AISF 2010: An Dún vs Cill Dara

[WeePeteIsALegend]

Correct RadioGaaGaa, although I would argue that for the vast majority of time the Ulster winners were simply of a lower standard than their Munster, Connacht and Leinster counterparts - hence so few Ulster All Ireland wins comparing to the rest of the country. In actual fact, I would not be surprised at all if Down had one of the highest semi final win percentages (top in Ireland. Like I said, the word 'bottling' was completely wrong.

Personally think the dropping of Colgan has made a world of difference. Unless he starts to sort out his positional sense to compensate for a severe lack of pace at inter-county level, he'll never start regularly. Don't rate McKernan too highly either, but at least he knows where to put himself and reads the game well - he's an improvement along our 40.

What I've enjoyed most is Wee James' attitude after the win over Kerry. Keeping us grounded, making sure we know we've achieved little and having the players realise that they have a huge job on their hands in a few weeks time.

If this is grounded i'd hate to see you losing the run of yourself!!

I think we are and have been grounded. No-one is talking about All Ireland's in all seriousness. And that comes from the top. Wee James has them focussed on one thing and one thing only and that's beating Kildare. I was only a young boy when we won in 91 and 94, but since I can remember we've never been this down to earth and real about the job in hand.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Rob Kelly is back in training for Kildare. Paul Cribbin has also been added to the panel.

Bit much to be expecting either to feature from here on in but the training games over the next few weeks should be fairly competitive. McGeeney has never been entirely predictable with his selections.

[Dinny Breen]

Great news for Rob Kelly, young Cribben will only benefit from this as well. Some serious talent coming through in Kildare, all good news..

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

From Hoganstand.com:

Rogers injured on club duty

Ambrose Rogers has emerged as a doubt for Down's All-Ireland football semi-final against Kildare on August 29 after picking up an injury in a club game yesterday.

The midfielder was forced off in the second half of Longstone's 1-17 to 1-5 SFC victory over Newcastle with the early indications suggesting that he sustained a knee injury, but that he came off only as a precautionary measure.

[southdown]

Are Newcastle any good this year?

[seafoid]

I'm not surprised Kildare are favs with the bookies. It was the same in 1998. Sure all they had to do was turn up.
Kildare are über bottlers. Larry Stanley in 1928 was the last lilywhite who won anything.   

[Dinny Breen]

I'm not surprised Kildare are favs with the bookies. It was the same in 1998. Sure all they had to do was turn up.
Kildare are über bottlers. Larry Stanley in 1928 was the last lilywhite who won anything.

[Donnellys Hollow]

I'm not surprised Kildare are favs with the bookies. It was the same in 1998. Sure all they had to do was turn up.
Kildare are über bottlers. Larry Stanley in 1928 was the last lilywhite who won anything.

What about Tompkins and Fahy?? 

Your username is quite appropriate. It could be used to describe the Galway team over the past few years.

[seafoid]

Who cares ? Didn't we beat Kildare when it mattered ? Glen Ryan apparently
still has difficulty talking about 1998. 

The expectations of the Kildare fans in 1998 were amazing. Sure who were Galway ? 

McGeeney has done a great job  but he has a big job to get Kildare over the finishing line.

[ross4life]

Can't understand why Kildare are favourites, for me this is one of the most even looking semi finals in a long time, excitement levels must be through the roof with both sets of fans

has the makings of a great match & i hope the winner of this tie wins the All Ireland 

[Dinny Breen]

Excitement levels aren't that high in Kildare feet firmly on the ground, McGeeney is no Micko, hyperbole isn't in his vocabulary.

The market dictates the price, Kildare is a gambling county (centre of Horse racing industry) with a large population.  Kildare's form is also a little bit better coming into this with 5 convincing wins as opposed to Down's 2. Kildare also beat them in the All-Ireland u21 semi a couple of years ago as well. - only reasons I can think of.

Hard game to call is right.

[imtommygunn]

i hope i'm wrong but i have a feeling kildare will win this with a bit to spare.

down have some excellent forwards but the main reason they beat kerry was a much superior work-rate and hunger. i doubt they'll outmatch kildare in that dept particularly.

kildare also with superior physical strength wear teams down. that's not all they've got but it will be a large factor imo

[GAA_Punter]

Another GAA star signs for Aussie rules club Collingwood

http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/2010/08/09/another-gaa-star-signs-for-aussie-rules-club-collingwood/

[seafoid]

Can't understand why Kildare are favourites, for me this is one of the most even looking semi finals in a long time, excitement levels must be through the roof with both sets of fans

has the makings of a great match & i hope the winner of this tie wins the All Ireland

Prices are based on money bet not necessarily cold logic. Look at the prices you get on Cork bookie sites when Cork are playing. Any time one of the Leinster commuting counties with a decent fuball team like Kildare or Meath comes into a big match the prices tend to follow them.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Excitement levels aren't that high in Kildare feet firmly on the ground, McGeeney is no Micko, hyperbole isn't in his vocabulary.

The market dictates the price, Kildare is a gambling county (centre of Horse racing industry) with a large population.  Kildare's form is also a little bit better coming into this with 5 convincing wins as opposed to Down's 2. Kildare also beat them in the All-Ireland u21 semi a couple of years ago as well. - only reasons I can think of.

Hard game to call is right.

Exactly DB. The hype isn't anywhere near approaching '98 or '00 levels. The whole county went mental in '98 and for good reason. It was May when we beat Dublin that year and the bandwagon took off straight away - Dublin were the bogey team who always had the upper hand on Micko's teams in the early-mid nineties. They went on to hammer Laois and beat Meath in the last few minutes to win our first Leinster in 42 years. They then beat the defending All-Ireland champions Kerry in the semi-final. Is it any wonder some people in the county got carried away and thought the final was a foregone conclusion? I don't think it was a case of the hype beating Kildare or the players bottling it in that final either. Galway were clearly a bloody good team and Kildare were running on empty in the second half. Glenn and Niall Buckley weren't fit and Ronan Quinn's withdrawal on the Saturday forced Micko to rejig the whole defence.

'00 cut deeper for me than '98. That was the last chance that great team had and everyone knew it. The game was level going into the last ten minutes when John Finn was wrongly sent off. Truth be told, the winning and losing of that game was Nuxer watching it in a bar in Chicago and not being out on the field.

The Kildare bandwagon from those years is long gone and to be honest, I don't think you'll see it back for this match in a few weeks time either. The Kildare crowd for the quarter final was fairly pathetic IMO. Kildare and Meath would nearly sell out Croke Park on their own in the late nineties. Now they can barely half fill it as part of a double header. The days when we would even outnumber the Dubs at Croke Park are long gone.

I don't know why people are getting their knickers in a twist over who's favourite with the books. A bookmaker's liabilities will always dictate how he prices a match up and Kildare has always been a gambling county. It's not as if Down are rank outsiders either. Most books I've seen have Kildare a slight shade of odds-on with Down a slight shade of odds-against. I haven't seen a handicap yet but I presume it will be no more than Kildare(-1).