Messages

Provincials are dead. Time to be innovative and have a new structure.

wise up.

Exactly, Clones will be sold out on final day and hopefully a competitive final that has the crowd on tenterhooks.  But hypothetically, if Brannigan was given a choice of beating either Mayo or Armagh, who would he choose?

Armagh. Not even close.

Yeah Armagh every day of the week and twice on a Sunday.

I can't imagine Bannigan telling the grandchildren in 40 years time about the day he captained Monaghan to beat Mayo in a competition they aren't going to win. Now telling them about the day he walked up the steps in Clones to lift an Ulster title after beating Armagh. . .

At least the All-Ireland Championship will still be there in 40 years, will the Ulster Championship?
Might be like someone boasting about winning the Oireachtas Cup these days.

I'd rather it was weighted to avoid say Tipp getting to a Munster final by beating Waterford and Limerick, they'd be wasting their own and everyone elses time in Sam. Same in Connacht, the big 3 should never be on the same side of the draw. 

Munster is weighted this year, but that just ensures that Cork and Kerry are inevitably in Sam. Kerry would anyway, but Cork might not be.

Munster even amended their rules Cork could be on opposite side of Kerry in the draw.

Clare and Kerry were the seeded teams in Munster this year, as they were last year's finalists.
Next year will be based on league position i.e. Cork and Kerry

How are Mayo such strong favourites v Monaghan?

Was stuck with the Kerry radio commentary of the the Kerry game, my god they have absolutely no shame in how they discuss the game, the ref abuse alone was bizarre, just comment on the game and try and not be biased a bit during it

Isn't being biased the whole point of local radio commentary?

Only 6 from last year's starting 15 start the 1st round for Kerry this weekend.
Have we ever seen so many changes in 2 successive C'ship games, particularly for AI Champions?

For the first time in ages, Kerry have lots of scoring options besides David Clifford, some that were absent yesterday.
Tom O'Sullivan
Sean O'Shea
Dylan Geaney
Paul Geaney
Joe O'Connor
Paudie Clifford
If David Clifford is being held from a scoring POV he's well suited for a playmaker role.

[A real pro of a presenter]

Michael Lyster. RIP to a legend.

A real pro of a presenter. Polished, good humoured and could manage the pundits. RIP.

Indeed, a real class act as a broadcaster. RIP.

You wouldn't even know he was from Galway when they played. Just really professional and never showed any bias.

Maybe the reason he didn't show bias towards Galway, was because he was Waterford man  😋

I always had the impression he was a Galway man. His family moved there when he was four. But depending on his upbringing it could explain the non bias alright.   

No, I said that in jest. He was 100% behind Galway.
See 2:32 into this clip, his reaction to Joe Canning's last minute winner v Tipp:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1aczzZw19x/

Did the Galway-Dublin game finish first and Armagh players know they were safe with a draw?
Armagh seemed to have no real interest in going for a winning score in the last minute bar a half-hearted attempt 3 seconds from the end when they knew Kerry had no chance of scoring.

[A real pro of a presenter]

Michael Lyster. RIP to a legend.

A real pro of a presenter. Polished, good humoured and could manage the pundits. RIP.

Indeed, a real class act as a broadcaster. RIP.

You wouldn't even know he was from Galway when they played. Just really professional and never showed any bias.

Maybe the reason he didn't show bias towards Galway, was because he was Waterford man  😋

[compromised on the 2 pt idea by abolishing the 2 pt frees?]

Why can you not go backwards on a solo and go. Surely there are times when that would be advantageous to not have to try and go through a couple of groups of players or to make a better angle for a pass.

It was to promote forward play, the minute you encourage players to take the safe route they'll take it, possession is key, and that's why we've had the changes. to come away from the safe option and provide excitement

Summed up nicely.

The new rules were devise largely to restore the balance of territory vs possession. Any rule change that promotes possession would fly in the face of what's trying to be achieved.

Also, couldn't they have compromised on the 2 pt idea by abolishing the 2 pt frees?  It's only a matter of time before every team has a Sean O'Se and 2 point frees begin to look as routine as a conversion in American football.

Abolishing 2 point frees makes no sense. Otherwise when someone is lining up a 2 pointer attempt from play you can just foul them knowing the punishment is only a one point free attempt from 40m+.
If you have 2 pointers from play you have to have 2 pointer frees.

The statistians would make the decision easy.
Expected points against if you let them attempt the 2 pointer: 1.2*
Expected points against if you foul them: 0.78*
(wild estimates but safe to say the first figure would be significantly bigger than the second)

Why should a wind-assisted score from just outside the arc be worth double that of a score from just inside that arc that was not wind-assisted ?

The arc and the 2-pointers have distorted games.

Cavan scored a disputed 2-pointer against Offaly today taking them from a point behind to a point in the lead.
Whether or not it was a genuine score as opposed to a wide is immaterial. What is very pertinent is that a team's fortunes (promotion/relegation) can be decided by an unmarked player popping over a wind-assisted point from distance.

Too many one-sided halves of football - get rid of the arc and the 2-pointers.

As opposed to a player scoring a wind assisted one pointer to win a game? Watutalkinboutwillis?

Yeah and a wind assisted goal should only be worth 2 points while a goal against the wind be worth 4 points

Armagh to win
Mayo and Roscommon to draw
Kerry and Donegal in the final

All four Division 1 games covered live this weekend.


Interesting looking at the current table and the table last year after 5 rounds.

If this year's league follows last year, the league final will be between Galway and Dublin!
(Not mathematically possible I know - bar teams getting deducted points)

Has to go Tom O'Sullivan IMO.
So many standout games.

Will hopefully stay fit.
Having himself, Gavin White and Brian Ó Beaglaoich driving forward from defence would be a serious plus for Kerry this year.

[you'd need a helicopter in Athlone]

Div 1 shouldn't have a final and maybe not 2 either.
Playing in Croke Park hardly a novelty for Div 1 teams.
Give Div 3 and 4 teams their day out.

Deciding the winners  on who finishes top of the table , you'd need a helicopter in Athlone , ready to fly the trophy to  wherever was needed

If I recall , last year was very tight.  Donegal missed a late  pen v Mayo. Had they scored , they'd have reached the Div 1 final, and Mayo relegated.  Instead, Donegal missed, and  Mayo made the league final!

The league final has been  hugely devalued in recent years. The league is a great competition, very competitive, but few  Div 1 teams want to  actually win it. The  occasion of the NFL final was massive  in the 80's/90's. Such a shame.

Or have 1 or 2 replicas.
I doubt many people would know what the trophy for winning the league looks like, so the replica wouldn't even need to be that exact.
You could use the Munster or Leinster trophy and nobody would care. In fact, they might prefer it over one covered in "Allianz" paraphernalia