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Donegal must not be a very Irish nationalist people (as shown in my link) Now you can understand why I would never support an ROI county in football. Maybe they can go play in Connaught.

https://ibb.co/xHtQMrC

You're always on point Norm. Must be the Fanad Tatums. Fred is a wrong'un

Don't have any faith in Derry getting a result against Galway, don't think we have ever beat them in Senior championship.

Last time we played them in Q's, Conor Lane gave us as sore a riding as I've ever seen from a referee.

PS sorry to intrude on an Armagh thread lol

This version of Derry has played Galway a few times, lost 2 and won 1, league / championship. So history, bogey team etc wouldn't come into my thinking. Home advantage and their inside forward line does. If I was a gambling man I'd say there will only be a kick of a ball in it with Galway winning a fairly open game of football. Could be a cracker. Hope I'm wrong

Sean said he missed the word amateur as in they are a very rich amateur group.

Burns is turning into a politician. Of course they gaa are rich, whatever the offical figure is they are far richer.

Where do you think all the money comes from for brown envelopes

This makes zero sense. Have to seen the turnover figures and the amijbt that is required in the next while?

What brown envelopes to to who are you talking about?

The point is for an amateur organization to have cash reserves of tens of millions of pounds they can hardly call themselves poor.

If they care about raising revenue then wouldnt it be easier to drop the ticket prices a bit to encourage more attendance.

The brown envelopes are the payements made to every manager in the gaa, these arent exactly going through the books now are they.

I actually dont have an issue with paying for some games but for Burns to come out and justify it by saying we need the money while having large cash reserves is just wrong.

Surely they have to have cash reserves when they multiple projects to plan for annually?

The GAA has just offered €25 euro off when buying the Qualifier package...hopefully only the start (they really need to make the season ticket more attractive)

Brown envelopes within clubs, how is this relevant? That's between clubs and whoever fills those brown envelopes.. That's a discussion to be had but surely not relevant here?

[Galway struggled in the group.]

it will be interesting to see how each of the provincial winners cope with their first games, each of the winners last year all struggled with the first game of the group. Kerry lost to Mayo, Derry were flat against Monaghan, Galway struggled in the group. Psychological difficult after winning a championship to lift yourself immediately for a new competition.

Galway won their first 2 group games, indeed they didn't lose a game (by a point, with a 2 week break) until 6 weeks after they won Connacht

The Kerry minor goalie gave away a penalty last night for overcarrying.
I've never seen a goalie give away a penalty before for a technical foul.

Penalty only if it happened in the small square (technical foul) , same for any defending player. If he over carries in the big square it's a 13m free in, obviously aggressive fouls anywhere inside the small / big square is a penalty

Sean said he missed the word amateur as in they are a very rich amateur group.

Burns is turning into a politician. Of course they gaa are rich, whatever the offical figure is they are far richer.

Where do you think all the money comes from for brown envelopes

This makes zero sense. Have to seen the turnover figures and the amijbt that is required in the next while?

What brown envelopes to to who are you talking about?

With the exception of Kildare (and who can ever trust Kildare), every team off a 4-6 week break outperformed expectation in Round 1 last year against the team coming off a provincial final. Some of them by a huge margin:

Mayo beat Kerry by 6 having been 4 points underdogs
Ros drew with Dublin as 7 pt underdogs
Westmeath lost by 1 v Armagh as 6 pt underdogs
Monaghan drew with Derry as 6 pt underdogs

Ball is firmly in Derry's court this weekend. Connacht final was entertaining but lowish on quality, and its hard to see Galway getting to the same pitch again after an emotional win. 3 or 4 good performers and Comer to carry proceedings again won't cut it. Wouldn't rule out Cavan against Mayo in group 2 either

2 week break not long enough? 3 weeks better and no Connacht title be better

The man who sold the world
Smells like teen spirit
Sunbeam

2 covers? Covers should be banned IMO!

Rape Me
Lounge Act
SLTS

Aye , but  sure  the start  of this thread was for the Pogues , and I'm sure some picked  The Irish Rover and Waltzing Matilda .

Anyway , I'm not much of a Nirvana fan , but I did like the unplugged album ,  hence the inclusion of 1 and 3

it's the taking part that counts 🤟

The man who sold the world
Smells like teen spirit
Sunbeam

2 covers? Covers should be banned IMO!

Rape Me
Lounge Act
SLTS

What a shift from the Louth men. Will give the qualifiers a serious rattle

It's just Louths turn on the Leinster merry go round to try and try and burst a gut and still fail and then support wains and the team dies just like Meath, Kildare and Laois.

The pick of the other teams in Leinster wouldn't beat Dublin, that's the reality.

Aye, maybe so, but I was talking about the qualifiers. Louth will give a good account of themselves imo. Could finish 2nd and get 'home' advantage against a beatable team. A potential q/f (top finish at least

Not the group Armagh would have wanted to be in of course. It looks like it will be very tough. Westmeath probably should have caught us at this stage last year and they almost caught Tyrone too. That certainly isnt an easy game.

Going to Celtic Park is always difficult for any team.

I dont expect there to be a big margin between the teams in any of the games and so the final standings could well be up in the air. Topping the pile would be amazing.  If not, then getting 2nd and securing that home advantage is essential. 

I'd agree. Winning the group is vital.
Galway definitely favourites with the 3 forwards all back and they've have had another 2 weeks training banked

The bookies don't share your view. Derry are 4/5 for next week's game and Galway 11/8.

Ahh naw! Hope the bookies aren't wrong this time

[Group 2]

Group 2

18/19 May: Mayo v Cavan

25/26 May: Dublin v Roscommon

1/2 June: Roscommon v Mayo, Cavan v Dublin

15/16 June (Neutral venue): Dublin v Mayo, Roscommon v Cavan

Typo in that, it'll be Dublin (home) v Mayo, the GAA need their coin and know our county folk will cave in and accept Croker

They didn't have 2 games in Croke Park last year in the group stages. The game could be played the Gaelic Grounds, would house a big crowd

Not the group Armagh would have wanted to be in of course. It looks like it will be very tough. Westmeath probably should have caught us at this stage last year and they almost caught Tyrone too. That certainly isnt an easy game.

Going to Celtic Park is always difficult for any team.

I dont expect there to be a big margin between the teams in any of the games and so the final standings could well be up in the air. Topping the pile would be amazing.  If not, then getting 2nd and securing that home advantage is essential. 

I'd agree. Winning the group is vital.
Galway definitely favourites with the 3 forwards all back and they've have had another 2 weeks training banked

Red Eye on ITV, decent so far, 3 episodes in

[Armagh have better players than Donegal, more experienced players than Donegal and better conditioned players than Donegal.]

It's not lazy analysis Tonto.

Armagh sat back deeper and counter attacked with fewer numbers after going 4 ahead.

Armagh took the easy point ahead of the clear goal opportunity.

Armagh refused two kickable marks in preference for clock killing.

Armagh were 2 ahead in extra time and then went into hiding. Witness Donegal's last or second last point were most Armagh players drifted across to the left-half back position - with no attempt  to make contact - and left the other half open. 

Armagh have better players than Donegal, more experienced players than Donegal and better conditioned players than Donegal. But a fear of losing strangled them once again.

Looking for other reasons for them not winning is wrong.

I'd disagree. Donegal @ CP a few weeks ago defended and ran at Derry constantly for 70+ minutes.

Ciaran Thompson
2 McDonnells
McHugh
Ban Gallagher
Oisin Gallen
Langan etc.. All been there and done it in Ulster

If they have a fear of losing that you gleefully seem to talk about, then they aren't better players. Better players pull it out of the bag when needed.

Armagh score more penalties than Derry / Donegal in '23 /' 24, they're double Ulster champions (extremely fine margins), all of a sudden they are big game players, not afraid,and you talk about lazy analysis. Again, you must have operated at some level in big finals with all the pressure that comes with it to be such an authority on the subject