan, D Rock.
Subs:
James McCarthy for McDaid Niall Scully for Bugler (49); Sean McMahon for Murchan (53); Aaran Byrne for Costello (54); Lorcan O’Dell for Small (6
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Post by dodgyknees on May 5, 2022 12:54:07 GMT
The Dublin bench didnt look that weak in the Wexford game even if not as strong it it was in 6inarow recent years. Lee Gannon and Tom Lahill are definite finds for Dublin. Dublin: D O’Hanlon; E Murchan, M Fitzsimons, L Gannon; R McDaid, J Small, J Cooper, B Fenton, T Lahiff; S Bugler, B Howard, C Kilkenny; C Costello, C O’Callaghan, D Rock. Subs: James McCarthy for McDaid Niall Scully for Bugler (49); Sean McMahon for Murchan (53); Aaran Byrne for Costello (54); Lorcan O’Dell for Small (6 I have a feeling the dubs will be a handful for anyone come the end of the year. It's looking like the most open championship in 10 years where 3/4 teams will be thinking they can win!
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Post by onlykerry on May 8, 2022 18:48:26 GMT
Next weekend will see the last of the Provincial Semi's and thereafter we will know who joins Mayo, Armagh, Clare, Tyrone, Louth and Cork in the Qualifiers. These will be joined by the loser of the Dublin/Meath and Monaghan/Derry games. Hopefully the draw throws up some juicy games. Only 2 Division 3/4 teams still alive in terms of the Sam Maguire with Tipp and Westmeath both in their respective provincial championships.
All 4 provincial finals on 28/29 May - this will be a cracking weekend of games Ulster - Donegal V Monaghan or Derry Leinster - Kildare or Westmeath V Dublin or Meath Connaught - Roscommon V Galway Munster - Kerry V Limerick or Tipp
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Post by Annascaultilidie on May 9, 2022 6:48:38 GMT
The fact that the qualifiers are tougher than the provincials, and serious Div 3/4 operations need to win to stay in Sam Maguire, means that there can be more of a do-or-die elements to provincial championship matches.
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Post by dc84 on May 12, 2022 16:25:22 GMT
See the gaa are over complicating another competition (the tailtean cup) north and south conferences teams put in different pots depending on making a provincial semi or not. An absolute farce some of these lads "organising" these competitions are gas seriously it should be fairly simple straight draw if uneven number then preliminary round. It's not rocket science !
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Post by royalkerryfan on May 12, 2022 16:26:12 GMT
RTE GAA podcast reporting Dublins Davy Byrne gone for the year with a cruciate. He's a very underrated player, not much depth in that FB line.
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Post by royalkerryfan on May 12, 2022 19:30:25 GMT
RTE GAA podcast reporting Dublins Davy Byrne gone for the year with a cruciate. He's a very underrated player, not much depth in that FB line. Yes David Byrne has been a brilliant back for Dublin the last few years but this year he had been struggling badly with the lack of a sweeper. He got well beaten by the Laois FF in the O Byrne Cup and got fierce trouble v Armagh s Rian Ó Néill and found it tough v Kerry and Mayo. Nonetheless he is a big loss. A clean player too. Wishing him a speedy recovery. He was left badly exposed this year is right Mick. Think Dublin haven't many options in that FB line.
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Post by Mickmack on May 13, 2022 6:27:01 GMT
Royals will ask questions of Dublin’s full-back line while reliance on Brian Fenton for scores is a concern
Ciarán Whelan
May 12 2022 10:07 PM
We are almost a month into the championship and results have gone along expected lines. The exception was Derry’s defeat of reigning champions, Tyrone, in the Ulster bearpit.
If the bookies’ odds were based purely on a county’s most recent form then the Oak Leafers would be higher up the pecking order than ninth favourites; it’s probably an indicator of the indecision punters have with regard to this year. It’s hard to get a read on it yet.
Of course, some would have you believe that Dublin’s victory over Wexford was a definite sign that the good times are ready to roll again in the capital, but I’d argue for caution. I wouldn’t be reaching to the back of the wardrobe to fetch the ‘Jacks are Back’ T-shirts – not yet anyway!
If I learnt anything during my playing days, it was that proper perspective is always lost when it comes to analysing the Dubs – when things were deemed bad, they were not as bad as many would have you believe and when things appeared more positive, a slap in the face was just around the corner.
The predominant verdict on the Wexford game was that Dublin had solved their problems. They’ll possibly be in contention come July but reading anything into it was fool’s gold in my opinion.
With all due respect, Wexford are a Division 4 side who had struggled to find consistency. Yes, they had a good performance against Offaly, but the Faithful were understrength, particularly in their forward division. While the Slaneysiders had contained Dublin to a decent degree 12 months previously at the same venue, nine times out of 10 the Dubs will give them a trimming.
Let’s also not forget that they had only a six-day turnaround to prepare for Dublin which is arguably not fair. From a performance perspective, Dublin got the job done. Yes, there were positives.
After a nervy opening they controlled the game. Dublin pressed up on the Wexford kick-outs and lorded the middle sector.
Their forward play was much improved with more clever movement than what we saw in the league, more unselfish runs, greater tempo, while Con O’Callaghan’s return added much-needed firepower to their attack.
O’Callaghan is a joy to watch in full flow, his quickness of feet to turn defenders and switch from his right to left or vice versa is so difficult to defend against. He is clear-minded in possession and things tend to happen when he has the leather locked under his arm.
Brian Fenton also had a massive influence, kicking 0-5 points from play. He was very active and cleverly generated scoring opportunities; indeed, he may have scored more. Fenton is excellent at creating the space to kick scores around the ‘D’. Regularly, against Wexford, he drifted ahead of the play and then with great timing swooped back on the on the loop to fire over – which is very hard to defend against.
While kicking 0-5 was a positive, I would also challenge the fact that there is a reliance on a midfielder to make such a big contribution.
It’s likewise for Galway and Paul Conroy. He’s probably the best long-range point-scorer in the game at this moment but that strength could highlight a team’s weakness as the summer progresses.
As the championship picks up pace and the better opposition pinpoint key contributors, it can sometimes be easier to tag or limit the scoring influence of a midfielder than an inside forward.
While I’m urging caution with regard to reading too much into Dublin’s display against Wexford, there was one aspect that stuck out for me. When Fenton was interviewed afterwards, instead of spinning through the usual bland comments he was to the point and it gave an insight into the mindset of Dessie Farrell’s men after their poor league campaign.
“There’s probably just a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We’re certainly hungry for more success,” he said.
The biggest question throughout the league was whether the hunger was there for the core of this group. With their pockets jangling with medals, with many hanging up the boots and others opting out like Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey, looking at the body language during the league some questioned if the appetite of some key players was waning.
Some did struggle, but Fenton’s statement of intent will give Dublin fans some comfort that they are relishing coming in from the blindside this year.
The attention turns to Meath this Sunday – the Royals must be sick of this Dublin team as they have only beaten them once (2010) in their last 10 championship meetings. A rivalry that once used to attract massive crowds, live TV, and usually took on a life of its own, it no longer generates anything close to the same excitement – which is a pity.
Some day that will change but could it be as soon as this Sunday?
The real question is can Meath build on last year’s performance. Many were heading for the exit gates at half-time as Dublin cruised into a 10-point lead but after half-time Matthew Costello’s goal gave Meath some momentum and all of a sudden the Royals were back on Dublin’s coat-tails and within three points coming down the stretch.
I remember the atmosphere in Croke Park changing dramatically.
Dublin fans were suddenly scratching their heads in disbelief while Meath then maybe panicked a small bit and lacked the composure to push on.
So can Meath get to the next level and rattle the Dubs? Have Meath improved this year? It doesn’t appear so.
In Division 2, their form wasn’t great; they opened with defeats to Galway (11 points) and Roscommon (four points) before draws against Down and Offaly helped to steady the ship – the return to action of Bryan Menton, Conor McGill and Ronan Jones strengthened them sufficiently to fend off relegation fears with wins over Cork and Clare.
Their performance against Wicklow was average at times; they lacked pace going forward and were turned over too easily by Wicklow – despite scoring two goals early on.
However, the rumours from the Royal County are that they plan on targeting Dublin’s full-back line in a serious way. David Byrne’s absence through injury is a big loss to Dublin – defensive options in the last line of defence are slim.
Add to that the fact that Evan Comerford missed the conclusion of the league and the opener against Wexford. If Dublin have to go with rookie David O’Hanlon again, rest assured Meath will ask questions in that area.
Sunday’s other Leinster semi-final pits Kildare against Westmeath. Football is on the rise in Kildare at the moment, their U-20s look a fine side and have progressed as Leinster champions to an All-Ireland final against Tyrone; their minors made short work of Meath, Longford, Offaly and Wicklow to advance to the upcoming Leinster MFC final, so the more optimistic of Lilywhites will be dreaming of a historic first provincial clean sweep.
The players and management should not be thinking any further than their next opponents, knowing Westmeath should pose plenty of problems.
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Post by royalkerryfan on May 13, 2022 18:25:53 GMT
Meath have their strongest 15 available for Sunday including a very good keeper for the first time. Will they beat Dublin probably not but I'd be hopeful they give them a bit of a rattle. It's Andys last championship thankfully from a Meath perspective.
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Post by dc84 on May 13, 2022 18:45:05 GMT
Very hard to see Meath doing much here to beat dublin at the moment it's all about attacking their weakness (relative) at the back Meath dont have the weapons up front i think.they arent Excatly coming off a very strong league campaign either. Monaghan Derry will be interesting was it just a perfect ambush vs Tyrone or are Derry the real deal ? Monaghan will test them either way they won't collapse like Tyrone did id wager they very rarely underperform in a big game sometimes they come up against a better team and lose but those teams have to play well to win it.
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Post by Ballyfireside on May 13, 2022 19:45:36 GMT
Folk up here of similar views to the forum, if only for the Local Derby factor I couldn't split them though punters have Mon as favs and which means they think Tyrone game was a flash in the pan. Then again I can't understand how Tyrone are over 10/1 to lift Sam.
A good game is in store hopefully.
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Post by royalkerryfan on May 13, 2022 19:50:25 GMT
Robbie McDaid gone for Dublin with achiles for season.
Dublin are in serious trouble at the back now for cover.
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Post by Mickmack on May 13, 2022 20:39:46 GMT
The element of surprise is gone now from Derry and their whole focus was on Tyrone. I think Monaghan will prevail.
Whatever inertia came over Dublin this time last year seems to have passed. Meath ran Derry and Roscommon close and beat Cork well in the league so they are not that bad.
Con oCallaghan is capable of 2 or 3 goals but if he is held and Dublin need to win by scoring points it could be fairly tight.
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horsebox77
Fanatical Member
Our trees & mountains are silent ghosts, they hold wisdom and knowledge mankind has long forgotten.
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Post by horsebox77 on May 13, 2022 21:15:14 GMT
The element of surprise is gone now from Derry and their whole focus was on Tyrone. I think Monaghan will prevail.. I don’t know Ciarrai Mick, I think the Derry win may have totally upset the Monaghan preparation, I envisage Banty and Co would have been planning and honing a system and form of play to counteract and try expose certain aspects of Tyrone play. I envisage the amount of time put aside to watch, study and scrutinise Tyrone would have been massive. All this time and effort was rendered null and void and confined to the scrap heat the minute the final whistle went in the Derry and Tyrone game. Ok I agree the element of surprise is gone from Derry but still, I think they are in the better place and with all their belief, they would have looked beyond Tyrone, Monaghan probably didn’t look beyond Tyrone, for this reason, I think there is a bounce in Derry and they may be the better prepared team. I have a sneaky feeling for the Derry boys.
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