All-Ireland Club Championship

[SuperDooperCooper]

Just back from Portlaoise - one word sums it up cheated.....
14 steps to get the draw and two yellows in the replay at a time when the game was in the melting pot.
If memory serves cross up a point but down a man.
Referee left cross get away with murder - Gooch killed after the goal, no booking for the penalty, Numerous questionable challenges and no booking ....shambolic referring.

That said Cross were the better team but if Gooch had stuck the penalty who knows.....
Still can't shake the cheated feeling.
Hope Crokes don't object, muppet refering is a fact of life, even if Kerry teams get more than their fair share, Kerry didn't object to the early blow up of the '05 final and I feel Crokes won't object here either.

Would have loved to see the final 10 minutes against 13 men though.......

[pintsofguinness]

Croke's were no angels either you know.

[SuperDooperCooper]

Scores were level after 42 minutes when the referee fails to send of McEntee.
Feel even more cheated now, 18 + injury timw down a man..down 2 for a while.
For anyone to say that wouldn't have made a difference is not living in the real world.
Cross came off on the right side of the big (non) decisions in both games......

[Bogball XV]

The only precedent I remember is when Derry minors played Cork in 2000 AI Semi, Cork had a guy yellow carded twice with 10 mins left, he was important in securing a one point victory, at the time the gaa asked Cork to replay, but couldn't enforce a replay, Frank Murphy, however decided against it - rules are rules you know....

[SuperDooperCooper]

Looks like Crokes are going to appeal.
Crokes went up to the 4th offiicial to complain that McAntee got a second yellow and wasn't sent off.
The 4th official told then that there was nothing he could do, Crokes asked him to tell the ref instead he told Cross who took Mcantee off.
Needness to say crokes are not very happy with this. This is the exact exchange that happened.

[pintsofguinness]

If that's true then it's a joke.
I can't see much coming of it though.

[ciaranrough]

What gives, how come everytime I try to reply on this weebsite after logging in, I get asked for my login details and my reply disappears.

Anyway If I was a Crokes fan or player I would be raging. The GAA should order a replay in instances like this but that will not happen.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

What gives, how come everytime I try to reply on this weebsite after logging in, I get asked for my login details and my reply disappears.

Cookie settings perhaps?

[bennydorano]

Congratulations to Cross, a superb team.  Regarding the ref's mistakes and possible appeal, if Cross had've been beaten in similar circumstances they wouldn't be whinging. Dry them.

[stew]

What gives, how come everytime I try to reply on this weebsite after logging in, I get asked for my login details and my reply disappears.

Anyway If I was a Crokes fan or player I would be raging. The GAA should order a replay in instances like this but that will not happen.

Replay my arse, Cross won end of. 

[Armagh Exile]

Congratulations to Crossmaglen on winning their 4th All-Ireland Club title today.
Some achievement to win 20 finals in a trot over a period of ten years.  They are now the greatest club side ever.  Their 20 finals are made up of 4 All-Ireland, 5 Ulster & 11 County titles.

I must also congratulate the local radio station 5FM for providing marvellous coverage of this game.  With commentator Damian McCullough and his Co-Commentator Paddy Reavey.  Their description and passion of the game really brought the game into our kitchen.

Well done to all concerned.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Congratulations to Cross - very worthy Champions. They have a winning mentality that helps see them across the line time and time again. This can only be good for the County team, as there are players there who should be able to step up to the mark - McKenna, Hanratty and Murtagh for starters.

And I see Donal is looking forward to the County Final already!  

[DrinkingHarp]

4 AI Titles for Crossmaglen........Outstanding lads.


The ref let both teams get away with some rough housing
Gooch was flattened after his pass.
Francie took an elbow to the nose and had blood covering his face the last two minutes.
There were no saints on the field today.


1997 AI Champs   nice
1999 AI champs   great
2000 AI champs   better
Oisin raising the cup as captain 2007.......priceless.

[brokencrossbar1]

Absolutelty delighted about the result.  20 finals 20 wins, unbelieveable is the word.  Nothing should take away from the fact that the better team over the two games, and in particular today won. 

In regards to the steps decision in the first game, the referee took the right course of actio as Oisin was being fouled at the time he took too many steps.  The ref has discretion to allow play to develop if he believes there is an advamntage to the fouled player.  The option he had was that he gave the free to Oisin which he most likely would have scored and the same result would have occured.

In regards to today if the referee made a mistake in what he did then I can feel sympathy for the Crokes, but palyers, officials, referees make mistakes all the time and some have a bigger bearing than others.  He was substituted so he had very little impact.  The palyer who replaced him didn't make the impact some would like him to have made.  the main impact he was invloved in was the late one which saw O'Donovan lined.  There were dubious decisions throughout the game which spoiled some excellent football from both teams.  At the end of it all though referees do not win or lose games, something which is something of a mantra for me.  Crokes scored 6 scores in 60 odd minutes of the game with at least 2 of them from placed balls.  Cross were simply a better team and any team that gets 13 scores in a championship game rarely gets beaten. 

We have been on the wrong end of bad refereeing decisions and have taken them on the chin.  I hope that Crokes see that what happened would not have had a major difference on the outcome and take it.  They were beaten by a better side and that is the long and short of it.

[Bogball XV]

In regards to the steps decision in the first game, the referee took the right course of actio as Oisin was being fouled at the time he took too many steps.  The ref has discretion to allow play to develop if he believes there is an advamntage to the fouled player.  The option he had was that he gave the free to Oisin which he most likely would have scored and the same result would have occured.

Yeah, but he doesn't have discretion to allow a player to break the rules, he decided to play the advantage, however when Oisin took too many steps, then he had used his advantage, but fouled the ball, thus it was a free the other way.  The rules should allow a slight time-span wherein the ref can determine if an advantage will occur, but they currently don't.

In regards to today if the referee made a mistake in what he did then I can feel sympathy for the Crokes, but palyers, officials, referees make mistakes all the time and some have a bigger bearing than others.  He was substituted so he had very little impact.  The palyer who replaced him didn't make the impact some would like him to have made.  the main impact he was invloved in was the late one which saw O'Donovan lined.  There were dubious decisions throughout the game which spoiled some excellent football from both teams.  At the end of it all though referees do not win or lose games, something which is something of a mantra for me.  Crokes scored 6 scores in 60 odd minutes of the game with at least 2 of them from placed balls.  Cross were simply a better team and any team that gets 13 scores in a championship game rarely gets beaten. 

We have been on the wrong end of bad refereeing decisions and have taken them on the chin.  I hope that Crokes see that what happened would not have had a major difference on the outcome and take it.  They were beaten by a better side and that is the long and short of it.

I dunno BC, I see what you're saying, but if I were a Crokes players, I'd be pretty unhappy at the minute and would certainly be up for appealing, as I said earlier i don't think much can be done, as the ref will undoubtedly write his report up in a way that will show himself in the best light.  Can you tell me hand on heart, that if something like this had happened, say, for example when you played Ballina, that you'd have let it go?
Also, I don't know that it was as cut and dry and as you and most of the armagh contingent on here are making out, McEntee gets sent off, the scores are level, Crokes were probably on top for most of the first 15 mins of the second half, that'd have been a great pyschological boost for them, of course it could have made Cross dig deeper, truth is we'll never know.
Congrats to them anyway, it's been a some journey.  Tell me, does fatigue (mental) not set in for the lads who've been there for the duration?