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Post by onlykerry on Aug 17, 2021 9:04:19 GMT
Simple fact - any team than can only manage 3 points in 55 minutes of play will win nothing.
The amazing thing is the opposition needed a last gasp free and extra time to achieve victory.
It was a poor game made exciting by the toppling of Dublin and a victory for the underdog.
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Post by jackiel on Aug 17, 2021 9:18:26 GMT
A typically myopic rant from a man who is so bitter and twisted he could hide behind a corkscrew. He despises all things Kerry too so here's hoping we absolutely sicken his sh1t before the year is out..... He wrote something similar prior to last year’s final where he even had a go at a certain octogenarian seeing out his final days in Waterville. In that article, full of bile, he described the Dublin players as Corinthians. The Corinthian spirit deserted them at stages last Saturday! In my comments on that article last year I suggested that he came across as a man with tons of bitterness but not an ounce of class. That assessment has been reinforced by his latest outburst. Nail on the head as always Veteran.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 17, 2021 9:22:27 GMT
Premium Fall of an empire - Lack of new talent Dessie Farrell’s biggest challenge as he seeks to rebuild Dublin
Conor McKeon
August 17 2021 02:30 AM
There’s an oft-quoted dialogue in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises where one character enquires of another how he went bankrupt.
“Two ways,” he replies. “Gradually and then suddenly.”
You couldn’t pinpoint the moment the first pillar crumbled on Saturday night.
But by those final ten minutes of the second half, the end for Dublin was coming fast.
Jim Gavin, a man prone to occasional historic reference, once observed that many of the great empires fell due to complacency.
It would have been impossible to foresee all of this after 30 minutes on Saturday, with Dublin seven points up.
By then, they were occupying a snug corner of their comfort zone. Playing keep-ball. Sending Mayo players off in chase of shadows.
Then it all came crashing down.
Four points in 53 minutes of football. Turnovers – lots of them. A loss of discipline.
All symptomatic of a team coming to the end of its natural life and its tether.
The reasons for their decline can be divided into two subcategories: those of an on-field and off-field nature.
The effects of the latter, the training ban breach, Farrell’s suspension, the Stephen Cluxton saga, are difficult to quantify.
But at the very least, they were distractions, irritating background noise to be going about your business to.
Far more tangible are matters of personnel. Players. Talent. Depth.
If Farrell, a man with a close ear to the underage and club scenes in Dublin, succeeded Gavin fully aware that this would be his biggest challenge, he could hardly have envisaged the abruptness with which it presented itself.
Since winning last year’s All-Ireland, Paddy Andrews, Michael Darragh Macauley, Cian O’Sullivan and, in all but official confirmation, Cluxton, have retired.
A couple of major opt-outs, namely Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion, even if the former didn’t play last year either, considerably weakened the team.
An ultra-reliable squad option Eric Lowndes left mid-season, while Kevin McManamon, one of the leaders of the group, wasn’t with the squad due to his involvement with the Irish boxing team at the Olympics.
That’s a massive chunk of talent/experience/wisdom to be doing without. A deep, deep hole to be filled in a single season.
It’s worth mentioning here that fractured league campaigns gave Farrell limited scope for experimentation, to cultivate at least stronger bench options.
But the pertinent question now for Farrell and Dublin is: with what?
Last year, on a podcast co-hosted by Diarmuid Connolly, Gavin explained that he never wanted his Dublin team to peak. He kept it deliberately and constantly in a state of flux. New bits were being added. Regenerated. Even after seasons of dominance.
Even when there was no obvious reason to change a single thing, when preservation seemed the wisest option, he pruned and snipped.
Gavin didn’t explicitly state this. But the evidence of his reign suggests he shunted players from the team before their natural end, literally for the sake of change. But key to facilitating this process was a rich flow of high-quality talent.
Recall the immediate impact Mannion and McCaffrey had in 2013, of Brian Fenton and John Small in ’15, Con O’Callaghan in ’17 or Brian Howard in ’18.
Over the past two years, Farrell has given out championship debuts to Tom Lahiff, Aaron Byrne, Seán MacMahon, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Cian Murphy and Ryan Basquel.
None of those started against Mayo.
Farrell made eight substitutions on Saturday night. Nobody could argue any of them made the team stronger.
Given that lack of punch on Dublin’s bench, what must the internal A versus B games, once deemed the ultimate test for a Dublin player, have been like over these past few months?
Who were the angry established players Farrell had tough conversations with in the week of championship games, trying to convince them that their contribution from the bench would be just as important – possibly even more so – than had they been selected to start?
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen next season,” he said on Saturday. “I’m sure some individuals will reflect on where they’re at and can they go again. It’s not easy to keep going to the well.”
The likelihood is that Philly McMahon, 34 next month, will go.
Jonny Cooper, Mick Fitzsimons, Dean Rock and James McCarthy will all be 32 by the time any serious football is played next year.
Such has been the rate of natural erosion over the past 18 months, Farrell will be eager to hang on to as many, preferably all, of those players for another season and then go about filling the fringes and bench with new faces.
Farrell argued on Saturday night that “there’s still a lot of good, young blood in there.”
But the Armageddon scenario predicted by some over the last decade; that Dublin’s system would perpetually nourish the senior team with the best underage players in the country, has not transpired.
Dublin have won one of the last seven Leinster minor titles, while Farrell’s national success at that grade in 2012 is their only All-Ireland win in 37 years.
More pertinently, they have dominated Leinster at U-21/20 level since 2010, winning eight provincial titles, and, of the recent batch, Lee Gannon, Mark Lavin and Ciarán Archer are the most obvious candidates to come in.
They won’t lack for numbers and, most likely, they’re unlikely to be challenged in Leinster. But Farrell faces a different sort of task now, of moulding a team out of material of a different ilk.
“We’re always in a state of transition,” he pointed out. “Players come and go. And there has been a significant amount of that over the last two seasons.
“But there’s a lot of new blood in there as well that need time and need exposure.”
He must also examine whether the team’s system of play, which places such a high value on possession and control, is making best use of the talents of his best players, some of whom had their worst championship campaigns this year.
But it should be recalled that Gavin didn’t retain the All-Ireland at this first attempt either. That he was forced into a rethink of how best to set up the team after a jarring All-Ireland semi-final loss.
And that in winning last year, Farrell now has the time and space to go about rebuilding something from the ruins.
“Who knows what’s going to happen? While there’s transition and the team continues to evolve,” he added on Saturday night.
“And it’s important for us; management, county board, supporters, not to quench those dreams and to try and facilitate or create an environment where they can step up to be similar and maybe have the same success as the previous generation.”
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 17, 2021 9:23:27 GMT
Dessie Farrell has a free hand now to fashion his own new team.
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Post by skybluezone on Aug 17, 2021 9:43:56 GMT
Well when the end came it came quick. Sincere congrats to Mayo, by far the better team and there was a certain symmetry in Mayo being the team that finished us off. I think I said here after Kildare game that we were in trouble and a similar performance against Mayo wouldnt be enough. And so it came to pass. To cut to the chase 4 points in an hour of football wont win many games, except maybe in Donegal. Overdoing the possession stuff was what did us, great tactic to finish off a game but it had even started before half time. Anyway I wont dwell on it for now as these lads of hours are all time greats, what days they have given us. Personal highlights are Cluxton 2011 (will never be surpassed), semi v Kerry 2013, down the stretch in 2016 semi, Mayo final 2017, what a game, 11 minutes after half time v Mayo 2019 semi, Tyrone blanket dismantled 2017 semi, and also the absolute refusal to lose against your lads in 2019 first game. What a list.
A few other thoughts, I might downgrade Lane from borderline cheat to complete ineptitude. All over the shop he was. The John Small shoulder also has gained some traction on social media, not helped by tsg analysis. He's no choir boy but he went full throttle for a shoulder, and v unfortunate McLoughlin ended up with serious injury. But no way can you say it's a red based depending on whether a lad gets seriously hurt or not. Lane obviously missed a couple of incidents where Dublin lost discipline and I have no issue acknowledging that. But what wasn't referenced on Sunday night was the Basquel black card, softer than soft and hugely influential to the final outcome. Niall Morgan on Paddy Andrew's anyone? The Hennelly retake was another joke and Dublin were penalised because Mayo had 16 on the pitch, not sure how you work that out. I think we can also say that if he scored with the first one he wouldn't be asked to take it again. On the discipline issue referenced above, my own view is that this is where Cluxton absence was badly felt. His leadership alone means it's eyes on the prize and no actin the maggot. Dessie is entitled to another year at least but if rumours are true he didn't cover himself in glory handling both Cluxton and Mannion. That is leadership right there, and looking back now we won 2020 as a result of Jim's legacy, all the right habits engrained, and a stronger bench even 8 months ago. Anyway, as I said at the outset congrats to Mayo, much the better side and the writing was on the wall even before Sat. Best of luck in the final, hope it's a cracker. Baile Atha Chliath abu.
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Post by Whosinmidfield on Aug 17, 2021 10:05:03 GMT
Dessie Farrell has a free hand now to fashion his own new team. I don’t think the talent is there though. From those recent u20 teams there’s very few if any I’d pick out as the quality required. Lee Gannon and Mark Lavin as mentioned in the article and Shane Carthy who’s 26 now might be good enough but I see nothing after that. It’s impossible to build a new team if the quality of player isn’t there to bring in. Absolutely key for Dublin is trying to get McCaffrey and Mannion back involved, they’d be 2 huge additions to this year’s side.
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Post by dc84 on Aug 17, 2021 10:14:35 GMT
Mccaffrey is the key really with him and murchan in a half backline very few teams could go man for man on dublin as he would just open up the whole thing with his pace.
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Post by veteran on Aug 17, 2021 12:08:38 GMT
Skybluezone, commiserations. I , like most neutrals I suspect, was hoping for a Mayo victory. That is due to an antipathy to monopolies rather than an antipathy to Dublin. They have been great champions . You do not achieve what they have achieved without being great. Whenever you are feeling poorly as you age , you can pull out recordings of Dublin’s golden era and these will sustain you for the rest of your life.
So, as I said , I was not upset over Dublin’s demise but I was upset and disappointed over the attitude of some of your players as defeat stared them in the face. On the other hand, I agree that a few decisions went against you on Saturday which should not have occurred . However, I must disagree with your assessment of the John Small incident.
At the outset I must say that Mr. Small tends to be involved in a lot of incidents , disproportionately in comparison with the majority of players. That may not be irrelevant in the assessment of this case.I will give him the benefit of the doubt in suggesting that he did not set out to seriously injure the Mayo player. However, when you prime yourself to execute such a blindside tackle it becomes seriously consequential if mistimed. Clearly, it had consequences for the Mayo player. It also has , should have , consequences for the perpetrator. You cannot recklessly endanger the bodily integrity of your opponent. That should be self evident. The fact that it is a contact sport is irrelevant. The Mayo player’s jaw was broken. That tells us that violent contact was made with the face , wittingly or unwittingly. The price to pay? Indubitably a red card. The non issue of a red card trumps a couple of refereeing decisions which Dublin can justifiably feel aggrieved about.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 17, 2021 12:13:08 GMT
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 17, 2021 12:16:27 GMT
The GAA should have a rule like they do in soccer for the bicycle kick. If you execute a bicycle kick and dont kick an opponent you are fine. You are red carded if you injure another player though.
As Veteran suggests, there is a duty to get it right if you commit to such a tackle.
Fortunately for Conal Keaney his head didnt meet Small shoulder last year
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 17, 2021 12:41:24 GMT
James McCarthy nailed a blindsided Vincents player last year though probably should to shoulder in that case but the ref stopped play.
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Post by skybluezone on Aug 17, 2021 13:22:54 GMT
Appreciate your sentiments Veteran. Mickmack I was in Parnell that night, the hit reverberated right around the stadium, don't think I have seen a finer hit. And the only person that didn't see it coming was Nathan Mullins. His Da still put him back on though! On the Small one, I still say that you can't base the sanction on the level of injury to the opposing player. If Mcloughlin shrugs it off is it still a red? There is an argument to be made that the gaa need in this day and age to look at the shoulder charge due to potential head and neck injuries, concussions etc. But that's not in the control of John Small, as far as he's concerned the Mayo player is a target for his shoulder. O'Conneide and Quirke said as much last night. The Morgan / Andrew's incident was much clearer in that Morgan went to do him. But as we saw again on tsg the panel were waiting to convict Small and didn't hesitate to dance on their grave asap. McStay particularly was pathetic.
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Post by southward on Aug 17, 2021 13:25:36 GMT
Considering what Tadgh Morley got red-carded for v Roscommon (basically nothing), Small got away with murder there.
However, while James Horan was rightly incensed over the Small/McLaughlin incident, it was his own Mayo charges from 2012 onwards that brought physicality in the game to new levels. Physicality as opposed to dirt, let it be said, but the perennial kamikaze tackling of Colm Boyle, for instance, was exactly the type of thing that gets opponents injured.
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Post by dc84 on Aug 17, 2021 13:49:11 GMT
Appreciate your sentiments Veteran. Mickmack I was in Parnell that night, the hit reverberated right around the stadium, don't think I have seen a finer hit. And the only person that didn't see it coming was Nathan Mullins. His Da still put him back on though! On the Small one, I still say that you can't base the sanction on the level of injury to the opposing player. If Mcloughlin shrugs it off is it still a red? There is an argument to be made that the gaa need in this day and age to look at the shoulder charge due to potential head and neck injuries, concussions etc. But that's not in the control of John Small, as far as he's concerned the Mayo player is a target for his shoulder. O'Conneide and Quirke said as much last night. The Morgan / Andrew's incident was much clearer in that Morgan went to do him. But as we saw again on tsg the panel were waiting to convict Small and didn't hesitate to dance on their grave asap. McStay particularly was pathetic. I was there aswell some hit alright, look I think whats getting lost in all this is the ref Should have stopped the game Jesus there were lads running right by him it cpuld have been so much worse for him!! The red is irrelevant now not sure why there is any talk of it to be honest who cares if small gets a ban now? It's like the nonsense about keegan throwing his GPS ffs the game is over id be more concerned about AOS charging on the field when he had no right thats just as dangerous for the game
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Post by southward on Aug 17, 2021 13:54:15 GMT
Dessie Farrell has a free hand now to fashion his own new team. I don’t think the talent is there though. From those recent u20 teams there’s very few if any I’d pick out as the quality required. Lee Gannon and Mark Lavin as mentioned in the article and Shane Carthy who’s 26 now might be good enough but I see nothing after that. It’s impossible to build a new team if the quality of player isn’t there to bring in. Absolutely key for Dublin is trying to get McCaffrey and Mannion back involved, they’d be 2 huge additions to this year’s side. Obviously I can only speculate but, having stepped away from a hugely successful side, they'll hardly be pushed about rejoining a listing ship.
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Post by southward on Aug 17, 2021 14:08:01 GMT
Appreciate your sentiments Veteran. Mickmack I was in Parnell that night, the hit reverberated right around the stadium, don't think I have seen a finer hit. And the only person that didn't see it coming was Nathan Mullins. His Da still put him back on though! On the Small one, I still say that you can't base the sanction on the level of injury to the opposing player. If Mcloughlin shrugs it off is it still a red? There is an argument to be made that the gaa need in this day and age to look at the shoulder charge due to potential head and neck injuries, concussions etc. But that's not in the control of John Small, as far as he's concerned the Mayo player is a target for his shoulder. O'Conneide and Quirke said as much last night. The Morgan / Andrew's incident was much clearer in that Morgan went to do him. But as we saw again on tsg the panel were waiting to convict Small and didn't hesitate to dance on their grave asap. McStay particularly was pathetic. I think you may have a point there. And you'd have to ask - what is then actual purpose of the shoulder charge anyway? As a dispossession tactic, it's rarely successful, though it can look spectacular if it does comes off. I suspect it's used more as a weapon to bully opponents and/or get the crowd going than for actual football purposes. Then of course there are shoulders and there are shoulders. Two lads racing for the ball and bumping off each other is fine in my book but charging full pelt at a guy in possession is just too dangerous, as we've seen. At the very least, the GAA might give consideration to banning the blindside charge.
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Post by buck02 on Aug 17, 2021 15:13:04 GMT
Andy Moran let slip today that Aidan O Shea was in a "boot" all last week due to a foot injury and he was always probably only going to play 45-50 minutes at most. Perhaps a reason for his poor display.
I find it strange that more wasn't made of him entering the pitch during the skirmish before the final whistle was blown as well. Lucky he didn't get a straight red for that.
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Post by southward on Aug 17, 2021 15:17:50 GMT
Andy Moran let slip today that Aidan O Shea was in a "boot" all last week due to a foot injury and he was always probably only going to play 45-50 minutes at most. Perhaps a reason for his poor display. I find it strange that more wasn't made of him entering the pitch during the skirmish before the final whistle was blown as well. Lucky he didn't get a straight red for that. Media aren't going to rain on the Mayo fairytale. And sure O'Shea is the golden boy anyway.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 17, 2021 15:38:46 GMT
Aiden has carried Mayo on occasion but by God he was a liability on Saturday. He had no more entitlement to be on the pitch that yer man in Limerick in 2014.
But thats part and parcel of the show folks with Mayo. Thats why they are pure box office.
Remember the year Kildare beat them and the championship deflated immediately. The final between Dublin and Tyrone was a non event.
By the way, the brother Conor oShea contributed nothing to Mayo either. Who goes into a tackle nowadays and hops the ball off the ground in the process!
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peanuts
Fanatical Member
Posts: 1,861
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Post by peanuts on Aug 17, 2021 16:06:32 GMT
Appreciate your sentiments Veteran. Mickmack I was in Parnell that night, the hit reverberated right around the stadium, don't think I have seen a finer hit. And the only person that didn't see it coming was Nathan Mullins. His Da still put him back on though! On the Small one, I still say that you can't base the sanction on the level of injury to the opposing player. If Mcloughlin shrugs it off is it still a red? There is an argument to be made that the gaa need in this day and age to look at the shoulder charge due to potential head and neck injuries, concussions etc. But that's not in the control of John Small, as far as he's concerned the Mayo player is a target for his shoulder. O'Conneide and Quirke said as much last night. The Morgan / Andrew's incident was much clearer in that Morgan went to do him. But as we saw again on tsg the panel were waiting to convict Small and didn't hesitate to dance on their grave asap. McStay particularly was pathetic. This issue here is that Small's shoulder connected directly to McLoughlin's head with force. Its dangerous play and a red card. It doesn't matter if he intended it or not. O Cinneide said it would be allowed 20 years ago. There was a lot allowed 20 years ago that wouldn't be allowed now.
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peanuts
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Post by peanuts on Aug 17, 2021 16:10:34 GMT
Andy Moran let slip today that Aidan O Shea was in a "boot" all last week due to a foot injury and he was always probably only going to play 45-50 minutes at most. Perhaps a reason for his poor display. I find it strange that more wasn't made of him entering the pitch during the skirmish before the final whistle was blown as well. Lucky he didn't get a straight red for that. As a Dub on twitter put it there would have been blue murder if it was Philly that had done it
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Post by boherbee on Aug 17, 2021 21:25:29 GMT
Andy Moran let slip today that Aidan O Shea was in a "boot" all last week due to a foot injury and he was always probably only going to play 45-50 minutes at most. Perhaps a reason for his poor display. I find it strange that more wasn't made of him entering the pitch during the skirmish before the final whistle was blown as well. Lucky he didn't get a straight red for that. As a Dub on twitter put it there would have been blue murder if it was Philly that had done it Good God, Dubs on Twitter , are we really going there .
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peanuts
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Post by peanuts on Aug 17, 2021 21:54:44 GMT
As a Dub on twitter put it there would have been blue murder if it was Philly that had done it Good God, Dubs on Twitter , are we really going there . 😂😂 it’s hard to block them all.
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Post by Kerryman Randy Savage on Aug 17, 2021 22:42:01 GMT
They do have a point. Aidan channelling his spirit animal Mayo Mick was embarrassing when he had more impact on the game when he was subbed than either time he was legally on the pitch. The CCCC would need to crack down on alot of players in the Dublin camp so if I were Dublin I wouldn't be looking for action on Aidan.
Some clowns on Twitter alright. I haven't been on the end of our own county abuse but I'm sure we have some heroes as well. Most disgruntled Dubs had the same issues, whataboutery with Galvin (yes in a match in 2021 where Kerry didn't play they wanted to complain about a player who retired 6 years ago), Man United fan first in bio, and the worst (in my eyes) was people didn't know what Dubs held 8 All-Irelands. To quote Jimmy Sloyan "Learn your History".
There were a few comments from people disgusted by comments sent about Philly's family (I didn't see them myself). It can be a cesspool at times. If any Kerry lad was a part of that they need to go away from Kerry GAA. You can complain about what he does on the field, but there are limits.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 18, 2021 7:07:16 GMT
Aidan O'Shea in the clear for All-Ireland final after pitch incursion Mayo captain to avoid sanction over semi-final pitch incursion as it occurred after full-time whistle
Colm Keys August 18 2021 02:30 AM Aidan O’Shea looks set to avoid sanction for his pitch incursion at the end of normal time in last Saturday night’s All-Ireland semi-final, clearing the way for his participation in next month’s final with Kerry or Tyrone.
O’Shea, who had been substituted by then but spent the closing minutes of an epic match standing on the sideline, became involved in an altercation with Dublin substitute Philly McMahon, and others, raising the possibility that it was an unauthorised incursion.
However, it’s clear from replays that O’Shea entered the field after referee Conor Lane had blown for full-time. In that scenario, an incursion by a substituted player would not be considered unauthorised.
Rob Hennelly had equalised by then from a retaken ’45, forcing extra-time at the end of which Mayo had finally buried their Dublin demons with a first win in nine years.
The GAA has been keen to crack down on pitch incursions and the removal of the ‘maor foirne’ at Congress earlier this year was a step in that direction.
Once the timing of his incursion has been cleared up, the Mayo captain’s involvement in the altercation is thought unlikely to merit a charge.
However, the GAA’s Central Competition Controls Committee (CCCC) could yet examine incidents involving Dublin defenders James McCarthy and John Small.
Small’s challenge on Eoghan McLaughlin, that resulted in jaw surgery for the Westport player on Sunday, could come under scrutiny, while McCarthy was captured on camera swinging back and catching Diarmuid O’Connor just as Lane was calling time at the end of normal time.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 18, 2021 7:45:42 GMT
Darragh O'Shea
They always say that the last thing a good boxer loses is his punch. He might get old, he might slow, he might get it tight to make the weight. But he’ll still be able to find your jaw with an uppercut if you leave it open for him.
I thought all year that however much Dublin came back to the pack, their ability to close out tight games would be the last thing that would desert them. To beat them, I thought you would need a last-minute goal, something that gave them no time to respond.
If you had told me nothing about this All-Ireland semi-final other than that Dublin would be leading by two with 73 minutes on the clock, I would have bet the house on them seeing it out. I don’t think I’m too different to anyone else on that score.
I always remember Philly McMahon saying one time that when the Dubs hear the stadium announcer saying there’s going to be four minutes of added time, they automatically want it to be more. They want to keep playing for another hour, keeping going until the lights get turned off. Because they know – and the opposition knows – that they’re only going to get stronger, that they’re not going to do anything stupid and that if anyone is going to keep piling on the scores, it’s going to be them.
All the way through their years of dominance, Dublin were the ones who decided what was what The most shocking thing about Saturday night for me was the realisation that those days are gone. When the announcement came that there were seven minutes of added time to be played, it was the Mayo crowd that roared. Even when Dean Rock kicked a free to push the Dublin lead out to two, Mayo kept coming and Dublin wilted. They were like a two-mile horse going up in trip. They were dying for the line to come and save them.
It was noticeable too that lots of the Dublin players didn’t want the ball. For Evan Comerford’s kick-outs in that late spell of normal time, the trap Mayo wanted to set was obvious – they gave Comerford Davy Byrne as an option and pushed up on everyone else. They couldn’t have been more clear about what they wanted – give the ball to Byrne and we will hound him. And because no other Dublin players came looking for it, Comerford had to do what Mayo wanted.
Isn’t that some turnaround, when you think about it? All the way through their years of dominance, Dublin were the ones who decided what was what. They made sure of it by demanding the ball, by going to pre-set plays, by finding their team leaders in times of stress. That didn’t happen here.
Instead, Davy Byrne was receiving the ball running for his life back towards his own goal. And because of the rule that came in last year, he wasn’t allowed to give it back to Comerford, who was the only Dublin man looking for it. Byrne was in big trouble and it was Tom Lahiff who sprinted back to give him an option.
When they break it down in the days and weeks to come, Dublin will want to know why it came down to those players to dig them out of trouble. For all the changes, they still have their big five. They still have Brian Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny, James McCarthy, Con O’Callaghan and Jonny Cooper. Cooper was gone off by that stage but the other four have been well fit to call a kick-out down on top of themselves plenty of times in the past. Where were they?
Comerford played well for most of the game on Saturday. But we have to face facts too – he was playing in his first All-Ireland semi-final. So was Lahiff. Of all the Dublin players on the pitch, they were the only ones who hadn’t experienced this level of competition before. And now the crowd was roaring and Mayo were coming flying at them.
That’s where, in the past, Dublin have been cool and collected and where their biggest players have stood up and demanded the ball. But Comerford actually stood soloing at one stage waving his hand towards him to try and get someone to come and take the ball off him. Brian Howard eventually did but Mayo kept chasing them and chasing them and it ended with the ball going out for the 45 that Robbie Hennelly eventually scored.
When before have you seen any of this happening? When before have you seen McCarthy being stripped of the ball more than once in a game? When before have you seen Kilkenny kick a Hail Mary into the square and hope for the best? These are some of the best players ever to play the game but they lost their composure at the one time we have always seen them keep it in the past.
It’s really only when you see them not do it that it’s brought home to you how unbelievable they were at seeing games out for so long. We took for granted the fact that they would automatically do the right thing at the right time when they had to. But sport is sport and humans are humans. You could see in their body language near the end and through extra-time that they were sick to the back teeth of having to live up to their own highest standards.
The Dublin players aren’t all that old but they’ve had years and years of always having to do the right thing Doing the right thing all the time is so, so difficult. I think that gets lost a bit when people look at dominant teams in any sport. Because let’s be honest about it – there’s a bit of comfort in playing for a team that isn’t expected to win everything.
Now, that can be a weaker county in GAA or a mid-table team in soccer or whatever. You can strive all you like personally but at a certain level, you know that there are people around you whose expectations aren’t at the very top of the sport. Call it being realistic, call it whatever you want. But there’s a fall back there for you, if the mood takes you.
That hasn’t been the case in Dublin football for most of the past decade. Either you do the right thing or they will find somebody to take your place and do it instead. And I think what we are seeing here is just an accumulation of years. The Dublin players aren’t all that old but they’ve had years and years of always having to do the right thing. When that slips, it’s very hard to force it back into place.
To me, that’s why they lost their discipline on Saturday night. The Dubs always played on the edge but they nearly always knew how to stay on the right side of it. But when they weren’t able to do the right thing and make the right decisions towards the end of normal time, you could see them losing patience with themselves as much as anything. So they went around belting Mayo players, like prisoners on a jailbreak looking to take out as many guards as possible before they were dragged back to their cells.
I heard Jim Gavin on the radio on Saturday morning and he was talking about reading Nietzsche and practicing stoicism and all this stuff. I had to roll my eyes, in all fairness now. Put it this way – if I was managing Dublin, I’d be very stoic too if I could throw a jersey to Stephen Cluxton and Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion and tell Diarmuid Connolly to sit on the bench and tell Bernard Brogan he wasn’t good enough to make the 26. By God, I’d be the best stoic you ever saw in a day’s walking.
But with the best will in the world, it’s not easy being stoic when you’re looking around for bodies and they’re just not there anymore. Gavin’s Dublin team was always regenerating and turning over players, with new ones pushing the old soldiers out of the way. That hasn’t happened in the past couple of seasons, especially in defence.
Who in the Dublin defence is worried for his place? As long as they are fit to play, their back six is always Fitzsimons, Byrne, Cooper, McCarthy, Small, Murchan. Howard might swap with McCarthy in certain games but otherwise, that’s their back six. Three of those players have been there for a decade or more. Are they looking over their shoulder in the way they had to under Gavin? I don’t think they are.
Look at how Tommy Conroy was able to barrel through for his points in extra-time. He just put his head down and his ears back and rattled through them. In times past, Cian O’Sullivan would have been there to inform young Conroy that this was an unwise thing to be doing with his life. But instead, this time Conroy looked up and saw Philly McMahon and thought, ‘I’ll have a piece of you, my man’.
When I saw Philly getting taken to the cleaners like that, it put me in mind of him doing the same thing to Colm Cooper in the 2015 All-Ireland final. It was a reminder that the wheel turns for us all in the end. There’s always someone younger, faster, stronger, hungrier, whatever. There’s no disgrace in it.
The three teams that are left will know well that this is an All-Ireland to go and win while Dublin are licking their wound That’s ultimately how I look at Dublin losing on Saturday night. There was no disgrace in losing to Mayo. Dublin’s six-in-a-row was an amazing achievement and it will stand the test of time.
And they won’t fall far. They have more players than anyone else, more resources, more of everything. The three teams that are left will know well that this is an All-Ireland to go and win while Dublin are licking their wounds because they won’t be licking them for long.
That said, every conversation in Kerry over the past few days has been tinged with a bit of regret that we didn’t get to be the ones that brought the curtain down. But if we’re all honest with ourselves, we know well that only one county really deserved to do it.
Mayo brought the fight to Dublin for years when none of the rest of us could lay a glove on them. It’s only right and proper that they were the ones who got them in the end.
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Post by fearanfhirinne on Aug 18, 2021 12:04:48 GMT
Aidan O'Shea in the clear for All-Ireland final after pitch incursion Mayo captain to avoid sanction over semi-final pitch incursion as it occurred after full-time whistle Colm Keys August 18 2021 02:30 AM Aidan O’Shea looks set to avoid sanction for his pitch incursion at the end of normal time in last Saturday night’s All-Ireland semi-final, clearing the way for his participation in next month’s final with Kerry or Tyrone. O’Shea, who had been substituted by then but spent the closing minutes of an epic match standing on the sideline, became involved in an altercation with Dublin substitute Philly McMahon, and others, raising the possibility that it was an unauthorised incursion. However, it’s clear from replays that O’Shea entered the field after referee Conor Lane had blown for full-time. In that scenario, an incursion by a substituted player would not be considered unauthorised. Rob Hennelly had equalised by then from a retaken ’45, forcing extra-time at the end of which Mayo had finally buried their Dublin demons with a first win in nine years. The GAA has been keen to crack down on pitch incursions and the removal of the ‘maor foirne’ at Congress earlier this year was a step in that direction. Once the timing of his incursion has been cleared up, the Mayo captain’s involvement in the altercation is thought unlikely to merit a charge. However, the GAA’s Central Competition Controls Committee (CCCC) could yet examine incidents involving Dublin defenders James McCarthy and John Small. Small’s challenge on Eoghan McLaughlin, that resulted in jaw surgery for the Westport player on Sunday, could come under scrutiny, while McCarthy was captured on camera swinging back and catching Diarmuid O’Connor just as Lane was calling time at the end of normal time. Read More Sport Great to see that finally being clarified. Both RTE and Sky kept the clock running, though Sky to their credit copped it was over prior to RTE.
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Post by Mickmack on Aug 18, 2021 12:33:45 GMT
Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville
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Jo90
Fanatical Member
Posts: 2,695
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Post by Jo90 on Aug 18, 2021 15:37:29 GMT
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kot
Fanatical Member
Posts: 1,131
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Post by kot on Aug 18, 2021 15:59:47 GMT
Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville Good man McConville, nearly spat out my tea when I heard Anti-Dublin Bias in the media!?
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