Messages

Only 45 pages, well I suppose there is a few days left before the replay.

The 2008 game got 89 pages of discussion, funnily enough most of it is the same as this thread

http://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?topic=7477.1290

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Hardy

Agree entirely that the best way to "punish" a cynical foul is to move the free to within a scoring distance.  The drag down foul epitomised by Sean Cavanagh and Conor Maginn are reasonably rare, but the body checks and cynical fouls further down the field are much more common especially in the latter stages of games when a team is holding onto a lead.  Dublin and Donegal are masters of fouling out the field to slow up the play.  By punishing these fouls with a 21 yd free would certainly make offenders think twice, particularly in a close game.

AZOffaly

Sorry, can't spell to save myself.

Home and away games.  I don't think many Offally fans or players would fancy a trip up to Omagh this weekend.

AZOffally

Quite possibly though more often than not when the ball got up that far my head was in my hands.

re: no sweeper for Tyrone.

Hindsight is wonderful and a sweeper might have helped but in fairness, the way Dublin played, I don't think it would have changed the outcome of the game.

I think Mickey Harte thought that by not having a sweeper Tyrone would have a better chance if it came down to a shoot out between the sides and scoring 15 points against Dublin isn't too bad.  Just Dublin were exceptional and to score 19 points from play from all over the field was something I haven't seen very often.

Dublin got their tactics spot on, we didn't, but as well as that, with Dublin's quality in passing and shooting, a sweeper for us wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game in my opinion.

A good point.  Without Mickey at minor level and under 21 level less has come through.  There are people here calling for Hartes head - incredible.  I would actually make him a director of football overseeing management through under 16 to senior level within Tyrone ensuring our players know why they are in these squads, and how they can progress to senior.   

I would say when Mickey does give up the senior team management, there will be a job for him at Garvaghey overseeing some sort of youth development.  That is if he wants it.

It would be very disappointing for Dublin and there fans if the performance on Saturday can't be replicated again in semis and in final because what I saw on saturday evening was a superb performance from every man in the Dublin side.  It was hard, intense but fair and oozing with quality.  Some of the points from out the field were really excellent and that had a demoralising effect on Tyrone as it didn't seem to matter where they got the ball they could score.

I know some will complain about the cynical tackles and players lying down at the end of the game but if Tyrone did the same I'd be the first to commend them for it.

Fair play to the Dubs, just hope you can keep up the form and win the All-Ireland.  If you do, our defeat might not be so hard to swallow.

It's slightly understandable if not ideal that those players who won minor and U21 All-Irelands get first pick at Senior level due to them being around the squads for long periods and having proved at underage that they are good footballers.

Perhaps if Tyrone's minors and U21s weren't as successful, others who didn't get a look in at underage might have had a better chance of making the senior panel.

We need to have a serious look at what we are doing guys, and the type of footballers we are cultivating through these structures before we keep on spoofing about them. The structures dont allow for late developers and that class of footballer who missed out on the system is out on the cold with Tyrone football often on the call of a minor manager 

Did Mark Donnelly play much at minor level as I can't really remember him up until this season but you are right.  by and large the players who played minor and U21 get the nod ahead of others who improved as they got older.

Some crazy ratings in today's Irish News. They said of Peter Harte 'they game seemed to pass him by'. I thought he was as heavily involved as anyone else in the first half, moping up around the half back line. They also saw something in Donnelly I didn't.

Yeah I thought Peter Harte did very well in the first half but his confidence seemed to take a hit when he started missing frees.  Don't think he should have taken the first 45 as it was more suited to a right footed player and from then he didn't look confident with his place ball kicking.

Was dissapointed with Donnelly as he played much better in the league games and against Monaghan but a game against Longford should restore his confidence.

If Joe McMahon hadn't been taken out, he would probably have been Man of the match for keeping Murphy quiet and stopping Donegal's one (attacking) tactic of hoofing it up to Murphy.

Was in the paper on Saturday as well.  St Macartan's and Carrickmore were in the final and I think there was a late point to win the game.  There followed a "pitch invasion" where the referee and another official were said to been knocked out.

Also, from yesterday's match - Frees: Tyrone 23 Monaghan 37. Yellow cards: Tyrone 8 Monaghan 6. Red Cards: Tyrone 0 Monaghan 2.
And whilst most Tyrone people will argue that Monaghan's red cards were deserved, Kevin Hughes got a yellow card for a tackle very similar to Mone's. And Owen Mulligan could well have landed himself a red card for his swing at Walshe.

Now i'm not claiming Monaghan are whiter than white by any means, but some people need to take the blinkers off.

When you consider that Martin Penrose received a yellow card after being slapped when it should have went the other way and the monaghan player who escaped a card due to being subbed, the card tally should have been reversed.

Not sure why there were so many more fouls given against Tyrone.

For Owen Mulligan, see Darren Hughes who also had a swing at a Tyrone player that went un-punished.

Here's a question.

How do they know you have attended the games from now on.  Yesterday I just handed in my ticket and they didn't scan the season ticket.

Thanks red hander