Ladies GAA Finals

[Cunny Funt]

Well done to Dublin. Good defences wins championships.

[longballin]

Some performance by Dublin, great football and 46,000 supporters there. Well done to TG4.

[sid waddell]

Dublin were fitter, better balanced and more tactically aware - their dominance was based on running and that's how they got their scores.

Mayo kicked the game away in the first half and were relying on about six players - Staunton, the midfielder Aileen Gilroy, forwards Niamh Kelly, Sarah Rowe, Grace Kelly and the lovely Orla Conlon in defence.

Mayo actually had the better point takers from play but Dublin ran all over them.

Mayo gave away a lot of stupid close in frees. A defence fouling close in is so stupid. The free takers will put anything in the 25 metre range from straight in front over the bar but were there to be no foul there's about an 80% chance a score won't result from play. The standard of penalty taking is dreadful as we saw once again.

Again the overall standard and the skills on show were very patchy at best. The first 15 minutes of the second half in particular were hilariously bad, capped by a comical miss by Dublin's Noelle Healy with the goal at her mercy.

It's a poor reflection on women's football that Cora Staunton is still the best player in the game nearly 20 years after her heyday. She showed flashes of her class such as a monster early free from 47 metres but there's only so much one woman can do.

Dublin were lucky Cork were taken out by Mayo as I expect Cork would have beaten them again.

[Syferus]

Dublin were fitter, better balanced and more tactically aware - their dominance was based on running and that's how they got their scores.

Mayo kicked the game away in the first half and were relying on about six players - Staunton, the midfielder Aileen Gilroy, forwards Niamh Kelly, Sarah Rowe, Grace Kelly and the lovely Orla Conlon in defence.

Mayo actually had the better point takers from play but Dublin ran all over them.

Mayo gave away a lot of stupid close in frees. A defence fouling close in is so stupid. The free takers will put anything in the 25 metre range from straight in front over the bar but were there to be no foul there's about an 80% chance a score won't result from play. The standard of penalty taking is dreadful as we saw once again.

Again the overall standard and the skills on show were very patchy at best. The first 15 minutes of the second half in particular were hilariously bad, capped by a comical miss by Dublin's Noelle Healy with the goal at her mercy.

It's a poor reflection on women's football that Cora Staunton is still the best player in the game nearly 20 years after her heyday. She showed flashes of her class such as a monster early free from 47 metres but there's only so much one woman can do.

Dublin were lucky Cork were taken out by Mayo as I expect Cork would have beaten them again.

F-

Must try harder.

[sid waddell]

Dublin were fitter, better balanced and more tactically aware - their dominance was based on running and that's how they got their scores.

Mayo kicked the game away in the first half and were relying on about six players - Staunton, the midfielder Aileen Gilroy, forwards Niamh Kelly, Sarah Rowe, Grace Kelly and the lovely Orla Conlon in defence.

Mayo actually had the better point takers from play but Dublin ran all over them.

Mayo gave away a lot of stupid close in frees. A defence fouling close in is so stupid. The free takers will put anything in the 25 metre range from straight in front over the bar but were there to be no foul there's about an 80% chance a score won't result from play. The standard of penalty taking is dreadful as we saw once again.

Again the overall standard and the skills on show were very patchy at best. The first 15 minutes of the second half in particular were hilariously bad, capped by a comical miss by Dublin's Noelle Healy with the goal at her mercy.

It's a poor reflection on women's football that Cora Staunton is still the best player in the game nearly 20 years after her heyday. She showed flashes of her class such as a monster early free from 47 metres but there's only so much one woman can do.

Dublin were lucky Cork were taken out by Mayo as I expect Cork would have beaten them again.

F-

Must try harder.

Go and pull yourself off listening to Brian Carthy's twee, patronising guff or something.

[Asal Mor]

No harm in a bit of critical analysis of the ladies' game. They're treated like u-10s in the media as though it would be totally out of order to say anything negative when analysing the game. I enjoyed it mildly but the result was never in doubt and Sid is bang on that Dublin won because they had a few fliers in their team rather than having better skills. The men's game suffers a bit from this too though. My own pet hate is the short kickout which is eliminating the skills of high fielding and winning breaking ball. There's no point having an Aidan O Shea in your team when most kickouts are dribbled out towards the corner flag for a corner back to run onto. Better to have a smaller lad that can run up and down the pitch for 70 minutes.

Another problem for both the ladies football and camogie is the effectiveness of blanket defences as the women don't have the power to score from  distance.

[Orchard park]

Pity. Dublin play a surprisingly negative style of football. All about having masses of bodies back and breaking fast. Good, fit footballers but it's a pity even the women's game has went this way.

They created about 8 goal chances though. Very effective. Some excellent tackling from them throughout.

It was effective, but it's a really pity to see such pacy and talented footballers labouring under a system that's first aim is to stifle the opposition, not impose themselves on the opposition. A widespread problem in football.

Do you really think Dublin laboured today. A tactical masterclass from the excellent Mick Bohan

[From the Bunker]

Pity. Dublin play a surprisingly negative style of football. All about having masses of bodies back and breaking fast. Good, fit footballers but it's a pity even the women's game has went this way.

They created about 8 goal chances though. Very effective. Some excellent tackling from them throughout.

It was effective, but it's a really pity to see such pacy and talented footballers labouring under a system that's first aim is to stifle the opposition, not impose themselves on the opposition. A widespread problem in football.

Do you really think Dublin laboured today. A tactical masterclass from the excellent Mick Bohan

Don't think Dublin laboured. They looked completely comfortable when Mayo had 13 and later 14 on the field of play!

[Maroon Manc]

This was first ladies game I've watched this year i addition to the one I watched last year. Is Mayo's star forward always that greedy? I counted 6 wides and one shot dropped short in a 15 minute period either side of half time yesterday, it was a very similar performance to last years game when they were knocked out when she was attempting shots from ridiculous angles.

[ballinaman]

This was first ladies game I've watched this year i addition to the one I watched last year. Is Mayo's star forward always that greedy? I counted 6 wides and one shot dropped short in a 15 minute period either side of half time yesterday, it was a very similar performance to last years game when they were knocked out when she was attempting shots from ridiculous angles.

Yes

[Syferus]

This was first ladies game I've watched this year i addition to the one I watched last year. Is Mayo's star forward always that greedy? I counted 6 wides and one shot dropped short in a 15 minute period either side of half time yesterday, it was a very similar performance to last years game when they were knocked out when she was attempting shots from ridiculous angles.

Yes

It was born as much for her knowing for a decade and a half it was her or bust. Grace Kelly looks a real talent now, though.

[From the Bunker]

This was first ladies game I've watched this year i addition to the one I watched last year. Is Mayo's star forward always that greedy? I counted 6 wides and one shot dropped short in a 15 minute period either side of half time yesterday, it was a very similar performance to last years game when they were knocked out when she was attempting shots from ridiculous angles.

Yes

It was born as much for her knowing for a decade and a half it was her or bust. Grace Kelly looks a real talent now, though.

Grace is a real talent! As is her sister Niamh. There are a group (of forwards) there whose development has been curtailed by Cora not retiring (or a sideline to tell her to Cop on and be a team player). Media don't help making the final from a Mayo perspective all about Cora! Veteran players usually stay a year or two longer to help younger players grow! In Mayo's case the opposite has happened.

[Rudi]

That's very true From the Bunker.  Younger players are afraid to express themselves.  I thought Cora was shocking greedy yday. Pity she could not move to a play making role and exempt herself from wild shots. Padraig Joyce was a little like Cora in his last 2 years with Galway .

[Main Street]

An average figure of 410,000 viewed the final on a peripheral channel,  broadcasted in a 'foreign' language.

Of course when a subscription channel finally is allowed to get their exclusive hands on this particular lucrative franchise, add on some super duper chalk board punditry which  due to amazing advances in technology also  takes advantage of commenting on slow motion and freeze frames, astounding all and sundry, Croke Park will manage to reduce this viewing  figure from 400,000  to 10,000 and yet proclaim it to be a revolutionary watershed in the history of the  GAA and a resounding success.

[From the Bunker]

The football final record attendance had  more to do with Dublin and Mayo being in the final. Dublin had big numbers there because it could not be more convenient (added to the feel good factor from the men) and Mayo are just football mad! If you replace one of Mayo/Dublin in the final next year the attendance will be down!