All-Ireland Final, September 18th, 2016 - Dublin v Mayo

[straightred]

Dublin went 6/23 from play (26%) and 3/8 from frees (38%).

Those stats just show how the media control the narrative. If Mayo had run up those sort of numbers they would be labelled 'bottlers'. Instead the narrative is that Dublin simply had an off day. Which is probably true as I think Dublin simply didn't play well enough on the day. Watching the match again I was surprised at just how mistakes Mayo made in possession as well. Both sides have a lot of room for improvement and I think conditions played a major factor in that.

Except most of the Dublin lads have multiple Celtic crosses so they are hardly going to be called bottlers. Mayo haven't any and until they do the rest of us will doubt them

[gallsman]

As a neutral it appears as though you are letting your obvious hatred for O'Connor skew your opinion. Whatever you think about O'Connor he certainly doesn't lack balls. He doesn't run up big tallies from play but as a free taker he is among the most reliable in the country. Rock misfired for Dublin yesterday in a way that O'Connor didn't but that doesn't mean he lacked the balls either, just simply had an off day. It happens sometimes.

I don't hate him - I don't know the man, how on earth could I hate him?! I just don't rate him as an elite footballer.

My labelling him as a coward was to do with the sneaky, dirty hits he frequently utilises as part of his game. Part of his game that was, incidentally, on show yesterday.

[From the Bunker]

€60 a ticket for stand! Why is it not €50 like the Hurling replays? 

[Hound]

Dublin went 6/23 from play (26%) and 3/8 from frees (38%).

Those stats just show how the media control the narrative. If Mayo had run up those sort of numbers they would be labelled 'bottlers'. Instead the narrative is that Dublin simply had an off day. Which is probably true as I think Dublin simply didn't play well enough on the day. Watching the match again I was surprised at just how mistakes Mayo made in possession as well. Both sides have a lot of room for improvement and I think conditions played a major factor in that.

The 6/23 also ignores the shots turned down. Once Kilkenny and Flynn had hit a wide a piece, they both refused to shoot any more!

At least Rock kept plugging away. Scored with his last two shots, one from play, one from a free and neither were gimmees.

COC last year was unbelieveable from frees. He's not going quite as well this year. Not sure, but I think the last point was his only one from play. But it was a class point, and should give him a huge confidence boost for next time. I think Diarmuid might be better left on the bench next time, he'd make a big impact as a sub I'd say.

[IolarCoisCuain]

The abuse directed at Cillian O'Connor makes me, as a Mayoman, really happy. This sort of stuff:

O'Connor is most certainly a coward. As mentioned previously, he's a bad f**ker for sneaky hits off the ball. While he was hit a nasty wraparound by McAuley, it a only came after he tried to throw the shoulder in. He's a nasty little bollocks.

Isn't it brilliant? For years and years and years we've heard about there being no marquee forward in Mayo. Well, there by-God is now and just how impactful O'Connor is can measured by this sort of spluttering indignation. And you know the best thing? O'Connor is only twenty-five years old. He'll be around for years and years and years. Good times. 

Boo f**king hoo, someone disagrees with your assessment of how good a player someone is.

O'Connor is massively over hyped and overrated. As I said yesterday, that he scored that point showed balls I didn't think he had. Mind you, he did foul the ball in the buildup...

A marquee forward? Catch yourself on. Any Mayo fans who say they'd trust COC to go out there and win them a tough game are talking complete balls.

Give it to me, big boy. This is just exactly how I like it. Oh, yeah. 

[muppet]

Dublin went 6/23 from play (26%) and 3/8 from frees (38%).

Those stats just show how the media control the narrative. If Mayo had run up those sort of numbers they would be labelled 'bottlers'. Instead the narrative is that Dublin simply had an off day. Which is probably true as I think Dublin simply didn't play well enough on the day. Watching the match again I was surprised at just how mistakes Mayo made in possession as well. Both sides have a lot of room for improvement and I think conditions played a major factor in that.

The 6/23 also ignores the shots turned down. Once Kilkenny and Flynn had hit a wide a piece, they both refused to shoot any more!

At least Rock kept plugging away. Scored with his last two shots, one from play, one from a free and neither were gimmees.

COC last year was unbelieveable from frees. He's not going quite as well this year. Not sure, but I think the last point was his only one from play. But it was a class point, and should give him a huge confidence boost for next time. I think Diarmuid might be better left on the bench next time, he'd make a big impact as a sub I'd say.

Cillian scored as many points from play as all of the Dublin forwards did, i.e. 2. Gallsman's constant cowardly posts attacking him are emabarrasing. Mayo forwards all tackle on, or just beyond, the rules. This is a strategy where the reward (turnover very high up the pitch) greatly exceeds the risk (free out).

Cillian has showed massive bottle many times, not least in the drawn game against Dublin last year when he scored the very late penalty. His equaliser yesterday, selling a dummy with a greasy ball, on a pitch where quality players like Diarmuid Connelly and Kevin McMenamin couldn't keep their feet, was top class.

Regarding the game, I hate the black card and I think McCarthy was another unfortunate victim of a daft rule.

I thought John Small was the Dubs best player and that Andrews should be starting ahead of about 3 of their forwards.

Part of me wants to say Dublin would have won if they had a marquee forward, but that would just sound like a cheap insult to some great amateur exponents of our game.

For us, Harrison, Durcan and Vaughan were excellent. Doherty was good while Cillian and Andy played well at times, but not consistently.

One feature of recent Dublin v Mayo matches is that when each team gets a run on the other, they score heavily. We did that after halftime, but strangely the Dubs didn't seem to get one of those purple patches. I'd be surprised if that happens the next day.

[gallsman]

Give it to me, big boy. This is just exactly how I like it. Oh, yeah. 

Sigh. I thought you might actually be interested, oddly enough, in a discussion.

[Cavan97]

anyone know about Alan Dillons injury?

[omaghjoe]

FFs to COC. When he first came on the scene I never thought he was that great and that his scoring rate was more down to the circumstance he found himself in than anything else.
But hes proved that to be complete bollocks, I also thought he may be a bit of a soft touch but he's proved that BS too.

Gallsman seems to have had the same opinion as I did but wants to hold on to it despite the player in question proving it wrong again and again

His brother on the other hand looks like a good footballer but hasnt proved it at all yet from what I have seen of him, and has done nothing to warrrant on the praise heaped on him

[Fuzzman]

Most of us said before this game that Mayo had to really get into Dublin's faces and get physical with them and it looks like this is exactly what they did. They had huge intensity in the tackle which certainly put the Dublin forwards off their game.

From an article in the Indo.
There was nearly a repeat of the infamous 'Mill at the Hill' from the 2006 meetings of the team as both panels rushed towards the bench for the pre-match photograph.
Mayo were supposed to take to the field first but John Casey of Midwest Radio revealed that Mayo waited in the tunnel for six minutes to confront the reigning champs as they took to the pitch.

He claimed that Aidan O'Shea and Kevin McManamon were 'swinging at each other' as they crossed the field from the Hogan to the Cusack side.

[AZOffaly]

I'm sure the program said Dublin were supposed to take the field first.

[thebackbar1]

I'm sure the program said Dublin were supposed to take the field first.

as am I, the programme said that Dublin were to be out first then two minutes later Mayo, but i heard someone saying Dublin were delayed.

[AZOffaly]

I'm sure the program said Dublin were supposed to take the field first.

as am I, the programme said that Dublin were to be out first then two minutes later Mayo, but i heard someone saying Dublin were delayed.

Delayed? Jaysus, wait until the bus strike on the 1st, they'll not be able to make it there at all!

[gallsman]

FFs to COC. When he first came on the scene I never thought he was that great and that his scoring rate was more down to the circumstance he found himself in than anything else.
But hes proved that to be complete bollocks, I also thought he may be a bit of a soft touch but he's proved that BS too.

Gallsman seems to have had the same opinion as I did but wants to hold on to it despite the player in question proving it wrong again and again

His brother on the other hand looks like a good footballer but hasnt proved it at all yet from what I have seen of him, and has done nothing to warrrant on the praise heaped on him

When has he proved it wrong again and again? Diarmuid is a vastly superior footballer and has shown in repeatedly in his shorter career to date.

[macdanger2]

I'm sure the program said Dublin were supposed to take the field first.

as am I, the programme said that Dublin were to be out first then two minutes later Mayo, but i heard someone saying Dublin were delayed.

Yeah, Dublin were definitely due out first and were ~4 mins late coming out