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[Monaghan relying on quite a few older players]

Galway v Dublin - ask me last week and I'd have said Galway. Now I'm not so sure. Dublin have their issues, but they showed up against Donegal and were by far the better side - only for some shocking shooting they would have won by 8+ in normal time. Galway building nicely, key players all fit(ish) for once, capable of winning the whole thing imo. This should be a brilliant game.

Cork v Mayo - probably the draw they both would have wanted. I think Cork will shade it, I don't think either are realistic AI contenders. I saw Mayo first hand against Tyrone - didn't think either of the two were great. Mayo's bench isn't great and their defence are shaky at best. Good keeper though. Cork have been improving - but only time I've seen them live this year was in the league against Derry and they were awful. Only the league, and they did get promotion - close game.

Tyrone v Kerry - can't see past Kerry here. The Tyrone defence will be stretched too thin to cope in the wide open Croke park space (I assume all quarters are in croker?). They also don't have the same calibre of forward that Kerry does, though who does. Sean O'Shea coming back to fitness too is huge. This could be a tanking as I don't buy into the Tyrone coming good thinking. The Tyrone v Mayo game was not a great game, the introduction of Darren McCurry who scored 6 points on the tight Omagh pitch was the difference in the 2 teams and even at that, a fortuitous last minute free gifted Tyrone the win. Kerry brushed Armagh aside quite easily - armagh are bigger and more of a running team than Tyrone are so I'm struggling to see anything but a similar result. However, Tyrone v Kerry can take on a life of its own, so who knows.

Louth v Monaghan - brilliant draw for both of them. Monaghan just have that never say die attitude that you can't coach into a team. I had actually expected Westmeath to beat them, but Monaghan fully deserved their win. Louth have been excellent this year and Mulroy is one of the best footballers in the country. They're well coached and playing in croker will likely suit them. Really struggle to call this one, but I'll go for Louth as they've had an extra week to prepare and rest.

Galway v Dublin - Galway may benefit from Dublin fatigue with a weeks less recovery and extra time on top. Injuries and niggles will also have an impact - Dublin may be hampered in this regard whereas Galway seem to be more injury free than they have been for a long time.

Cork v Mayo - again the weeks extra recovery may tell - but Mayo possibly have better forwards and might prevail if they can restirct Cork's 2 point shooters.

Tyrone - v Kerry - hard to see anything but a Kerry win unless MOR starts living up to his reputation a bit more.
However, the wide open spaces of Croke Park are a myth - Tyrone's home pitch is the same size as Croke Park as are a lot of pitches throughout the country - and about half a dozen are actually larger. If anything, I wonder if Croke Park feels tighter with the high stands - especially when it's a full house.
Armagh's running game wasn't as focused last weekend and I wonder if it can actually leave teams exposed in the turnovers - Kerry scored a few goals on the break with a defence largely missing and exposed.

Louth v Monaghan - probably the hardest to call - but agree the weeks extra recovery - and Monaghan relying on quite a few older players - may be enough of an advantage for some strong Louth men.

I swear this thing about Monaghan being an aging team and overly reliant on aul lads, has been a thing being brought up for like 15 years now...

I actually think the current age profile of the Monaghan squad is as healthy and balanced as it's been for a long long time. We don't have any lads in the panel in their late 30s who are hanging on and playing key roles, which was often the case over the years. Right now it's a nice mix in the squad of young lads bursting through, those in the mid to late 20s who have been around a while and now becoming leaders, and a handful of lads in the early 30s who have tons of experience but still plenty more to give too in most cases. In different games over the past few weeks, we've had big performances from players in all 3 of those categories which has got us to this point.

Appreciate the change in this Monaghan team and a fresh intake over the last few years - but still think they rely a little too much on a number of older heads. Fantsatic to see Jack Mc Carron over the last few weeks but its a big ask for him to do that repeateldly week after week with little break between games. Any team shutting down Mc Carron - not easy - potentially takes 7-8 points off Monaghan's typical tally.

McCarron scored 0-0 against Cavan and Derry it was just the side line so 0-2

In the Ulster Final 0-3

He accounted for 5.88% of their scores in Ulster.....

So maybe do some fact checking research before posting.

In AI Series it's 25% of the scores but for the whole championship it's 15.15%.

Jack Mc Carron has 0-5, 0-7 and 1-5 in his last 3 games - i.e. the three games in this competition.
I think Jack Mc Carron is 34 or will be this year?
25% scores from one of Monaghan's oldest players will be noted elsewhere.
No disrespect to Jack Mc Carron or Monaghan on that - I'll be cheering them on over the weekend.

[Monaghan relying on quite a few older players]

Galway v Dublin - ask me last week and I'd have said Galway. Now I'm not so sure. Dublin have their issues, but they showed up against Donegal and were by far the better side - only for some shocking shooting they would have won by 8+ in normal time. Galway building nicely, key players all fit(ish) for once, capable of winning the whole thing imo. This should be a brilliant game.

Cork v Mayo - probably the draw they both would have wanted. I think Cork will shade it, I don't think either are realistic AI contenders. I saw Mayo first hand against Tyrone - didn't think either of the two were great. Mayo's bench isn't great and their defence are shaky at best. Good keeper though. Cork have been improving - but only time I've seen them live this year was in the league against Derry and they were awful. Only the league, and they did get promotion - close game.

Tyrone v Kerry - can't see past Kerry here. The Tyrone defence will be stretched too thin to cope in the wide open Croke park space (I assume all quarters are in croker?). They also don't have the same calibre of forward that Kerry does, though who does. Sean O'Shea coming back to fitness too is huge. This could be a tanking as I don't buy into the Tyrone coming good thinking. The Tyrone v Mayo game was not a great game, the introduction of Darren McCurry who scored 6 points on the tight Omagh pitch was the difference in the 2 teams and even at that, a fortuitous last minute free gifted Tyrone the win. Kerry brushed Armagh aside quite easily - armagh are bigger and more of a running team than Tyrone are so I'm struggling to see anything but a similar result. However, Tyrone v Kerry can take on a life of its own, so who knows.

Louth v Monaghan - brilliant draw for both of them. Monaghan just have that never say die attitude that you can't coach into a team. I had actually expected Westmeath to beat them, but Monaghan fully deserved their win. Louth have been excellent this year and Mulroy is one of the best footballers in the country. They're well coached and playing in croker will likely suit them. Really struggle to call this one, but I'll go for Louth as they've had an extra week to prepare and rest.

Galway v Dublin - Galway may benefit from Dublin fatigue with a weeks less recovery and extra time on top. Injuries and niggles will also have an impact - Dublin may be hampered in this regard whereas Galway seem to be more injury free than they have been for a long time.

Cork v Mayo - again the weeks extra recovery may tell - but Mayo possibly have better forwards and might prevail if they can restirct Cork's 2 point shooters.

Tyrone - v Kerry - hard to see anything but a Kerry win unless MOR starts living up to his reputation a bit more.
However, the wide open spaces of Croke Park are a myth - Tyrone's home pitch is the same size as Croke Park as are a lot of pitches throughout the country - and about half a dozen are actually larger. If anything, I wonder if Croke Park feels tighter with the high stands - especially when it's a full house.
Armagh's running game wasn't as focused last weekend and I wonder if it can actually leave teams exposed in the turnovers - Kerry scored a few goals on the break with a defence largely missing and exposed.

Louth v Monaghan - probably the hardest to call - but agree the weeks extra recovery - and Monaghan relying on quite a few older players - may be enough of an advantage for some strong Louth men.

I swear this thing about Monaghan being an aging team and overly reliant on aul lads, has been a thing being brought up for like 15 years now...

I actually think the current age profile of the Monaghan squad is as healthy and balanced as it's been for a long long time. We don't have any lads in the panel in their late 30s who are hanging on and playing key roles, which was often the case over the years. Right now it's a nice mix in the squad of young lads bursting through, those in the mid to late 20s who have been around a while and now becoming leaders, and a handful of lads in the early 30s who have tons of experience but still plenty more to give too in most cases. In different games over the past few weeks, we've had big performances from players in all 3 of those categories which has got us to this point.

Appreciate the change in this Monaghan team and a fresh intake over the last few years - but still think they rely a little too much on a number of older heads. Fantsatic to see Jack Mc Carron over the last few weeks but its a big ask for him to do that repeateldly week after week with little break between games. Any team shutting down Mc Carron - not easy - potentially takes 7-8 points off Monaghan's typical tally.

Galway v Dublin - ask me last week and I'd have said Galway. Now I'm not so sure. Dublin have their issues, but they showed up against Donegal and were by far the better side - only for some shocking shooting they would have won by 8+ in normal time. Galway building nicely, key players all fit(ish) for once, capable of winning the whole thing imo. This should be a brilliant game.

Cork v Mayo - probably the draw they both would have wanted. I think Cork will shade it, I don't think either are realistic AI contenders. I saw Mayo first hand against Tyrone - didn't think either of the two were great. Mayo's bench isn't great and their defence are shaky at best. Good keeper though. Cork have been improving - but only time I've seen them live this year was in the league against Derry and they were awful. Only the league, and they did get promotion - close game.

Tyrone v Kerry - can't see past Kerry here. The Tyrone defence will be stretched too thin to cope in the wide open Croke park space (I assume all quarters are in croker?). They also don't have the same calibre of forward that Kerry does, though who does. Sean O'Shea coming back to fitness too is huge. This could be a tanking as I don't buy into the Tyrone coming good thinking. The Tyrone v Mayo game was not a great game, the introduction of Darren McCurry who scored 6 points on the tight Omagh pitch was the difference in the 2 teams and even at that, a fortuitous last minute free gifted Tyrone the win. Kerry brushed Armagh aside quite easily - armagh are bigger and more of a running team than Tyrone are so I'm struggling to see anything but a similar result. However, Tyrone v Kerry can take on a life of its own, so who knows.

Louth v Monaghan - brilliant draw for both of them. Monaghan just have that never say die attitude that you can't coach into a team. I had actually expected Westmeath to beat them, but Monaghan fully deserved their win. Louth have been excellent this year and Mulroy is one of the best footballers in the country. They're well coached and playing in croker will likely suit them. Really struggle to call this one, but I'll go for Louth as they've had an extra week to prepare and rest.

Galway v Dublin - Galway may benefit from Dublin fatigue with a weeks less recovery and extra time on top. Injuries and niggles will also have an impact - Dublin may be hampered in this regard whereas Galway seem to be more injury free than they have been for a long time.

Cork v Mayo - again the weeks extra recovery may tell - but Mayo possibly have better forwards and might prevail if they can restirct Cork's 2 point shooters.

Tyrone - v Kerry - hard to see anything but a Kerry win unless MOR starts living up to his reputation a bit more.
However, the wide open spaces of Croke Park are a myth - Tyrone's home pitch is the same size as Croke Park as are a lot of pitches throughout the country - and about half a dozen are actually larger. If anything, I wonder if Croke Park feels tighter with the high stands - especially when it's a full house.
Armagh's running game wasn't as focused last weekend and I wonder if it can actually leave teams exposed in the turnovers - Kerry scored a few goals on the break with a defence largely missing and exposed.

Louth v Monaghan - probably the hardest to call - but agree the weeks extra recovery - and Monaghan relying on quite a few older players - may be enough of an advantage for some strong Louth men.

That and that loss of possession before h/t which Tyrone got the 2 pointer from.

The random possession losses are the hardest to take. Just frustrating especially in a one point margin game.

Teagues defending for second Ros goal was woeful. Always get goal side. There may have been minimal contact but was annoying to see such laxness.

A lot of coaches encourage players to defend in front of the man. Teague did well in front of Murphy in Ballybofey previously - but he was further out the field- much higher risk as the last man - although he also got a clever 'push' from Smith.

Was no push worth taking about, Teague who had a good game but for that goal he completely lost the flight of the ball

Worth talking about - not worth a free.
I thought it was clever play from Smith.
Teague should have done better - but there will be situations where you are Ok under a ball coming until you get that nudge!

Ah there's no push there.

https://x.com/officialgaa/status/2058554935143223411?s=46

The 3rd close up replay shows Teague was in no man's land. But doesn't matter. Tyrone were the better team over the 70 mins, controlled it better, and deserved the win. It was there for us but alas wasn't to be. Congrats.

Slight nudge in shoulder when he was in the air? Normally v solid under high ball.recovered well and involved in the play for the winning free 

Gough gave a free against Con for something similar.

Left leg and left arm - just enough - 'not worth a free though'.

Gough was a little strange with the decisions - could easily have given a penallty - but then seemed to penalise Tyrone for fairly innocuous tackles whilst letting the same go for Roscommon.

That and that loss of possession before h/t which Tyrone got the 2 pointer from.

The random possession losses are the hardest to take. Just frustrating especially in a one point margin game.

Teagues defending for second Ros goal was woeful. Always get goal side. There may have been minimal contact but was annoying to see such laxness.

A lot of coaches encourage players to defend in front of the man. Teague did well in front of Murphy in Ballybofey previously - but he was further out the field- much higher risk as the last man - although he also got a clever 'push' from Smith.

Was no push worth taking about, Teague who had a good game but for that goal he completely lost the flight of the ball

Worth talking about - not worth a free.
I thought it was clever play from Smith.
Teague should have done better - but there will be situations where you are Ok under a ball coming until you get that nudge!

Free in, or free out?
https://www.tiktok.com/@roslegends/video/7643938168168877314

And some doubted me!

Tis what it is

That would be a harsh interpretation - I thought McElholm used his arm to try to hold off the tackle - when that didn't work he then brought his arm back in to secure the ball. When he goes down he gets straight back up to take the point - he never once looks for a free - which I think he would have done if it was an intentional lock.

That and that loss of possession before h/t which Tyrone got the 2 pointer from.

The random possession losses are the hardest to take. Just frustrating especially in a one point margin game.

Teagues defending for second Ros goal was woeful. Always get goal side. There may have been minimal contact but was annoying to see such laxness.

A lot of coaches encourage players to defend in front of the man. Teague did well in front of Murphy in Ballybofey previously - but he was further out the field- much higher risk as the last man - although he also got a clever 'push' from Smith.

Was that 2 points for a sideline?

You can't score 2 points from a sideline ball so assuming it was a free?

Think it was a sideline!
Linesman seems to signal it - and seems to warn player about not breaking the line!

Was that 2 points for a sideline?

[Was wondering were you were]

I really hate how slow the management is to accept they need to make changes. Happened all the time this year. Was clear at 1/2 time yesterday that Hampsey needed to be moved off Clifford and McCurry needed to be subbed. They however did the same as they did against Armagh. Waited for 10-15mins into the half after which Tyrone were facing a substantial deficit.

It would have been so easy to move Teague who held O'Shea to next to nothing onto Clifford. It was what, Hampseys 3rd start of the year? They took the risk of starting him on Clifford that's fair enough, but at half time they surely had to realise their choice was wrong. They even had Aidan Clarke on the bench to come on mark Ose if Teague was moved on to him.

Likewise McElholms best impact has been off the bench, all year they've tried to play 3 small forwards and all year it's been a disaster. Whether McCurry, Dara and Ruari v Armagh or McCurry, Dara and sparky against Mayo it hasn't worked and hamstrung our attack. What ends up happening is because of the 3v3 rule and because Matty Donnelly usually stays up then one of the 3 has to play as a CHF. McElholm and McCurry chasing shadows around their own defence and offering nothing on breaks or kick outs really holds Tyrone back. Or Dara who's the only one of them who is a tenacious tackler but wasting all his energy chasing defenders.

McElholms best performances have been off the bench as the game opens up and his pace can cause problems. There was a better kickout strategy at least yesterday but so much of the rest of the setup didn't make sense.

Was wondering were you were... waiting for Tyrone to lose to give management a slating. 

I'm living rent free in your head.

Just when Tyrone play knowing you're waiting at the buttons in hope of defeat and an opportunity to slate MO'R... and true to form 

Is that really slating management!
MOR seems a big improvement on the last 3 years but the above is just a couple of observations / comments.
Management did seem a little slow in responding to a few situations that required fire fighting - MOR even mentioned that they had left Hampsey hung out to dry a little. Seems fair in a discussion forum to ask how they could have responded - better, sooner, etc. - genuine question - be good to have a few insights how they could have responded.
Same with Mc Elholm - as good as he has been it's his first year in senior with a lot of S&C still required ahead of him - was it a good idea to start him - again a genuine question!
Appreciate Tyrone are short of a few players in some positions and also suffering with injuries but some of the questions are still worth raising.
MOR said that Kerry were better at penetrating Tyrone's defence but Tyrone struggled to penetrate Kerry - be good to have a better understanding of how and why that happens.
Haven't seen any stats for the game overall - be good if they were more readily available.

I thought McElholm should have been held in reserve.
First year in Senior and it has been fairly patchy.
A lot of Tyrone errors - unforced turnovers throughout the game.
Decision making and delayed passes and subsequent movement poor.
A game going well handed back to Kerry who didn't have to dig too deep!
Still not sure how good Kerry are - still feels like they haven't been tested yet.

New threads for each of the semi-finals probably a bigger reason!

Strange games yesterday - equally good and bad at the same time.
Monaghan did so well in the first half - but should have expected the response and been better prepared to manage the game in the second half - started panicking and feeling the need for two-pointers - kicked the game away. They'll have long regrets over this game. Donegal can probably breathe a sigh of relief that when they stepped up Monaghan stepped aside - a tougher game may have made that 6 day turn around a bit more relevant in the final quarter.
Tyrone v Dublin was the strangest game I've seen in Croke Park at this level - both teams carrying into tackles and passing into tackles constantly. It's odd that a bit of rain and slick conditions would have such an impact on a pitch such as Croke Park. Goldrick's refereeing probably left everyone equally perplexed - but at least he was erratic against both teams!
Donegal will be hard to beat if they can put two halves together.
Tyrone got away with one - and if they can sort out basic mistakes will probably match any semi-final opponent.

Very unlucky not to be PotY in 2021 - not to take anything away from McGeary.
And very unlucky with such bad injuries for two years now, especially when he takes such care of himself and the effort he puts in. He has mentioned before about overdoing it with training, etc. and I wonder was that a factor again?
Great that he speaks out on all those things - we complain when footballers don't say anything!
Everyone built different ways - he takes it all very seriously as an athlete - maybe doesn't find it so easy to enjoy the craic like some others.

That last attack was so frustrating by Donegal. 2 points down with 60 secs on the clock and passing, passing, passing, passing.

In all the games this weekend that long ball into the square caused severe difficulties for defences and yielded goals or goal chances. I couldnt understand why they just didn't lump it in?

The long ball in can causes problems because it's random - and a lot of ball in is harmless.
If its done more regularly teams can adjust very easily and I think defenders always have an advantage - in numbers, goalkeeper and direction of play!
Possibly more effective it is kept for suitable opportunities and mixed up with the running?

True, but I'm talking about those last 2 minutes. In both the Laois/Down and Kerry/Armagh game in similar circumstances at the end of the game, that long ball very nearly yielded a goal. What had Donegal got to lose at that stage?

Yes - a frustrating one for Donegal - slow - and when they did put it in all the players were on left hand side of square and the ball went harmlessly wide on the right hand side. Difficult time in the game though - any player is going to be really fatigued at that stage and under severe pressure with decision making and execution. And hard to create anything like that environment in training!