Battle of the Boyne - Meath Vs Louth - Leinster Final 11/7/2010

[mylestheslasher]

For what it's worth, I would consider cheating to be trying to deliberately deceive the referee into awarding a score or get a player sent off. While Joe Sheridan failed to score a legitimate goal he did make a genuine attempt to do so and therefore he did not cheat, end of story.

It's up to the officials to referee the game as they see it. Sludden hardly moved a yard from when the ball was kiched into the square until the ball hit the back of the net hence Sludden was poorly placed to make a decision. This would point to Sludden lacking the physical fitness to oficiate at intercounty level, not a new problem in GAA. As for his inability to consult with the umpires thats just inexplicable. Huge questions have been raised about refereeing standards and the means by which people are recruited into referreing, why so few ex players for example....even ex U-21 or minor players.

As for Louth, it was their first big day for many years and while it was devastating for them they need to learn from it and come back stronger.They made plenty of mistakes on the day and I'm sure when the dust settles they will realise they have plenty of room for improvement. It's a county with huge potential and if people become inspired to right the wrongs of last Sunday it could lead to great things. A replay would have also been unsatisfactory in the long run, even if Louth had won it would still have felt strange.

How the Meath Co. Board where left to make the decision on the replay is also baffling and unacceptable. A replay has got to come about through the referee's match report indicating the error or stating null and void as the final score.

Thats bullshit. He rolled over the line, threw the ball into the goals, swung a boot after to make it look like he kicked it and knowing full well he didn't actually kick it and seeing the umpire did not raise his flag he ran to the ref and demanded the flag be put up. "young" shierdan (as someone called him effectionately earlier) is a cheat.

[Zapatista]

Joe Sheridan should take up acting-how he kept a straight face whilst describing his goal is worthy of an oscar- any truth in word that his team mates have nicknamed him 'giraffe'

Why, does he have smelly feet?

[magpie seanie]

Magnanamous words from JP, the right thing to do. Only part I'd slightly disagree with is that it wasn't up to Meath to offer a replay. I think it rested at their door as the GAA, Leinster Council or CCCC has no power to demand a replay. Still think the players will regret not offering a replay further down the line.

Horrible luck for Louth but need to push on and I for one hope they make the quarters (hopefully not meeting Tyrone if we're beat on Sunday!)

That's not true. They do have the power but they fudged it and hoped Meath county board would buckle to the ridiculous media circus (Croke Park and the upper echelons always do) and that a replay, however wrong that decsion is per rule, would get them out of this mess created by Martin Sludden. Whether people like it or not Meath County Board were correct in their decision. The CCCC did a Pontius Pilate on this and it could come back to haunt them.

No-one like DRA challenges or the like but this is the route Louth must go as it appears to be the only body within the association that actually implements the rules.

Respect to JP Rooney on his words. He called it 100% and as a player they need to get back working for their next game. Hios county board should pursue it on the behalf of the players.

[drici]

Bud, you're a tara man

[Hardy]

I thought it was a penalty because of the 'keeper's tackle. He came flying across the goal, leading with his leg and went flying into Sheridan.

That's the only cause I'd see for a penalty, too. I don't know if it's the cause the ref used and on first viewing (I haven't had a chance to look since) I thought it would be a fairly tenuous claim, but I'd like to look again.

The whole business of the penalty award is very confusing. As people have said, you can't blow the whistle, stop play and then change your mind and award the advantage. If that's what he did, it compounds his error.

One thing that doesn't seem to have been considered, though, is that he maybe blew after the ball crossed the line and was thus out of play. He hasn't applied advantage, because the ball is not in play. So now he determines, somehow, that Joe had "scored" before he blew so he decides to award the goal instead of the penalty. What we have in this version of events is simply a wrong decision as regards the validity of the goal and not a farcical misapplication of the advantage rule.

Anyway, respect to the Louth people here (with one exception) and to the players, including JP Lennon and Colin Kelly and the Louth officials who have made public statements, disassociating themselves from the abuse, nonsense and hysteria. Decent sportsmen all.

Respect also to Meath Co. Board and the players for making the hard decision instead of the one that would have been so easy and would have appeased the lunatic fringe, the referee-attacking scum (and their supporters here) and the media. You are better men than I, because I'm afraid if I was voting, I would have taken the easy option and played the nice fella and cravenly given in to the pressure and buck-passing and neatly passed the buck back again to the GAA.

It took balls, having been asked a question you should never have been asked and that no other set of players has ever been asked and in which you were only allowed to give one answer, to refuse to give that answer in the full knowledge of the abuse (and possibly worse) it would bring, of which the scumbaggery on this board is but a small example.

[Rocky Mc Guigan]

Indeed-what would one expect from a pig only a grunt?

[fearglasmor]

I thought it was a penalty because of the 'keeper's tackle. He came flying across the goal, leading with his leg and went flying into Sheridan.

That's the only cause I'd see for a penalty, too. I don't know if it's the cause the ref used and on first viewing (I haven't had a chance to look since) I thought it would be a fairly tenuous claim, but I'd like to look again.

The whole business of the penalty award is very confusing. As people have said, you can't blow the whistle, stop play and then change your mind and award the advantage. If that's what he did, it compounds his error.

One thing that doesn't seem to have been considered, though, is that he maybe blew after the ball crossed the line and was thus out of play. He hasn't applied advantage, because the ball is not in play. So now he determines, somehow, that Joe had "scored" before he blew so he decides to award the goal instead of the penalty. What we have in this version of events is simply a wrong decision as regards the validity of the goal and not a farcical misapplication of the advantage rule.

Anyway, respect to the Louth people here (with one exception) and to the players, including JP Lennon and Colin Kelly and the Louth officials who have made public statements, disassociating themselves from the abuse, nonsense and hysteria. Decent sportsmen all.

Respect also to Meath Co. Board and the players for making the hard decision instead of the one that would have been so easy and would have appeased the lunatic fringe, the referee-attacking scum (and their supporters here) and the media. You are better men than I, because I'm afraid if I was voting, I would have taken the easy option and played the nice fella and cravenly given in to the pressure and buck-passing and neatly passed the buck back again to the GAA.

It took balls, having been asked a question you should never have been asked and that no other set of players has ever been asked and in which you were only allowed to give one answer, to refuse to give that answer in the full knowledge of the abuse (and possibly worse) it would bring, of which the scumbaggery on this board is but a small example.

I'll drink to that.  Well said Hardy.

[magpie seanie]

Indeed-what would one expect from a pig only a grunt?

Good grunt.

[seafoid]

I'd rather spend the afternoon wiping puss from the weeping sores of a diseased skunk.

Are FAS offering that as a careers move ? 

[Hardy]

I'd rather spend the afternoon wiping puss from the weeping sores of a diseased skunk.

Are FAS offering that as a careers move ? 

There's a few on here well qualified already, no FAS course required.

[seafoid]

Hardy

Now that the replay is over how good do you think Mead are? Will they get past the quarters ? Another repeat of last year? Or progress? At the end of the day a Leinster doesn't mean much.

[Hardy]

I deleted the post I made after Rocky McGuigan's "pig" post. On a re-read, it's not clear whether his "pig" reference is to me or to the people I was castigating.

If he wouldn't mind clarifying, I'll know whether to re-post.

[Hardy]

Hardy

Now that the replay is over how good do you think Mead are? Will they get past the quarters ? Another repeat of last year? Or progress? At the end of the day a Leinster doesn't mean much.

I don't know, is the honest answer, but I'm pessimistic. I thought there were signs we were on the right road after the wins over Laois and Dublin. I was fearful that the result against Dublin would mask a lot of critical flaws and that fear was borne out on Sunday in relation to the full back line, midfield and the sideline.

Midfield did well in the first half but was completely overrun in the second. I don't know whether Crawford's match fitness may have been an issue there, but I fear we have big problems.

We have bigger problems in the full back line. Some of what went on on Sunday was dispiriting. Kevin Reilly ran too far under a number of balls and let them hop behind him. Harrington was all at sea and O'Connor was nothing like his usual reliable, tenacious self. You felt anything could happen when the ball entered that sector. It's frightening to think what would happen if we played like that against the likes of Cooper/Donaghy.

The other big problem is the inaction on the sideline as they watch the problems unfold in midfield and defence. This has been a pattern in all the games and is the most worrying problem of all.

It's great to be talking about football.

[Hound]

Midfield did well in the first half but was completely overrun in the second. I don't know whether Crawford's match fitness may have been an issue there, but I fear we have big problems.

Pessimistically you could say Meath won the first half battle because Louth didnt start, nerves got the better of them, and it wasnt until the 2nd half they started to play - and from then totally dominated.

Optimisically you can say the Meath lads played very well in the first half, but Crawford tired badly because of lack of recent games - but this game will bring him on a lot, and therefore you wouldnt expect a repeat of the 2nd half later in the championship.

If Meath and Dublin were to meet again, I would expect a very tight game, but I think Meath would nick it (whereas if the first game had been tight, which it wasnt, I'd have fancied the Dubs to nick it).
However, I think Louth would dominate midfield against either Dublin or Meath and I doubt their forwards would be as wasteful as they were against Meath, thus I'd fancy Louth to beat either Dublin or Meath if they meet later (although only if they get their heads right of course).

[Main Street]

Louth are the best team in Leinster. They looked good against Kildare, a bit shaky against Westmeath but took well to the final despite some obvious naivety. There is no reason why Louth cannot move upwards from here. Louth are more Ulster than Leinster.