Fermanagh v Dublin AIQ/Final

[Rossfan]

Roscommon , one of very few (Galway/Meath/?? ) Counties to have beaten Kerry in All Ireland Finals in all four grades of football, 

Tyrone have also beaten Kerry in minor, u-21 and senior finals.
[/quote]
That's only three 

[Farrandeelin]

Well Rossfan, if historical stats keep you going...

[ONeill]

Where to begin? I think it's better to start at the beginning.
At the start of the year Fermanagh were third favourites to get relegated to division 4. We were not given a chance of promotion and McGrath would have been under a bit of pressure as some Fermanagh people were questioning his tactics and if he could adapt to the modern game.  We had lost another couple of quality footballers to retirement in Barry Owens and Tommy McElroy and we had a largely young untested team. 
We won promotion quite convincingly finishing top of the league and were then defeated in a league final by Armagh. 
Beat Antrim in the first round despite playing terribly and had managed to keep in touch of Monaghan until we had a man sent off.   Then we hit the qualifiers where McGrath set the team a target of playing football in August which they achieved.
Then we played Dublin and got beat despite a spirited last 10 minutes.The scenes at the end of the match were a lot to do with where the majority of the Fermanagh were sitting which was around the middle of the Hogan.
What choice did the players have? Walk down the tunnel in a huff, ignore the fans ? I can just imagine what sort of reaction that would have gotten.   All they did was thank the supporters for there support but if you listened to most of the Fermanagh interviews after the match you could see the focus was all ready about an Ulster title next year.  That has to be the focus.
In fairness to Fermanagh we are blessed in having a first class school that has been producing county footballers for the last 25 years in St Michael's and we have been very competitive at schools level across Ulster.  But our underage record has been terrible.  We have won one or two minor games in the last 20 years.  That's where our issue is.  That's why Club Eirne was reformed this year as a way of raising money for the county.  According to an interview in last weeks paper we have now over 120 members each giving between £500 and £1000 per year.   Events like a qualifier run make that an easier sell. 
We also have a number of players who have not made themselves available for one reason or another ( and I do not include Seamie Quigley in that as that ship has sailed FFS Malachy O'Rourke, Peter Canavan and now Pete McGrath have now all omitted him from there panels for one reason or another). Next year should be an easier sell to some of those players who will have seen how much the Fermanagh set up has progressed.
In 2003 we got thumped by Tyrone in an All Ireland quarter final.  17 points I believe.  A year later we were back and managed to get to the next stage. The 04 team were a special group of lads but always remember some of the best players in the county refused to play for them that year.  A certain Donegal manager springs to mind.

As for Jim's article I think he missed the point.  In fact I remember Donegal getting a hammering one year from Mayo in a quarter or semi final by at least 10 points I think and they regrouped even better the next year.  He has a short memory.  As others have stated if the Gaa really want to help weaker counties they will increase funding. Any 'a' and ''b' tiered championship will just increase the gap between top and bottom. Crowds will be there for the 'a' tier games but it will be die hards only for the 'b' games.  That means even less money at the gate for the weaker counties. The issue is funding and the Gaa have to deal with it. 

Fermanagh had a good year and the hope now is to build on it next year in division 2 and then push on for that Ulster title.

Oh and Cluxton made a mistake.  He's the best keeper in Ireland by a country mile.  The pinpoint accuracy of his kickouts was amazing.

What McGuinness and Heaney are spouting is disappointing.

People say it's human nature to dwell on the negatives after a defeat. It is, but it's a limited human mindset. I've much more admiration for those who busted a gut in training and during games as much as any side (and Fermanagh moreso than any) and can react the way they did in the aftermath. After initial disappointment, they displayed a more roundly sporting attitude that sets a positive role model for anyone involved in sport or even on a human level.

Jimmy McGuinness - the man who in his greatest hour grumped in the press conference til someone was thrown out.

Bolloxes the lot of them. Up Fermanagh and up a bit of cop on.

[Rossfan]

Well Rossfan, if historical stats keep you going...

We have to remember where we've come from to inspire us to get to where we want to go.
I'm trying to show our pedigree to the Johnny come latelies who think football started around 2003.
A noble race from a land where kings once trod.

[deiseach]

Roscommon a County with 10 All Ireland Titles across the grades, one of very few (Galway/Meath/?? ) Counties to have beaten Kerry in All Ireland Finals in all four grades of football, reached 2 U21 Finals in this decade, Won a Club AI this decade, are now ( maybe briefly) a Div 1 team, Won a Minor AI in the last ten years, Have countless Provincial Titles ( 12 in the 21st Century).

Not really 'countless' then, is it?

[JoG2]

Well Rossfan, if historical stats keep you going...

We have to remember where we've come from to inspire us to get to where we want to go.
I'm trying to show our pedigree to the Johnny come latelies who think football started around 2003.
A noble race from a land where kings once trod.

it certainly did not, but an awful lot of football has been played since

[macdanger2]

Roscommon a County with 10 All Ireland Titles across the grades, one of very few (Galway/Meath/?? ) Counties to have beaten Kerry in All Ireland Finals in all four grades of football, reached 2 U21 Finals in this decade, Won a Club AI this decade, are now ( maybe briefly) a Div 1 team, Won a Minor AI in the last ten years, Have countless Provincial Titles ( 12 in the 21st Century).

Not really 'countless' then, is it?

Depends on how good you are at counting 

[Syferus]

Roscommon a County with 10 All Ireland Titles across the grades, one of very few (Galway/Meath/?? ) Counties to have beaten Kerry in All Ireland Finals in all four grades of football, reached 2 U21 Finals in this decade, Won a Club AI this decade, are now ( maybe briefly) a Div 1 team, Won a Minor AI in the last ten years, Have countless Provincial Titles ( 12 in the 21st Century).

Not really 'countless' then, is it?

Depends on how good you are at counting 

Don't get us started on our dominance of Connacht at hurling too.

[deiseach]

I knew a lad from Abbeyknockmoy when I was working in Galway. He still hadn't gotten over losing to Four Roads in the Connacht club hurling championship in 1988.

[Rossfan]

Our County hurlers bet Wexford back in 84 

[deiseach]

Our County hurlers bet Wexford back in 84 

Are you sure about that . . . ?

[Syferus]

Our County hurlers bet Wexford back in 84 

Are you sure about that . . . ?

Yap.

It was in the Centenary Cup.

[deiseach]

Ah right. I was wondering whether you were confusing it with a win in 1984 over another county that starts with a W and ends with -ford. Athleague is a swear word there.

[Syferus]

Ah right. I was wondering whether you were confusing it with a win in 1984 over another county that starts with a W and ends with -ford. Athleague is a swear word there.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:msYt0Sh6kDMJ:www.roscommonpeople.ie/archive/55-archives/flaherty-recalls-famous-centenary-win+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ie

The hurlers do very well overall for how few clubs even run hurling teams. Only three would be hurling exclusively and now Oran have started really developing a taste for football, the only dual club where hurling was the first love.

[deiseach]

Thanks for the link. Hurling is full of what-might-have-beens. Kildare beat Waterford three times in six games in the 1970's. To put that into some sort of context, Waterford had a better record in that decade against Offaly. A trick was missed there, as it was with Roscommon.

We're getting off topic here. Um, I knew a fella who once captained the Fermanagh hurlers? Although seeing as he was from Donegal, that might bring up a certain border dispute . . .