All Ireland Club Championships - Final Stages

[ross4life]

All well yet more heart break for us Rossies  immensely proud of the lads as they played there part in a great final, Cross the worthy winners & the key to that win was the midfield battle as St Brigids were unable to break even & of course Cross used all there experience to seal the deal.

I just hope i don't have to wait another 21 years to see another Roscommon club in the final & would be nice to see them win a final in Croke park for once.

Congrats Cross,Great team that all of Armagh should be proud of.

[ross4life]

Two great games yesterday

Was disappointed with the hurling game long over before the final whistle was as one sided as the Football final last year.

[robertemmet]

Another greatwin for Cross.  Jamie Clarke was the difference.

Question for any of the Cross posters........Was interested to see Jim McConville as Maor Foirne.....Was Gareth O'Neill suspended or just watching game in stand for a better view?  If so mcConville was some replacement to have along the line.

[crossdoesitbest]

Another greatwin for Cross.  Jamie Clarke was the difference.

Question for any of the Cross posters........Was interested to see Jim McConville as Maor Foirne.....Was Gareth O'Neill suspended or just watching game in stand for a better view?  If so mcConville was some replacement to have along the line.

Gareth was suspended and not allowed onto the playing area! Jim was asked to step in and help out and did a great job by all accounts!

[robertemmet]

thanks for that.

Cross are some outfit and some amount of experienced men around the club to manage and orgnaise their teams. The envy of all other clubs.

[armaghniac]

Jim was asked to step in and help out and did a great job by all accounts!

Keep it in the family!

Tony and Gareth deserve great credit for winning an AI when taking up management immediately after their playing careers. They would hardly have had time to cut their teeth on a minor team or the like. It also reflects the "team" orientation of the Rangers setup that a man can be playing one year and manager the next and the players fully work with that, you can imagine some clubs where this would not be the case.

[brokencrossbar1]

Just in on a flying visit, am a bit tired. Fantastic, fantastic day, and a fantastic bunch of lads. It was nerve wrecking and the poor man infront of me must have a sore back/arse from the amount of times I kicked his seat! I will give a longer assessment when I get time. Hard luck to st brigids, ye came to play good honest football and it was a credit.

Ps orior, I didn't realise the camera was there till it was too late!

[isourboydownyet]

well done cross,brillant outfit

[Hoof Hearted]

Just in on a flying visit, am a bit tired. Fantastic, fantastic day, and a fantastic bunch of lads. It was nerve wrecking and the poor man infront of me must have a sore back/arse from the amount of times I kicked his seat! I will give a longer assessment when I get time. Hard luck to st brigids, ye came to play good honest football and it was a credit.

Ps orior, I didn't realise the camera was there till it was too late!

BCB, is that isourboydownyet on your avatar ? looks a bit like him ! Plays soccer a bit like him too.

[stew]

Just in on a flying visit, am a bit tired. Fantastic, fantastic day, and a fantastic bunch of lads. It was nerve wrecking and the poor man infront of me must have a sore back/arse from the amount of times I kicked his seat! I will give a longer assessment when I get time. Hard luck to st brigids, ye came to play good honest football and it was a credit.

Ps orior, I didn't realise the camera was there till it was too late!

BC, I am absolutey delighted for you, your club and the County as a whole, marvelous stuff and Clarke is the real deal, we are going to be great again on the back of the men from crossmaglen.

[stew]

Well done Cross, I'm amazed they won it to be brutally honest having watched them from the first round in the Armagh SFC, amazing achievement. 

Tony Mac for Armagh!

This is now like your signature tune, you can only beat who you are playing - armagh club football is shite!

I know benny well, he knows his football and he watches a lot of it, if he thinks Tony mac could still do a job for the county he is right.

Generally players that are able to stand out against the best teams in the country tend to be county material.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Fair dues Cross, fantastic achievement, yet again. I would have been equally happy for either team to prevail, and St Brigids will have another day no doubt, but the era belongs to the men (and women) from Crossmaglen.

[mountainboii]

Well done Cross, I'm amazed they won it to be brutally honest having watched them from the first round in the Armagh SFC, amazing achievement. 

Tony Mac for Armagh!

This is now like your signature tune, you can only beat who you are playing - armagh club football is shite!

I know benny well, he knows his football and he watches a lot of it, if he thinks Tony mac could still do a job for the county he is right.

Generally players that are able to stand out against the best teams in the country tend to be county material.

Brilliant stuff! 

[brokencrossbar1]

It is a nice feeling today as the thing has settled dow a small bit.  I was at a wedding all day yesterday with a crowd of Tyrone, Derry and Antrim people and it was lovely to sit and talk football and have something great to discuss.  I am disappointed I couldn't spend more time in Cross but hey after 5 these things can become a bit old hat

On the game itself I thought that it was an excellent game.  There were a few key moments that could have changed the game and some that did change it dramatically.  ST Brigid's played very well but they were a small bit one dimensional with their tactis.  Kilbride is an excellent player and a horse of a man but you can't play the whole game as a one man forward line.  I felt that MCHugh was giving him able support but when he went off injured that was a key moment.  he had been giving us a different kind of problem than Kilbride and I have to say I was relieved to see him going off.  Once he was gone Kilbride was easier to hold as the other forwards were not really hurting us. 

John mac coming in was vital too as once again he won a number of key balls and steadied the whole thing.  I have to say I am looking forward to resuming my playing partnership with him in this coming years junior championship   He always has time on the ball and is an ox. 

I actually never felt like we would be beaten.  I had a sense the whole game that we were always going to have just enough to get over the line.  Call it intuition, call it being there before and seeing the signs but I genuinely never felt we would lose.  That is not to take away from St Brigids I just felt that we had the little bit if X to get us through.  I also think that there was one key moment in the first half which really kept St Brigids in the game.  Shortly after Aaron Cunninghams goal we had an attack and David McKenna got caught in position(he had actually taken a heavy hit moments before it and was still shaken from it).  Directly from that dropped ball Brigids scored their goal.  I reckon if David had been able to take his point that time, or even put the ball dead, then we would have won that bit easier.  St Brigids were faltering badly, Frankie Dolan had just been pickpocketed by Paul over infront of us and his confidence was shot, and we were on a bit of a run. If we had scored that we would have been 5 up and in a very commanding position.  In any event it was to be but it made no differnce, just really an observation at this point. 

I have read a lot of comments, mostly on other boards to be fair, about us being very cynical.  I am sorry but what I saw on the field of play from both teams was a similar amount of "cynical" play.  St Brigids were no angels and neither were we, there were a few very dirty off the ball strokes in front of us against David McKenna in the first 5 minutes which weren't just cynical but were down right dirty.  The thing is this is a mans game and David got up and got on about it.  There is no use on whinging, and in fairness it is actually mostly neutrals who have been "complaining".  St Brigids are a good championship team and if they can regroup they will be there again, but they need supporting cast for McHugh and Kilbride in the forward line.

[RedandGreenSniper]

I think both first half goals were due in part to mistakes. Crossmaglen's goal should have been saved by the Brigid's 'keeper. Twas an awful attempt and he had loads of time to set himself properly. For the Brigid's goal then Aaron Kernan (I think) got sucked into contesting the high ball with his other defender and left the Brigid's ten unmarked, who also did his best to miss and was very lucky Hearty's save popped right back into his lap.

I had the Clarinbridge St Brigid's double so was really shouting on the Rossies but I never felt they could do it. That's no reflection on them, purely a compliment towards the control Cross' had on the game. When they got the second goal, even though it only put them three clear, you knew it was as good as over. There's not many teams that can look so comfortable in games and so much in control as Cross' do. They really are a phenomenon. It is hard to think they are on the go since beating Knockmore in 1997. I know personnel has changed a lot but it is still the same, virtually unbroken cycle. If you enjoy watching winners, you'll love watching Cross.

As an aside, Senan Kilbridge was exceptional. I've only seen him play fleetingly for Roscommon but, my God, he graced that All-Ireland final with a performance not seen there since Ciaran McDonald against Nemo in 2003.