U/21 All Ireland Football Final Leix v Rebels

[Fishead_Sam]

Donie Brennan was defo diving he did obviously at least 3 times in the last 6 minutes 2 resulted in scored frees, natural justice resulted in the 3'rd being shot wide. I was in a house full of neutrals and when we saw this the lot of us started shouting for the Rebels, it was so blatent it was unbeliavable. Yes there was 3 players at many stages around him, but if you where watching the close up on the tv they didn't actually touch him, he defo dived, makes me wonder about the Semi!

[darbyo]

Fristly congratulations to both teams on a superb game of football. I went to the game as a neutral and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. A few points on some of the previous comments; The opinions expressed about Cork center forward C. Keane are well wide of the mark, I know the lad and he is a a very decent person IMO and anybody else who knows him would agree.The incident with  O'Loughlin was bourne out of frustration and after a bit of niggle between the two of them. What he did hardly constituted a headbutt and was more petutlant than dangerous. Few if any of us can say that we did'nt behave in a less than sporting manner on one or two occasions on the field of play.
                As for Donie Brennan I thought the frees he got near the end looked a bit soft, though I was at the far end of the field so I could'nt be sure. However prior to that I felt Laois were a bit unfortunate not to have got one or two others so maybe the ref. was balancing things up. Laois IMO were the better team from start to finish and were desperately unlucky to lose and in contrast to Bud Wiser I thought that Laois defended brilliantly against a bigger, stronger and extremely quick Cork outfit.

[The Real Laoislad]

Donie Brennan was defo diving he did obviously at least 3 times in the last 6 minutes 2 resulted in scored frees, natural justice resulted in the 3'rd being shot wide. I was in a house full of neutrals and when we saw this the lot of us started shouting for the Rebels, it was so blatent it was unbeliavable. Yes there was 3 players at many stages around him, but if you where watching the close up on the tv they didn't actually touch him, he defo dived, makes me wonder about the Semi!

You sure it wasn't because Laois trounced Mayo in the semis

[INDIANA]

 "of niggle between the two of them. What he did hardly constituted a headbutt and was more petutlant than dangerous."

a headbutt is a headbutt- and he dived on the ground at the end pretending he'd been punched and promptly jumped to his feet when laois won the break- there was no need for that sort of carry on in what was a very sporting game.
i thought brennan got one soft free- the others were well deserved- if you watch the game back the cork defenders tackling technique was poor- instead of tackling with the inside arm- they used the outside arm which always results in frees. From a dublin point of view i thought that was an exceptionally gifted laois outfit who may well dominate leinster soon-if they don't go the way of previous laois underage teams by going on the piss for 3 years.. i thought they were by far the better team. Cork have some fine players- but were heavily reliant on a few and were blessed to win that game- but in daniel goulding they have a star of the future. still from afootball point of view-it was nice to see other counties involved rather than kerry and tyrone and the fact it was a cracking game added to it.

[Fishead_Sam]

Real Laois Lad, surely if Laois had won over Cork that would have made Mayo look better. I watched it on tv and I was 100% sure he was diving.

I wasn't a 100% as my Irish mediocre but it sounded like the commentators where saying the same & that he had been at the same in the game V Mayo. I was at the Mayo V Laois game and hadn't noticed, but when you watch a game with close up on tv it is so so so blatent. Even a Louth man is saying he was doing it against them last year.

[johnpower]

Was at the match as a neutral . Great game Laois very unlucky the second goal was a killer very impressed with the left corner back the left half back and centre back for Laois . Quiggley , Tiernery ,Rogers ,Brennan and conway all played well . I agree the future looks bright for both counties however how many of the 30 or so players we saw on Saturday night will see senior action at the business end of this years senior championship?.Goulding ,Gould and Shields have all seen acton for Cork and were there main men on Saturday along with the no 5 O Donoughue .

[INDIANA]

i think laois will get a lot more players of their team then cork will. wasn't overly impressed with cork bar a few notable exceptions. provided the laois lads don't go on the piss i think they'll be very good senior players- i presume with o loughlin and kingston laois will be strong at minor level this year?

[darbyo]

I think a few of these Cork lads will come through also, Fiachra Lynch has all the attributes to become a senior county player, he's still only 19 I think and the other wing forward Kerrigan has real speed, if he works on his finishing and some other general aspects of his play I think he could also step up. They already have 4 players on the senior panel so if they got 6 lads off that team they would be happy enough down Leeside I'd say.   

[Jinxy]

Laois centre back was very impressive. Reminded me of Darren Rooney in stature and gait. He'll be some horse of a man by the time he's a senior.

[Heshs Umpire]

Laois centre back was very impressive. Reminded me of Darren Rooney in stature and gait. He'll be some horse of a man by the time he's a senior.

O'Loughlin. He's a minor this year.
Still sick after Saturday night....

[Tubberman]

I thought it was a very enjoyable game. Well done to Cork and commiserations to Laois.
I don't think Cork have been getting enough credit though, especially in Cliona Foley's report in yesterday's Irish Independent. She concentrated almost completely on how unlucky Laois were.

[lynchbhoy]

Enjoyable enough game. Delighted it was on the telly.
Laois were the better side, imo Cork never got going and it was because of their bigger size and power that they were able to break through the laois ranks at crucial times and poach two goals that won the game for them.
Think Cork have a lot left in the tank, and look like a raw side in need of more coaching and gelling as a team.
Laois were slicker , but it irritates me that small lads get frees so handily.

The likes of young kingston - looks like a real prospect - wouldnt get a free so easily.
I dont know about diving, but the small stature of the laois players makes them a lot lighter and its easier for them to be felled - so it is unlikely that they dive.
Some good open football, nothing negative in the match regarding blanket defenses. It was a shootout.
Gives support to the continuation of u21 intercounty football.

As for the headbutt, what headbutt. That was a lad pushing his head into an opponents head/face.
Not right, but I think he was retaliating to his opponents slaps and squaring up. He could have been sent off though.

Cork are prob the better team, but were lucky to win this as they didnt perform apart from patches in the game. When they did , they looked like taking laois apart.

[Kerry Mike]

Well done to the the Rebels, with a long overdue All Ireland. Will be interesting if Morgan can take that winning mentality into the seniors.

Hopefully it will also spur Kerry into life, our U21's have been very poor over the last decade and we need to be competing at this higher level if we are to keep the conveyor line of talent coming through for future senior successs.

[AN other]

This was a very good game of football in my opinion, especially that period in the second half where Laois were really moving well.
On the Cork centre forward... his behaviour was very irritating considering the general good spirit the match was played in.
Laois were very similar to their senior team in my opinion. They were well able to play good flowing football but appeared that bit disinterested in the physical contest.
I thought they deserved to win the game though, they owned much of the second half after an evenly contested first, but have nobody to blame but themselves for the goal.

[The True Rebel]

Brennans diving was a disgrace, I hope referees watch him closely for the rest of his footballing days, a cheat. However other than his antics I thought Laois put in a powerful display and where good finalists