Messages

[Bit of rain that makes handling hard and you never know.]

Going by some reports Ireland and New Zealand didn't want the Scotland game to go ahead.

So they wanted to play each other?  I can see why NZ would want to play Ireland, but not the other way round.

South Africa are a big team and Ireland's brute (and energy sapping) game might not be as effective there. It could disrupt the all blacks. Bit of rain that makes handling hard and you never know. Thought the Scotland Japan second half was enthralling. The Scots left it too late to figure out how to beat them but put up some effort in the end when a hammering at one stage  was looking likely.

The Kiwis play most of their important rugby in shite wet conditions like we do in the Northen hemisphere unlike say the Aussies so it won't be any advantage to us unfortunately.

Ah, these Johnny Come Lately Ulster Plantation Presbyterian settlers would know feck all about it, would they?

Come to think of it he might have been one of those extremists we can't blame!!

Easy to blame extremists. Some border towns in the north are totally overrun with Romanians and Bulgarians and whilst the truth might not be palatable, these lads aren't working and hanging around the streets all day, so people don't feel entirely comfortable.

Funny I remeber talking to a presbyterian minister about 30 years ago he was telling me that the town he lived in in Antrim had become totally overun with Catholics and while it might no be palatble these Catholics weren't working and were just hanging around all day so people don't feel entirely confortable.

[Then take money from donors and hire some people.]

A bit of a Roman Abramovich scenario going on here, lots of double standard posters.

Its not pleasant having your laundry aired in public is it... especially for everyones favourite county, the arent we great brigade.

You see it across the country where individuals put money into their county. Declan Kelly Tipperary, JP McManus Limerick, Bertie Ahern and the €5m to Dublin.

As i said Double standards, At least other counties can put it to use, not a hope in Mayo. Dont even have the competence to accept free financial gifts.

I suppose it's difficult when you have actual volunteers trying to run the county board. There are several full time administrators in your own county for example.

Then take money from donors and hire some people.

Unfortunately money from donors is not a fixed income that can be budgeted to pay the annual salary or salaries for full time administrators let alone a CEO position. The only fixed income outside of gate receipts for a county like Mayo is sponsorship and most of this money is sucked up by day to day stuff like insurance, debt repayments, team expenses and coaching. Team expenses are the most frustrating since stuff like travel expenses and backroom teams to stay relevant or just compete are spiraling out of control but sponsorship and gate receipts depend on the level of success of a county team so it is a catch 22 situation!!

And they are out of control because you don't have the people in place to control it... Structures first, sun holidays second.

Sun holidays are fundraised each year seperately through an online lotto for mayo supporters and wouldn't be high up the list of priorities or a significant drain on resources.The structures in place in terms of fundraising and coaching development like the Mayo way are probably the best volunteers can manage in fairness. Travel expenses for players, s&c, underage coaching, stadium debt, insurance costs, running costs of the stadium, renting training pitches to suit players based in the east of the country would all be a much bigger drain on resources, this has increased all just to try and compete in division one and in the super 8's. Luckily we have local coaching teams to reduce the hit at all levels but these costs are significant that all the top counties have to endure except maybe the travel expenses. Again the resources are not there while trying to just stay competitive. If Mayo are not competitive then income reduces significantly through lack of season ticket sales and less sponsorship etc..!!
Realistically Mayo would need significant increase of central funding from the gaa to put in place a paid CEO at the outset but the gaa have decided to tie up these funds elsewhere and Mayo don't have the corporate pull to attract the sponsorship Dublin or Kerry or Cork do and the only way around this is to employ and experienced CEO they cannot afford to maximise the sponsorship they could attract!! Maybe in 10 or 15 years when the stadium debt is reduced a fulltime CEO could be put in place but there might not be much to manage by then so it is a catch 22 situation for Mayo and many other counties I guess.

[Then take money from donors and hire some people.]

A bit of a Roman Abramovich scenario going on here, lots of double standard posters.

Its not pleasant having your laundry aired in public is it... especially for everyones favourite county, the arent we great brigade.

You see it across the country where individuals put money into their county. Declan Kelly Tipperary, JP McManus Limerick, Bertie Ahern and the €5m to Dublin.

As i said Double standards, At least other counties can put it to use, not a hope in Mayo. Dont even have the competence to accept free financial gifts.

I suppose it's difficult when you have actual volunteers trying to run the county board. There are several full time administrators in your own county for example.

Then take money from donors and hire some people.

Unfortunately money from donors is not a fixed income that can be budgeted to pay the annual salary or salaries for full time administrators let alone a CEO position. The only fixed income outside of gate receipts for a county like Mayo is sponsorship and most of this money is sucked up by day to day stuff like insurance, debt repayments, team expenses and coaching. Team expenses are the most frustrating since stuff like travel expenses and backroom teams to stay relevant or just compete are spiraling out of control but sponsorship and gate receipts depend on the level of success of a county team so it is a catch 22 situation!!

[I read Connacht have a group of 16 year olds in boarding school.]

I would say this issue would be more relevant to soccer than rugby

I'm nor sure. Soccer requires a passport plus certain criteria. Rugby requires residency for 5 years.

I read Connacht have a group of 16 year olds in boarding school. At 21 they are eligible to play for Ireland (and SA if course). Soccer can't simply do that.

Its an issue, and while the bigger kids are doing it, so will we.

Ha! Ha! Quite possibly one the most ridiculous statements I have seen on this board in a while.

I know we are not the biggest rugby heads here out west but I think we can tell the difference between a few 16 year old lads from Kildare that go to Clongowes and South Africans!!!

Anyone think the stadia so far are superior looking to any of our provincial grounds?

Definitely. I don't think I have ever seen anything like the stadium today for the Irish game.

I was in that stadium 17 years ago to see Gary Breen score a peach if a goal against Saudi Arabia!!

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/sinn-fein-open-to-westminster-electoral-pact-with-other-proremain-parties-to-challenge-the-dup-says-oneill-38468538.html

It's the only sane thing to do for their constituents!

[Looking forward to the replay now, should be another classic. The difference between the Mayo-Dublin and Kerry-Dublin games is that you never really believed Mayo had the forwards to get over the line, while Kerry most certainly do.]

Looking forward to the replay now, should be another classic. The difference between the Mayo-Dublin and Kerry-Dublin games is that you never really believed Mayo had the forwards to get over the line, while Kerry most certainly do.

Clifford mixed the good with the bad. Something that isn't really been talked about is how well he did to get Cooper sent off. Cooper's second yellow came from Clifford very cleverly getting Cooper on the wrong side. That said, he missed a few simple enough chances that he'll need to pop over the next day.

Belief and reality are two different things and the reality is Mayo were just as close as Kerry and both sets of forwards preformed in very similar ways against the Dubs, well on yesterday's evidence anyway!!!

[Did anyone else notice Jason Sherlock running onto the pitch for practically every Kerry kickout in the first half?]

Did anyone else notice Jason Sherlock running onto the pitch for practically every Kerry kickout in the first half? He seemed to make a bee line for anywhere within the Kerry half where there was space and sometimes seemed to just run in a loop around it. The pessimist in me thought it looked like Dublin were getting another body on the pitch to make it seem more crowded for the Kerry kickouts. I know nothing illegal about what he was doing, but it did seem un-sporting to me.
Only an opinion from a neutral and wonder did anyone notice this or was it just me making something out of nothing.

One think I would criticise Gough about, there were a few times in the latter stages of the game when players went down injured and he made keepers take a kickout and on one occasion he waved off the medical staff off the pitch. Dangerous craic that, might have been gamesmanship but could have been serious injuries too.

Tony McEntee did that for us all the time under Rochford and he credited Donie Buckley with coming up with idea!!

People said Dublin would win easily here and that Mayo's opportunity was gone after drawn finals yet they were wrong about today and Mayo were just as competitive in the replays.

Kerry have room for improvement too. Neither Geaney or Clifford had great games and they really need to look at their own kickouts again.

Great game and delighted Kerry, like Mayo before them, showed that the Dubs can be challenged. Should be great game the next day too.

Very true Zulu but also people were saying that Kerry have way better forwards than Mayo and forwards were always Mayo's weakness in their battles with Dublin but Kerry only managed the score Mayo got in 2017!!
It will be very interesting to see what changes are made by Dublin and by Kerry to try and improve.
It seems at this point in time. that Dublin have more room for improvement and Kerry won't have the buffer of a man advantage for 35 plus minutes the next day!
The inexperienced Kerry lads will have gained a lot from today's game and maybe Brian Fenton will have some doubts after being blanked by Jack Barry yet again??

Kerry had their chance. Blew it...

It does feel like that but fair play to Kerry great comeback in the second half.

Super point by Spillane

Stupid challenge by Crowley there.

Dublin under real pressure here and Kerry don't have the finish line demons in the head we would have had in 2016 & 2017!!