Change one historical GAA event

[saffron sam2]

Eoghan Gormley running us ragged in the Ulster Club in 1997.  We would have won 4 in a row AI's and then there would have been no questions as to who is the greatest.

Oh no you wouldn't have.  This is a point I tried to argue (in a roundabout sort of way) on the Derry thread, but apparently Dungiven were unbeatable that year and but for a sending off in the AI semi-final they would have been AI champions that year, regardless of the fact that they fell at the first meaningful obstacle.

For me, it would have been Central Council taking direct, decisive and well-merited action against the Kerry thugs who disgraced football in the All-Ireland semi-final of 1946. No more should these brutal animals or subsequent generations of animals been allowed to sully the hallowed sod of Croke Park with their cynical, puke football, which although it may have delivered another 19 All-Irelands it has turned more people away from the GAA than anything else.

There is no question that Antrim would have gone on to win the All-ireland in '46 and that this would have been a springboard to greater success.  Who knows, we may never have heard of Jim McKeever or Sean O'Neill etc.  As it was a dispirited team failed to build on the Ulster title and gradually faded into the wilderness.

Oh and Finn McCool could have sunk all those boats containing scottish men with shinty bats and turf spades who ended up settling in north Antrim and inventing their crude version of hurling.  That would have been good.

Oh and Anthony Tohill dropping the ball onto the top of the net, rather than the cross bar or John Bannon not shiting himself and blowing for full itme as Kevn Madden bore down on goal in injury time in the same game.  That too would have good. And quite funny.

Oh and John Bannon not refereeing the qualifier against Armagh, when he steadfastly refused to send Justin McNulty off and awarded Armagh a scoreable free every time Antrim got within two points of them. That could have been good.

[Fishead_Sam]

Or the big one that amazingly did happen, the year Mayo won the All-Ireland but neve played Galway on the way because they refused to play the game, then came back & changed their minds and beat Mayo when it was all over. Therefore robbing Mayos All-Ireland.

Does any Mayo, Galway or other know the exact facts of this historical event.

[brokencrossbar1]

Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on April 18, 2007, 12:37:50 PM
Eoghan Gormley running us ragged in the Ulster Club in 1997.  We would have won 4 in a row AI's and then there would have been no questions as to who is the greatest.


Oh no you wouldn't have.  This is a point I tried to argue (in a roundabout sort of way) on the Derry thread, but apparently Dungiven were unbeatable that year and but for a sending off in the AI semi-final they would have been AI champions that year, regardless of the fact that they fell at the first meaningful obstacle.

I am sorry Sam but I have no doubt that we would have beaten Dungiven in the Final if we had beaten the Ballygawley men.  No team is unbeatable as you put it.  We were as close as you would get at one stage(60 odd games unbeaten) but we were eventually beaten.  I have no doubt if we had have won we would have beaten Corofin in the semi final an would have completed the task in the Final.  We didn't so what more can I say.

[saffron sam2]

Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on April 18, 2007, 12:37:50 PM
Eoghan Gormley running us ragged in the Ulster Club in 1997.  We would have won 4 in a row AI's and then there would have been no questions as to who is the greatest.


Oh no you wouldn't have.  This is a point I tried to argue (in a roundabout sort of way) on the Derry thread, but apparently Dungiven were unbeatable that year and but for a sending off in the AI semi-final they would have been AI champions that year, regardless of the fact that they fell at the first meaningful obstacle.

I am sorry Sam but I have no doubt that we would have beaten Dungiven in the Final if we had beaten the Ballygawley men.  No team is unbeatable as you put it.  We were as close as you would get at one stage(60 odd games unbeaten) but we were eventually beaten.  I have no doubt if we had have won we would have beaten Corofin in the semi final an would have completed the task in the Final.  We didn't so what more can I say.

No my point on the Derry thread was that Dungiven over-achieved in 1997 and that their Ulster title was a soft one. They beat Castle Dawson (who have never won the Derry senior championship) in the Derry final and the Fermanagh and Antrim champions on their way to the Ulster final.  There they beat a team who had left everything behind them in the semi-final when beating yourselves and who simply couldn't raise the necessary gallop in the Ulster final.  I too have no doubt that you would have beaten Dungiven in the final and gone on to do the four-in-a-row.

Lynchbhoy may argue however.

[brokencrossbar1]

Well, if he argued with you that they would have beaten us he is lying as he told me that he has no doubt we would have beaten them.

[Hardy]

It's no surprise to find John Bannon figuring so prominently in the ruined dreams of so many counties. In our case it was his handling of the final game of our great 3-match tilt with Kildare in '97. He sent off 3 of our top players. He sidelined Mark O'Reilly for falling over and doing his best to avoid touching any Kildare man in the vicinity. Darren Fay was done for (another) Martin Lynch swan-dive, when he chose to go down clutching his ribs away from play for no good reason. Sorry. That's wrong. The reason was to get Fay sent off. And Bannon didn't even see it, but felt able to sed Fay off. And then Graham Geraghty got sent off. In fairness, he actually made contact with a Kildare player.

The short term outcome was a shredded defence for the Leinster final, the memorable sight of Roy Malone careering through unopposed on several occasions, for what seemed like several goals and the failure to defend our All-Ireland title. The long term result was to deprive us of an unprecedented six-in-a-row All-Irelands, which would have been a formality, really. If it wasn't for Trevor Giles's 'crucial legament' in the Leinster Final of '98. And Offaly taking us by surprise and beating us in the first round in 2000. And Galway in 2001.

[Fishead_Sam]

Pat McEneaney (excuse the spelling but you know who I mean) 

[dec]

If the meeting in the billiard-room of Miss Hayes's Commercial Hotel in Thurles hadn't taken place then none of these other events that you are complaining about would have happened

[Mike Sheehy]

For me, it would have been Central Council taking direct, decisive and well-merited action against the Kerry thugs who disgraced football in the All-Ireland semi-final of 1946. No more should these brutal animals or subsequent generations of animals been allowed to sully the hallowed sod of Croke Park with their cynical, puke football, which although it may have delivered another 19 All-Irelands it has turned more people away from the GAA than anything else.

Stop talking shit. Everyone knows that 1946 was the first Ulster attempt at diving to the ground at every opportunity. Thankfully, in those days refs werent fooled by such crap and ye got the pasting ye deserved  and haven't been back since.

[Redgreenery]

For Mayo to have won an All Ireland between 1989 and 2006.

For them to not have been so embarresed in '04 and '06.

The list goes on....

[slow corner back]

Antrim pipping the cats in 91 semi, we really should have, sloppy late goal let them back in. I am not sure we would have beat Tipp in the final but I am convinced it would have been close,  unlike 89

[Craigyhill Terror]

Antrim pipping the cats in 91 semi, we really should have, sloppy late goal let them back in. I am not sure we would have beat Tipp in the final but I am convinced it would have been close,  unlike 89

Sure if we're looking at wish-fulfillment, how about beating Tipp in 89, a victory so seismic and influential for Antrim hurling it set in motion an unprecedented run of 18 All-Ireland victories in a row, and counting...

[Armaghtothebone]

2000 AI Football semi final.We go six points down inside 5 minutes !Yet somehow we drag ourselves back into the game.Unbelievably as we enter extra time an Andy McCann goal and a point from Geezer see us sneak into the lead .The next kickout is the most vital in the 30 plus years that I've been an Armagh fan.We win possession.A place in the final is ours.Barry O Hagan has the ball,and space to run into.He can make another 15/20 yards and then shoot.
He doesnt Instead he drops the ball into the keepers hands.If only he had mis kicked and screwed it out over the end line.Or even the side line.
The rest is history.Kerry get an equalizing free.They win the replay and the All Ireland.It takes us 2 more years to finally win Sam.We nearly retain it but tyrone are too good for us on the day It has taken this team too long to win their first All Ireland.a second one is beyond them.
A win in 2000 might have seen us win 2 or even 3 but it was'nt to be. 

[heganboy]

I think a lot of the arnagh fans are missing the AI minor final in '92. That management could have brought success a few years earlier, and repeated the feat

[SuperDooperCooper]

For me as a Kerry fan there is only one moment I would like to change.
The push that Tommy Doyle got in the back in the lead up to the Offaly goal in '82 would be spotted by the ref and a free out given....
I know it's asking a lot when you hear the ref (Mr Aldridge) saying there was no free watching the incident on TV 20 years later....
Good to note the standard of refing hasn't got worse over the years....

A possible second moment would be the All-Ireland final of '02 - Eoin Brosnan shot at the end of the game which barley went wide.
I was directly in line with it when he struck it, it look over all the way before tailing off very late in the day. The worst I have ever felt leaving Croke Park.