The Championship

clarke-connolly said:
With Mayo ya never know ~ But I would say that while we would love to win a semi-final and final ~ ~ A good performance in a semi-final wouldn't be a bad show for this year.

I am not sure that I will ever see Mayo win an All-Ireland final ~ Sadly my Sister won't ~ She used to get mighty nervous when Mayo were playing in big matches, like finals ~ She'd have to go for walks, and was probably saying a few prayers on those walks ! ! !

Now being a hardy sports followers in my younger days ~ I can handle the losses after a little while ~ It would be one hell of a sight to see the celebrations in Mayo, if Mayo ever did win the All-Ireland ! ! !
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I'm a Dub but I wouldn't begrudge Mayo a championship, particularly given the number of times we've beaten yiz in finals.

I loved the team of Boyle, O'Shea, Keegan etc. They were just extremely unlucky to come up against a Dublin behemoth. Kind of like that great Waterford hurling team with Mullane, Declan Brown, Ken McGrath etc. How many All Irelands would they have won if Kilkenny weren't around?

And Mayo have a great set of fans. Always travel in numbers.
 
Aldo3 said:
It's a real shame Kobe McDonald won't be playing beyond this year. He looks like the real deal - like his father was.
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Yeah ~ He is going to Australia for the Aussie rules but that might not suit him ~ Ya kinda have to be tough brute in that game ( it certainly helps ) Ciaran Kilkenny went years ago and the Aussie rules game did not suit him at all ~ And he came back to have a great career with Dublin.

Ok ~ A few players do Ok but not that many have " Great " Aussie Rules careers ~ Ya can't blame lads for taking the opportunities. I assume these Aussie Rules clubs help them with Academic Studies ( if the lads are that way inclined ) ~ Mayo lost a Good Player called Pierce Hanley a while back when Mayo had a good team ~ He could have been the difference, one of those years when Mayo were genuine contenders for the All-Ireland. He had a decent career in Aussie Rules so it he could have also had a very good career with Mayo under different circumstances !
 
Aldo3 said:
I'm a Dub but I wouldn't begrudge Mayo a championship, particularly given the number of times we've beaten yiz in finals.

I loved the team of Boyle, O'Shea, Keegan etc. They were just extremely unlucky to come up against a Dublin behemoth. Kind of like that great Waterford hurling team with Mullane, Declan Brown, Ken McGrath etc. How many All Irelands would they have won if Kilkenny weren't around?

And Mayo have a great set of fans. Always travel in numbers.
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A lot of teams not as good as that Mayo team ( at its best ) have won All-Ireland when things fell for them.

The problem is ~ Everyone knows they have a great chance against Mayo in a final at this stage !
 
clarke-connolly said:
Yeah ~ He is going to Australia for the Aussie rules but that might not suit him ~ Ya kinda have to be tough brute in that game ( it certainly helps ) Ciaran Kilkenny went years ago and the Aussie rules game did not suit him at all ~ And he came back to have a great career with Dublin.

Ok ~ A few players do Ok but not that many have " Great " Aussie Rules careers ~ Ya can't blame lads for taking the opportunities. I assume these Aussie Rules clubs help them with Academic Studies ( if the lads are that way inclined ) ~ Mayo lost a Good Player called Pierce Hanley a while back when Mayo had a good team ~ He could have been the difference, one of those years when Mayo were genuine contenders for the All-Ireland. He had a decent career in Aussie Rules so it he could have also had a very good career with Mayo under different circumstances !
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Tadhg Kennelly was another who went over and did well. But he returned a few years later and won an All Ireland in 2009 iirc.

I know Clifford had lots of offers but turned them down. I imagine the money isn't bad either.
 
Tyrone running Kerry close here. 4 minutes left and they're down by a point. Not a result many would have expected.
 
Aldo3 said:
Tadhg Kennelly was another who went over and did well. But he returned a few years later and won an All Ireland in 2009 iirc.

I know Clifford had lots of offers but turned them down. I imagine the money isn't bad either.
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Professional game ~ Ya can't blame them, but Australia plays a lot of, Rugby League / certainly some cricket / actually not much Rugby Union but some obviously.

Australia doesn't have a huge population to support super high levels of professional sport. On the other-hand the population is pretty sports mad alright !
 
Aldo3 said:
I'm a Dub but I wouldn't begrudge Mayo a championship, particularly given the number of times we've beaten yiz in finals.

I loved the team of Boyle, O'Shea, Keegan etc. They were just extremely unlucky to come up against a Dublin behemoth. Kind of like that great Waterford hurling team with Mullane, Declan Brown, Ken McGrath etc. How many All Irelands would they have won if Kilkenny weren't around?

And Mayo have a great set of fans. Always travel in numbers.
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A good analogy, Waterford and Mayo, Waterford definitely had a tendency to implode when the pressure was on, but that was a fine team you highlighted above, should have won 2 All Ireland's at least, but as you said, that was a ridiculously talented KK team. Unlucky timing...
 
Semi-final draw ~ I was being a bit suspicious that the GAA would keep Dublin and Kerry apart ! !

  • 18:15
    Louth v Mayo
    Dublin v Kerry
 
clarke-connolly said:
Semi-final draw ~ I was being a bit suspicious that the GAA would keep Dublin and Kerry apart ! !

  • 18:15
    Louth v Mayo
    Dublin v Kerry
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Big chance for Louth to make history and get to the final, unfortunately Kerry will thrash them, after they dispose of the Dubs ☹️
 
The reason I was suspicious re; The Fix was that Rte radio were saying the draw was coming any minute now for probably 30 minutes ~ I could just see the modern day " Corporate GAA " in back rooms deciding which draw would be best for them ~ I wouldn't trust that Smary Jarlath Burns fella as far as I could throw him or a lot of the Smary Fuckers at the top of the now Corporate GAA.

Anyway the GAA have got their Big, Kerry-Dublin, match ~ Best of luck to all the players ( no castigations on the vast vast vast majority of players what-so-ever ) ~ The players and ordinary Decent GAA People are damn fine People ! ! !
 
clarke-connolly said:
The reason I was suspicious re; The Fix was that Rte radio were saying the draw was coming any minute now for probably 30 minutes ~ I could just see the modern day " Corporate GAA " in back rooms deciding which draw would be best for them ~ I wouldn't trust that Smary Jarlath Burns fella as far as I could throw him or a lot of the Smary Fuckers at the top of the now Corporate GAA.

Anyway the GAA have got their Big, Kerry-Dublin, match ~ Best of luck to all the players ( no castigations on the vast vast vast majority of players what-so-ever ) ~ The players and ordinary Decent GAA People are damn fine People ! ! !
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Jarlath burns was just trying to figure out a way of sneaking county palestine into the semi finals.
 
Myles O'Reilly said:
They were a decent team but they only got to 1 final Sir.
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Jesus I could have sworn they played in a few finals. And that final was 2008 I think, when a lot of the players were at the back end of their careers.

Maybe they weren't as good as I thought? Or maybe I was feeling nostalgic after watching the below highlights package from the 2004 Munster final.

(Look at the point scored by Ken McGrath at 1.10 from another universe - and the brilliant catch and spine-tingling passion at 2:10. And shout-out current Cork manager Ben O'Connor for a lovely point at 1:40)

Those were great hurling days.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GTi_B8HrBAc&pp=ygUPR2FhIHJld2luZCAyMDA0
 
One thing that is worth remarking about the quarter-final between Louth and Monaghan is that Louth had a a Man sent off after 7 Minutes and they still managed to win by 3 Points ! ! !

Pundits would basically say this is impossible to do these days ~ ~ So, Louth must be some Out-Fit !

Be-Ware ( Big-Time ) of Louth, Mayo !
 
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Aldo3 said:
Jesus I could have sworn they played in a few finals. And that final was 2008 I think, when a lot of the players were at the back end of their careers.
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They did reach the finals again, just not with that team. They got smashed by Kilkenny in 2008. They lost by 3 points to Galway in 2017 and lost to Limerick in 2020 or 2021 (Covid lockdown December final).

Aldo3 said:
Maybe they weren't as good as I thought? Or maybe I was feeling nostalgic after watching the below highlights package from the 2004 Munster final.

(Look at the point scored by Ken McGrath at 1.10 from another universe - and the brilliant catch and spine-tingling passion at 2:10. And shout-out current Cork manager Ben O'Connor for a lovely point at 1:40)

Those were great hurling days.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GTi_B8HrBAc&pp=ygUPR2FhIHJld2luZCAyMDA0
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I was in the terrace behind the goal for Paul Flynn's goal. Glorious summer day, everyone had smuggled in loads of drink, great atmosphere, some craic around Thurles on the day. That game was probably the high water mark for Waterford, even though they did go on to win more Munster titles, League titles and reach All-Ireland finals.
 
Hermit said:
They did reach the finals again, just not with that team. They got smashed by Kilkenny in 2008. They lost by 3 points to Galway in 2017 and lost to Limerick in 2020 or 2021 (Covid lockdown December final).


I was in the terrace behind the goal for Paul Flynn's goal. Glorious summer day, everyone had smuggled in loads of drink, great atmosphere, some craic around Thurles on the day. That game was probably the high water mark for Waterford, even though they did go on to win more Munster titles, League titles and reach All-Ireland finals.
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I remember that final in 2008. My late father who would go to every match in Croke Park (football or hurling) said it was the first match he had seen where a team never made a mistake. Everything Kilkenny did on that day was perfect. I still remember him talking about it.

He loved that Waterford team.

What do you think @Hermit? Is Myles right that the team wasn't as good as we're making out?
 
Aldo3 said:
I remember that final in 2008. My late father who would go to every match in Croke Park (football or hurling) said it was the first match he had seen where a team never made a mistake. Everything Kilkenny did on that day was perfect. I still remember him talking about it.
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Yeah, Kilkenny were unplayable that day, probably the most perfect performance ever in a final. The Waterford team didn't have the experience of being in and winning finals, so they just crumbled.

Aldo3 said:
He loved that Waterford team.

What do you think @Hermit? Is Myles right that the team wasn't as good as we're making out?
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They were a very good team, just inconsistent. In terms of success, they didn't win the All-Ireland. But in terms of excitement, I'd say they were the most exciting team to watch, but I am bias so I dunno. Kilkenny were obviously a much better team but they don't have the same level of aura that the Waterford team has for neutrals, although that could be more to do with universal sporting love of the plucky underdog, and everyone gets fed up of almost invincible teams like Kilkenny. It's not always all about results though.

Waterford's style was off-the-cuff which was unpredictable and risky, but very exciting. Players taking shots from ridiculous angles. Some days it worked, others it didn't. Then there's crazy stuff about players drinking, and terrible pre-match preparations (e.g. emergency transport to Croker after a flight from Waterford-Dublin was cancelled on the day of a match), the likes of which probably didn't go on in Kilkenny with Cody's well-oiled machine and professional setup.

I'd say the Waterford players were liked more than other team's because of their looks and style - this was before helmets so players were much more recognisable. Waterford had some distinctive characters that other counties didn't have, like Mullane with his white head, sticking his fingers up at Cork fans after scoring a hat-trick, getting sent off in that Munster Final for hitting the Cork lad in the balls. Henry Shefflin was the best hurler in the country but boring as fuck personality-wise, like the rest of the team. Might be a class thing too. Waterford seemed to be more working class lads whereas Kilkenny seemed like a bunch of guards and management types.

I think the noughties Waterford team were good enough to win one All-Ireland at least. Waterford only broke through as a proper team in 1998, so they didn't have the experience and professional setup as good as Kilkenny and Cork, or the confidence that decades of success and All-Ireland titles brings. Someone mentioned giving up on Mayo earlier...I don't know if I am ready to give up yet, but it's hard to see Waterford win the big one when we haven't been able to even get out of Munster for the past five years.
 
Hermit said:
Yeah, Kilkenny were unplayable that day, probably the most perfect performance ever in a final. The Waterford team didn't have the experience of being in and winning finals, so they just crumbled.


They were a very good team, just inconsistent. In terms of success, they didn't win the All-Ireland. But in terms of excitement, I'd say they were the most exciting team to watch, but I am bias so I dunno. Kilkenny were obviously a much better team but they don't have the same level of aura that the Waterford team has for neutrals, although that could be more to do with universal sporting love of the plucky underdog, and everyone gets fed up of almost invincible teams like Kilkenny. It's not always all about results though.

Waterford's style was off-the-cuff which was unpredictable and risky, but very exciting. Players taking shots from ridiculous angles. Some days it worked, others it didn't. Then there's crazy stuff about players drinking, and terrible pre-match preparations (e.g. emergency transport to Croker after a flight from Waterford-Dublin was cancelled on the day of a match), the likes of which probably didn't go on in Kilkenny with Cody's well-oiled machine and professional setup.

I'd say the Waterford players were liked more than other team's because of their looks and style - this was before helmets so players were much more recognisable. Waterford had some distinctive characters that other counties didn't have, like Mullane with his white head, sticking his fingers up at Cork fans after scoring a hat-trick, getting sent off in that Munster Final for hitting the Cork lad in the balls. Henry Shefflin was the best hurler in the country but boring as fuck personality-wise, like the rest of the team. Might be a class thing too. Waterford seemed to be more working class lads whereas Kilkenny seemed like a bunch of guards and management types.

I think the noughties Waterford team were good enough to win one All-Ireland at least. Waterford only broke through as a proper team in 1998, so they didn't have the experience and professional setup as good as Kilkenny and Cork, or the confidence that decades of success and All-Ireland titles brings. Someone mentioned giving up on Mayo earlier...I don't know if I am ready to give up yet, but it's hard to see Waterford win the big one when we haven't been able to even get out of Munster for the past five years.
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Hadn't realised that, they haven't made it out of Munster in 5 years... Yikes, that's worrying, once that slide sets in very hard to get back. I recall offally in the 90s even late 90s and they were a top team, quarter of a century now of dreadful beatings, only to make a comeback this year... And then take a hammering from a very good Cork team, but hopefully the same fate doesn't befall the Deicse
 
Perry said:
Hadn't realised that, they haven't made it out of Munster in 5 years... Yikes, that's worrying, once that slide sets in very hard to get back. I recall offally in the 90s even late 90s and they were a top team, quarter of a century now of dreadful beatings, only to make a comeback this year... And then take a hammering from a very good Cork team, but hopefully the same fate doesn't befall the Deicse
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I don't think Waterford are slipping too much despite not getting out of Munster. It's just so competitive with only 3 of the 5 counties going through to the All-Ireland series. Waterford had some bad luck with injuries and other stuff as well, some drawn games that they could've won.

Myles O'Reilly said:
I think I've found Hermit's county!

I've got every poster's home county at this point :D
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I think I mentioned my county once or twice before, but you can now put it on the official Myles O'Reilly Sarsfields Virtual Pub County Database™.
 
The Swashbuckling Tribesmen took Cork to the cleaners yesterday.

Clare have it all to do against Limerick today.
 
I think Clare could be in for a spanking today.
 
Good angle ( surprising to get anything good from Rte ) on the Mayo-Louth match here from history ~ ~ I knew that a Mayo Man had won the All-Ireland with Louth back in the day, but I wasn't really expecting him to be still alive !

Re; Mayo-Louth today ; I don't really know what to expect ~ You'd think this Louth team will be too good for this " New / New-ish " Mayo team ~ Louth have beaten better teams to get here, and they have been playing against some of the Big teams these last few years while Mayo have been a bit in the semi-doldrums ~ ~ And then as a Mayo supporter you'd be worried what could happen to this Mayo team, if they do get to a final against Kerry or Dublin ( Kerry probably )

Being a Mayo Supporter is a, Rough Experience / Rough Existence ! ! !

www.rte.ie

All-Ireland winner with feet in both Mayo and Louth camps

Mayo native Seamus O'Donnell played for four years with the Green and Red, before work took him to Louth where he switched to the Wee County, famously playing his part in their 1957 All-Ireland success.
www.rte.ie www.rte.ie
 
Myles O'Reilly said:
That was some beating. Could this be the year?
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I wasn't expecting that kind of scoring from Mayo in the second half.

Either all the games coming in such quick succession caught up with Louth, or the size of the occasion ( All-Ireland semi-final in front of a massive crowd ) got to Louth ~ I felt a bit sorry for Louth for not playing to more of their potential in such a big match.

Big excitement in Mayo now until the final ~ We can only dream ~ But we know what could be ahead of us as well ! ! ! :ROFLMAO:
 
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Perry said:
Could well be, Kerry overwhelmingly favorites... Pressure off Mayo.....
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Pressure off Mayo alright, but it would be good if Aliens would abduct about 10 of the best from the Kerry panel :ROFLMAO:

Just while the match is being played on Sunday week ~ They can drop them back afterwards !
 
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