Gaa 2007

[Marked Man]

Ulster football is also muck, and has been for the last few years since Armagh and Tyrone started to decline.

Difference is that you didn't get any Derry fans labouring under the impression we were world beaters. QF was as far as we deserved and we got there and came away with a respectable result.

You've had 3 handy provincial championships in a row and have done nothing of note, despite having a ridiculous home advantage in almost every game (still complaining about being made to go to Longford?).

Face it, the Dubs recent record is pitiful.

I actually like the football Dublin play when they are on form, very fast paced and good to watch, but I still think Caffrey is a poor tactician and the psychological backbone is missing from a lot of the players.

Go ahead and win Sam and prove me wrong!

Any Dublin fan who knows anything about the game will admit that Dublin's recent record is bad (2 wins in 24 years); pitiful seems a bit strong. We've only missed the quarters once since 2000, and are facing our third semi. We've been beaten only by the teams who, between them, have contested every final for the last five years (Armagh, Tyrone, Kerry, Mayo).
I would agree that Caffrey is questionable (moving Ryan out of m/f against Mayo last year and putting him in the back line essentially lost us the game), but I think he is getting better. He had to make positional changes in both the last two games, when (respectively) Laois and Derry started well against us. He reacted well.



btw, I'd love to know who are these Dubs who allegedly complain about going to games outside of Dublin? Everyone I know loves the day out.

[geysir]

When a team like Derry perform the way they have been performing for years it's only natural that your supporters have minimal expectations.

It's a valid point though that competitive teams from recent years like Laois, Westmeath, Mayo, Galway, Armagh and Tyrone have dropped off the pace.
Marked Man, Dublin so far have done what was expected and did it handy enough. It's just that with all that dominance in the game against Derry and they were pulling up, Paddy Bradley a crafty class act, had a chance that 9/10 he would have put away.
I'm easy either way in this game but I expect the Kerry front line to show no such mercy in front of goal.
I hope it is a cracker.

[booster 03]

Are you mental? Obvioulsly I'm bitter because Waterford lost, but it was far from a great game. Waterford took 25mins before they got going, so deserved to lose, but Limerick just spoiled the second half as that suited their tactics. Fair play to Limerick, and I hope they finish the job now, but that was a world away from a great game.

" i cant make the semi final, but i hope to be off for the all ireland final".. john o shea in last sundays star!!

waterford and kilkenney final... michael duignan

"every man woman and child will hope waterford go on and beat kilkenney and win the all ireland".... gerald macarthy

it makes last sunday all the sweeter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and to those of little faith in limerick who didnt travel to thurles and gaelic grounds in may, stay at home now again for the all ireland again please... so as not to hog the disgarceful amount of tickets distributed to the county board!!

[Superhoops]

Certainly not arrogance; I've been watching the Dubs far too long to feel arrogant about them. The fact is, they won by 3 pulling up. Yes, they tuned out towards the end, but that was at least in part due to Caffrey making a rake of subs. Why did he do this? Because the game was won.

Mayo last year was very different--their comeback started with goals (similarly the disastrous second half start against Kildare in the Leinster final back a few years ago). Those goals rattled Dublin.Now if Derry had taken one of their earlier goal chances, Dublin would probably not have had a 7 point lead going into the last ten, and we would have seen a very different last few minutes (of course, if we hadn't had that lead, we wouldn't have switched off...). But Derry didn't take those chances, and they just weren't going to come back into the game.


In any event, I think this whole "switching off" will be irrelevant come Sunday week, as Dublin only switch off when they have a big lead, and it's highly unlikely that they'll find themselves in any such situation in the semi.

I think you have this wrong. In the game against Dublin last year Mayo only scored one goal (final score was 1-16 to 2-12).

At half time Mayo led 0-9 to 1-5. After five minutes of the second half, Dublin scored 1-4 without reply to lead by 2-9 to 0-9. Mayo got a point, then Dublin got 2 points to lead by seven points with only 10 minutes of the second half gone.

Then in a 10 minute spell, Dublin went comatose and Mayo scored 1-5 without Dublin scoring to lead by a point. Alan Brogan equalised for Dublin and from the kick-out McDonald got what proved to be the winning point for Mayo. That point by Brogan was Dublin's only score in the last 25 minutes.

[Marked Man]

I think you have this wrong. In the game against Dublin last year Mayo only scored one goal (final score was 1-16 to 2-12).

At half time Mayo led 0-9 to 1-5. After five minutes of the second half, Dublin scored 1-4 without reply to lead by 2-9 to 0-9. Mayo got a point, then Dublin got 2 points to lead by seven points with only 10 minutes of the second half gone.

Then in a 10 minute spell, Dublin went comatose and Mayo scored 1-5 without Dublin scoring to lead by a point. Alan Brogan equalised for Dublin and from the kick-out McDonald got what proved to be the winning point for Mayo. That point by Brogan was Dublin's only score in the last 25 minutes.

Sorry, confused myself in that paragraph. I was thinking of the two games I mentioned (Kildare, Mayo) and the goals in those games. Didn't mean to say that Mayo scored more than one goal; only that Dublin collapses in big games have typically started with goals conceded.

[shakermaker1982]

I still have that DVD of Mayo/Dublin last year!!! Just a pity we met Kerry in the final.....

[paul_oshea]

just a pity "we" werent good enough to beat the best. as usual.

[Soko]

I still have that DVD of Mayo/Dublin last year!!! Just a pity we met Kerry in the final.....

Ye could have met a Junior B team and lost. Woeful would be a compliment

[Superhoops]

Never any doubt that Meath would be favourites and hot favourites as well. They have too many big guns and a much stonger bench than Cork.

On the evidence of last Saturday what would make anyone think that Cork would beat Meath. The only danger to Meath winning is complacency and can't see Colm Coyle letting that happen. For Cork to have any chance they would have to raise their game by at least 20%, I dont think there are capable of that, and for Meath to lower their game by 20%, and I can't see that happening.

Meath to win comfortably by 6 or 7 points. At 8/11 with Paddy Power, I rate them a great bet.

How wrong can you get.

An embarrasing day for Leinster Football. The only hope now is that Dublin put one over on Kerry. I am not that confident they will.

It would be a poor reflection on GAA football if the All-Ireland final ends up being a repeat of the Munster final. You could just about stomach it in hurling but in football, desperately sad.

The thought of it is made even worse with the SKY fixtures that day, sh*te games; Watford v Southampton and Man.City v Villa

[Torn-Ado]

I hope Dublin beat Kerry.

Just so we are not subjected to another Cork Kerry match.

[Rovers fan]

i had a feeling cork would give meath a bit of a walloping. the likes of stephen bray couldnt keep playing the way they were. the cork midfield is superb.

[Soko]

I don't see that result as any bit of a surprise. Meath were vastly over rated from beating a dying Galway team and a flat Tyrone side. Cork were physically too strong, fast and fit for them to compete with


Having said that, Kerry would beat us again. Hoping for a Dublin-Cork final now

[theworm2345]

I was hoping Waterford would win last week, if only Dan the Man had scored I think he would've hit his stride. Oh well, my heart wasn't set on it anyway

[bennocelt]

Kind of happy that Cork won, i think they are a decent team, with a great midfield, but they only really play as good or as bad as their opposition

At least Cork put it up to Meath in the physical stakes, and you just knew Meath werent upto it when you see Geraghty falling to the ground very lamely rather than hit back, jesus he looked like a frightened kitten
Thats what Tyrone should have done. In their game they only did 2 shoulder charges in the whole game!!!! Instead they did the usual Ulster dancing and dragging around the opponent

all set for a Cork-Kerry final, here's hoping anyway

[shakermaker1982]

I hope Cork win it, yesterdays hammering surprised me.

[geysir]

Meath were vastly over rated from beating a dying Galway team and a flat Tyrone side

You are assuming that teams perform with consistancy.
The simple explanation is that Meath played very well against a reasonably competititve Tyrone team and were flat against a very good Cork performance.

[paul_oshea]

You are assuming that teams perform with consistancy.

whats that when its at home?

Didnt see much of it, but about the last 10 mins and have to say both teams looked very poor, but im sure Cork knew they had done enough at that stage. Was very suprised by this. was expecting a dublin v meath final, now im expecting a kerry v cork final.

[Soko]

You are assuming that teams perform with consistancy.
The simple explanation is that Meath played very well against a reasonably competititve Tyrone team and were flat against a very good Cork performance.

I assumed nothing other than their previous performances were overrated due to their opposition. Thanks for the "simple" breakdown though, very informative

[geysir]

Any bit of analysis of the game would show that Meath played a lot better against Tyrone than they did against Cork. That if they had put in a similar performance on Sunday there would have been a competitive game against Cork.
I think Cork would still have beaten a Meath on their best form.
Meath were 4/6, not exactly overdog odds.
Cork were underrated, but at odds of 11/8 not underwhelming.

In GAA, overated was Kerry at 1/6 to beat Monaghan.

[MeathDrog]

Meath were ****.Why did I bother going?