Armagh v Galway AIQF

[mouview]

After the match, someone said to me, "It wasn't Armagh's day", but they were wrong. Yesterday WAS Armagh's day, and it was one of the all-time great days in Croke Park.
Armagh brought everything to Croker yesterday, the noise, the fans, the colour, the excitement, the atmosphere, the chaos, the unpredictability, the hail marys, the goals, the comebacks, the schmozzle, the penalties. The list goes on.
The media are focusing on the row, but real GAA people will always remember yesterday for the amazing sense of occasion.
The Armagh game was followed by 2nd gear Kerry beating perennial losers Mayo, and was preceded the previous night by boring boring Dublin handpassing around a gutless Cork team who only brought about 300 supporters with them. If this is the sort of safe and sanitized football that RTÉ and the rest of the outraged media want then good luck to them.
Yesterday Armagh people voted with their feet, and thronged to Dublin in their tens of thousands to watch a team that are not afraid.  They rose to the challenge to 'Turn Croker Orange'  Someone has to win, and someone has to lose, but Armagh helped to restore something great to the GAA yesterday. They lost the game, but they never gave up, they made mistakes but were willing to take the risks. If you combine a team like this with the most fervent supporters in Ireland then you create the special kind of aura that we were lucky to witness yesterday and if they can keep that going next year then there is a chance that maybe Armagh can become the Saviours of Gaelic Football.

Stolen from another site

Good bit of truth in this, re: the support anyway, which was definitely Armagh's 16th man. Only wish Galway would bring the same to non-final matches.

Hopefully, when the dust settles, all viewers will realise the melee was simply for the most part, pulling and dragging and shouting and noise. Forget the "won't somebody please think of the children" brigade. Everybody loved it because it gave an extra slice of frisson to an exciting game, and gives RTE + other media 'column inches' to sell. Maybe the most the GAA can do is issue stiff fines to both counties. Would be the sensible way out too because, whoever gets banned, particularly from Galway, it will be appealed and overturned most likely anyway.

[GaillimhIarthair]

What a game of football.  An absolute rollercoaster of emotions for both sets of fans.  Jesus, Armagh brought some crowd and they had CP quaking when RON kicked a monster free to bring it to ET.  We finally showed a bit of balls in a big game in CP, it's been a long time coming.  If that doesn't stir something in that group of lads, nothing will. I lived that game through my young lad.  He went through every emotion a 13 year old can.  I don't think he watched any of the penalties live! 😂. 
Some of the less heralded players pulled Galway through yesterday. Delighted for the likes of Tierney,  Finnerty, Glynn but McDaid was just sublime, what a display, just refused to be beaten.  Dare I say it was Ja esque!! 
All the other stuff has been well covered to death, it in no way should detract from what was, by a distance, the game of the year todate.
Make no mistake but the Armagh crowd made that occasion yesterday.  The colour and noise was brilliant to see.  Like ourselves and after a long wait, they have a young team they can be proud of and one they can row in behind over the next few years - football needs a few new teams to come to the fore.
Roll on the semi final, Gaillimh Abu!

[Gold]

What a game of football.  An absolute rollercoaster of emotions for both sets of fans.  Jesus, Armagh brought some crowd and they had CP quaking when RON kicked a monster free to bring it to ET.  We finally showed a bit of balls in a big game in CP, it's been a long time coming.  If that doesn't stir something in that group of lads, nothing will. I lived that game through my young lad.  He went through every emotion a 13 year old can.  I don't think he watched any of the penalties live! 😂. 
Some of the less heralded players pulled Galway through yesterday. Delighted for the likes of Tierney,  Finnerty, Glynn but McDaid was just sublime, what a display, just refused to be beaten.  Dare I say it was Ja esque!! 
All the other stuff has been well covered to death, it in no way should detract from what was, by a distance, the game of the year todate.
Make no mistake but the Armagh crowd made that occasion yesterday.  The colour and noise was brilliant to see.  Like ourselves and after a long wait, they have a young team they can be proud of and one they can row in behind over the next few years - football needs a few new teams to come to the fore.
Roll on the semi final, Gaillimh Abu!

Well said

[armaghniac]

It would have been a great day all around, except for this, the rest of the "melee" are mostly standing around.

[Main Street]

For anybody that was at the game yesterday it will live long in the memory. It had almost everything you would want and it's no coincidence that Armagh have been involved in some of the best games in the last year or two. At the end of the day football is about enjoyment and nobody could walk away yesterday saying they didn't get value for money. I actually think Armagh have helped paper over a lot of the cracks of modern Gaelic football with their last 3 championship matches.

Add to that our cracking game against Monaghan last year in the heat where Rian O'Neill gave one of the best displays of football I've ever seen.

Hands down the best team in the country to watch but that'll not win you much on its own. We'll keep improving though.

You lost that game to Monaghan, outplayed, outfoxed except for a brief O'Neill inspired flurry in the 2nd half and hadn't the wherewithal to finish out the game out after going ahead. Its a 70mins plus game.
That's past history, fwiw I think Galway were better but not by that much. The red card hit Armagh hard with Galway scoring 6 in a row in the aftermath. Shortly after the red card Armagh looked a beaten docket until added time.  But it's a 70mins plus game  and in those added 8 minutes Armagh looked invincible  and deserved the ET, especially after that outrageous equaliser from the player of the year, scoring the point of the year. 

[Armagh18]

For anybody that was at the game yesterday it will live long in the memory. It had almost everything you would want and it's no coincidence that Armagh have been involved in some of the best games in the last year or two. At the end of the day football is about enjoyment and nobody could walk away yesterday saying they didn't get value for money. I actually think Armagh have helped paper over a lot of the cracks of modern Gaelic football with their last 3 championship matches.

Add to that our cracking game against Monaghan last year in the heat where Rian O'Neill gave one of the best displays of football I've ever seen.

Hands down the best team in the country to watch but that'll not win you much on its own. We'll keep improving though.

You lost that game to Monaghan, outplayed, outfoxed except for a brief O'Neill inspired flurry in the 2nd half and hadn't the wherewithal to finish out the game out after going ahead. Its a 70mins plus game.
That's past history, fwiw I think Galway were better but not by that much. The red card hit Armagh hard with Galway scoring 6 in a row in the aftermath. Shortly after the red card Armagh looked a beaten docket until added time.  But it's a 70mins plus game  and in those added 8 minutes Armagh looked invincible  and deserved the ET, especially after that outrageous equaliser from the player of the year, scoring the point of the year.

I know we were beat, just making the point that we've been in 2 of the best games of the year 2 years in a row- off topic but we'd have been home and hosed that day except for a couple of basic errors on our own kickout- our keeper was a 20 year old thrown in at the deep end after our keeper got covid that week.

Anyway, agree with ye on the Galway game, we started so wel but allowed Galway back into it, they were the better team up until the 70 minute mark. We looked beaten but the cheer that went up when the 8 minutes of injury time were announced seemed to drive us on again.

Anyway best of luck Galway and Derry for the semi- should be a cracker and hopefully yhe winner of that can win the final.

[seafoid]

Mayo need the next manager to win the All Ireland and break the cycle of losing at the last stage. It's probably a mix of psychology and forwards. A joint ticket of someone from outside the county and someone with experience of breaking through against the odds, even from another sport, might work. Someone like Pat Lam or Cora Staunton.

[galwayman]

Mayo need the next manager to win the All Ireland and break the cycle of losing at the last stage. It's probably a mix of psychology and forwards. A joint ticket of someone from outside the county and someone with experience of breaking through against the odds, even from another sport, might work. Someone like Pat Lam or Cora Staunton.

What has this got to do with Galway v Armagh?

[seafoid]

Good point.

[Applesisapples]

End of the day managers attitude is alot to blame especially McGeeney Attitude. Dublin were the masters of goading to Pat Kilroy came onboard and cut it out over night. Armagh been involved in 3 pile on this year. Bad one few yrs ago against Cavan, and the worst one was a U-21 game with Tyrone a few yrs bck. It doesn't happen in soccer/Rugby cause they issues punishments for such. And the general attitude is there's nothing wrong with it. No wonder children now aday grow up  with attitude of its someone else fault. And on the row, the initial instigator was Morgan not Comer, who shouldn't been on the field after blindsiding Walsh earlier.

The "row" was mostly pushing and holding (with the obvious, much discussed, exception). This used to be known as Handbags. In non-professional rugby and soccer, these rows also happen.

As for your Helen Lovejoy "won't somebody please think of the children" line, that gave me a laugh.

Hopefully the CCCC don't loose the run of themselves due to wailing on twitter and Galway will be at full strength for the Semi-Final.

They frequently happen in professional rugby and are allowed to fizzle out with the ref warning players as to future behaviour then if any serious foul play the citing commissioner intervenes. For some reason when they happen in GAA they are amplified beyond what they really are which is unsightly and unnecessary. The only two instances here needing dealt with are the gouge and the punch, the punch being as a result of the gouge would be less serious. In rugby these factors are taken in to account usually by the ref at the time. according to the Sunday Game the red cards were symbolic which is crap, if you are not going to allow the ref to use the video then if he has no clear sense of who did what it should be left to the video.

[nrico2006]

For anybody that was at the game yesterday it will live long in the memory. It had almost everything you would want and it's no coincidence that Armagh have been involved in some of the best games in the last year or two. At the end of the day football is about enjoyment and nobody could walk away yesterday saying they didn't get value for money. I actually think Armagh have helped paper over a lot of the cracks of modern Gaelic football with their last 3 championship matches.

Add to that our cracking game against Monaghan last year in the heat where Rian O'Neill gave one of the best displays of football I've ever seen.

Hands down the best team in the country to watch but that'll not win you much on its own. We'll keep improving though.

Armagh weren't great to watch for most of Sunday, had scored a pretty low tally until two Hail Mary's fell their way at the end.  Sometimes a reality check is needed.

[Applesisapples]

Theyve been at it before Donaghy arrived on the ticket.
Im not referring to the gouging because thats a separate thing thats unexplainable.
Open your eyes man. James Morgan and Greg McCabe are card magnets and dont help themselves or the team with their nonsense.
There are a few others who are a shoe-in for cards every game. Armagh are a betting man's dream when it comes to cards.

You are a bullshitter. Morgan has in the past been rash and card prone. Over the last 10 or 12 years Armagh have not been involved a lot of this stuff as you suggest. This year they have been involved in 3 instances which is too much, but this happening the length and breadth of the country at club and county level your allegation that Armagh are some how world leaders at it does not stack.

So we're into personal insults now because you disagree strongly with an opinion.
Classy. Then again i shouldnt be surprised.

Its not personal, you are bullshitting and labelling a whole county and its players as perennial thugs based on zero evidence.

You personally insulted me. Its black n white.
Where did i label a whole county and its players as perennial thugs. Those are your own words not mine. Be careful.
Theres plenty of evidence to suggest that Armagh have several players with issues when it comes to controlling aggression, breaking playing rules, getting themselves carded.

I actually think Armagh folk are a great bunch. Have had many a positive interaction with them on and off the pitch for last 30 years and count them as good friends.
Im actually a fan of the football they play. How could you not be.
Im not sure where all this hate and anger comes from today.

No hate, no anger read my take on yesterday, but suggesting that Armagh were wholly to blame and have been at it for years is just errant nonsense. If you are insulted that I believe that you are bullshitting there is nothing I can do for that, just my opinion of your musings and nothing personal.

I accept your apology, now that youve calmed down a little.
Let me be clear in case i wasnt before. Armagh are not solely to blame for yesterdays melee. It takes 2 to tango. I dont think anyone is suggesting otherwise.
Also im not suggesting that Armagh went out to start a pre-meditated melee at all. In fact i agree with you, no team does that as far as im aware.

However, what i was suggesting that in general the lesser footballer will often engage in nonsense to try gain that little edge over his clearly superior footballing opponent. In some cases many lesser footballers will round on the clearly superior footballer as a group and show of strength etc. Often times when there is a culture of chest beating and machismo in a group of players it will result in fracas, melees, set-tos, skullduggery. Sometimes it manifests itself as a box to the gut, other times it might be wrestling and grappling (which Armagh strangely seem to love)

To be clear, no apology is required and I am calm and rational.

[Applesisapples]

There has been some drivel written about the penalties in the past 24 hours, predominantly by middle-aged women on Facebook, unsurprisingly. Armagh were robbed due to having to kick penalties etc. even though Galway also had the operate in the same conditions.

As Oisin McConville said, penalties are no way to end a GAA game, but both teams knew before Sunday that was what was happening so no use in whinging. Galway just about the better team overall so had Armagh won on penalties it would have been a greater injustice and that is my gripe.

[Applesisapples]

Taoiseach and Catherine Martin getting stuck into this now. We're only moments away from somebody in the Dail asking for the Army to sent in to steward games.

He should be more concerned with the state of Cork football at the moment.

[yellowcard]

Hold on. How did we move onto Armagh now being the saviours of football and the best team in the country to watch.
Are we now saying they rival the great one-in-a-row team from 2002. Surely not.
This is getting better by the minute.

The irony of Down fans chipping in, a team that never won a match all season. It might be best to focus on improving your position as the worst team in Ulster rather than talk about things that happened last century.