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Pearses and Ros are teams back-boned by some incredibly young players. If managed properly themselves and Clann will have plenty of opportunities to win a county title in the years to come. Can't see either troubling Brigid's or Elphin this year - Brigids have quite literally hammered both in league or championship play within the last two months. When was the last time a Roscommon club lost to a Leitrim club in the Connacht championship?

I watched that video and if it wasn't for the reaction it provoked it would be the most ridiculed attempt at trolling ever designed. Both sides are just fulfilling each's worst fears about the other. It's the very definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

and more than one All Ireland!!

Did you attend them NeiltheMac? Were they good craic?
Only Galway people in Connacht have any memory of winning a (senior) All Ireland.

thats not true.
plenty of great GAA folk in Roscommon who still remember the great 2-in-a-row of 43 and 44.

And any Rossie over 20 has went into Murray's Bar in Knockcrockery and allowed their gaze drift northwards towards that ball, only to then have the privilege of talking to the man, this man:

A fella we know had promised to hook the oul' man and me with a pair of tickets for the final. That fell through earlier in the week, through no fault of the man.

Then I find the mobile has a missed call from the man today - hmmm, what could that be about?

I ring. No answer. No voice mail left.
I ring again. No answer.
I ring a half an hour later. Bingo!

The lad's brother-in-law had a pair and was undecided whether to go, and he settled on not going this morning. So the lad calls us up..

..but now, in true Irish fashun, the brother-in-law has decided 'ah sure, I'll go and give it a lash'.

Setting aside my misgivings as to someone (a Mayo man, no less) not sure if they will go to the All-Ireland football final having tickets in the first place, it's a pretty deflating experience thinking you've got tickets (twice) and it falling through, and I'm not even from either county. To those poor souls, God bless ye and your teams.

It's the muppet show and Marty for me this year.

Just an addendum for Rosfan's benefit: the same lad was able to procure AI hurling final replay tickets so I will be making a triumphant return to Croke Park to support the wonderful, amazing, Galway.

Swings and round-abouts.

[managing]

And the only people from Armagh are managing Leinster teams.

No. There is also a person from Armagh managing Armagh.

If you want to call it that, I suppose.

Re Langan, for about 3 years now they have had a plaque at the corner of the Cusack and Davin beside one of the bars ... "Tom Langan, full forward on the great Mayo team of 1951 & 1952" ..........................

Anyway - Pearce Hanley, time to answer your counties call for 1 year a la Tadgh Kenneally  !!

We won't be ready next year but maybe in 2014 we'll call him home and bring Sam back to the Hyde.

and more than one All Ireland!!

Did you attend them NeiltheMac? Were they good craic?
Only Galway people in Connacht have any memory of winning a (senior) All Ireland.

And the only people from Armagh are managing Leinster teams.

So Roscommon have pulled out of next years championship?

Not necessarily, they just don't list odds greater than 2000/1.
Do yez have clubs in Roscommon?

We have more than one forward too.

Brigid's-Elphin will likely decide who plays Galway in the Connacht semi-final with Turla. gone. If anyone can trouble Brigid's it's Elphin.

Mayo semis likely to be this week or next?

Any truth in the rumour  that Syferus is bringing his "expertise" to Mayowestros next year 

Technically we're 4x 2012 Connacht champions. And the Brigid's title is the 2011 Connacht Club.


Oh, and you forgot the Ted Webb shield me ladeen 

[Its Amazing how Kerry are favourites for 2013!!!]

I wonder will Mayo or Donegal's odds get better or worse if they win the 2012 All-Ireland. The whole difficult to defend your title the next year scenario. Its Amazing how Kerry are favourites for 2013!!!Kerry      11/4
Donegal   9/2
Dublin   9/2
Cork      9/2
Mayo      13/2

Any truth in rumour that Cian O'Neill (fitness conditioner etc with Mayo, ex-Tipp) is going to Kerry next year?  May have something to do with their odds...

Unless he's bringing down a weights program that reverses aging it doesn't.

I'd be scared too if Jimmy came to my cot with a sharp metal object.

[For me, and I'd say for most followers, apart from those directly involved, the minors are more about seeing prospects for the future than about winning the minor championship.]

For me, and I'd say for most followers, apart from those directly involved, the minors are more about seeing prospects for the future than about winning the minor championship. From that point of view, it was an encouraging season for Meath. It was great to see skilful and big, strong, athletic, traditional Meath type footballers like Brian Power, Pádraic Harnan, Shane McEntee and Adam Flanagan manning the spine of the defence and midfield. I'd be a little concerned that no really top-class forward seemed to emerge, though Cillian O'Sullivan has plenty of ability and will improve with both physical and mental maturity and Fiachra Ward, though very quiet yesterday, had a good year and seems to be a proper footballer too.

What club is Flanagan with?  The reason I ask is because his brother was playing midfield for Westmeath minors a few years ago, and played for St.Loman's. He now plays rugby for Leinster. Family may have moved?

Completely disagree. U21 is a far better championship to judge senior prospects by, minor is at least the third most prestigious football tournament played in any given year and the hope of supporters and players should be to win the blasted thing. The vast majority of these players won't ever get close to the senior county team, this is about a bunch of 16-18 year-old fulfilling a life's ambition. A winning team gives alot more to a county that a team with a few raw diamonds suffering through poor results.

Banty's not gone a wet week and already we're in Croke Park on AIF day.

To be pasted by the Dubs, as God intended it.

We could pussy-foot around Mayo's performance and say 'well they left no stone unturned' etc but that start was unforgivable for a county with so many final defeats in the last 23 years.

It was as simple as matching up Higgins with Murphy to have stopped Donegal from doing what they did. Higgins is perhaps the best man-marker in the game right now, he is a seriously under-rated player and deserves an All-Star for his efforts this year. Keane did well on McFadden for most of the game too which makes Horan's decision all the more bizarre. We were talking here about it before the game and we were sure Cafferkey or Higgins would be on Murphy and not Keane, who didn't seem a good match-up with Murphy's sheer power and size, nevermind being the greenest of the back line. Any mistakes on Murphy likely meant goals and so it was perhaps the most essential match-up for Mayo.