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Speaking of Donegal....

Murphy and McBrearty are both class forwards.
They also have MacNilis, Mchugh (*2) and maybe McFadden (or has he retired fully).

Lookin good so far this year and if Rory Gallagher is to be believed they are only doing light enough training at the moment.

Light training my arse.

Are they doing any more or less than Ros ?

Speaking of Donegal....

Murphy and McBrearty are both class forwards.
They also have MacNilis, Mchugh (*2) and maybe McFadden (or has he retired fully).

Lookin good so far this year and if Rory Gallagher is to be believed they are only doing light enough training at the moment.

Excellent win for Dublin.

Played absolutely shite and still won

Fair assessment

Apparently half this team play for a divisional side or kenmare? damn strange Junior side

The only way to beat them is to join them. Templenoe are currently a Division 1 side in Kerry and yes a lot of that team played divisional football at senior championship level. But that is the Kerry system

If you want to level the playing field then the same structures should be applied in Mayo and other counties.

Otherwise these mismatches will happen continuously. By   the way if you think it bothers the Templenoe lads well you can forget it. As far as they are concerned they have an All Ireland medal in their back pockets and a handy one at that.

In years to come all that will be remembered of the match is the result and a great win for Templenoe who swept all before them in their conquest of Ireland.

One of the big things needed from Mayos perspective is leadership on the field. That was badly lacking in Cork. For instance everyone is giving out about Regan missing that free from circa 40 yards out in the first half. But no one mentions that he had to take it out of his hands into a very strong breeze lowering the % accuracy rate significantly. Why didn't someone (one of the more seasoned players) signal for Hennelly to come up and attempt those long range kicks into the wind especially as he can have more accuracy off the ground with a lower trajectory.

Unfortunately we didn't have that leadership in the forwards last week especially after KMac went off. Everyone left was virtually a newbie (including DO'Connor) or somewhat more a fringe player e.g. Doherty or just back in the fold e.g. Gibbons. Aidan O'Shea will have to take up that mantle of directing what is going on.

Hopefully he has the wherewithal to make the correct calls at the right times. 

[I think the ref. should make the decision that the player is taken off for assessment (like a blood situation), when the doctor has misgivings about a head injury.]

True. While Keegan did not get another direct belt to the head after, he was working hard and would have been in contact again. As already been said it doesn t need another head hit for things to get serious. Any jarring or whiplash will cause further scrambling of the brain. Scary stuff.
Maybe this incident will cause some guidelines to be brought in and stuff like this does not happen. The Mayo doctor wanted him off, that was clear. When Keegan insisted on being ok, and on continuing ( and got thick about it), what then?
I think the ref. should make the decision that the player is taken off for assessment (like a blood situation), when the doctor has misgivings about a head injury. If there was a system in place then players would not have any veto about their condition to continue and that would be safer imo. Players accept when they are bleeding they have to come off for treatment. This would become normal practice with head injuries as well.

In soccer if a player goes down and someone comes on the field to treat them the player must leave and re-enter the field of play before they can re-join the match. This should be the same case in GAA. If a guy is down and doctors need to treat him he should leave the field of play for some sort of assessment. I don't think it be down to the ref to administer this either. They have enough to do.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/toms-s-my-jaw-was-broken-i-was-concussedi-was-cryingi-still-would-have-trained-with-kerry-the-following-night-if-it-was-on-34415483.html

I wouldn't be too hard on the Mayo medical people , but I would like to see definite procedures in place (for all levels)

Hi last sentence in that article is the real predicament that faces players and teams at IC level. It's easy be wise after the fact but it's when so much is on the line and who is going to win out that's the real call. I also have a feeling this whole issue will get a lot more airtime as the year goes on. 

With Division 1 as tight as it is points difference could decide who goes up or down. I think management need to be shrewder in terms of game management. Everyone knew we were missing a lot of key players so I don't know why a more defensive and counter attacking approach was not taken with these 2 big games in mind.

I also think that the game was not a true reflection on the players as a lot didn't play up to standards or were clearly off the pace. Also a lot of excuses were flying around national media all week about how many we were missing. I wonder did maybe some of this get into the players heads and they ended up going down there in a negative frame of mind. Overall it was a very lacklustre performance without the physicality I would expect from our team. Keegan's shoulder on Cadogen was the first major belt a Mayo man put in in that game. That was in the 50th minute and the damage was already complete at that stage. 

Anyway plenty of food for thought after it. Biggest problem now is that we are missing both Lee and probably McLoughlin for Saturday nights visit on top of everyone else. I hope that management have some plan for the Dubs. We should play to our strengths and if we are missing over half a team compensation should be made in some other form e.g. a more defensive approach.

How many of you were actually at the game yesterday?

I kept an eye on Keegan afterwards, I saw him run for two defensive tackles, one in particular he was moving forward to join the attack which broke down, turned assessed which player he should track back after and then tore down the field to tackle the man with the ball, it was right under the main stand.

To say he was clearly in distress is pure nonsense. Yes leaving the pitch he was clearly in distress but prior to that there were no signs. Maybe he should have been taken off at the time, I thought the game was over, why wouldn't they. But to use it to have a cheap shot at a medical team who have a day job is bollix.

He was involved in a big tackle about 8/9 mins after the initial one with Cadogen. It was after this that he had to go off. He probably was not 100% after the collision with Cadogen but the question is was he able to continue? I don't know the exact rules on concussion. Is there an on-field assessment? I would assume he passed these checks ok but wasn't 100% and after the second big hit. In fairness no one would be after such a collision. Either way it came back to haunt him.

The big question for me is what are the correct protocols and is the on field assessment a waste of time?

Supposed to have been reported on the radio Keegan will defo be out for next weekend
Plus McLoughlin unlikely as well as pulled hammer. Plus Higgins and Keane missing and Conroy long term absentee.

Add that to the rest unavailable cos of club or other injuries or only still to come back for new year
SOShea, COConnor, B Moran, T Cunniffe, P Durcan, A Freeman, A Moran, S Coen, D Coen, A Dillon

We are pretty threadbare at this stage.

[Durcan is a better half back already than Donie Vaughan ever has been in my honest opinion.]

Durcan is a better half back already than Donie Vaughan ever has been in my honest opinion. Pace and intelligence on the ball. It was Conor Loftus who was the guy relied on for frees in the FBD and by all accounts was one of the few new names to do well. I'd be surprised if Regan was paracuted in to take the majority of frees like that.

Mayo have a serious injury list at the moment, same as us.

Vaughan was injured for the semi final replay last year. Durcan is only starting out his career and the best of luck to him but to automatically parachute him in front of a seasoned IC regular based on one appearance is daft.

Is Evan Regan available?
If he is along with Freeman and O'Shea we should have a reasonable fw line although not one that would last 70 mins probably.
Along the lines of the following to pick from maybe?

DOConnor, JDoc, KMac,  Ronnie, Regan, O'Shea, Freeman, Gallagher, CO'Shea.

Do the winners get anything for winning the FBD. I know a couple of years ago I think there was a free holiday for the team but is something like that still happening?

Used to play NY in October in an Away Final. Mayo had a meltdown about the cost of traveling over and it's been quietly shuffled aside since then. It wasn't a free holiday.

Rightly so too when you consider the panel at the end of the season and the lads who played in FBD but didn't make it. In total it would push the trip (including management and backroom) to about 60 personnel.
At a cost of probably €1000  per person (and I'm not counting partners) its easy to see why Mayo board baulked at it. Of course you have the complainers on this site giving out about Mayo having too much money etc. This was just another example of a team trying to live within very tight means. 

Do the winners get anything for winning the FBD. I know a couple of years ago I think there was a free holiday for the team but is something like that still happening?

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