Mayo v Dublin - AISF - Saturday 5pm

[From the Bunker]

I probably go against the grain here being from Mayo and all.

I was probably seen as pessimistic going into today's game but I would prefer to call it realistic.

Still being realistic I think we had a good year. A lot went wrong but we got a long way being as dysfunctional as f**k at times.

Ironically our first half today is probably the first time I ve ever seen a Mayo team deliberately trying to control a game. I was genuinely impressed by that.
Not too depressed by what happened after tbh. A Dublin team 20 yrs ago could kill ye if they got a run on. In the 2006 AI semi we were on the ropes a bit before sneaking it. Not a lot has changed except now Dublin now don't f**k up when they get the opposition on the ropes.
Mayo was in a hopeless situation before a ball was kicked today. I'm not saying that another week would have changed the result but it reminded me of the scene from Gladiator where Maximus is wounded before his fight with the Emperor.
It was great to see Parsons able to come on and other injuries have defined our season in a way. I know people want to write us off but when you consider our younger players have been destroyed by injuries all summer, the older lads have dug out a good rearguard campaign and expect most to be back again. Ruane and McDonagh have been disrupted by injury. Durcan out for most of the Summer and Diarmuid O Connor not able to do himself justice today after wrist fracture.
Surely nobody thinks likes of Colm Boyle is through? One of his best years.
I'm not comfortable with a lot of the Dub bashing. I expect Mayo to match and compete with Dublin and suspect that people in Kerry, Tyrone, Donegal do as well.
The genie is not going back in the bottle. Dumbing Dublin down is not the way forward. That would make things worse. You would end up with a championship lite with no credibility at all.

In other eras your optimism would be well founded. This era of Financial Doping is a real game changer. Your long held loyalty to football is blinding you and I totally understand this. And you are afraid to admit to yourself that inter-county football is a one horse race.

[Hound]

Things certainly didn't look good in the first half. Mayo well on top in midfield, they must have won 80% of all the breaks around the field. Our support play wasn't up to scratch, forwards were running into traffic and had nobody close by to release it to. Our defenders were giving Mayo a yard too much space.

A lot of people who watched on tv were complaining about Scully. Sure, he made a couple of bad mistakes, but he was one of our best players in terms of making himself available all the time and pushing us forward. Himself, Howard and Macauley were the 3 in the first half who worked hardest and contributed most to keeping us in it IMO.  Glad to get away with a 2 point deficit.

Not sure tiredness can have had anything to do with the 2nd half, given the turnaround happened immediately after the half time break.

That first 15/20 minutes of the second half must be about as good as Dublin have ever played.

Fenton was probably the 4th of 5th best midfielder in the first half! There was once when Aidan picked his pocket superbly and for me it was a "head in hands" moment. But jeez he was absolutely awesome in the second half. Won everything.

And Con and Mannion were simply unplayable. What a duo. Hopefully all is well for the final, Mannion seemed to go over on his ankle and limped off. Con vomited on the sideline after the belt to the stomach that saw him go off. But I hear he seemed fine in the after match interview.

Often underrated, but absolutely crucial to our success is having the best manager and best freetaker in the land. A great day for both Jim and Dean.

I know he cant really kicks points, but why Mayo consistently insist on shackling Lee Keegan is beyond me. To take his athleticism and driving power out of the equation is nuts. He's not you best player anymore, but he's still up there. Let him play! (Interesting that he seems to be the most popular Mayo player among the Dublin players. There was a point when there was literally a queue of Dubs waiting to embrace him during the interactions after the full time whistle!)

What a warrior Colm Boyle is.

Great to see Tom Parsons back.  Got a nice ovation from everyone.

[seafoid]

I probably go against the grain here being from Mayo and all.

I was probably seen as pessimistic going into today's game but I would prefer to call it realistic.

Still being realistic I think we had a good year. A lot went wrong but we got a long way being as dysfunctional as f**k at times.

Ironically our first half today is probably the first time I ve ever seen a Mayo team deliberately trying to control a game. I was genuinely impressed by that.
Not too depressed by what happened after tbh. A Dublin team 20 yrs ago could kill ye if they got a run on. In the 2006 AI semi we were on the ropes a bit before sneaking it. Not a lot has changed except now Dublin now don't f**k up when they get the opposition on the ropes.
Mayo was in a hopeless situation before a ball was kicked today. I'm not saying that another week would have changed the result but it reminded me of the scene from Gladiator where Maximus is wounded before his fight with the Emperor.
It was great to see Parsons able to come on and other injuries have defined our season in a way. I know people want to write us off but when you consider our younger players have been destroyed by injuries all summer, the older lads have dug out a good rearguard campaign and expect most to be back again. Ruane and McDonagh have been disrupted by injury. Durcan out for most of the Summer and Diarmuid O Connor not able to do himself justice today after wrist fracture.
Surely nobody thinks likes of Colm Boyle is through? One of his best years.
I'm not comfortable with a lot of the Dub bashing. I expect Mayo to match and compete with Dublin and suspect that people in Kerry, Tyrone, Donegal do as well.
The genie is not going back in the bottle. Dumbing Dublin down is not the way forward. That would make things worse. You would end up with a championship lite with no credibility at all.

In other eras your optimism would be well founded. This era of Financial Doping is a real game changer. Your long held loyalty to football is blinding you and I totally understand this. And you are afraid to admit to yourself that inter-county football is a one horse race.

The height of mediocrity is the challenge
Crawling through the entrails of imbalance

https://youtu.be/HgoTSuBZPGI


All the promises our teachers made
If we worked hard
If we behaved

https://youtu.be/BHnJp0oyOxs

Funding the Dubs is like concussion in rugby. People don't want to know

[highorlow]

https://mobile.twitter.com/EwanMacKenna/status/1160299309868302336

He left it a bit later this time 😅

[The Hill is Blue]

Yesterday was the swan song of a brave Mayo team. While you have to sympathise with their older players who have served tirelessly for over a decade, the real sympathy is due to their huge band of loyal supporters who continue to follow the team - always with optimism only to be finally disappointed again and again.

Well done Dublin for a devastating second half. But remember it's only a semi-final. All the work has yet to be done. 

[From the Bunker]

Yesterday was the swan song of a brave Mayo team. While you have to sympathise with their older players who have served tirelessly for over a decade, the real sympathy is due to their huge band of loyal supporters who continue to follow the team - always with optimism only to be finally disappointed again and again.

Well done Dublin for a devastating second half. But remember it's only a semi-final. All the work has yet to be done.

You are far to gracious in victory HIB. I would like also to congratulate the  huge loyal Dublin fans who travel near and far with always a hint of the unknown as to how the result will go. As promised, I will be shouting for the Dubs in the final. Another landslide AI win is what the GAA need ( not that they realise tbis).

[blast05]

Not sure why Mayo supporters need sympathy... we have had (and will continue to have) a fabulous journey. It's not just about winning and losing. Winning is the icing on the cake. The cake is the journey and experiences gained. Ultimately, the last 10 years following this team has resulted in a greatly increased sense of Mayo identity, a pride of place and indeed a resilience in our people that is priceless - and all thanks to this team of warriors. We (the supporters) are truly blessed

[seafoid]

Not sure why Mayo supporters need sympathy... we have had (and will continue to have) a fabulous journey. It's not just about winning and losing. Winning is the icing on the cake. The cake is the journey and experiences gained. Ultimately, the last 10 years following this team has resulted in a greatly increased sense of Mayo identity, a pride of place and indeed a resilience in our people that is priceless - and all thanks to this team of warriors. We (the supporters) are truly blessed

That Mayo team would probably have won Sam in the 90s or 00s
Or if they were hurlers

[Farrandeelin]

Yesterday was the swan song of a brave Mayo team. While you have to sympathise with their older players who have served tirelessly for over a decade, the real sympathy is due to their huge band of loyal supporters who continue to follow the team - always with optimism only to be finally disappointed again and again.

Well done Dublin for a devastating second half. But remember it's only a semi-final. All the work has yet to be done.

Not sure what to make of your opening paragraph tbh. Sarcasometer must be in overdrive is the first thing that came to mind. It's hard to see the mainstays staying on for another year to receive another trimming. I suppose we did get a league title from them, but it could have been much, much more. If it was 10 years previous, if Hennelly hadn't have flapped in 2013, if the 2 own goals hadn't gone in in 2016, if Vaughan hadn't stupidly got himself sent off in 2017.

But we didn't and we won't either now unfortunately for a long, long time. 

[Zulu]

Not sure why Mayo supporters need sympathy... we have had (and will continue to have) a fabulous journey. It's not just about winning and losing. Winning is the icing on the cake. The cake is the journey and experiences gained. Ultimately, the last 10 years following this team has resulted in a greatly increased sense of Mayo identity, a pride of place and indeed a resilience in our people that is priceless - and all thanks to this team of warriors. We (the supporters) are truly blessed

Bang on. This Mayo team have sowed the seeds for a bright future for Mayo football and I expect them to challenge for the biggest prize for many years to come even if the next few years might see them drop out of the top 3. They'll be back soon enough if that does happen.

[Lar Naparka]

Yesterday was the swan song of a brave Mayo team. While you have to sympathise with their older players who have served tirelessly for over a decade, the real sympathy is due to their huge band of loyal supporters who continue to follow the team - always with optimism only to be finally disappointed again and again.

Well done Dublin for a devastating second half. But remember it's only a semi-final. All the work has yet to be done.

Not sure what to make of your opening paragraph tbh. Sarcasometer must be in overdrive is the first thing that came to mind. It's hard to see the mainstays staying on for another year to receive another trimming. I suppose we did get a league title from them, but it could have been much, much more. If it was 10 years previous, if Hennelly hadn't have flapped in 2013, if the 2 own goals hadn't gone in in 2016, if Vaughan hadn't stupidly got himself sent off in 2017.

But we didn't and we won't either now unfortunately for a long, long time. 

I wouldn't be that pessimistic, Farr, not by a long shot. There are structures in place now that weren't there when James Horan first took over that should help with the development of underage football for the foreseeable future. Fundraising and facilities come to mind as well as the underage coaching and development seems to be far better organised than heretofore.
Some of the older present players may decide to retire but I bet you will be able to count the number on one hand. These lads are not quitters and I can't see that changing because of on bad result. I don''t think we could have expected to win yesterday even if we didn't have such a long list of injuries but the players will decide in their own good time if yesterday represented all they have to give.
They say history is written by the victors and that is true in the case of yesterday's result. There are bucks getting paid to waffle who wrote today that Dublin were only holding back in the first half and knew all along they had only to move up a gear to blow Mayo away. I bet those chancers had a different script penned by half time that they conveniently scrapped when the final whistle had blown.
Unreserved credit due to Dublin, they never panicked and were never going to lose their concentration or change their game plan. I felt even at half time that it would be nothing short of a miracle if Mayo still led by the end. But the long and the short of it is that their punishing schedule and the number of key players who were crocked did have an effect on their second half display. It might only have made a couple of points of a difference in the end. I dunno and never will but I didn't see anyone throwing in the towel either.
If the young lads coming through follow the example set by the great men who went before them, there will be a seamless transition- Mayo won't be going away any time soon.
Too many of the lads werestarting to look shagged well before half time.

[Dubhaltach]

Fenton, Mannion and Con O Callaghan are absolutely awesome in full flight and are virtually unmarkable when given a good supply of ball. You are far more likely to unearth freaks like those boys when you're dealing with a population of 1.4 million as opposed to Mayo who have a population of 130 thousand. For me, that is still the biggest advantage they have, bigger than money, Croke Park etc.

For Mayo, yesterday's game had some similarities to the 2015 Semi Final replay, a good first half performance totally undone by a 5 minute shitshow where we were destroyed on our own kickouts. The reality is that the game was over after 42 minutes. Dublin always win their own kickout after conceding a goal, they rarely lose 2 kickouts in a row and they NEVER lose more than 2 in a row. The reason for this is that winning opposition kickouts gives a team a massive momentum boost and the Dubs are well aware of this. When the Dubs win a few opposition kickouts, one after another, it creates an unstoppable blue wave aided by the hill.

After Dublin got their first goal yesterday Dublin won a barely believable 5 Mayo kickouts in a row (Durcan initially won 1 of these but lost it a second later). This is totally unacceptable form a Mayo point of view, all the more frustrating considering the lesson was not learned 4 years ago. While Hennelly has to take some of the blame for this, the fact that the same thing happened to Clarke down in Killarney shows that this is a total systems failure on behalf of management, outfield players and goalkeepers. This is not happening to any of the other 3 teams that made the semi finals (Kerry secured their last 4 kickouts today despite immense pressure from the Tyrone forwards) so there is no reason why the problem can't be fixed. James Horan needs to spend the first few months of next year specifically working on this area because the problem continuously rears it's head. Groundhog day.

I see the usual obituaries are being written for 'this great team'. It might interest some of them that of the team that started Horan's first All Ireland final in 2012, 5 of them, Keegan, Boyle, Vaughan, Aidan and Cillian started yesterday. While that's still a large number to carry across 7 years, it's far from the same team. Lads like Ruane, Carr, Stephen Coen, McDonagh and Boland will have learned a lot from yesterday and will come back stronger next year.

[macdanger2]

Well done Dublin, they're a serious team

I thought it was crying out for someone to go down injured in the first few minutes of the second half to break Dublin's momentum but instead, we were rushing to get the ball kicked out as quickly as possible and Dublin were winning everything. Very naive of us

[WhoDat]

I dont see why mayo wouldn't be there or thereabouts again next year. they wont win it, no one except dublin will for the foreseeable, but they have found a few new players, won the league and still made a semi final while carrying a number of injuries through the year. they can still be competitive next year. they should probably focus on winning connacht again. if they keep an eye on roscommon and given kevin walsh is showing no signs of moving, I'd say they've a great chance of snatching it back.

[The Hill is Blue]

Yesterday was the swan song of a brave Mayo team. While you have to sympathise with their older players who have served tirelessly for over a decade, the real sympathy is due to their huge band of loyal supporters who continue to follow the team - always with optimism only to be finally disappointed again and again.

Well done Dublin for a devastating second half. But remember it's only a semi-final. All the work has yet to be done.

Not sure what to make of your opening paragraph tbh. Sarcasometer must be in overdrive is the first thing that came to mind. It's hard to see the mainstays staying on for another year to receive another trimming. I suppose we did get a league title from them, but it could have been much, much more. If it was 10 years previous, if Hennelly hadn't have flapped in 2013, if the 2 own goals hadn't gone in in 2016, if Vaughan hadn't stupidly got himself sent off in 2017.

But we didn't and we won't either now unfortunately for a long, long time. 

I'm surprised that you read my contribution as you did. They were my genuine feelings with absolutely no sarcasm intended.