Gaa 2013

[Real ale Madrid]

Mickey Harte is a busted flush when it comes to inter-co management - Tyrone are on a downward spiral in the last 3 or 4 years. Nobody fears them anymore.

Aside from that id be wary of reading too much into 1 week. I would agree that Mayo have as good a chance as any of winning the AI, and this year may be thier best chance ever of breaking that duck.

Ta Tubs, Kerry, Cork and Donegal will all be there or thereabouts - although as a Corkman I'm sorry to say I can't see us winning another AI under Counihan. Hard to see a team emerging from the pack so to speak.

[swinfordfc]

We learned that Meath will be a div 3 team for another year, at least.


The AIF will be early this year, Tyrone v Donegal in the 1st round of the USFC
I suspect Mickey Harte is gathering all his armoury for this one and plotting Donegal's demise. Tyrone have hit the ground running, have Sean Cavanagh back and O'Neill on form. Regardless of how that game goes for Tyrone, they will make progress but Donegal I suspect will have to beat Tyrone to get their season going. So far we have seen nothing from Donegal to indicate they can repeat last year's triumph. Instead we have many precedents of where (outsider) teams fall off the pace after an AI victory.
Mayo are interesting, I don't know where they are at, as regards panel and manager, but semi finalists in 2011, finalists in 2012 indicates an upward graph.

Mayo have same manager as last year (dont know how you dont know that) and the panel will be the same - cant see them near the semi's this year ......

[geysir]

How would I not know Mayo have the same manager? because I haven't spent one second thinking about Mayo football since last year's AIF.
Now I'm beginning the thinking process in 2013 with a lot of unknowns, especially around Mayo football

With the same panel and same manager, Mayo should walk Connacht this year, followed by a quarter final victory against some team, then they are into the semi finals. It's not that difficult is it? Certainly doable for Mayo.

[geysir]

Mickey Harte is a busted flush when it comes to inter-co management - Tyrone are on a downward spiral in the last 3 or 4 years. Nobody fears them anymore.

Mickey Harte has been written off with a regularity, since Tyrone got beaten by Laois in 2006.
Last 2 years they have been a busted flush.
They don't look a busted flush this year and they have always had a super underage set up there.
The last 2 times in the championship, Donegal toyed with them. This first game in the USFC between them will tell a lot about both teams.
If Tyrone get beaten, I suspect Harte will retire, that's how big this game is.

[Real ale Madrid]

If Tyrone get beaten, I suspect Harte will retire, that's how big this game is.

Given that the loser of this game should (probably) get a few handy qualifiers - i don't see the massive significance of it - no doubt Tyrone will fancy thier chances so early in the season - but I expect they will be found wanting after or on the Aug Bank holiday weekend when the ch'ship really starts.

[DeLorean]

Mayo should walk Connacht this year

Their first game is against Galway in Pearse Stadium, a venue when they have an awful record if I'm not mistaken. Michael Meehan is back and playing well for Galway which is massive, as good as any player in the country in my opinion.

Tyrone are rebuilding so it's hard to know exactly where they're at. They were riddled with injuries last year so we didn't learn an awful lot about them, better luck to them this year. Either way, I wouldn't see them a realistic contenders for Sam just yet, but could win Ulster alright.

[geysir]

Tyrone have Sean Cavanagh back and if reports are to be believed he's better than ever, that means best (not one of the best) player in the country standard. Justin McMahon is also back.
The other injured players returning are 3 forwards and with Stephen O'Neill they have 4 class forwards available to chose 3 from.
They have a serious looking squad and at 20/1 (last time I looked), would be the best bet going.
Donegal will be the same as last year, Tyrone already have the game won if you just consider how much stronger their team/squad is. The main problem for Harte will be deciding on his best 15.

[BonnieShels]

Anyway...

Go wan geysir. Glad to see another Tyrone fanboy in here.

Roll on the 16th March. Dungannon lads in tooowwwwwnnnnnnnn!

So the evaluation of League Round 2?

I have to say on hearing the result from Killarney I had moreorless forgotten about the trash that was on show in Lansdowne.

And a great result for Geezer too against the Langers.

[Real ale Madrid]

And a great result for Geezer too against the Langers.

Speaking of Busted Flushes at inter-co management - here is another one. Another team with a good squad going nowhere fast

It will be a Kildare v Tyrone AI final now after my comments on this thread.

Didn't see any football yesterday but there is something worrying about the lack of depth in the Kerry panel . 1-5 against Mayo and then 0-04 at home against Ta Tubs? Shocking. The loser of Cork v Kerry on the 24th of March is probably nailed on to get relegated at this stage - although the way Cork have played the first two weeks I doubt if Counihan cares weather they do or not.

[geysir]

Anyway...

Go wan geysir. Glad to see another Tyrone fanboy in here.

Roll on the 16th March. Dungannon lads in tooowwwwwnnnnnnnn!

Actually I hate every inch of these cavemen Tyronies and despise their hairy women but I don't let that blind me to the obvious footballing qualities.
Very few things in sport have given me more pleasure than the one or two times Monaghan managed to give them a thumping, like the time we kicked them through the trap door to Div 2 a couple of years ago, which had Mickey Harte moaning about the (curious) relegation criteria. Beating Tyrone is marginally more pleasurable than beating the whiny Dubs, thats how good it feels

So the evaluation of League Round 2?

Well it's obvious, isn't it? The Tyrone hordes are on the march.

[BonnieShels]

Actually I hate every inch of these cavemen Tyronies and despise their hairy women but I don't let that blind me to the obvious footballing qualities.
Very few things in sport have given me more pleasure than the one or two times Monaghan managed to give them a thumping, like the time we kicked them through the trap door to Div 2 a couple of years ago, which had Mickey Harte moaning about the (curious) relegation criteria. Beating Tyrone is marginally more pleasurable than beating the whiny Dubs, thats how good it feels

Well it was our victory over them in Healy Park on my birthday that relegated them. I still haven't lived it down with my ex for standing there with my Dublin jersey on supporting Tyrone. We couldn't get into the League final on head to heads so it would have been a nothing victory for us. On the other hand I wanted Tyrone to stay up because there is nothing like a Dublin-Tyrone match.

Well it's obvious, isn't it? The Tyrone hordes are on the march.

And a blessed sight that is.

[geysir]

Well it was our victory over them in Healy Park on my birthday that relegated them. I still haven't lived it down with my ex for standing there with my Dublin jersey on supporting Tyrone. We couldn't get into the League final on head to heads so it would have been a nothing victory for us. On the other hand I wanted Tyrone to stay up because there is nothing like a Dublin-Tyrone match.

Sorry Bonnie, Dublin beating Tyrone was incidental, of minor importance in the scheme of things, the relegation scrap happened earlier that year in Inniskeen.
And afair the Dubs got careless in the 2nd half, letting Tyrone rack up a few scores with a glimmer of a chance of getting off the relegation hook.

[culloty82]

Speaking of Busted Flushes at inter-co management - here is another one. Another team with a good squad going nowhere fast

It will be a Kildare v Tyrone AI final now after my comments on this thread.

Didn't see any football yesterday but there is something worrying about the lack of depth in the Kerry panel . 1-5 against Mayo and then 0-04 at home against Ta Tubs? Shocking. The loser of Cork v Kerry on the 24th of March is probably nailed on to get relegated at this stage - although the way Cork have played the first two weeks I doubt if Counihan cares weather they do or not.

Was in Killarney yesterday, and apart from the lack of strength in depth, what was equally worrying was the abysmal quality of Kerry's football - too much lateral movement to virtually no effect, inadequacy in the most basic skills such as lifting the ball and the high passing and distribution was woeful. Still, Down look nailed-on for the drop, and once the Crokes contingent return, we should grind out the three wins necessary to survive, but the last eight looks the height of our championship ambitions for 2013.

[BonnieShels]

Sorry Bonnie, Dublin beating Tyrone was incidental, of minor importance in the scheme of things, the relegation scrap happened earlier that year in Inniskeen.
And afair the Dubs got careless in the 2nd half, letting Tyrone rack up a few scores with a glimmer of a chance of getting off the relegation hook.

Their relegation wasn't confirmed until that final whistle went in Omagh. And as they made a better stab of it in the second half it didn't look certain that they'd lose. So I'm taking the credit that we relegated them. :P

The fact that we required a Cork victory that day and that a Cork victory meant that they'd play us and not the bottlers in the final seemed to make us lose concentration and just wish for the day to be over knowing that they'd almost "let" Mayo win.

[BonnieShels]

I have woken up with this feeling that we are going to run riot against the Bottlers tonight. Uh oh.

[swinfordfc]

When it matters the last 2 times in the championship ..... which teams bottled!!!!!

[BonnieShels]

Ye did. In the final. Both times.

It was just a feeling I had when I got up this morning.

Ye are turning into an awfully cynical outfit. Terrible to watch.

Brogan was pure class tonight.

[swinfordfc]

When it matters the last 2 times in the championship ..... which teams bottled!!!!!

I was on about when Dublin played Mayo in the championship!!!!!

Now go on and win the League and listen to the all the crap for the summer then ...... greatest this and that etc

[culloty82]

For the first time this year, Kerry actually managed to play some football, even if they squandered too many chances and only really got going when the horse was halfway back to Tralee. Still, Buckley and Lyne showed that they will be names to watch, and there was more general cohesion between midfield and the forward line. Six points looks like being the target required to avoid the drop, so while home wins against Down and Cork are essential, Kerry will somehow need to come out of either Ballybofey or Omagh with two points also.

[BonnieShels]

I was on about when Dublin played Mayo in the championship!!!!!

Now go on and win the League and listen to the all the crap for the summer then ...... greatest this and that etc

I know you were. And the simple fact is ye raised yer games, as per, for us.

I don't know why people have a problem with Dublin being hyped, It's inevitable, the only thing is, the last few seasons it has been warranted and this year if anything from what I've watched of everybody in the League so far we are probably favourites for the All-Ireland at the moment.

Things will change but we have been good.