Why do some teams adapt well to the qualifiers?

[Bogball XV]

Why can some teams handle the qualifiers and others just don't seem to get it?
We seem to have the same teams coming through the qualifiers year after year, and the same big names underachieving:
Overachievers:
Derry
Donegal
Westmeath
Fermanagh
Louth
Sligo

Underachievers:
Kildare
Down
Mayo
Cavan


I know that Galway won an All Ireland via the back door, but they haven't really been there often enough to say they've mastered the mindset needed (if indeed that is the problem).
Feel free to add to either list as you see fit.

[anportmorforjfc]

i think some teams adapt well to the pressure that if they lose they are completly out of the championship

[Maguire01]

Well for the likes of Derry, Donegal and Fermanagh, i'd say it's a case that these teams are a lot stronger than their provincial progress has suggested. Ulster has been dominated by Tyrone and Armagh for almost the last 10 years. If any of these 3 teams were in the other provinces, they'd probably have been seriously challenging for honours over the past 5-10 years.

[Fishead_Sam]

Why can some teams handle the qualifiers and others just don't seem to get it?
We seem to have the same teams coming through the qualifiers year after year, and the same big names underachieving:
Overachievers:
Derry
Donegal
Westmeath
Fermanagh
Louth
Sligo

Underachievers:
Kildare
Down
Mayo
Cavan


I know that Galway won an All Ireland via the back door, but they haven't really been there often enough to say they've mastered the mindset needed (if indeed that is the problem).
Feel free to add to either list as you see fit.

If you have enough material to judge Mayo you certainly have enough to judge Galway

Connacht Champions since 2001

2001 Roscommon
2002 Galway
2003 Galway
2004 Mayo
2005 Galway
2006 Mayo
2007 Sligo

Therefore Galway must have been in the qualifiers in '01, '04, '06 (& again this year)

[magpie seanie]

You cannot underestimate the difficulties that are there for a small county in a small province who continually lose to their rivals as our lads have done for years. At minor, U-21, senior - Sligo have got used to losing to Mayo and Galway especially and probably we rate them higher than we should. Even if you are 5/6 points a better team you'll struggle to win by 1 (see Connacht final this year). There is no such "over-respect" for teams you meet in the qualifiers. There are no monkeys on the back. We just go out and play with no baggage. That's my explanation for Sligo. I think it applies to one or two others that were listed above too.

[Bogball XV]

But Sam, they won an All Ireland out of the back door, so even if they've had a few shitty efforts, it's hard to negate the big one!!

Mayo in contrast, have a piss poor record - or am I wrong?
How many games have ye won?  I can't think of any offhand, did yous beat Fermanagh two years ago maybe?

[Fishead_Sam]

But Sam, they won an All Ireland out of the back door, so even if they've had a few shitty efforts, it's hard to negate the big one!!

Mayo in contrast, have a piss poor record - or am I wrong?
How many games have ye won?  I can't think of any offhand, did yous beat Fermanagh two years ago maybe?

You seem to be going off your own point, you said "I know that Galway won an All Ireland via the back door, but they haven't really been there often enough to say they've mastered the mindset needed", this was a question that you hadn't enough info to judge Galway, while Mayo with only one more year experience in the qualifiers you felt you had enough info. to judge. I wasn't saying Galway was good or bad, but surely the year they won it & the two bad years is enough to judge, perhaps an Average Rating, but this is still a rating. I really didn't like the way it implied that Galway are some way more dominant than Mayo in Connacht, we more than hold our own.

[Exley*]

You can add Meath to that underachiever list.

Am I wrong in saying that this was the first year they actually won a game in the qualifiers?

[GalwayBayBoy]

I really didn't like the way it implied that Galway are some way more dominant than Mayo in Connacht, we more than hold our own.

I've noticed that that's a pet hate of yours FS.

[Fishead_Sam]

I really didn't like the way it implied that Galway are some way more dominant than Mayo in Connacht, we more than hold our own.

I've noticed that that's a pet hate of yours FS.

Would you ever go off and beat Meath & stop giving me cheek  Actually where are ye playing them, I might jump on the Galway & Sligo bandwagons for the rest of the year. I would really love a Galway - Sligo Final (as long as Sligo won  ), Jaz with predictions like that you would think I was at the Dublin Snow on Hill 16 yesterday.

[Hardy]

You can add Meath to that underachiever list.

Am I wrong in saying that this was the first year they actually won a game in the qualifiers?

Meath's record in the qualifiers - played 14, won 9, lost 5.

[Exley*]

Shows what I know! 

Can't remember what put that idea into my head... have they just been piss poor in recent years?

[AZOffaly]

Offaly, apart from this year!!, have been woeful underachievers in the qualifiers. Losses to Louth, Limerick, Carlow, Wexford were all abysmal, as was the token no-show against Laois last year. The only good day Offaly have ever had in the qualifiers was a win over Kildare in Newbridge. We've also lost to a Frankie Dolan inspired Roscommon after extra time, and beat London and Clare.

The root cause with Offaly is mentality. Every year Offaly would have realistic hopes of challenging for a Leinster title. Whenever that disolves, they are simply flattened as they know they cannot win an All Ireland at the moment, and have shamefully, in my opinion, failed to raise a gallop at all in the qualifiers.

In the years we have done nothing in the qualifiers, we have drawn and lost a replay narrowly to Laois, lost to Westmeath by a point (Both those teams won Leinster), lost to Laois with a last minute goal, lost to Dublin in a Leinster final and a few other relatively respectable showings in the Leinster championship respectively.

If the Provincial championships are ever done away with, we may as well not enter at all with the current mental outlook.

[Bogball XV]

You seem to be going off your own point, you said "I know that Galway won an All Ireland via the back door, but they haven't really been there often enough to say they've mastered the mindset needed", this was a question that you hadn't enough info to judge Galway, while Mayo with only one more year experience in the qualifiers you felt you had enough info. to judge. I wasn't saying Galway was good or bad, but surely the year they won it & the two bad years is enough to judge, perhaps an Average Rating, but this is still a rating. I really didn't like the way it implied that Galway are some way more dominant than Mayo in Connacht, we more than hold our own.

Okay, I'll say Galway and Tyrone are the two most successful qualifier teams - both having won an All Ireland via the qualifiers.
Mayo on the other hand are a poor qualifier team - they've underachieved - they've won 2 connacht titles since the qualifiers came in and reached all ireland finals both years - when in the qualifiers they've done nothing.

Looking at Leinster, Wexford could probably be added to Offaly and Kildare as teams who've achieved very little, when more was expected of them.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Dublin are the most successful qualifier team followed by Tyrone (I think, it was in the Tribune yesterday). Donegal have just overtaken us into fourth place, forget who is third...