Gaa 2015

[BonnieShels]

Aftr that first half all I can say is "Eugh".

[Real ale Madrid]

2315.....

[BonnieShels]

So yeah. That was something. Not sure what but it wasn't consensual. Kildare were a sham. Not a bollock among them.

Hats off to Kerry.

[BonnieShels]

So yeah. That was something. Not sure what but it wasn't consensual. Kildare were a sham. Not a bollock among them.

Hats off to Kerry.

[Kingdom]

To quote Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men:


Wow... I'm sexually aroused, Commander

[BonnieShels]

Now let's talk about the scandalous refereeing in the Dublin v Fermanagh match.

[nigel-harps1954]

Didn't see a whole lot wrong to be honest. Ye Leinster lads are just a bit soft is all.

[BonnieShels]

Every single one of our scores were practically from play.

A free count of 21-4 against and that "goal" says an awful lot about the absolute scandalous nature of that refereeing performance.

[swinfordfc]

Wouldn't be so sure of either. Kildare will rattle Kerry, one of those games that will be decided by a late score.

Donegal were awful against Monaghan. Will need to step up massively. I think Galway will win by a score or two.

Fix your crystal ball :)

[swinfordfc]

Every single one of our scores were practically from play.

A free count of 21-4 against and that "goal" says an awful lot about the absolute scandalous nature of that refereeing performance.

Get over it - ye won - The ref cost us an all ireland final place last year and there wasn't a word about it!!!

[swinfordfc]

Really and truly whats being on offer in the football up to now has been muck - its really starts next weekend and from now on - there will be two tight games i think next weekend

[Spudulika]

I don't really know about the reffing yesterday. Arrived at half time in the 1st match and put the hex on Kildare, jesus they were awful. The last time I saw something so horrific Jodie Foster was in a pool hall.

Fermanagh were a couple of years short of really getting past Dublin. Great match. I have no issue with the ref, he was a bit off, but he's from Kerry, too many related ancestors does that to you. Loved the rise in energy when suddenly there was something put up to Dublin. The screen operator deserves an oscar! Right after the goal he put an evil, laughing Quigley up on the screen, then Dublin scored the goal (I think) and the place erupted! No complaints about it, Fermanagh's players and fans were a credit to the GAA and I was so proud to be there.

And one thing, if the umpire had the knackers to call the ref, and the ref had the knackers to listen to him, how much of a scumbag does that make that absolute cheating tramp from Armagh who denied one of the great Leinster wins in 2010! Regardless of the cheating Meath team and their equally low life county board, the ref should have been made a eunuch for his cowardly act.

[nigel-harps1954]

Fix your crystal ball :)

I'll stick to the ball to feet for a while. Don't think anyone expected either result to work out like they did. Without labelling it a 'shock' weekend, they were completely unexpected outcomes really.

[BonnieShels]

Get over it - ye won - The ref cost us an all ireland final place last year and there wasn't a word about it!!!

Ya kidding? There was murder about it. Cormac Reilly should never have reffed an intercounty game again after last year.


Yes we won, but imagine if we didn't. Imagine losing by a point and that "goal" being the difference.

Mistakes happen and referees aren't perfect and that's all part of the game. But that was absolutely beyond acceptable from a "top-level" ref.

[BonnieShels]

I'll stick to the ball to feet for a while. Don't think anyone expected either result to work out like they did. Without labelling it a 'shock' weekend, they were completely unexpected outcomes really.

Except the Donegal result. The smart money was on them all week.

[Real ale Madrid]

Yes we won, but imagine if we didn't. Imagine losing by a point and that "goal" being the difference.
.

That would have been brilliant.

Bonnie you sound like the Cork County Board.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/0803/718964-cork-claim-wrong-decision-cost-semi-final-place/

[BonnieShels]

That would have been brilliant.

Bonnie you sound like the Cork County Board.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/0803/718964-cork-claim-wrong-decision-cost-semi-final-place/

Now now. That was an absolutely mental statement from the CCB.

[Real ale Madrid]

Now now. That was an absolutely mental statement from the CCB.

Important bits in bold.

[NeverFeltBetter]

The arrogance is just leaking out of that statement. Cork make it so, so easy to hate them.

[Kingdom]

A few big things came out of the q/f games for me.

1) Perfect setting for Tommy Walsh to be re-introduced. First touch of the ball was an Aussie-Rules style catch clean above everyone, nice lay-off and Kerry score. Resulting kick-out, catches ball above everyone else, Kerry free, Kerry goal. He couldn't have asked for a better time to come back. He'll have a role to play at some stage in September.

2) I'm less worried about the Kerry defence than I was this time last year. Enright has turned into a very good, very tough defender, and I'll be eagerly waiting for him to face either McManus or MacCurry in the Semi. Paul Murphy too.

3) I was at the back of the Nally, and wasn't going to hang around for the second game (5 kids are taxing) but the rain held off so watched about the first 30 mins of the game. I was very impressed by Fermanagh. It's almost perverse to be lauding them when they were picked apart at times, but I think they may have shown how to cope with Dublin. I say that with a giant asterix beside it because Dublin did score some pretty easy points and goal, but I haven't seen Dublin be as frustrated at times during a game this year. It was very obvious that Fermanagh were quite happy to retain possession unless a really good scoring opportunity presented itself. Ironically the first time they took a risky option, the pass was poor, the ball turned over, and ended with Brogan sticking it in the net. Having not seen much of them I was expecting a dirty behind the ball approach with plenty of fist passing, but jesus they utilised the short and medium kick pass really well, and opened up Dublin between the 40's repeatedly.
What killed them was the physicality - and not necessarily tackling - some of the Fermanagh lads looked like fodder compared to the marker.

4) Donegal are goosed. Yeah they won, and won well in the end, but they are not the team they were. I can see Mayo giving them a thumping to be honest.

5)Galway were what a Galway team under Kevin Walsh was always going to be, and I think we'll see this Galway side come on in the next 2/3 seasons and threaten the big 4.

6) I love watching this Kerry team attack. I've been fortunate to see the 96-2003 Kerry side; the 2004-2011 side; and now this side.
The 96 version was more a group of players that worked very hard and leaned on some Fitzy magic, some Cinneide free-taking and excellent defence. Tactically clueless, but got us out of a slump before falling back into a slump. I've less time for Paidi because he definitely caused us to lose 1 All-Ireland, while he was atrocious facing Micko in 98.
My man-love for Jack O'Connor is on record. He has never got the respect he deserved in Kerry, and from his work at underage, to colleges, and then to the Senior team, and back again to underage is mental. He got a serious group of younger players and worked out a way to make it work. That was a team I grew up with so to speak, and watching them win back-to-back was great.
My only regret is that they didn't beat Tyrone in 08. That was one that got away for sure.

However this team I just love watching them play. Each and everyone of them is a footballer. They play like there is zero pressure on them, and some of the football they play is amazing. That they ecked out an All-Ireland last year was incredible. If they win one again in the next couple of years, great, but we'll see.
Some of the criticism over the style of play last year in the final really irked me. They kept two players behind the half-way out of necessity, but there was no lack of skill shown once the ball was recycled. Their foot-passing and accurate distribution of the ball from foot is what won last year's All-Ireland, isn't that supposed to be a tenet of the sport?

[swinfordfc]

Monaghan to beat Tyrone by a few points and in the other game - i just cant see Mayo beating Donegal - like is going to mark Murphy when he goes in full forward? .... and the 2 McGee's will watch O'Shea .... Donegal by 2 :(

[nigel-harps1954]

Monaghan to beat Tyrone by a few points and in the other game - i just cant see Mayo beating Donegal - like is going to mark Murphy when he goes in full forward? .... and the 2 McGee's will watch O'Shea .... Donegal by 2 :(

It's Michael Murphy ;)

[BonnieShels]

I've flip-flopped all week about these two games. There's a sparrow's fart between the lot of them.

I re-watched last weeks games again on Wednesday night and I think that I will be calling it for Tyrone by two and a draw between Donegal and Mayo. Donegal's second half last week was brilliant.

Either way I'll be in there soon enough pint in hand!

Tír Eoghain abú!

[swinfordfc]

Oh well - i give up on the crystal ball stuff as well ..... :)

Only for Murphy yestarday .... it would have being a hammering! Tyrone are a very cute team and Monaghan cant handle them big time - they must hate the sight of Tyrone.

[BonnieShels]

All kicking off about McCann. The CCCC are morons for going down this road.
---


Joe Brolly has described the proposed eight-week suspension for Tyrone footballer Tiernan McCann as "unlawful", given that simulation is only a yellow card offence under GAA rules.
McCann dropped to the ground after Monaghan's Darren Hughes appeared to ruffle his hair during the sides' All-Ireland SFC quarter-final last Sunday. Hughes was sent off for the incident.
The GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee is understood to have proposed an eight-week suspension for 'misconduct that is considered to have discredited the Association' but RTÉ analyst Brolly, who is a barrister, has slammed that decision, saying it exceeds the punishment provided for diving.
Brolly wrote on Twitter: "My view is the use of the specific provision is illegal. The law of statutory interpretation applies to any rule. The lawmaker (Congress) has created a specific offence of simulation with a specific penalty (yellow card).

@PhilipJordan7 Tyrone have not been charged for this advice
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) August 12, 2015
"Tiernan's only offence, as a matter of law, is simulation, since the lawmaker is presumed to mean what he says. If this were not so, then the disrepute provision could be used to override any offence, perverse though that would be. So, for example, a striking offence could be charged as disrepute.
"The decision is therefore unlawful. It is a manipulation of the law to punish Tiernan more severely than the law allows.
"The central point is that feigning is feigning. The penalty is a yellow card. How can any single act of feigning be worse? The point of the rule is to create certainty for the player & the GAA. If misconduct can override it the rule is worthless."
Brolly concluded: "The case is most certainly headed for the DRA."
McCann is expected to seek a personal hearing.
The eight-week ban, the minimum allowed for a misconduct charge, would rule him out of the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry and the final, should Tyrone qualify.
Mickey Harte has already defended his player describing him as a fine young man and said he wasn't entirely to blame for the incident.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/0812/720713-eight-week-ban-proposed-for-tiernan-mccann/

---

Indeed QC, indeed.

[geysir]

Throw the book at those cynical tyrone cavemen, they deserve it even if the law doesn't support it :D Throw bile by the bucked, at those dastardly cowards who just deliberately goad good honest players into acts of indiscipline and who at every age level, methodically attempt to impose their carefully constructed cynical tactics into the game. Even when they played Tipperary, when things weren't going Tyrone's way, they goaded the usually placid Tipp men into a reaction around half time.
You had none of this systematic cynical crap in any other (Tyrone free) Ulster championship game.

Marty purported to have seen the incident (was staring right at it), swallowed hook line and sinker, the Tyroneman's dramatics and took a decision to sent off the Monaghan man. Therefore it was the bold Marty who brought the game into some form of disrepute by not officiating the incident properly at the time. Why would the McCann dive be any different from the other Tyrone dives? a theatrical dive yet again from that rascal, captain superman Cavanagh and McAliskey's dive? The difference is that Marty saw the McCann incident, made the wrong decision and it was his wrong decision which transformed a simulation offense into an incident which supposedly brought the game into disrepute.
So it's Marty who should be in the dock.
Even the Tyrone sideline crew got into the act on saturday, with middle age mentors (fat unruly unshaven féckers) running up to McManus as he was taking a free kick near the sideline, shouting into his ear. And one of those sideline mentors was the same guy who was found guilty of starting a brawl (on video evidence) in their ist rd championship game against Donegal.
Pundits (lazily) remarked on that half time incident, said one side are just as bad as the other. But the acute observer will always spot the Tyrone aggravation/aggressor which sparks a conflict.

[bennocelt]

Good on the GAA here, pity the football authorities wouldn't dish out a few similar bans on diving.

[BonnieShels]

Good on the GAA here, pity the football authorities wouldn't dish out a few similar bans on diving.

Pity they don't drag Michael Shields and James O'Donoghue in as well.

[Kingdom]

If they're going to do someone for off-the-ball gougery or bringing the game into disrepute, stick Philly McMahon on top of that list.

<awaits bonniedubs rebuke>

[Real ale Madrid]

Pity they don't drag Michael Shields and James O'Donoghue in as well.

Irrelevant to the McCann discussion.

They should have been pulled also - as many others - but this was the worst. Deserves to be made an example of. Jesus Tyrone are a sickening bunch. I hope to God Kerry stomp all over them - and that's coming from a Corkman!

[OwlsFan]

Disappointed to see Waterford lose yet again to the Cats. Some day, some day....

[swinfordfc]

That hurling match yestarday had everything ...... fair play Galway .... nice to see the neighbours do good in something ;)

[BonnieShels]

Anyone doing the Today FM/Sky Sports 15 for 15?

http://www.todayfm.com/skysports

[BonnieShels]

Also McCann gets off. Keane's red downgraded to yellow and Meyler's black rescinded.


God help who Marty Duffy refs next as despite the fact that I think he's brutal what sort message does that send to referees.

[Spudulika]

Also McCann gets off. Keane's red downgraded to yellow and Meyler's black rescinded.


God help who Marty Duffy refs next as despite the fact that I think he's brutal what sort message does that send to referees.

It used to be so hard to get your ban/punishment rescinded and now it's gone all legal, and it's good in a way. I guess we'll wait for the GAA to introduce a rule on simulation and enforce it, unlike in soccer.

Surprised with the Keane decision.

[Kingdom]

I'm looking forward to Sunday now.

I think all the furore over McCann and the revisiting the Tyrone tactics in the noughties is going to be a good thing for Kerry, as there has been little to no focus on us.

I don't expect O'Donoghue to feature, nor do I think it's necessary for him to feature either.
Haven't seen a team yet, but I suspect

Kealy (ugh!)

Marc Sé O'Mahoney Enright

Murphy Crowley Young

Maher Moran

O'Brien Sheehan Walsh

Geaney Donaghy Cooper

Edit: Have just seen the team, miles off! I still don't think O'Donoghue will start.

Edit Edit:
Johnny Buckley must have really turned around his form in training, because he was gash in the Munster replay, and really poor when he came on against Kildare having been dropped.

[Real ale Madrid]

So like clockwork Tyrone fall to a half decent team. Only difference this year was that they managed to get into a winning position but Kerry had too much for them in the last 10 mins. That and a very strange kick out strategy was their downfall.

[Spudulika]

I felt bad seeing Tyrone lose, mainly because I wanted them to get a hammering from Mayo or Dublin (obviously I want Dublin to win), but Kerry were very classy at points. The thuggery and cheating of Tyrone in the q/f didn't get quite the showing yesterday and 2 particular points showed up their mentality. 1. A stupid push in the back for Kerry to get a free in front of the posts in the 2nd half, 2. the attempt to "do" Colm Cooper when he tried to fist the ball over the bar.

It was a poor game of football and I think the other 2 semi-finalists will be feeling good about themselves. Inexplicable Joe Brolly rant, I know he likes having the craic, and he and the otehrs are right that Tyrone paid for their cheating against Monaghan, but just chalk it up to karma and leave it at that!

[Kingdom]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGuFn0RPgaE

[Kingdom]

If they're going to do someone for off-the-ball gougery or bringing the game into disrepute, stick Philly McMahon on top of that list.

<awaits bonniedubs rebuke>

I repeat.

[Charlie Darwin]

Bonnie would never have a bad word to say about a Shamrock Rovers employee :)

[Kingdom]

He'd have many bad words to say.

[BonnieShels]

Haven't been here in a while...

It's been quite the month.

Wrt to Philly was this the "headbutt"?

---

Off to HQ now.

Looking forward to a dour frustrating game that will have the men from the Kingdom up in arms.

No finer sight.

Dublin by 2

[nigel-harps1954]

Worst. All-Ireland. Ever.

[BonnieShels]

Last year was much much worse.

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Kerry were awful. And showed their level. The much vaunted bench was shocking. The Kildare result flattered them and they bought into their own hype.

[NeverFeltBetter]

A mediocre end to a mediocre championship. Despite gap of only three points, Dublin were winning that all day long it seemed like.

[Real ale Madrid]

Philly McMahon - utter scum.

[Kingdom]

Huge congrats to Dublin, clear winners by the proverbial mile, despite only 4 points in it.

If someone told me that Kerry would disrupt the Dublin kick-out, and Dublin would only score 12 points, I'd have expected Sam to go south.

Dublin bullied Kerry all over the field, they were much much more proficient in possession, and honestly looked like they wanted it more. We were very worried from around the 7/8 minute mark because it became very clear, very quickly that Kerry were not up to speed in body or mind as Dublin were - despite doing an excellent job on the kick-outs.

The Dublin half-forward line and the Kerry half-back line were the winning of the match. Kerry were caught in possession, or not allowed to use the ball as they like by the Dublin half-forwards, whereas the Dublin half-backs kicked some really smart ball, and really pulled Kerry all over the place.

Brian Fenton was outstanding, as was Anthony Maher I thought, whereas David Moran had an atrocious game.

Kerry decision making, on field and off field was bad. Fitzmaurice deservedly gets a pass after winning last year. In a way it will be like going back to square one, and he needs to start with the goalkeeper.

Cooper should have been either stuck in the square of hauled off at the 20 min mark, Johnny Buckley was awful, while taking off O'Donoghue when he did was a curious decision. He'll get fierce stick for bringing in Galvin, but not bringing in Tommy Walsh, while Donaghy was an awful last through of the dice.

If Paul Murphy - as good a defender as Kerry have - was fit enough to play, then he should have started, although none of the Kerry defenders were poor.

No complaints here, better team won, and I suppose the lack of "hurt" this morning shows just how big a gulf in class there was yesterday. Kerry will be back again, and the double minor panel and double junior winning panel need to be pushed on now. Give Jack the 21's as well to keep the minors moving on an upward curve.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Sticking this here rather than start a new thread with it: Kilkenny GF minors beaten 17-20 to 0-00 at the weekend, chairman apologises: http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2016/0418/782600-kilkenny/

[Real ale Madrid]

This Dublin GAA thing is getting out of hand - starting to become non-competitive. Money now rules the roost.