Mayo V Kerry semi final

[AbbeySider]

Can't see a jersey change. 05 and 06 both used traditional jerseys. Mayo took the decision to change in 04 as far as i know. Don't give 2 shites about what jersey Mayo wears personally as long as the job gets done.

+1

Dont give two shites either, doesnt matter one bit what jerseys we wear

[kevmy]

Now with my saffron and blue glasses on I would think that Kilcoyne is at least an option as a game changer, is Howley not a more positive option than lets say Keegan and now the big question..........will CONOREEN be brought back.

I doubt that Kilcoyne would be brought back into the panel this year but then again you would never know. He would definitely be on my list to bring in next year though as I think he would strengthen the panel and still has a lot to offer.

Trevor Howley is just back from injury is he not? I think he has yet to play a full game so we will see how he gets on this weekend with Knockmore, but I agree; I think he would always be in contention for a spot in the half back line.

Regarding The Mort; I have mixed views. He is a player that could win a tight game for you as I know he has talent but is he a team player or more of an individual? Would a character like that upset things? Can you imagine his introduction in an All-Ireland final a la Stephen O'Néill for Tyrone? 

Horan is carrying 4 or 5 extra players in the training panel who are not named in the 26 on matchday. I know Barry Moran is one of these but not sure on the rest - Howley, Burke, O'Reilly? possibly. But I think the point that we don't really have a strong forwards bench remains.

If we say Doherty starts the next day we have Varley, Ronaldson and Campbell as the only out-and-out forwards on the bench. Gardiner has being brought on as a forward sub the last couple of days and we could move Trevor or AOS forward but overall not our strongest area.

[AbbeySider]

Now with my saffron and blue glasses on I would think that Kilcoyne is at least an option as a game changer, is Howley not a more positive option than lets say Keegan and now the big question..........will CONOREEN be brought back.

I doubt that Kilcoyne would be brought back into the panel this year but then again you would never know. He would definitely be on my list to bring in next year though as I think he would strengthen the panel and still has a lot to offer.

Trevor Howley is just back from injury is he not? I think he has yet to play a full game so we will see how he gets on this weekend with Knockmore, but I agree; I think he would always be in contention for a spot in the half back line.

Regarding The Mort; I have mixed views. He is a player that could win a tight game for you as I know he has talent but is he a team player or more of an individual? Would a character like that upset things? Can you imagine his introduction in an All-Ireland final a la Stephen O'Néill for Tyrone? 

Horan is carrying 4 or 5 extra players in the training panel who are not named in the 26 on matchday. I know Barry Moran is one of these but not sure on the rest - Howley, Burke, O'Reilly? possibly. But I think the point that we don't really have a strong forwards bench remains.

If we say Doherty starts the next day we have Varley, Ronaldson and Campbell as the only out-and-out forwards on the bench. Gardiner has being brought on as a forward sub the last couple of days and we could move Trevor or AOS forward but overall not our strongest area.

I think there is approx 31-32 players on the roster but I dont know who exactly is still there. I think its something along the lines of:
Jason Gibbons, James Burke, Trevor Howley, Eoin O Reilly, Neil Douglas(?), Barry Moran(?)
I am not sure about the last two.

If you look at the match programs, Garniner is actually named in the forwards towards the end of the subs which suggests he is considered in the forwards for now. He is a serious impact sub though, can you imagine trying to follow the likes of Kevin McLoughlin all over the pitch only then to have Gardiner coming on with fresh legs running rings around ya... nightmare stuff...

[Mike Sheehy]

What are they going to do about the jersey clash this time ? Since we have a divine right to win the AI I think Mayo should switch. What do ye think ?

Back to the provincial jersies I reckon, we never play well in them red yokes. The yellow Mitchells jersey that Rob Hennelly was wearing the last day would be even worse, given the connotations of that colour and 2006 and all that. Actually why dont ye stick to the blue yoke ye wore against Limerick? Ye were moving well in that, and we as the underdogs could stick to our traditional green and red. How about that?

On a related but different subject, I've started my research into the enemy by procuring a copy of Jack O'Connors book. I avoided it to date as my good friends around Firies and Castlegregory said "Yerraha, tisnt much of a read" but sure I cant be coming on here and the likes without my research done.
Anyway I'm on page 4, and I've read so much about the hurt of 2005 that I'm allready thinking that we were quiet right to lie down in 2006 and perhaps given that there is so much hurt around from last years quarters that it would be only right to do the same again this year.
Poor Jack, how much hurt can one man take? And Micko snubbed him as well you know!
C'mere, Mikey, whats the story with young Quirke there, is it all really about injuries or is there a bitten of hope there for us bucks to latch on to of  much unrest in the Kerry camp?

Quirke is a big lad and some big lads are just more prone to injury so I dont doubt that part of it, however, I'd say he just looked at the way things are going with Maher establishing himself and maybe he felt he hadn't been given a fair enough shot. The timing definitly indicates he wasnt happy but I wouldn't say it amounts to any general "unrest" in the panel. He will be a loss though, I personally didnt see him as a starting midfielder but he was a very handy fella to bring on.

[Mayo4Sam]

I watched that cork match again, not trying to take away from mayo but cork were brutal, they just didn't play. Compare it to the dubs last nite for intensity and we're not at the races.
Kerry to win and be unprepared for the dubs in the final

[squire_in_navy_slacks]

Galvins mind is on the prizeeeeeeeeeee

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/fashion/paul-gavin-online-shopping-its-etail-therapy-for-culchies-2841428.html

[highorlow]

Galvins mind is on the prizeeeeeeeeeee

Poor lad.

[Farrandeelin]

I watched that cork match again, not trying to take away from mayo but cork were brutal, they just didn't play. Compare it to the dubs last nite for intensity and we're not at the races.
Kerry to win and be unprepared for the dubs in the final

Why didn't they play though Mayo4Sam? Perhaps they weren't let!

[Halfquarter]

Galvins mind is on the prizeeeeeeeeeee

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/fashion/paul-gavin-online-shopping-its-etail-therapy-for-culchies-2841428.html

How can that bucko's head be right for playing football,also leaving himself open for an awful slagging.

[RogerMilla]

Galvins mind is on the prizeeeeeeeeeee

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/fashion/paul-gavin-online-shopping-its-etail-therapy-for-culchies-2841428.html

dont know whether to laugh or cry reading that

[Mayo4Sam]

I watched that cork match again, not trying to take away from mayo but cork were brutal, they just didn't play. Compare it to the dubs last nite for intensity and we're not at the races.
Kerry to win and be unprepared for the dubs in the final

Why didn't they play though Mayo4Sam? Perhaps they weren't let!

I'd agree that was part of it but I just don't think it was the same team that turned out against down or Dublin in the league final

[AbbeySider]

Brosnan could be dropped for the Mayo game.


From HoganStand

Brosnan could lose out in defensive reshuffle
09 August 2011

Kerry's Eoin Brosnan
Speculation is mounting that Eoin Brosnan will lose his place in the Kerry defence for Sunday week's All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Mayo.

The Dr Crokes clubman, who was lured out of retirement at the start of the year to play at centre back, is expected to make way as manager Jack O'Connor reintroduces Shane Enright to his defence after missing the facile All-Ireland SFC quarter-final win over Limerick through injury.

With Enright poised to return at corner back, Killian Young would move to wing back and Aidan O'Mahony to centre back, meaning Brosnan will have to be content with a place on the subs bench.

It's thought that the erstwhile half forward will be used as backup to the midfield partnership of Anthony Maher and Bryan Sheehan, with Seamus Scanlon also in the reckoning.

Wing forward Darran O'Sullivan is expected to recover from the hamstring injury he sustained against Limerick, while former full back Tommy Griffin is also back in the frame after a long injury layoff.

[Orangemac]

Galvins mind is on the prizeeeeeeeeeee

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/fashion/paul-gavin-online-shopping-its-etail-therapy-for-culchies-2841428.html

dont know whether to laugh or cry reading that

Maybe Kerry will turn out in the Liverpool 1996 white suits before the AI final if they win!

[Tubberman]

Looks like it was press night last night ahead of the semi final.
The bad news is that T Mort picked up some sort of knock last night in training, but no word yet on how serious it is. Reading into the reports, the Mayo setup don't seem too worried about it, so hopefully he'll be fine for Sunday week. That would two number 7s out injured (although Gardiner hasn't been playing there when brought on).

This is Horan's interview with RTE:

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2011/0810/horanj.html

Mayo manager James Horan has admitted that his players savoured the underdog role for their All-Ireland Football Championship clash with Cork last month

However, he feels Kerry are not likely to fall into the trap of taking the Connacht champions lightly on Sunday week in the semi-finals.

Mayo produced the shock of the Championship by knocking out the Rebels in Croke Park as Horan's young side stifled the All-Ireland holders to make sure there would be no all-Munster clash in Headquarters on 21 August.

The Connacht champions were considered rank outsiders going into the meeting with Cork and Horan felt it was something his players used as motivation.

"It did us no harm. In the lead up to the Cork match we were ready. There was a lot of things said about us and our players which probably wasn't right and wasn't fair.

"It did certainly did us no harm to hear some of that and maybe it didn't do Cork any favours too.

"Kerry have been there so often that they won't be fooled by a favourites tag or an underdog tag and we'll just be looking to make sure we're as competitive as we can be."

After some poor matches in the early stages of the Connacht Championship, many pundits had written off the chance of the province having a team in the semi-finals. Horan is adamant that some comments on the quality of teams in Connacht this year were over the top.

He said: "I think a lot of that criticism is from people that are maybe trying to be sensationalist or maybe just trying to create some of sort of story.

"It is true that a lot of the games in Connacht this year were not great but the conditions weren't great either. The teams that got through Connacht this year, Roscommon and ourselves, have acquitted themselves well and hopefully we can continue that."

Horan's appointment was seen as a re-building job after a disastrous campaign in 2010 for the county. The former Ballintubber manager has hailed the introduction of new, young players to the panel, mixed with experience already in the ranks, as the key to their success.

"When we started the year it was hard to know where things with Mayo football were at. There were a lot of guys who's confidence was down and their form wasn't so good. But we got together at the beginning of the year and set out what we wanted to do.

"We used the league as a development ground for the Championship and it has worked out well for us so far.

"There are a lot of guys who have done very well for us like Jason Doherty, particularly in the league, Alan Freeman, Kevin McLaughlin and Cillian O'Connor later on in the Championship.

"So there are some very good young players that are moving into the team very well. But when you have the likes of Trevor Mortimer, Andy Moran and Alan Dillon playing the way they have been, it is a much easier environment to come in to.

"We're happy with where we are and looking forward to an All-Ireland semi-final on Sunday week."

O'Connor has been sensational with free-taking in the last two matches, playing a huge role in the wins over Roscommon and Cork.

The teenager savoured pressure of taking over placed ball duties for Mayo to quickly cement a place in the team. Horan has not been shocked by the forward's speedy progression after monitoring his development in recent years at Ballintubber.

Horan stated: "Cillian is a solid player and a very solid guy. He has done well in the Championship games to date. It is no surprise to me.

"I've seen Cillian play for years at underage at his club Ballintubber and he is just a very solid guy for a 19-year-old. He has a very good skill set and he is doing well for us."

Mayo have a number of injury corners for the tie with Kerry and they increased on Tuesday night when Trevor Mortimer picked up a knock in training.

Peadar Gardiner and Mark Ronaldson are doubts for Croke Park but Horan hopes all his players will be available for training this Friday.

[AbbeySider]

Kerry wont be in their traditional green and gold for the Mayo game.
I would say its the first time Mayo played them in an away strip as I think Mayo have changed many times before.

From GAA.ie

Kerry and Mayo to wear alternative jerseys

Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Kerry and Mayo will wear alternative jerseys for their GAA Football Championship semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday, August 21.

As both sides' regular strips are predominatly green, the CCCC has informed both counties that they will have to wear their alternative gear.

Kerry will wear blue with a white trim, while Mayo will be kitted out in red with a green trim.

It will be the second successive game in which the Kingdom have been involved in a colour clash, as they also wore a changed strip in their quarter-final win over Limerick.

The last time Kerry and Mayo met in the Championship, the 2006 All-Ireland final, both teams wore their traditional 'home' jerseys.