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Does anyone anywhere think the Rhubarbs will actually win the game??

Outside of Andy and the match day squad I don't think so.
Most people I have talked to this week hope we can win but hand on heart expect a Kerry win by 6 to 8 points with more than a few fearing a blowout early!

I suppose when you look at it coldly Kerry just need to hit their level from last years final (which isn't that much of a jump) to win whereas, Mayo being more of an unknown need everything to go right for us to win.
That probably explains Kerry's more open show of confidence in the win than the usual yerrah we are used to?

[Darragh Ó Sé: In this All-Ireland final, it's hard to see anything other than a Kerry winMayo will try to target any weakness in the Kerry full-back line but there are too many areas where Jack O'Connor's side are stronger]

Here is Darragh's Article from the Times:

Darragh Ó Sé: In this All-Ireland final, it's hard to see anything other than a Kerry win
Mayo will try to target any weakness in the Kerry full-back line but there are too many areas where Jack O'Connor's side are stronger

The more I think about Sunday's All-Ireland final, the more straightforward it looks. This wouldn't normally be the way of it. Most years, you spend the week talking away about how it's going to be a close one and how there's very little to choose between the two teams. But I think when you stand back from it this time around, it's very hard to come up with anything other than a Kerry win.
I might turn out to be wrong. If I am, it wouldn't be the first time or the last time. But you have to break these games down to known metrics and you can only go with what's in front of you before a game. To me, there's a very clear line of form here – Kerry have beaten Dublin, Tyrone and Armagh in their last three games, Mayo have beaten Louth and Cork and lost to Tyrone.

I'm not saying Mayo can't improve. All I'm saying is that the evidence we have so far is that Kerry have been beating a higher level of opponent than Mayo have. So that has to be the starting point. What are these teams capable of? If we go by the results so far, Kerry are capable of beating All-Ireland contenders. We can't say the same about Mayo. Not yet anyway.

The other thing Kerry have in their favour is the experience of winning finals. All these players have won an All-Ireland and a lot of them have won two. The likes of Paul Geaney and Paul Murphy have three. They know how these games go. The occasion won't affect them. Being favourites won't affect them. These are all things Kerry don't have to worry about.

Jack O'Connor knows the road as well, obviously. In the build-up to a final, Jack always puts a high premium on freshness. That's his number one requirement going into any final – that every Kerry player heads to the stadium feeling fresh and ready to perform. He's been around for a few losing finals and that can help as well. He knows what has worked and what hasn't.

O'Connor won't complicate things. The Kerry attitude to finals is fairly simple. The starting point is usually something along the lines of, "Where do the opposition think we're weak?" And once they've identified that, they go after it, double down on it and aim to turn it into a strength.

So for this final, Mayo probably think that there's a bit of joy to be got targeting Dylan Casey and Paul Murphy in Kerry's full-back line. Tyrone and Dublin both had plenty of scoring chances, so if you're in the Mayo camp you're thinking that if those chances fall to Ryan O'Donoghue, Darragh Beirne or Kobe McDonald, then you could be in business.

My guess would be that O'Connor and his management team will be challenging Murphy and Casey and putting the onus on them. Mayo think they're going to send a couple of young fellas in there to go to town on ye lads – what are you going to do about it? They can do that because they know that if it doesn't go to plan, Kerry have the personnel to change it up. Tom O'Sullivan is waiting in the wings.

That's what it all comes down to, really. If you look through the squads available to the two managers, Kerry just have more good players than Mayo. They're able to field a starting team without Tom O'Sullivan, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Paul Geaney and Shane Ryan. Add in Tadhg Morley and that's five All Stars that O'Connor is able to leave on the bench. He won't be doing it out of loyalty – he'll be doing it because he thinks the players ahead of them are in better form.

So the task for Mayo looks very difficult. If they are going to have any chance, I think they will need at least 13 players performing above the ability they have shown so far. All-Ireland finals are about executing the skills of the game at a speed you haven't had to do them at before. Speed is what separates teams at this level – speed of thought, speed of decision-making, speed of execution.

I would be confident that a lot of the Kerry players' skills will hold up at a higher speed, purely because we've seen them do it before. But you can't be sure of that with enough of the Mayo players. They might find out very quickly that the things they were able to do against Cork and Louth in Croke Park don't get them the same results in an All-Ireland final. And by then, it'll be too late.

So many unlikely things have to come together for Mayo to win this. They have to shut down both Cliffords and Seánie O'Shea. And by shutting them down, I mean it's not going to be good enough to say David only scored 1-5 and Paudie was held to 0-4 and Seánie was kept to 0-5 from frees. Those would be respectable enough tallies from a Mayo point of view but that's 1-14 on the board before either of the Geaneys or the O'Connors or Gavin White or any of the rest of them kick a score.

There are just too many fires for Mayo to put out. The hurling final showed the template – Limerick had all the aces but they also worked like dogs until the game was killed stone dead either side of half-time. That's what Kerry will be aiming for on Sunday.

Because the really ominous thing for Mayo is that Kerry haven't put in a complete performance yet. They haven't opened their shoulders or come off the pitch going, "That's it, lads – that was the performance we've been looking for all year." No better place than a final for it to happen.
If Kerry do that, it's going to be a huge ask for anyone to match them. I just don't see Mayo being up to it.

Would some of the Kerry lads ever take David Clifford aside (for his own sake) and talk to him about his juvenile histrionics every time he as much as kicks a ball? Maybe he should take a leaf from the book of the many other Kerry legends such as Gooch Cooper who could carry greatness with coolness and civility. They let their craft and skill do the talking.

Yerra sure he can come up to Mayo and go nuts for the next couple of weeks with the rest of us, he can pose on  the many beautiful beaches with AOS and head up to Ballina for a few pints and a Sam Maguire Credit Union Loan.
It might not be the best prep for an All Ireland final but sure he is only playing Mayo in a final and if nothing else, what it won't do for his performance, it will drive the Throne boys stone mad as he picks up yet another Celtic cross!!

Is Andy Moran the best coach in the country that was some turnaround?

Mental. I presume a wind up, but I'll bite anyhow.

Mayo have been at the exact same level throughout this decade. A good team that will beat any team that's not good, but will never beat a team that's great.

The black mark against Andy being that the last two management teams have undertaken the rebuild job of moving out a team of ageing warriors, and replacing them with new blood.

Which they did, and handed over the reins.



Mayo's age and experience profile is perfect for winning an AI.

In my lifetime they've never had a full forward line as dangerous, not even remotely close. Not even a third cousin remotely as close.

Yet you still couldn't trust them to win a game against Carlow.

That's harsh 2016/2017 we bet a lot of good teams but just didn't  have the mental toughness to grab the slight chances the Dubs gave us in those finals!!

Meath red card looked a very dubious decision. More or less settled the game as well. Was 8 points to 1 after that.

I believe that might be karma for 100 odd years of getting away with off the ball antics!

[We were threatened with that in 1999 when Yugoslavia were in town and a few precedent out there.]

We were threatened with that in 1999 when Yugoslavia were in town and a few precedent out there.

I remember that match being cancelled when Bertie refused visa to their players over the Kosovo ethnic cleansing. There were threats to kick us out of that qualifying phase but Uefa didn't in the end, they only fined us.
What would be different this time?

The game was played...
[/quote]

Yes but the threat was to be expelled from that qualifying campaign.
So if we didn't play Israel we would expelled and relegated from this Nations league campaign?
Where is all the talk of not being allowed play international football for years and clubs being banned from Europe coming from?

[They didn't rebuff it. They investigated fined Israel and made them hold up a banner.]

They didn't rebuff it. They investigated fined Israel and made them hold up a banner.

That was a complaint by the Palestinian FA over racism by the Israeli FA from 2024.

I can't  find anything about our submissions apart from it was referred for review by a Uefa committee?

How would the Palestinians complain to UEFA? That is the Bohs led complaint
[/quote]

But it was FIFA who fined Israel and asked them to hold up the banner?

[They didn't rebuff it. They investigated fined Israel and made them hold up a banner.]

They didn't rebuff it. They investigated fined Israel and made them hold up a banner.
[/quote]

That was a complaint by the Palestinian FA over racism by the Israeli FA from 2024.

I can't  find anything about our submissions apart from it was referred for review by a Uefa committee?

[We were threatened with that in 1999 when Yugoslavia were in town and a few precedent out there.]

We were threatened with that in 1999 when Yugoslavia were in town and a few precedent out there.
[/quote]

I remember that match being cancelled when Bertie refused visa to their players over the Kosovo ethnic cleansing. There were threats to kick us out of that qualifying phase but Uefa didn't in the end, they only fined us.
What would be different this time?

Is there any hard evidence we would have any heavier sanction than losing 6 points and losing the share of Nations league TV money from the games? (I can't find any)
Uefa haven't even officially rebuffed the Bohemians submission by the FAI to Uefa calling for Isreal to be banned under Uefa's own rules?

What's up with Matty Ruane this year Mayo folk?

Coming back from a couple of injuries. According to local reports he is back in training the past couple of weeks.

Hard luck Galway, All Ireland finals are hard won!!
Well done Armagh, what I admire the most is how you get the maximum out of your team in the big games this year.

Some amount of spite from Mayo and Tyrone posters! (not all)

A defining moment of the championship this year was immediately after the Dublin-Mayo Armagh-Galway group games. Mayo and Galway both missed out on topping their groups in almost identical circumstances with last second points be the oppposition. Galway wipe themselves down and get on with it. Mayo management, player and fans all despondent say it's impossible to progress playing 3 games in 3 weeks!  Then after a super performance v Dublin they play horrendously v Derry, and still nearly won. I've no doubt they would have beaten Derry and Kerry with a proper attitude and who knows what happens after that.

And some Tyrone posters have embarrassed themselves. Long may those lads dwell in Armagh's glory!

The best two teams this year in the final and it was an enthralling affair. Loved the game. Hard luck Galway, my learning would be you're not actually reliant on Walsh and Comer as I thought you were. If they are not 100% fit, then the next lad in is good enough to be the better option. You do have strength in depth.

But almighty congrats to Armagh. Some absolute wonder scores kicked today. Jarlaith deserved this. Geezer deserved this. Enjoy!!

This post reads like a Joe Brolly article, in the bag ready to post at full time! It is a little sad to be honest

[Mayo people be incredibly bitter or will it be the encouragement they need to get over the line themselves]

If Galway win in two weeks time; after all the hurt Mayo have been through since 2004 and beforehand; will Mayo people be incredibly bitter or will it be the encouragement they need to get over the line themselves.

Nothing won yet and Armagh have as good a chance but some Mayo people I know have Armagh jersyes ordered for the final and others would be happy enough to see Galway win it.

Okay I will bite!!

I would say some Mayo people will be incredibly bitter and on the other side some will find huge motivation in it but for the majority (while the jibes from Galway people will be annoying as hell) it will just hammer home how many chances we didn't take when it was right there for us to win. I think the final losses in 16, 17 & 21 finally made the majority of Mayo people realise the woe is me/we are so unlucky/the refs are against us is bollix when you have had so many chances to win Sam. It doesn't make all those losses any easier to take but it does give you a different slant on what it will take for Mayo to get over the line and hence makes it futile to be bitter to Galway,Armagh,Donegal,Cork,Roscommon or whatever team makes the break through in the next few years.

N.B. One caveat, when Meath eventually stop being a shambles years and years from now and win Sam before we manage to break our duck I will be incredibly bitter and all I said above goes out the window!!