Ard Mhacha v An Dún - Cluiche Ceannais Rionn 2 - Pairc an Chrócaigh 25/4/10

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Let hostilities commence......................... 

I assume the team O'Rourke starts in this will be fairly close to the championship line-out. Would like to see Dyas fit enough to start - if he doesn't make this one, surely he'd have no chance of starting the Derry match. Ideally I'd like to see something along the lines of;

Hearty

A Mallon
B Donaghy
P Duffy

K Dyas
C McKeever
F Moriarty

K Toner
J Lavery

G Swift
A Kernan
C Vernon

S McDonnell
R Clarke
B Mallon

As badly as the farce in Newry hurt us supporters, you can only assume the players were much more disappointed. Where better to make amends than Croke Park?

[drici]

Portaferry have agreed to lend this scoreboard of theirs for the game though it is quite old and the A had to be cut off Ard Macha to get it to fit.

[Benny Barnaveld]

Hearty/McEvoy

Mallon
Donaghy
Shannon/P.Kernan

Duffy
McKeever
Moriarty

Toner
Lavery

Vernon
Clarke
Swift

Mallon
McDonnell
Henderson

[AFS]

Hearty/McEvoy

Mallon
Donaghy
Shannon/P.Kernan

Duffy
McKeever
Moriarty

Toner
Lavery

Vernon
Clarke
Swift

Mallon
McDonnell
Henderson

Not really the time to start left field experiments like that. He doesn't look in good enough shape at the minute to play out there anyway.

Aaron Kernan will stay at CHF, and will most likely be there for the Championship. I don't think he's been anywhere near as bad as some have tried to make out. If a new player had come in and played as well, we'd all be saying he's been promising and that he should be allowed time to grow into the position. I think people expected too much from Kernan straight away. I think he's getting better and was good today, bar giving away a couple of lazy frees in the second half when the match had slumped to training game pace.

[Throw ball]

Have to agree with AFS comments about Clarke and Kernan. Tacs team seems fair enough to me but would expect Kernan or Shannon in for Dyas. Sure it will hardly matter anyway as Down will undoubtedly give us another football lesson.

[stew]

Have to agree with AFS comments about Clarke and Kernan. Tacs team seems fair enough to me but would expect Kernan or Shannon in for Dyas. Sure it will hardly matter anyway as Down will undoubtedly give us another football lesson.

Armagh did well today and seem to be gearing up for championship football, they now play against Down in Croker and will be looking for revenge after the debacle a few weeks ago in Newry.

This game will be a cracker, a derby game in the wide open spaces of croke Park.

prediction Armagh 2-14 Down 1-10.

[Lecale2]

Is this game in Croke Park? When was that decided?

[Sandy Hill]

Is this game in Croke Park? When was that decided?

Keith Duggan in his write up on yesterday's match says that the final is at Headquarters!

[mackers]

Let hostilities commence......................... 

I assume the team O'Rourke starts in this will be fairly close to the championship line-out. Would like to see Dyas fit enough to start - if he doesn't make this one, surely he'd have no chance of starting the Derry match. Ideally I'd like to see something along the lines of;

Hearty

A Mallon
B Donaghy
P Duffy

K Dyas
C McKeever
F Moriarty

K Toner
J Lavery

G Swift
A Kernan
C Vernon

S McDonnell
R Clarke
B Mallon

As badly as the farce in Newry hurt us supporters, you can only assume the players were much more disappointed. Where better to make amends than Croke Park?

I would have Henderson in the corner instead of Mallon but aside from that that would be my team also. I think Henderson has been fairly harshly treated, he won the Laois match for us and was taken off twenty minutes in against Down despite doing nothing wrong. If we play Clarke, McDonnell and Henderson and feed them with low accurate ball (which we have done for most of the league but didn't in Newry) then there are plenty of scores in that trio.
As you say TAM, it was obvious that the Down team wanted to win more than Armagh in Newry, we won't have that excuse in Croker, if this Armagh team have any pride in themselves they'll be busting the changing room doors down on Sunday week.

[AFS]

I would have Henderson in the corner instead of Mallon but aside from that that would be my team also. I think Henderson has been fairly harshly treated, he won the Laois match for us and was taken off twenty minutes in against Down despite doing nothing wrong.

Wouldn't agree. Mallon is more experienced and more consistent. I don't know how anyone could say Henderson has been harshly treated, he's had more game time than any of the other corner forward options this year. He has had more than his fair share of chances in the last two years, somewhere in the region of 13-15 starts by my reckoning, and has been consistently inconsistent. He puts in one good showing for every 4 or 5 starts, you just can't trust someone with that kind of return for Championship football.

[Lecale2]

Has the venue been confirmed by Croke Park? The league finals were not in Croke Park last year.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Has the venue been confirmed by Croke Park? The league finals were not in Croke Park last year.

No its not officially confirmed but for some reason I had it in my head that they've said it will in Croke Park. Was the Derry Kerry match not in Croke Park last year? The 08 final was Parnell but I've a feeling last year was Croke.

[Boozehell]

Yes the league Div 1 & 2 finals are being played as double headers in Croke Park on Sunday 25th

[Sandy Hill]

Paddy Power's giving nothing away on this one;
4/5 Down v 10/11 Armagh

[Skiddybadoo]

I would have Henderson in the corner instead of Mallon but aside from that that would be my team also. I think Henderson has been fairly harshly treated, he won the Laois match for us and was taken off twenty minutes in against Down despite doing nothing wrong.

Wouldn't agree. Mallon is more experienced and more consistent. I don't know how anyone could say Henderson has been harshly treated, he's had more game time than any of the other corner forward options this year. He has had more than his fair share of chances in the last two years, somewhere in the region of 13-15 starts by my reckoning, and has been consistently inconsistent. He puts in one good showing for every 4 or 5 starts, you just can't trust someone with that kind of return for Championship football.

Mallon has has a number of poor seasons and quite often has been anonymous in games. Perhaps that was the system we were playing. With a better looking HF line we don't need so much of Mallon's foraging back and that's why I'd rather see Henderson in the corner. He is a naturally more gifted finisher and it's that rather than Mallon's all round game that I think is needed.