Massive games this weekend for both teams! Dublin owe Mayo big time after the semi last year but we never seem to play well in Mayo. Id expect to see Whelan-Ryan in the middle and the casey back on the wing! Will be interesting to see if A Brogan makes it back after the scoring that has been done over the last 2 games without him!
QuoteA Brogan makes it back
Doubtful I'd say - A couple of weeks away from what I hear.
Huge game am really looking forward to this one . After last time in CP and Castlebar am hoping to get one over on them
pretty big game alright, if we win we will be looking good for the play-offs and if we lose the dubs will be right in the hunt for the semis aswell. I'd imagine Dublin will be slightly more up for it given what happened last August but at the same time its not the right time of year to gain full revenge. I'd expect a good game anyway, it's usually free-flowing between the 2 teams and if we sneak it by a couple of points I'll be happy. Once again our midfield will come under scrutiny with the first choice Stephenites missing, so more of the same from messrs Harte and Heaney please.
Its always a good game between the 2 sides. I just hope Griff can keep a closer eye on mortimer this thime, he looked very sharp last week against cork! Is McDonald back playing yet?
Really looking forward to this.
I think the Dubs will be slightly more up for it though. Dublin should have the winning of midfield, seeing as both of our first choice pairing are unavailable.
We need the half backs and half forwards scrapping constantly for breaking ball in there.
C Mort is really on top of his game at the moment - hopefully he can keep it up. We're in a bad way with injuries though. As well as the midfielders mentioned already, Alan Dillon, T Mort, Aidan Campbell and Marty Mc are all injured, not sure how many, if any, of them will be fit for Sunday (T Mort def won't, famous metatarsal broken).
Ciaran Mc is only back in light training, and is way off match fitness so we definitely won't see him on Sunday.
Should be a tight game, but I feel the Dubs out for revenge might take this one.
No, he 's still a bit off by all accounts, hasn't even made an appearance as a sub yet. The back is a really dodgy injury, its been bothering him since before the AIF and still hasn't been sorted which is a worry from our point of view. Mortimer-Griffin will be a good battle alright, Griffin is a very good man-marker and I think everyone was surprised by the run-around he got last August. I'd say he will be very keen to get a lot closer to Mort on Sunday and show he can handle him. Who is Full-forward for Dublin at the moment, still Keaney? either way it will be different test for our FB compared to that giant from Cork.
Quote from: Tubberman on March 27, 2007, 11:49:20 AM
Really looking forward to this.
I think the Dubs will be slightly more up for it though. Dublin should have the winning of midfield, seeing as both of our first choice pairing are unavailable.
We need the half backs and half forwards scrapping constantly for breaking ball in there.
C Mort is really on top of his game at the moment - hopefully he can keep it up. We're in a bad way with injuries though. As well as the midfielders mentioned already, Alan Dillon, T Mort, Aidan Campbell and Marty Mc are all injured, not sure how many, if any, of them will be fit for Sunday (T Mort def won't, famous metatarsal broken).
Ciaran Mc is only back in light training, and is way off match fitness so we definitely won't see him on Sunday.
Should be a tight game, but I feel the Dubs out for revenge might take this one.
Some definate logic to your post, mind you we've an awful record on the road in the west, so if i was putting money on it, i'd go for Mayo.
Quote from: OirthearMhaigheo on March 27, 2007, 11:53:40 AM
No, he 's still a bit off by all accounts, hasn't even made an appearance as a sub yet. The back is a really dodgy injury, its been bothering him since before the AIF and still hasn't been sorted which is a worry from our point of view. Mortimer-Griffin will be a good battle alright, Griffin is a very good man-marker and I think everyone was surprised by the run-around he got last August. I'd say he will be very keen to get a lot closer to Mort on Sunday and show he can handle him. Who is Full-forward for Dublin at the moment, still Keaney? either way it will be different test for our FB compared to that giant from Cork.
Kevin Bonnar is playing full forward at the moment but they do rotate a bit...Keaney playing right half forward...
Lads
is it on tv
live on tg4
The big games are always on tv ;)
Getting closer and closer to Dublin's championship team.
The forwards are virtually assured to be:
Moran - Sherlock - Keaney
Brogan - Bonner - Quinn
Only Moran a little bit doubtful, but I'd be very surprised if he wasnt picked for the Kildare/Meath match, and he had his best game in years v Fermanagh.
I dont think Alan Brogan will be risked against Mayo, so the only question is whether Bernard will deputise again. I've a feeling he'll give someone else a chance, though not sure whether it'll be Connolly or Vaughan. Personally I'd play Vaughan as he's the only one who hasnt had a start.
Be very telling to see whether Caffrey drops Ryan or Magee if Whelan is fit.
Brennan may have opened the door for Paul Casey at wingback, with only a average performance v Fermanagh.
I presume Ross McConnell will be at 3 again for Mayo. The big downside of our last two games was that no questions were asked of Ross, so we still have no idea if he's any good or not as a full back. But with two good cornerbacks and a good goalie I'm not overly worried about full back.
We got hammered the last time we were in Mayo, but given we need to win, and Mayo don't, that gives us a slight edge so we should at least be competitive this time round so I think the game will be close.
Id say the starting team will line up like this:
Cluxton
Henry McConnell Griffin
Casey Cullen Cahill
Whelan Ryan
Moran Jayo Keaney
B.Brogan Bonner Mossy
Getting close to the championship team alright!!
Think Magee has a valid shout for midfield alongside Whelan, has been ever present (I think) and steadily improving.
Quote from: dubnut on March 27, 2007, 02:28:19 PM
Think Magee has a valid shout for midfield alongside Whelan, has been ever present (I think) and steadily improving.
Still not cleanly catching enough ball for my liking but still 2 more games to see if he finally claims his spot
he does have a tendancy to field ball really well and then lose it somehow on the way back down ... or is that my imagination?
From hoganstand:
Quote
Dublin midfielder Ciaran Whelan is hoping to be fit for Sunday's crucial NFL Division 1A clash with Mayo in Castlebar.
The Raheny man was forced to sit out last Saturday's emphatic win over Fermanagh because of a leg injury he sustained in an accidental clash with team-mate Stephen O'Shaughnessy last week.
"I tried to pull on a loose ball that O'Shaughnessy was competing for and I came out worse. I wasn't right for last weekend's game," he explained.
"The lads did well without me but I am hoping to be back this weekend."
Dublin's last trip to Castlebar in February 2004 resulted in a humiliating 0-3 to 1-10 loss, and they will also be keen to atone for last year's heartbreaking All-Ireland semi-final defeat to the Westerners.
It will be nice to see Ciaran down in Castlebar. He can be sure of a very warm Mayo welcome ;)
Quote from: tayto on March 27, 2007, 02:45:53 PM
he does have a tendancy to field ball really well and then lose it somehow on the way back down ... or is that my imagination?
No that's what i was thinking . He does that an awful lot
Looking forward to this match alright!! Great that it'll be in Castlebar. I'm sure this match will be nothing like the hammering we got in Parnell Park last year. I think Mayo have a good chance of winning this game but I wouldnt be overconfident, the injuries are a big blow to our team but I hear D Brady may be returning for it which would be a boost! Should be a very entertaining game and I am looking forward to it!
Mayo cant really afford to lose this game as a loss would slot Dublin straight into second place in the table as they have a huge points difference over Mayo.
Will be a close game no doubt but with home advantage I'm saying a Mayo win.
Stats of Div 1A from gaa.ie:
TIGHT FINISH IN ALL FOOTBALL GROUPS
DIV 1A: DONEGAL NEED A POINT FOR SEMI-FINAL PLACE
Saturday: Kerry v Tyrone, Tralee (7.30)
Sunday: Mayo v Dublin, Castlebar (3.30); Fermanagh v Cork, Clones (3.30), Limerick v Donegal, Gaelic Grounds, (1.45).
Donegal, the only county in Division One with a 100 per cent record after five games, need just one more point from their remaining two games to guarantee themselves a place in the semi-final and Div One status in the re-formed Allianz FL next year.
It's an extremely positive position for Donegal, who won promotion from Div 2 last year. Wins over Cork, Dublin and Mayo, all of whom won provincial titles in 2006, Tyrone, the 2005 All-Ireland champions and Kerry, the current All-Ireland and League champions has given Donegal their best February-March run for years.
They head for the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday to take on a Limerick team that's battling hard to avoid a final two finish which would see them drop to Div 3 next year.
They are alongside Cork in second last place on two points, two clear of Fermanagh who are in grave danger of finishing in the bottom spot as they have a scoring difference of -37 points. They play Cork on Sunday.
It's 2nd v 3rd and 4th v 5th as Mayo host Dublin in Castlebar on Sunday while Kerry will be at home to Tyrone in Tralee on Saturday night.
Dublin are two points behind Mayo but a win would see the Leinster champions move ahead of the team that beat them in last year's All-Ireland semi-final as they have a better scoring difference.
Kerry and Tyrone are both on six points but Kerry have a ten point better scoring difference. The losers of this game will be serious danger of dropping to Division Two next year.
Round 7 (Apr 8): Dublin v Kerry; Tyrone v Mayo; Cork v Limerick; Donegal v Fermanagh.
From the Mayo News:
No gain without pain
MIKE FINNERTY
MAYO's medical team are set to be in for another busy week ahead of the team's National Football League clash with Dublin in Castlebar next Sunday as injuries continue to mount.
Alan Dillon (hamstring), Marty McNicholas (foot) and Aidan Campbell (flexor muscle) all picked up injuries last weekend and all three were expected to sit out training last night (Tuesday).
Dillon limped out of Saturday night's victory over Cork in the opening minutes with a back-related hamstring problem while Campbell was forced off just before half-time with a thigh injury.
Marty McNicholas (who came off the bench to replace Campbell and shot two points from play) also sustained a foot injury playing for Breaffy in a Mayo GAA League game on Sunday after only ten minutes. His foot was put in a cast just hours later and the injury will be assessed further later this week.
David Brady has been out of action for three weeks now with a calf injury while Trevor Mortimer is expected to be out of football for at least a month after breaking a metatarsal bone ten days ago. Ciaran McDonald has not played for Mayo since last September's All-Ireland Final due to a back complaint.
Speaking to The Mayo News last night, Mayo manager, John O'Mahony admitted that his resources are being severely strained by a lengthening casualty list.
"Our panel is stretched with the injuries. We have two critical games coming up and we need to throw the kitchen sink at both of them. Thankfully Kevin O'Neill came through Saturday night and with the games coming week on week we need to start nursing some of the lads back from injury. We'll be tapering our training again this week because of the fact that the lads had two games in twenty-four hours last weekend."
Mayo picked up their fourth win of the Division 1A campaign last Saturday and are now in second place in the table with two games remaining. They overcame an indifferent first half display to produce a much-improved second thirty-five minutes last weekend and O'Mahony conceded that the result was paramount.
"It was great to get the points after the difficulties we had in terms of the injuries and a poor first half," he said. "But it just goes to show you what can be achieved when you stay calm and keep your shape, something is always likely to happen. We were struggling in a few positions but we kept battling, kept our composure, and we got back into the game. I wouldn't read too much into the result in the long-term but it tells you a lot about the character of players. Calmness and composure, allied to the quality in the side, won that game for us.
"The message to the players before last Saturday was that there were a lot of prizes on offer for us if we beat Cork. There was Division 1 security, there was the chance to build some character, and there were also the two points that could provide a platform for having a shot at the semi-finals."
Dublin come into next Sunday's match on the back of two successive victories and are two points behind Mayo in the Division 1A table.
"The reality is that if we could get to the semi-finals it would give us a nice run-in to the championship and allow us to learn more about our panel. We haven't played any game yet where you could say we've been happy with our 70 minute performance. We have plenty to work on but we're garnering points all the time so if we can get a 70 minute performance too you wouldn't know what could happen."
FIXTURE
National Football League
DIVISION 1A
MAYO v DUBLIN
Sunday, APRIL 1
McHALE PARK at 3.30pm
Referee: M HUGHES (TYRONE)
Quote from: Northside Dub on March 27, 2007, 02:24:36 PM
Id say the starting team will line up like this:
Cluxton
Henry McConnell Griffin
Casey Cullen Cahill
Whelan Ryan
Moran Jayo Keaney
B.Brogan Bonner Mossy
Getting close to the championship team alright!!
It is that alright - I know with the league this year being split into Div1-3 from where we are we have to finish in the Top 4 and a semi-final place is in our hands but I would like to see the following get some gametime especially before the championship so that they are ready if required.
Shaughnessy
Christie (if back after his thesis)
Goggins
O'Mahony
Connolly
Vaughan
B Brogan
O'Callaghan
i wouldn't have casey ahead of brennan under any circumstances- in fact i wouldn't have cahill in front of him either. For me he's been the find of the year so far and bar a couple of wayward kicks in the match against fermanagh - (a game that was long won) in terms of consistency he's been one of our top players. Mc Connell hasn't been tested yet that's the reality- and could enter the championship having not been tested as mayo are plagued with injuries and kerry not far behind. Love to know who o shaugnessy has offended
Quote from: tayto on March 27, 2007, 02:45:53 PM
he does have a tendancy to field ball really well and then lose it somehow on the way back down ... or is that my imagination?
a tendancy??????
More like every fookin single time!
Ryan definitely outplayed Magee v Fermanagh, and I would say would outplay him more often than not.
The question for me is whether Magee at 9 and Ryan at 10 (playing as a third midfielder) would be better than Ryan at 9 and Moran at 10. At the moment I'd go with the latter, unless and until Moran loses form again. Darren is a lot like me, he's too nice ;)
I havent been as impressed with Brennan as Indiana - but he has done well. Up until the Fermanagh game he had been our best wing back, but not by a huge distance. Barry Cahill was absolutely abysmal in his first start in the NFL this year and was given another chance, but will Brennan as a newcomer get away with one below par performance? Personally I'd have Moran at 7, but thats not going to happen.
Dublin team named. No changes, therefore no Whelan, no ABrogan, no Casey.
I didnt want to be too hard on the guy, but it's a strange habit, he does the hard part and then loses it.
Mark Vaughan is unavailable because of exams.
Whelan and ABrogan will have fitness tests later in the week, so their participation has not been ruled out.
S Cluxton
D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin
B Cahill, B Cullen, G Brennan
D Magee, S Ryan
C Moran, J Sherlock, C Keaney
B Brogan, K Bonner, T Quinn
Subs: J Leonard, N O'Shea, C Goggins, P Casey, S O'Shaughnessy, J Magee, D O'Callaghan, D Murray, D Connolly
Or for the hard of sight ;)
DUBLIN (SF v Mayo) -
S Cluxton;
D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin;
B Cahill, B Cullen, G Brennan;
D Magee, S Ryan;
C Moran, J Sherlock, C Keaney;
B Brogan, K Bonner, T Quinn.
Subs: J Leonard, N O'Shea, C Goggins, P Casey, S O'Shaughnessy, J Magee, D O'Callaghan, D Murray, D Connolly.
Quote from: dubnut on March 27, 2007, 02:13:15 PM
live on tg4
I'm afraid not! Deferred coverage as they are showing the replay of the club final!
The club final replay is at 2pm.
Mayo v Dublin is at 3.30pm.
So presumably that means both are live...
From TG4.ie
13:45
GAA Beo
Athimirt Cluiche Ceannais Peile idir Crócaigh Chill Airne v Crois Mhic Lionnain ó Phairc Uí Mhordha i bPort Laoise. Ina dhiaidh sin beidh Cill Chainnigh v Gaillimh sa tSraith Náisiuinta Iomána Allianz ó Pháirc Uí Nualláin agus craoladh níos deireanaí ar Maigh Eo v BAC sa tSraith Náisiuinta Peile Allianz.
Looks like anyone not going to the game will have to settle for delayed coverage of Mayo V Dublin as they are showing Killkenny V Galway in the hurling straight after
Why is it half 3 instead of half 2 like the last few sundays?
bad enough of a drive back without losing another hour.
What is it about delayed coverage that it's just not as exciting as knowing something is live?
Quote from: tayto on March 28, 2007, 11:16:27 AM
What is it about delayed coverage that it's just not as exciting as knowing something is live?
Agree 100% theres a huge difference.
I'll catch this one live though! : }
True, even when you don't know the result, still not as good. Gonna go along to it anyway, we've only had 3 home games this year so I'm not gonna miss this one.
cant make it, going on a stag but will catch the deffered coverage, should be a good one if both teams play anything close to their best.
Im not gonna sit on the fence, it think Dublin will win it by a point or 2! I think whelan and casey will start also!
in parnell park i'd say dublin, in mayo i dunno, sorry to say but with our abysmal record in the north west its a mayo win for me. Hope I'm wrong tho and if they lads travel well it could go either way.
They should travel down on the saturday so they're well rested rather than travelling down the day of the match, i know it takes the lads away from their families for another night but id say they prefer it themselves!
It'd probably help no end but is probably unfair to expect players to stay overnight, do any teams do that? Would cost a fair whack as well.
The Mayo team travelled down to Cork and back (after evening throw-in!) last Sat.
The players then had club league games on Sunday. Any wonder we're struggling with injuries :(
Madness. :-\
Will the Dublin team not fly down to Knock like they did the last day to Sligo??? Maybe this time they will have the good sense to rent a bus down there to take them to the game instead of driving an empty bus halfway around the country to pick them up...
you know for a fact that's what happened do you?
Quote from: tayto on March 28, 2007, 04:02:54 PM
It'd probably help no end but is probably unfair to expect players to stay overnight, do any teams do that? Would cost a fair whack as well.
you would be surprised how many do. most AIL and LOI side overnight if its the otehr end of the country too.
i was at a wedding in mayo recently and the westmeath team were in the hotel. selectors on patrol all night keeping them out of the bar/wedding reception.
Why were they staying in a hotel in Mayo? The only Connacht team they played are Galway and they played them in Mullingar.
LOI are semi-pro, therefore it's not too much to ask.
No wonder AIL+LOI clubs are going out of business if that's the case, mind you I have my doubts if you know the travel arrangements of AIL clubs, putting a whole team and staff up to play in front of two men and a dog doesn't make financial sense.
Quote from: Tubberman on March 28, 2007, 04:51:29 PM
Why were they staying in a hotel in Mayo? The only Connacht team they played are Galway and they played them in Mullingar.
jesus wept. it was last season (or possibly the one before, i was drunk).
Quote from: tayto on March 28, 2007, 04:56:56 PM
LOI are semi-pro, therefore it's not too much to ask.
No wonder AIL+LOI clubs are going out of business if that's the case, mind you I have my doubts if you know the travel arrangements of AIL clubs, putting a whole team and staff up to play in front of two men and a dog doesn't make financial sense.
the AIL is semi pro too.
if you are a dublin club heading to limerick 2/3 times a year you can strike a decent deal with the hotel for a guaranteed 20 room booking. its not as much as you would think.
Quote from: dublinfella on March 28, 2007, 05:03:01 PM
Quote from: tayto on March 28, 2007, 04:56:56 PM
LOI are semi-pro, therefore it's not too much to ask.
No wonder AIL+LOI clubs are going out of business if that's the case, mind you I have my doubts if you know the travel arrangements of AIL clubs, putting a whole team and staff up to play in front of two men and a dog doesn't make financial sense.
the AIL is semi pro too.
if you are a dublin club heading to limerick 2/3 times a year you can strike a decent deal with the hotel for a guaranteed 20 room booking. its not as much as you would think.
and of course you dont even have to pay for it as you can go bust at the end of the year and have your debts wiped
Quote from: Gnevin on March 28, 2007, 05:08:07 PM
Quote from: dublinfella on March 28, 2007, 05:03:01 PM
Quote from: tayto on March 28, 2007, 04:56:56 PM
LOI are semi-pro, therefore it's not too much to ask.
No wonder AIL+LOI clubs are going out of business if that's the case, mind you I have my doubts if you know the travel arrangements of AIL clubs, putting a whole team and staff up to play in front of two men and a dog doesn't make financial sense.
the AIL is semi pro too.
if you are a dublin club heading to limerick 2/3 times a year you can strike a decent deal with the hotel for a guaranteed 20 room booking. its not as much as you would think.
and of course you dont even have to pay for it as you can go bust at the end of the year and have your debts wiped
is that directed at me? ???
Quote from: tayto on March 28, 2007, 04:41:19 PMyou know for a fact that's what happened do you?
Was I at Sligo Airport to watch the empty Dublin bus come in to pick up the lads? No. To turn the tables can u prove it didn't happen???
Quote from: dublinfella on March 28, 2007, 04:43:39 PMjesus wept. it was last season (or possibly the one before, i was drunk).
That's fairly recent alright... :D
Whatever about the cost of staying over, what Mayo did last weekend was insane. To make our longest away trip of the year for a night-time game and then have a full round of league matches back home the next day is asking an awful lot of the players. Maybe the leg injuries picked up were coincidence but the bus journey can't have helped. I assume there are no flights from Knock to Cork or surely they would have gone with that option, that or give the county league a miss for one week given the location of the NFL game.
O Mahony said that he didnt want a backup of club games to put extra pressure on the players so he just let them off to play them on Sunday, he knows the consequences could well be injuries!
Yeah, I know they wanted to avoid another backlog of games, it's a shame if this is the only way to avoid that happening again but maybe it is.
Well i'd say its better than to have most of the players tired from too many club games and takes a bit of the pressure off bus as with Marty Mc for example it can end in injurys!
If the distance is more than 130 miles to the opposing ground for a NHL or NFL game, most sides stay over the night before. A percenage of the cost of the overnight stay can be drawn back by the county board from croke park to alleviate costs on the County Board. However, most players dont like staying overnight as it takes up so much time and hanging around the morning of the game is a killer.
Everytime you see a NFL or NHL game fixed for 1pm on a Sunday, its usually because the travelling team came down the night before.
Now the countdown is really on, we know both teams - well, we know the 'named' teams anyway!
QuoteMAYO supremo John O'Mahony won't be using his county's lengthy injury list as an excuse if the Connacht outfit tumble to Dublin at Castlebar on Sunday.
O'Mahony has named an unchanged team for Sunday's clash but forwards Aidan Campbell (thigh muscle) and Alan Dillon (hamstring) will have to undergo fitness tests later in the week.
"At the moment we're crippled with injuries, but we made a pledge before last Saturday's game against Cork that we wouldn't mention that factor if we lost," said O'Mahony, who was out canvassing on the political hustings yesterday. "And it will be the same if things don't go to plan for us against Dublin."
While his own side have dropped only two points in five games O'Mahony states that he has been very impressed by Dublin's form in their two most recent outings against Fermanagh and Cork.
"Dublin are certainly on a roll at the moment and, as a result, they will travel to Castlebar with a lot of confidence," he said. "Dublin put up big scores, and so our backs are likely to have their hands full."
MAYO (SF v Dublin) - K O'Malley; L O'Malley, J Kilcullen, K Higgins; E Devenney, B J Padden, P Gardiner; D Heaney, P Harte; A Campbell, G Brady, A Kilcoine; C Mortimer, A Dillon, A Moran.
Quote from: Redgreenery on March 28, 2007, 05:25:35 PM
O Mahony said that he didnt want a backup of club games to put extra pressure on the players so he just let them off to play them on Sunday, he knows the consequences could well be injuries!
I'm all for letting players play with their clubs as often as possible but the day after an away county game is crazy.
Mayo team v Dublin, Same as last week. Big weekend for both O'Malley and Campbell. U21 semi on Saturday and then the Dubs on Sunday.
Kenneth O'Malley Baile An Roba
Liam O'Malley Burris Umhaill
James Kilcullen Bealach A Doirin
Keith Higgins Béal Atha h-Amhnais
Enda Devenney Beal An Fheadha
Billy Padden Béal An Mhuirthead
Peadar Gardiner Crois Mhaoiliona
Pat Harte Beal An Fheadha
David Heaney Beal Atha Na Muice
Aidan Campbell Beal Atha Na Muice
Ger Brady Beal An Fheadha
Aidan Kilcoyne Cnoc Mór
Conor Mortimer) Sruthair G/C
Alan Dillon Baile An Tobair
Andy Moran Bealach A Doirin
i wonder will Campbell be fit for both (or either) of the games though. Himself and Alan Dillon are due to have a fitness test late in the week.
I've been impressed with Kenneth O'Malley so far. He hasn't put a foot wrong, and I think David Clarke is going to have to make do with the bench for a while. Great to have two such high quality keepers.
Apparently, Dillon and Campbell have proved their fitness at training :)
Quote
Mayo are unchanged for Sunday's Allianz NFL Division 1A clash with Dublin after Alan Dillon and Aidan Campbell proved their fitness this week.
Dillon (hamstring) and Campbell (calf) failed to finish the first half in last Sunday's win over Cork, but will start at McHale Park after proving their fitness at training to manager John O'Mahony.
However, Aidan Kilcoyne and Ger Brady swap places in the half forward line in the only positional change.
Throw-in in Castlebar is at 3.30pm.
Are the Dubs gonna get out first to warm up at the bacon factory end :D
Quote from: stephenite on March 29, 2007, 02:36:44 PM
Are the Dubs gonna get out first to warm up at the bacon factory end :D
Lets just say I cant imagine a hullabaloo if ye get there first Stephenite!
Mayo have come out to warm up in their recent games instead of standing there!! Great to see they took control of this!
I heard O'Mahony on Vincent Browne's show on radio 1 last night with all the other Mayo election candidates.
As a politician, I'd be impressed with him, he steered away from the usual waffle and I'd seriously consider voting for him because I think he'd be honest and direct.
Some of the others were awful, especially Cowley and Flynn.
could you keep the election out of the football thread? If I wanted to read opinions on that I would go to the non GAA section.
Ohhhh!!! Very Touchy
maybe intodwest was a bit touchy, but on the ball at the same time. Lets leave the politics off this forum, that's his other job, leave him to it. If he helps deliver another 2 points on Sun, that's all that matters to most of us
Totally Agree!!!!!!
i agree . lets not mention the fact that hes a blue shirt bastard going after the non thinking populist vote on a obstuctionist dead runner stategy in east mayo there are other boards for that Kind of thing.
who all are headeed for castlebar?
you won't be voting for him then rosnarun? :P
Good man Ros, very subtle!! I'm def goin to Castlebar anyway, should be a good game and with a bit of luck it won't piss from the heavens and we'll escape with a sneaky one point win
Quote from: rosnarun on March 30, 2007, 05:03:58 PM
i agree . lets not mention the fact that hes a blue shirt bastard going after the non thinking populist vote on a obstuctionist dead runner stategy in east mayo there are other boards for that Kind of thing.
who all are headeed for castlebar?
Well at least he isn't about to become a bankrupt corrupt politician like some others!!!!
Quote from: DUBSFORSAM1 on March 30, 2007, 05:10:54 PM
Quote from: rosnarun on March 30, 2007, 05:03:58 PM
i agree . lets not mention the fact that hes a blue shirt bastard going after the non thinking populist vote on a obstuctionist dead runner stategy in east mayo there are other boards for that Kind of thing.
who all are headeed for castlebar?
Well at least he isn't about to become a bankrupt corrupt politician like some others!!!!
give him time...................................
Will defineatly be heading for Castlebar on Sunday, really looking forward to it and it should be a very entertaining game!!
Cannot make the game on Sunday. Am heading to the Aran Islands for two weeks tomorrow. Hopefully Mayo will do it. 10 points would be nice in a difficult division and that would be before the Tyrone game. It's good that dillon and Campbell are available for us anyway. And I agree with intodwest about the election, that should have it's separate place.
rte.ie:
Mayo v Dublin
It's a must-win game for Dublin if they want to have a chance to make it to the semi-finals as they take the trip to Castlebar to face Mayo in the Allianz NFL Division 1A, throw-in at 3.30pm.
The Dubs will be hoping to capitalise on their whopping victory over Fermanagh, but they'll have to start this game without Ciaran Whelan, and the side remains the same as the one that cruised to a 17 point win on Saturday.
Mayo, meanwhile, have their own injury worries, worries that extend far beyond the league; Ciaran McDonald may not be fit for Mayo's Championship opener, so the team remains the same as it was for last
Saturday's match against Cork, which they narrowly won thanks to Aidan Kilcoyne's last minute point.
This is a crucial game for both sides, the clichéd four pointer. If Mayo win they'll open up a gap that Dublin will struggle to close, and if Dublin win they'll have dragged Mayo to parity. The sides are evenly matched, but expect Mayo's greater desire to win out.
Verdict: Mayo
Less than 24 hours to go till the game and looking forward to it. If Mayo win it'll put them in a great position for the play-offs while if Dublin win it'll do the same for them.
Mayo to win.
CMON MAYO!!! ;D ;D
Tyrone and Kerry drew!!!! So if Mayo win tomorrow it'l put them 4 points in front of Dublin and 3 in front of Tyrone and Kerry so we'd be through!!
Given the supposed connection between reaching league playoffs (even Div 2) ones, Kerry and Tyrone are unlikely to, and Armagh certain not to reach the playoffs. As Mayo and Dublin would have been next in line at the start of the year, it is up to you!
Ya Mayo really do have to win tomorrow but so do Dublin or else their out!
Who won?
Quote from: AMayoSheep on April 01, 2007, 05:09:37 PM
Who won?
Mayo won, 10 points to 9.
Dublin held scoreless in the second half, including a missed penalty.
Very strong wind which made it a game of 2 halves....
Dublin missed penalty in 2nd half and Keaney sent off after 40 mins for 2 yellow cards (harsh considering what went on in last nights game and the Club final today - but correct for a 2nd yellow)....Brady/Mortimer one of was lucky not to go for their combined rugby tackle in teh middle...but sure thats life...
Are there any bigger chokers in the GAA than the Dubs? They have the balls of mice! That team couldn't win an AIF with a 10 point start. lol
maybe but i've rarely seen a game turn so much on one incident- i thought it was a 2nd yellow card- but it changed the whole game from our point of view. just ran out of gas in the last 15 - another team who could shoot better than mayo would have beaten us by 6/7 as they had a monopoly of possession in the last 15. just didn't close out the deal which is a recurring theme unfortunately.
anything in the report about Dublin fans attacking officials?
A few of them seemed to be giving the umpire abuse over a 45 he gave when cluxton saved a point from going over, didn't look like a 45.
Mayo should have been out of sight with 20 minutes left but poor shooting let them down but always looked like they would win this one.
Keaney deserved both his yellows and can have no complaints.
Would be happy enough losing next week and finishing second if it meant kildare instead of galway in the semis
Quoteanything in the report about Dublin fans attacking officials?
4 Dublin fans were arrested on the pitch after the match. It seemed that one of them wanted to go over and attack the ref or something. His 'mates' were trying to stop him and a long story short - a bunch of them ended up scrapping with one another and at one stage kicking a guard who was there.
Lest anyone thing this is a tinted view - all the Mayo fans hovering around the incident and goading were a disgrace too. And the speed to which McHale Park maors reacted to the bunch of 40 or so teenagers attempting to get on the pitch prior to the end of the match. And those teenagers were a disgrace for goading at Cluxton, but he should have known better than to react.
Oh yeah, and Mayo win without being clinical, qualifying for the league semi with a game to spare and with serious room for improvement. Few comments:
What the blazes happened Kenneth O'Malley ? Did he bang his head off the crossbar ? Up to that point, it was his least impressive performance to date.
Full back position will continue to be a problem. Kilcullen can only mark a certain type of player.
Enda Devenney was very disappointing. He was so loose that other lads had to try and cover for him leaving an overlap. Sideline should have taken him off sooner. Still, he is better than that and will hopefully return to form.
Conor Mort was a bit too trigger happy.
Things didn't go Austies way but still no excuse for what looked like a lazy approach to working his socks off hen he failed to win possession
For the first 15 minutes, we had a bucket full of point and goal scoring chances and dominated. What was the trigger though that lead to us switching off and Dublin dominating until half time ? In the 2nd half the wides continued in as bad a fashion as i have seen from a Mayo team for years. It was disappointing that we weren't able to improve our kicking to break the rot but after a few wides an extra bit of tension always comes into the kicking technique with the body not as relaxed and it takes that extra bit of class and experience to turn it round ..... so disappointing not to have improved the kicking as the half wore on.
And lastly but by no means least, congrats to Jimmy Nallen - now has more 'caps' that any other player in the history of Mayo GAA, i.e.: league and championship appearances .... takes over from Dermot Flanagan (or am i 1 game too soon for that ?)
Was at the game.
Very poor performance by Mayo in the first half, scored 4 points and then the ball never got up to the full forwards and we lost centre field all the time after the first 10 minutes. At half time it was Mayo0-04 Dub0-09.
The second half came and Dublin had Conal Keaney sent off for a deserved 2 yellows. Dublin didnt score in this half, missed a penalty and then for a period Mayo got into a rythem and put over a good few scores and Conor Mort leveled it.
Then the last 10 minutes came, Mort put us in front then Mayo shot wide after wide after wide. Dublin supporters who had formed their 'hill 16' there disaggreed with the umpire for signaling a 45 for Mayo which was also sent wide. At the end Mayo kept their supporters in a worroying position with the wides but won eventually and shot a total of 14 wides!! C Mort shot 5 of them!
When Dillion came on he instantly had an impact on the game and was also taken down in a dirty tackle.
I was very impressed with our sub keeper Clarke (who came on after K O Malley dislocated his thumb!)
Anyone know what happened to G Brady?? He'd be a huge loss if hes out!
My M.O.M would go to either BJ Padden or D Heaney thought they were brilliant and in the second half Heaney won nearly every ball in centre field wouldnt consider C Mort even though he had a good game he shot too many wides!!!
K O Malley: Dislocated thumb but done well until then. (Sub D Clarke very impressive)
L O Malley had a great game and done very well in defence.
J Kilcullen had his best game yet and played good.
K Higgins quiet enough but overall had a top second half.
E Devenney I get more and more impressed with him everyday, done brilliantly against Keaney while he was on! (Sub A Higgins wasnt on for that long to judge)
BJ Padden Absolutely top calss performance and defended brilliantly and was candidate for M.O.M.
P Gardiner played great but was given a hard time by Colin Moran and was given a yellow for nothing!!
P Harte played one of his best games this year but is still missing somthing. (Sub J Nallen wasnt on long enough to judge)
D Heaney made huge and brilliant effort in mid field and showed he is playing as good as ever!
K O Neill didnt play his best game and only gave a wide to the game but set up a few!!
G Brady went off early in first half for some reason. (Sub A Campbell played a great game and probably should have started!)
A Kilcoyne played very impressive and looks like he could hold his place!!
C Mortimer played a good game overall scoring 4 points but shot 5 wides!
A O Malley wasnt fed much with the ball but should have scored a goal!! (Sub A Dillon made an instant impact on the game when he came on and took a big knock but kept on playing, he showed he is well fit!)
A Moran once again impressed beyond belief but didnt feature as much in the first half as he did in the second!
Overall Mayo impressed in the second half again but are in the semi- final now with a game v Tyrone to spare!
Quote from: DUBSFORSAM1 on April 01, 2007, 06:48:15 PM
Very strong wind which made it a game of 2 halves....
Dublin missed penalty in 2nd half and Keaney sent off after 40 mins for 2 yellow cards (harsh considering what went on in last nights game and the Club final today - but correct for a 2nd yellow)....Brady/Mortimer one of was lucky not to go for their combined rugby tackle in teh middle...but sure thats life...
Forget the score dubsforsam1...more importantly did the game meet the high aesthetic standards you demand? :P And whats this about red cards and late tackles? Only 19 points scored too I see, surely you cant be happy with that after taking Tyrone and Kerry to task for only hitting 18 between them on Saturday? Bit of double standards on the go here I think ;D Maybe when Dublin are involved though "thats life" :D
QuoteE Devenney I get more and more impressed with him everyday, done brilliantly against Keaney while he was on!
No while i wasn't able to go to the match and had to depend on watching it on TG4, i find your comment above very hard to understand. Keaney was probably Dublins best player prior to being sent off and as i mentioned, Devenney was so loose, other players were having to cover for him and then their man ended up free for a shot. We need another opinion on this one !
Quote from: blast05 on April 01, 2007, 11:36:55 PM
QuoteE Devenney I get more and more impressed with him everyday, done brilliantly against Keaney while he was on!
No while i wasn't able to go to the match and had to depend on watching it on TG4, i find your comment above very hard to understand. Keaney was probably Dublins best player prior to being sent off and as i mentioned, Devenney was so loose, other players were having to cover for him and then their man ended up free for a shot. We need another opinion on this one !
I thought he played better than he has especially against a player like Keaney and I was impressed with him and even more after Keaney left the field is all, alright mabye I over-exadurated a bit in the first post!
Dublin have to be worried that they crumbled so much in the 2nd Half. Granted they were down to 14 early on but that was no excuise for such a poor performance. Whelan went hiding again (again) when Mayo upped it and how Shane Ryan was not brought in sooner shows that the Pillar guile on the sideline is (Still) not up to scratch. Mayo will be worried about the (Number of ) wides and Mortimer has a one trick pony feel to him. He's still terrible in front of goal - Just blasts and Hopes! Needs to learn a few one on one tricks. Still Mayo are through and sorted with a game in hand. Kerry, Tyrone and Armagh are out of the picture so there will be one of four licking their lips at the 2nd(?) most important title to be won this year!
Great to get the win, and reach the semi with a game to spare.
But our shooting was very disappointing yesterday, we seem to have gone backwards in this aspect. Maybe it was a once off - hopefully.
I wasn't impressed with Devenney either - Aidan Higgins isn't as quick, but looks a more natural and a cleverer defender.
Kilcullen did ok, but I wouldn't have full confidence in him yet. But this is still a relatively new position for him, so he may still be learning his role.
Heaney was excellent again yesterday (apart from a couple of bad wides). He seems to have found new enthusiasm in midfield, and will surely start beside Brady on 20th May.
I didn't think G Brady was injured, he was just replaced. Aidan Campbell had a higher work-rate, especially considering he had played for the U-21s the day before.
Conor Mort did quite well, not as good as the Cork game though. Still our best scoring forward though.
AOM was very frustrating, he hasn't the pace and can't hold on to the ball. Alan Dillon did very well when he came on.
Still a lot of room for improvement, but great to be in a semi.
By the way, Johnno said that D Brady has injured his calf muscle in training - the man is cursed with injuries!
Quote from: Lamh Dhearg Alba on April 01, 2007, 11:21:51 PM
Quote from: DUBSFORSAM1 on April 01, 2007, 06:48:15 PM
Very strong wind which made it a game of 2 halves....
Dublin missed penalty in 2nd half and Keaney sent off after 40 mins for 2 yellow cards (harsh considering what went on in last nights game and the Club final today - but correct for a 2nd yellow)....Brady/Mortimer one of was lucky not to go for their combined rugby tackle in teh middle...but sure thats life...
Forget the score dubsforsam1...more importantly did the game meet the high aesthetic standards you demand? :P And whats this about red cards and late tackles? Only 19 points scored too I see, surely you cant be happy with that after taking Tyrone and Kerry to task for only hitting 18 between them on Saturday? Bit of double standards on the go here I think ;D Maybe when Dublin are involved though "thats life" :D
Lamh Dhearg Alba
Yes it was a good game of football to watch - lots of scoring chances (not taken though but both teams were concentrating more on attacking then defending)....wasn't happy with all the chances being missed but at least they were being created....There was 1 red card and a few yellow cards - if the ref had used the same decisions in teh Tyrone Kerry game it would have finished about 9 a side....
I certainly wouldn't condone any Dublin player for a late tackle or anything like that.....Cahill in particular being lucky with a high tackle but nothing late...
I thought Keaney was unlucky to get sent off. 99% of refs would have given a black book/ticking for one of the incidents. I'm sure it has happened but its the first time since the ticking was introduced that I personally have seen someone get sent off for two yellows without receiving a ticking also.
In hindsight it would have been better for the Dubs had the ref adjudged Sherlock was just outside the box rather than just in it when he was taken down. Even a point for Dublin could have shifted the momentum back in our favour.
Really did my head in when in the second half Quinn attempted two long range frees into the wind. Quinn is a fine freetaker when the free is within his range and he doesnt have to force them. But these two were out of his range so he really had to lash them which meant losing accuracy. Its just pure stupidity on the managements side that they dont instruct the players to work short frees in such circumstances.
Hound - surely it would have been better to just put the ball in the net!!!
Have to say I can't agree with alot of the Mayo players ratings. I'm a fan of Devenney and I think he'll come good but there is no getting away from the fact that he had a poor game yesterday, I have never seen him caught so much for pace. Secondly Keith Higgins was marking Keaney for alot of the game, Devenney started on B Brogan if I'm not mistaken, he struggled on him anyway so not much difference there. G Brady going to be a massive loss?? not on yesterdays showing, he was septic yesterday to be quite honest, never took the right option, Campbell was a massive improvement when he came on. I thought Kilcoyne was only middling yesterday aswell, he's not living up to the expectation just yet, he is talented but he carries the ball into the tackle way too much, this naive sort of play will get destroyed in the summer.
Right that's the negative stuff out of the way (apart from the wides, but that was a bit of a blip given the cross-field breeze), there were some positives to take out of it. Heaney was my MOM, he seems to have a new lease of life again and he's absolutely flying it. BJP did alot of good work, mainly on the ball admittedly, his tackling needs some serious work. K Higgins and LOM were solid, Kilcullen was solid again if not spectacular. In the forwards A Moran once again led the way with some great work and a very good point that got us moving in the second half, K O'Neill did some good work aswell, and I thought Conor recovered well from a shocking first half, even if he didn't have a great day at the office all in all. Austie looked well off the pace but Dillon made up for that when he came on. To be honest the forward unit had a day to forget as we should have won pulling up if they brought their shooting boots. 2 more points in the bag, and a semi-final place assured but this team has an awful lot of work to do. It's no harm to be aware of that at this time of year and yet to still be winning in the process, keeps things ticking along nicely.
Mike Finnerty and Billy Fitz had a story on the Mid-West radio coverage that Dublin claimed sweet revenge for Mayo's little bit of fun with the Hill last summer. It seems that when Mayo arrived at the home team dressing room that the Dubs were already in situ, and had blocked the way with an ice bath.
Anybody know what was the point of this? Don't Dublin have other stuff to worry about? Like football?
Quote from: IolarCoisCuain on April 02, 2007, 10:35:13 AM
Mike Finnerty and Billy Fitz had a story on the Mid-West radio coverage that Dublin claimed sweet revenge for Mayo's little bit of fun with the Hill last summer. It seems that when Mayo arrived at the home team dressing room that the Dubs were already in situ, and had blocked the way with an ice bath.
Anybody know what was the point of this? Don't Dublin have other stuff to worry about? Like football?
Can we actually get some verification that this actually happened before having a go at the Dubs?? :-\
Talk about kicking us when were down :(
If that story is true, it shows that Pillar Caffrey just can't keep his focus on what is important.
That's laughable, taking the Mayo dressing room and blocking the door with an ice bath!! :D
Quote from: Tubberman on April 02, 2007, 10:46:08 AM
If that story is true, it shows that Pillar Caffrey just can't keep his focus on what is important.
That's laughable, so petty and immature, taking the Mayo dressing room and blocking the door with an ice bath!! :D
I would imagine its made up Tubberman, if it were true I would agree.
Probably fair to hold off with the "petty" and "immature" commments and laughing faces until we get some indication it actually happened.
Its very easy to make things like this up and spread the rumour.
It all about gaining an edge , and its a good sign that it seemed to have ne effect whatsoever on mayo . dublin for years are a team playing on hype . they feel they need a massive momentum to get them going hence the need for the swaying hill to get them up for it or other tacics away from home . I think thats why they were so hurt over mayo stealing 'their hill ' last year.
this is a good dublin team with top class skill levels but they are lacking something . I think on the management side to prepare them proerly for the bigger games. Mayo were lucky to come away with a victory yesterday but we only had half a team or half a team minus onus 1 if you include AOM
The same comment re the dressing room was posted on reservoirdubs yesterday by a dub fan who was listening to the match on MWR
Ros, I 100% disagree that Mayo were lucky yesterday, given the wide count they really should have beaten us by lots more.
Yes Dublin missed a peno, but Mayo deserved their win
Quote from: blast05 on April 02, 2007, 10:55:09 AM
The same comment re the dressing room was posted on reservoirdubs yesterday by a dub fan who was listening to the match on MWR
Thats the same source Blast, MWR. I'm just wondering why it hasnt been mentioned anwhere else.
Our record on the road is brutal, BRUTAL.
This Dublin team falls apart when the tide starts going against us, It's something we've seen before and sadly when we meet a quality team this summer i've no doubt we'll see it again. This more then anything will stop us being real contenders."No better team to check out at half time then Dublin" said the Tyrone selector, how right he was and is. Dunno if it's bottle, leadership or bad calls on the line but we seem to panic when things get serious, the real contenders can get off the back foot when they're knocked back, we seem incapable of doing something when it's goes wrong.
we cant really discount the wide count , if conor mort is not shooting for us we seem to be in trouble. dillions has his day but Mort usually score prob more than 50% for us and even though he has his worst game ever for mayo yesterday he was still top scorer. Mayo forwards are fantastic footballers but are just not the type to trouble the score keeper enough . Ciaran Mc cant come back quick enough , But can K oneill and super Mac really play on the same team ? one of them is ging to have to change roles as will any moran who was an extra back for much of the game yesterday.
Quote from: tayto on April 02, 2007, 11:04:01 AM
Dunno if it's bottle, leadership or bad calls on the line but we seem to panic when things get serious, the real contenders can get off the back foot when they're knocked back, we seem incapable of doing something when it's goes wrong.
I've been thinking about this Tayto, while I didn't see yesterdays game I came to the conclusion after last years semi final that the Dubs only needed one or two more forwards to support Brogan and they'd not be too far away from Sam this year, they seem to have found the forwards but I was wrong about them being close to Sam I think.
Loathe to go on league form, but I can't see the Dubs winning the AI with Pillar, the county board fecked up and shoould have gone for a fresh face the last time maybe? There just seems to be something about the guy on the line that doesn't inspire
Quote from: IolarCoisCuain on April 02, 2007, 10:35:13 AM
Mike Finnerty and Billy Fitz had a story on the Mid-West radio coverage that Dublin claimed sweet revenge for Mayo's little bit of fun with the Hill last summer. It seems that when Mayo arrived at the home team dressing room that the Dubs were already in situ, and had blocked the way with an ice bath.
Anybody know what was the point of this? Don't Dublin have other stuff to worry about? Like football?
You know yesterday was April the 1st?? Obviously an April fools day joke...there's no way that happened
Gettin back to the match...Mayo deserved to win + would have won by more if their shooting hadnt been so bad...at the same time though dublin had no luck at all...hitting the inside of the post and the top of the crossbar with a couple of mins to go + at one stage in the second half I felt Bernad Brogan was fouled about 25 yards out straight in front of the posts...the ref didnt give the free and mayo went straight up the other end and scored. Still the better team won...
However from a Dublin perspective I wouldnt be that worried about the defeat yesterday...if the Dublin management were serious about winning that game yesterday they wouldnt have left Whelan on the field for almost an hour - he didnt look fit and didnt contribute to the game at all in the second half, I think Pillar just left him on to improve his match fitness. Over the last few years Mayo have always been sharper at this stage of the year than the dubs - and it was the same again yesterday.
I completely forgot about yesterday being Lá na nAmadán. That sounds like the most likely explanation alright. A relief so for all concerned.
Except me for being one of the Amadáin in question, of course. :-[
Quote from: IolarCoisCuain on April 02, 2007, 11:36:58 AM
I completely forgot about yesterday being Lá na nAmadán. That sounds like the most likely explanation alright. A relief so for all concerned.
Except me for being one of the Amadáin in question, of course. :-[
I wouldnt worry, there were no shortage of amadans in Castlebar yesterday!
Quote from: stephenite on April 02, 2007, 11:13:08 AM
Quote from: tayto on April 02, 2007, 11:04:01 AM
Dunno if it's bottle, leadership or bad calls on the line but we seem to panic when things get serious, the real contenders can get off the back foot when they're knocked back, we seem incapable of doing something when it's goes wrong.
I've been thinking about this Tayto, while I didn't see yesterdays game I came to the conclusion after last years semi final that the Dubs only needed one or two more forwards to support Brogan and they'd not be too far away from Sam this year, they seem to have found the forwards but I was wrong about them being close to Sam I think.
Loathe to go on league form, but I can't see the Dubs winning the AI with Pillar, the county board fecked up and shoould have gone for a fresh face the last time maybe? There just seems to be something about the guy on the line that doesn't inspire
I didnt see the game either Stephenite, was away on a stag weekend, but the half time txt that we'd a good frist half and then the full time txt that we'd been bet came as no huge surprise. Hard to know if it's he management or a lack of real leadership from the older more experienced players but we seldom make telling switches that'll rescue a game that's slipping away. No doubt about it that the team are prepared exceptionally well but there does seem to be a certain something missing from the mix, dont know if it's a calm leadership on the line - embarrasing scenes before our game with yourselves in Croke Park last summer and the like, no sense calling for a managers head but they've a lot to prove this summer and i've a feeling we'll see the same failings, hope to christ i'm proven wrong of course.
QuoteIt seems that when Mayo arrived at the home team dressing room that the Dubs were already in situ, and had blocked the way with an ice bath.
LOL. How foolish does this make them look following their 2nd half capitulation? Pillar shows himself to be so brain-dead at times that he should get a Darwin award.
Quote from: Over the Bar on April 02, 2007, 11:59:55 AM
QuoteIt seems that when Mayo arrived at the home team dressing room that the Dubs were already in situ, and had blocked the way with an ice bath.
LOL. How foolish does this make them look following their 2nd half capitulation? Pillar shows himself to be so brain-dead at times that he should get a Darwin award.
You didnt read any more after that quote did you ::)
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
A few thoughs about yesterdays game, Negatives first, we need a full back poor Kilcullen was not at the races at all yesterday. Enda Devenney was poor,he gave his man way too much space. Ger Brady is not a center forward,he is not mobile enough,loses possesion to easily and can not tackle the backs coming out with the ball. Poor old Austin was strcuk by lead feed and greasy hands for most of the match. Hopefully Trevor Mortimor will soon be back,at least then Conor might pass it to a team mate. ::)
Positives,
Subs came on made a big difference. We now have two very good goalkeepers on the panel now. Alan Dillon and Aidan Cmpbell steadied the ship when they came on.I think we now have great competition for midfield now with David heaney going so well in the last two Games. we have come back from losing at half time to win tight games. All in all when the injury list shortens we will be a handy enough outfit.
More positives than negatives i feel.
I agree An Gaeilgoir that there are more positives than negatives. When T Mort and Mc Donald come back the likes of A Campbell could well lose his place but to have him on the bench to be called on when he is needed is very reassuring! Andy Moran is looking like he can play in both a Forward position and a back position which is a huge positive and he's a strong and accurate player too. I agree about Heaney too he is really proving himself again and in mid field too!! Great to know we have another player who can play midfield really well!!
Just heard on the news that because of the fans going on to the pitch after the contreversial 45 decision, the GAA are going to ask the Mayo County Board to up the steward standard to make sure the pitch is not invaded during the game again!
Quote from: Redgreenery on April 02, 2007, 01:20:21 PM
Just heard on the news that because of the fans going on to the pitch after the contreversial 45 decision, the GAA are going to ask the Mayo County Board to up the steward standard to make sure the pitch is not invaded during the game again!
Standards must be falling in Castlebar. Where's the buck who rugby tackled the 70 year old man who ran onto the pitch after the Connacht minor final?
QuoteGreat to know we have another player who can play midfield really well!!
In fairness to Heaney, i don' think too many doubted that he could play midfield at the required level - he played midfield in the the '97 All-Ireland remember. Its just that for years he has been moved to plug gaps as we were deemed to be strong enough at midfield
Quote from: blast05 on April 02, 2007, 01:37:26 PM
QuoteGreat to know we have another player who can play midfield really well!!
In fairness to Heaney, i don' think too many doubted that he could play midfield at the required level - he played midfield in the the '97 All-Ireland remember. Its just that for years he has been moved to plug gaps as we were deemed to be strong enough at midfield
More recently than 1997 he hasnt played his best football and apart from the last 2 league games he lost his place on the starting team, but in the last 2 games he has proved himself again and he proved himself in midfield! For the last 2 or 3 years Mayo's midfield hasnt been at an all time high but our players have improved in that position now and its just reassuring to know that Heaney can play there very well as well as D Brady and McGarrity.
Another coup against sky-blues
Keith Duggan at McHale Park
NFL Division One/Mayo 0-10 Dublin 0-9: Mayo can never be accused of lacking a flair for the dramatic. There were scenes of minor bedlam in the passion bowl of McHale Park as the home faithful celebrated another coup against Dublin.
The combination of the sunshine and the attraction of the sky-blue city shirts encouraged 15,000 people along, and afterwards they celebrated as though it were high summer.
"A pitch invasion in April," murmured one local pressman in a tone that suggested he had now seen it all.
But this was a significant win for Mayo and it means they advance to the league semi-finals with precious little fanfare and an injury-list of glittering names. Almost inevitably, that inventory had increased by yesterday evening. David Brady damaged another part of his anatomy at a weekend training session, and, late in the first half, goalkeeper Kenneth O'Malley fractured his thumb in the act of plucking a ball from above the crossbar.
Despite these setbacks, Mayo repeated the trick of recovering from an unpromising half-time position to secure a win that was almost as beneficial to character-building as it was to their league ambitions.
"We still have an awful lot of work to do, but we are glad to get across the line by a point," said John O'Mahony. "And what has been good about the last two weeks is that, when we got to the tight finish, we could close the deal no matter how many chinks are in the armour."
There was a period in the first half, when Dublin chalked up five impressive points in succession, that made that Mayo coat of chains look inadequate. The home team were in trouble right through the lines as Dublin moved with something of their summer swiftness. Darren Magee directed proceedings at midfield, Conal Keaney gradually shaded a fascinating tussle with Keith Higgins and the Dublin defence snuffed out the Mayo attack - whose front pair of Conor Mortimer and Austin O'Malley had been ill-served with high balls.
Through this spell Mayo simply could not get the ball as Dublin advertised the best of their game. They might have had a goal on 22 minutes when Jason Sherlock took possession at speed and supplied Kevin Bonner, who clipped a point.
Corner back David Henry ventured up field with increasing boldness and forced an important, last-gasp intervention from full back James Kilcullen, before later lashing a great chance wide when Dublin were flying. Their simplest point was probably their best - a long, inch-perfect free floated by goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton to Bernard Brogan, who sold a neat shimmy and took a fine point with his left foot.
That score put Dublin 0-8 to 0-3 to the good, and there was still five points between the teams at half-time. The one nagging thought from Dublin's perspective was that they had played a lot of football for that lead.
Still, it was surprising that they failed to score in the second half. Dublin were pinned back by the strong wind and a much more intense Mayo effort. The cause was not helped by the 39th-minute dismissal of Keaney, slightly unfortunate to pick up a second yellow.
With that thorn removed, the Mayo defence dealt comfortably with the other attackers. They turned the screw from deep.
Few teams move the ball as sweetly out of defence as Mayo, and fliers like Peader Gardiner, Liam O'Malley and Keith Higgins kept Dublin back-pedalling.
David Heaney worked his socks off and contributed two massive points in either half. The introduction of Alan Dillon greatly enhanced the structure of the Mayo front lines, and, in addition to landing a beauty of a point on 54 minutes, the Ballintubber All Star bravely won the free which led to the winning score, diving to claim a loose ball before the flailing Barry Cahill could grab it.
It was no surprise Conor Mortimer clipped the winner. The Shrule man mixed the brilliant with the baffling here, leading Mayo's wanton, second-half wide count, but also finding his range with a pair of outrageous distance strikes. There are no half-measures, and at least he cannot be accused of hiding.
Dublin kept on plugging away, and while Sherlock was for the most part obscured by Billy Joe Padden, he showed the old smarts to sneak in behind Mayo's last line with 10 minutes remaining. Bryan Cullen spotted him and delivered the perfect ball. As Sherlock bolted for goal, Keith Higgins had no option, but to foul.
With Thomas Quinn substituted, the responsibility fell to Diarmuid Connolly. The St Vincent's man had to wait while the players engaged in a kind of minor nightclub scuffle and, when order was restored, his convincing shot smashed low against David Clarke's right-hand post and across the face of the goal.
A minute later Connolly tried to atone with a fine shot on the turn, stopped by both Clarke and the crossbar.
Referee Michael Hughes added three extra minutes, but neither team could be persuaded to score again. Mayo fans greeted the final whistle with relief and happiness.
MAYO: K O'Malley; L O'Malley, J Kilcullen, K Higgins: E Devenney, BJ Padden, P Gardiner; P Harte, D Heaney (0-2); G Brady, K O'Neill, A Kilcoyne (0-1 free); C Mortimer (0-4, 3 frees), A O'Malley (0-1), A Moran (0-1). Subs: A Campbell for G Brady (33 mins), D Clarke for K O'Malley (35 mins inj), A Higgins for E Devenney (45 mins), A Dillon (0-1) for A O'Malley (46 mins), J Nallen for P Harte (59 mins).
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin; B Cahill (0-1), B Cullen, G Brennan; D Magee, C Whelan; C Moran (0-1), J Sherlock, C Keaney (0-3, 1 free); B Brogan (0-1), K Bonner (0-2), T Quinn (0-1, 50). Subs: D Connolly for T Quinn, S Ryan for C Whelan (both 59 mins), P Casey for K Bonner (60 mins), R Cosgrove for B Brogan (67 mins), C Goggins for G Brennan (70 mins).
Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone).
Anthony Hennigan must have been watching a different match than the one i saw from his ravings on the western
From Hoganstand.com
Dubs' league exit proves costly
03 April 2007
The GAA have been left counting the cost of Dublin's NFL Division 1A defeat to Mayo in Castlebar last Sunday.
The result means that the play-off issues in the division have been decided with a round still remaining, rendering Dublin's final round clash with All-Ireland champions Kerry almost meaningless.
The GAA could have expected to reap EUR250,000 if the Dublin-Kerry game had taken place at Croke Park, but with the semi-final spots already booked by Donegal and Mayo, the game will now go ahead at the much smaller Parnell Park. If the game had been played at Croke Park, it could have attracted a crowd of up to 50,000.
"Obviously we're disappointed but there isn't anything we can do about it now. It would have been great for the game to go ahead at Croke Park," a GAA spokesman said.
:D :D :D
The funny thing is that it seemed they were almost expecting Dublin to make the semis.
Like we do every year ::)
... and the AIF last year! :D
I dont think they would have stuggled for numbers in the AIF ::)
Lets see ye fill Croke park in the league semis though.
Doubt it, not in the semi's anyway, last year we played Galway in the semis in McHale park, it didnt fill McHale park that day!
Quote from: dubnut on April 03, 2007, 02:14:26 PM
I dont think they would have stuggled for numbers in the AIF ::)
Lets see ye fill Croke park in the league semis though.
The league is a secondary comp. We are used to been in the Semi-finals now. Its no big deal.....well maybe it would be for some teams. ;)
:-*