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It's really striking, watching on TV from abroad, the empty stands and terraces at most championship games. It makes the whole thing look Mickey Mouse.

If the GAA was serious about addressing this, if the game was about what they say it's about, they'd cut admission prices and let kids in free to most championship games. They'd broadcast live games free to air.

But it's not about what they say it's about. It's about money.

People aren't stupid. They are being milked in the same fashion as fans of professional sports, they know it, and they choose to stay away.

In my case I've gone from getting the GAA Go season pass to only paying for three or four live matches this year and catching the rest on YouTube. It's sad, because I really love football, but I just can't justify being fleeced any more.

The closest correlation in this case, where we *have* seen similar results is when a team gets eliminated in their second group game, where the third game becomes a dead rubber. Usually in those cases, the team that is out loses. Not because they are unfit, but because they are deflated and disillusioned.

But that's exactly the point AZ Offaly - Roscommon and other six-day turnaround losers aren't out and letting one defeat "deflate and disillusion" doesn't speak well for a player's character. I remember when we had straight knock-out, you'd give anything to have a second chance.

I just think that after preparing for eight months, not attacking your second chance with everything you have is mental weakness. Teams that were hopping off the turf for league games can't get up for a knockout championship match? I don't buy it. A mentally strong, ambitious team would be glad of the chance.

It's just an awful attitude to head into your last chance for the year with a mentality of "ah, after what happened last weekend, I don't really fancy it".

Anyway I raised the point because Clare aren't getting enough credit. They are just a better team than Roscommon, at the moment anyway.

I just don't understand the six-day turnaround excuse. Teams win the soccer world cup playing seven games in a month. Months of physical and mental training and teams can't handle two games in a week? I don't buy it. One of the most fragile Kildare teams in history won the ultimate banana-skin fixture away to Offaly six days after a 19-point defeat last year. Roscommon need to look in the mirror.

Money is a help but it isn't the be all and end all. If it was, England would win every rugby world cup and give the soccer one a right go.
Home games are a help but they aren't the be all and end all. If they were, every home nation would win every world cup in every sport. And when Dublin were getting destroyed by Kerry and Tyrone in the noughties, we heard how it was a disadvantage.
As for them not working, well they're missing a former footballer of the year this year because of his profession, so I don't get that argument.

The truth is they have a once-in-a-lifetime group of players and they're well coached. Simple as that.

The good news is, it's cyclical and always has been.

PS: Leave the Lilies alone. Robots work not only hard but efficiently.

[if / when we let them go 6 ahead they will finish the job.]

3 reasons why we could lose this game:

1 - Complacency, Kildare are seen as not the force they once were. People are forgetting that Westmeath aren't a bad side. Kildare have a good midfield and always play a nice brand of football. They will know we are ripe for picking and if / when we let them go 6 ahead they will finish the job.

2- Tactics, in hindsight I can understand the sweeper the last day against the wind. If we play a sweeper the next day we will struggle, especially if it's McL.

3 - Selection, Barry Moran has to start. There is a lad in the forwards who started the last day who has had a number of years to prove himself. He hasn't, if he starts it will be a mistake.


All of the above outcomes are more than likely to happen the next day so I'm afraid to say this but we it's highly likely that we won't be crossing the Shannon this year.

I'd like to agree with you but I just don't, particularly the bit in bold. We've let both Westmeath and Offaly back from six points down.

Galway are very defensive, granted, but I thought Roscommon were just as conservative in their own way. Conceding kick-outs when you've a hurricane behind you is about as negative as it gets. Scared football.

Just doing some video analysis here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr4oIUtCZig

It appears if you get stuck into Mayo early, they don't want to know.

Kildare is a GAA purgatory in a class of its own

We just beat Offaly for the fifth time in a row in championship. This is a golden era.

Even as a non Meath supporter it is sad to see

Yeah I'm devastated over it. Don't get a full night's sleep most nights, don't see the point in going out, even food doesn't taste quite the same.

Worth remembering that Offaly (who went out today) beat Longford by 9 points in Longford's first game of the championship. 

6 day turnaround a factor for sure - Dublin and Cavan are the only 2 teams to overcome it in the qualifiers.

Kildare did it last year.

I've been living in a couple of other countries for the past six years and it's made me realise that the thing Ireland does better than most is friendliness. Corroborated by a couple of foreigners I've shown around the country. Mind you, by "shown around", I mean "gone on the piss with".

Nice to do well at minor but I think under 21 is a far better barometer for senior talent coming through and unfortunately we are still trailing Dublin at that level

I wouldn't think Dublin this year could possibly be as strong because you can't just lose players of the calibre of O'Carroll and McCaffrey and be as good as you were.
They're still red-hot favourites and rightly so but it wouldn't shock me in the least if they're beaten by Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final.

I actually did a tot of those 10 Leinster counties' qualifier results against teams from the other provinces over the past five years.
They've won 26 and lost 29. So I'm not sure the standard is any worse than the rest of the country. Win more games against Connacht and Munster teams than we lose.
We just don't happen to be Kerry, Mayo or Donegal and therefore can't compete with Dublin. Doesn't mean the standard is as atrocious as people make out.

Too easy to say the rest of Leinster is pathetic. Qualifier results don't back that up. It's just that none of us are near the same level as Dublin. That's true of at least 25 counties.