2013 All Ireland Final: Mayo v Dublin

[Declan]

Classic alright

[Crete Boom]

Kerry were not contenders. Cork are a good bit off the pace as well.

A team that was level with Dublin after 68 minutes and missed a gilt-edged chance to go in front again were not contenders?!

Heard it all now.

Who have Mayo beaten that were contenders?

Well Donegal would have been seen before the Mayo game to be as much a contender as Kerry or Cork.

[orangeman]

Last line is classic...

http://www.irishtv.ie/joe-brolly-reckons-mayo-will-win/

a. Is Cillian O'Connor the left footed freetaker ? Did he mean left sided ?

b. How long did Joe watch Jack O'Sé for to know that Aidan O'Sé is the best midfielder since Jacko packed it in ?

[galwayman]

I honestly believe that Mayo will win this.
Dublin have been good at times this year of course but I think they won't have come up against a side as powerful and relentless as this particular Mayo side.
There is definitely something different about Mayo this year.
Their name is on the trophy this time.

One thing that amazes me is the amount of people who have said to me that Mayo "haven't the forwards" to win it.The implication being that because they lack at least one true marque forward that they won't get over the line.
The whole way that Mayo play and are set up means that they don't need to rely on a marque forward.This is a huge positive in my book.
Look at the scores Mayo have been putting up all year and look at the spread of scores throughout the team. They get scores from players all over the park which is exactly why they don't need to rely on any one free scoring forward.
Their backs and midfielders tend to get a lot of scores.
It's this strength all over the park that makes me believe they'll win it.
Horan has been a seriously impressive operator since taking over

[FL/MAYO]

Kerry were not contenders. Cork are a good bit off the pace as well.

A team that was level with Dublin after 68 minutes and missed a gilt-edged chance to go in front again were not contenders?!

Heard it all now.

Who have Mayo beaten that were contenders?

Well Donegal would have been seen before the Mayo game to be as much a contender as Kerry or Cork.

On the morning of July 21st, Donegal were favorites for the All Ireland, its not that long ago!

[Sidney]

Well Donegal would have been seen before the Mayo game to be as much a contender as Kerry or Cork.

Perception and reality are two different things, though.

The reality is that Donegal were miles off where they were last year and maybe not even in the top 10 teams in Ireland this year.

There's no doubt in my mind that Dublin have beaten two genuine All-Ireland contenders. Mayo have not, although they can only beat who they play, obviously.

Dublin have been tested more and have come through all those tests in a most impressive fashion. What Mayo face in the final will be on a whole different level to anything they've faced so far. Whether they have enough to deal with that, I'm not so sure.

[seafoid]

Kerry were not contenders. Cork are a good bit off the pace as well.

A team that was level with Dublin after 68 minutes and missed a gilt-edged chance to go in front again were not contenders?!

Heard it all now.

Who have Mayo beaten that were contenders?

Kerry have been off the pace for a few years. Ask MikeSheehy-he might be somewhere discussing the Middle East. They were running on fumes last year as well.

If they kept up with Dublin until the 68th minute Dublin must have a faulty full back line LOL .
Cork feel back a long way from 2010 and Counihan retired because he couldn't do any more with them.

I agree with Galwayman. This year's Mayo are ruthless.   

[ballinaman]

Last line is classic...

http://www.irishtv.ie/joe-brolly-reckons-mayo-will-win/

a. Is Cillian O'Connor the left footed freetaker ? Did he mean left sided ?

Takes them from the right with the right usually. He'll be taking them with his left next year, has been practising, not up to inter county standard just yet I heard he said.

[Crete Boom]

Well Donegal would have been seen before the Mayo game to be as much a contender as Kerry or Cork.

Perception and reality are two different things, though.

The reality is that Donegal were miles off where they were last year and maybe not even in the top 10 teams in Ireland this year.

There's no doubt in my mind that Dublin have beaten two genuine All-Ireland contenders. Mayo have not, although they can only beat who they play, obviously.

Dublin have been tested more and have come through all those tests in a most impressive fashion. What Mayo face in the final will be on a whole different level to anything they've faced so far. Whether they have enough to deal with that, I'm not so sure.

This rings so true especially when favourites are being picked as eventual winners of a knockout competition.

Also the perception will change on the manner of the Mayo results if we manage to overcome the Dubs and then the reality changes from Donegal , Roscommon , Galway being poor teams to being middling to good teams who came off second best to a top notch ruthless outfit that nobody was able to take down in 2013!

Hindsight is twenty twenty as the say or in Berite's case "if hindsight was foresight we would all be fine" although if hindsight was foresight it would pretty much wipe out time, reality and the very fabrics of existence!

So what I am trying to get at is the reality is always somewhere in the middle i.e Donegal weren't as good as we thought , Cork/Kerry/Tyrone weren't as far away as some people thought and Dublin and Mayo were the two form teams this year like many people thought.

[Sidney]

Kerry have been off the pace for a few years. Ask MikeSheehy-he might be somewhere discussing the Middle East. They were running on fumes last year as well.

If they kept up with Dublin until the 68th minute Dublin must have a faulty full back line LOL .
Cork feel back a long way from 2010 and Counihan retired because he couldn't do any more with them.

I agree with Galwayman. This year's Mayo are ruthless.

But tell me, how is a team that lost an All Ireland final by a point in 2011 and an All-Ireland semi-final in the last minute of normal time in one of the greatest matches of all-time this year not considered to have been a contender?

The current Kerry team is not as good as at its peak, but that doesn't mean they haven't still been serious contenders over the last three seasons.

Their forwards are still comfortably superior to Mayo's.

How many goals have Mayo scored against this porous Dublin back line in their last four meetings? How have the Mayo backs dealt with the Dublin attacking threat in recent meetings?

None and not very well are the respective answers.

Mayo are a serious team and deserving of serious respect, but the quality of what they have beaten is well below what Dublin have beaten this year.

[camanchero]

I see no reason for Dublin to change their style of play and I certainly wouldn't change the forward line unless it's to bring in Rock as a direct replacement
for someone. No reason for either team to set up to counter the other, just go out and play your own game and see who wins. It's worked for both teams so far and I would be shocked if either team changes that approach now.

If anything this game could top the Dublin/Kerry game.

I believe that this will be the sentiment of the dublin management and I believe that this will be the cause of them losing the AIF.
just imo.
If they dont heed the warning signs given them last sunday then they are very foolish imo.

Mayo have been racking up huge scores and only faltered when up against a tyrone defensive structure that bamboozled them and only itself faltered once Harte and SON went off.

[seafoid]

Kerry have been off the pace for a few years. Ask MikeSheehy-he might be somewhere discussing the Middle East. They were running on fumes last year as well.

If they kept up with Dublin until the 68th minute Dublin must have a faulty full back line LOL .
Cork feel back a long way from 2010 and Counihan retired because he couldn't do any more with them.

I agree with Galwayman. This year's Mayo are ruthless.

But tell me, how is a team that lost an All Ireland final by a point in 2011 and an All-Ireland semi-final in the last minute of normal time in one of the greatest matches of all-time this year not considered to have been a contender?

The current Kerry team is not as good as at its peak, but that doesn't mean they haven't still been serious contenders over the last three seasons.

Their forwards are still comfortably superior to Mayo's.

How many goals have Mayo scored against this porous Dublin back line in their last four meetings? How have the Mayo backs dealt with the Dublin attacking threat in recent meetings?

None and not very well are the respective answers.

Mayo are a serious team and deserving of serious respect, but the quality of what they have beaten is well below what Dublin have beaten this year.

Go on, go on.  Dublin took 68 minutes to pull away from Kerry.
That says more about Dublin than it does about Mayo.
"One of the greatest matches of all time" is hyperbole.

The porous Dublin FB line adds an intriguing element to the final.
Mayo are much improved on last year. Are Dublin?

[Sidney]

Go on, go on.  Dublin took 68 minutes to pull away from Kerry.
That says more about Dublin than it does about Mayo.
"One of the greatest matches of all time" is hyperbole.

The porous Dublin FB line adds an intriguing element to the final.
Mayo are much improved on last year. Are Dublin?

In what way is it hyperbole? It was unquestionably one of the greatest matches of all time. Debatable whether it was the greatest, but certainly in the top three, and played at a faster pace than either Tyrone-Kerry final, Down v Derry 1994 or Dublin v Mayo 2006 or any other "great" matches of the past.

I'll presume you didn't see Dublin play last year, given that you question whether they have improved. Mayo have also improved, but how much we don't yet know. And there are real doubts about two of their key forwards.

[Captain Obvious]

Kerry were not contenders. Cork are a good bit off the pace as well.

A team that was level with Dublin after 68 minutes and missed a gilt-edged chance to go in front again were not contenders?!

Heard it all now.

Who have Mayo beaten that were contenders?

Well Donegal would have been seen before the Mayo game to be as much a contender as Kerry or Cork.

Donegal lost to Monaghan and only managed six points in that final and they were written off after that game. Cork,Kerry weren't expected to beaten by Dublin who knows how they would fare if on the other side of the draw.

[dublin7]

Kerry have been off the pace for a few years. Ask MikeSheehy-he might be somewhere discussing the Middle East. They were running on fumes last year as well.

If they kept up with Dublin until the 68th minute Dublin must have a faulty full back line LOL .
Cork feel back a long way from 2010 and Counihan retired because he couldn't do any more with them.

I agree with Galwayman. This year's Mayo are ruthless.

But tell me, how is a team that lost an All Ireland final by a point in 2011 and an All-Ireland semi-final in the last minute of normal time in one of the greatest matches of all-time this year not considered to have been a contender?

The current Kerry team is not as good as at its peak, but that doesn't mean they haven't still been serious contenders over the last three seasons.

Their forwards are still comfortably superior to Mayo's.

How many goals have Mayo scored against this porous Dublin back line in their last four meetings? How have the Mayo backs dealt with the Dublin attacking threat in recent meetings?

None and not very well are the respective answers.

Mayo are a serious team and deserving of serious respect, but the quality of what they have beaten is well below what Dublin have beaten this year.

Go on, go on.  Dublin took 68 minutes to pull away from Kerry.
That says more about Dublin than it does about Mayo.
"One of the greatest matches of all time" is hyperbole.

The porous Dublin FB line adds an intriguing element to the final.
Mayo are much improved on last year. Are Dublin?

Only a fool could possibly think the Dublin 2013 team is not far better than the 2012 team.

Donegal in 2013 were similar to Dublin last year. Both teams won the all ireland after long gaps, then struggled & ultimately failed to reach anywhere near the same levels of intensity & quality of performance the following years.

Dublin last year stumbled into the All Ireland semi final despite playing badly all year. The last 20 minutes of the semi final was the only time they really clicked all season.

Donegal this year were similar. Well beaten in Ulster final, stumbled past a poor Laois side before sinking without a trace against Mayo in a tired display.