All Ireland Championship 2025.

[Armagh18]

Well yesterday was a big disappointment. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by a much better team in the day. It was a pleasure to watch Sean O'Shea yesterday. Well done Kerry

100%. He was excellent, Barry did reasonably well on Clifford but he still had 0-7, superb player. 

[screenexile]

But Outside D'Arcy of Galway very few of these kickouts are won clean, it's all mostly break ball. A team can be on top for 50/60mins and still get beat in the last 10mins. Under the old rules that wouldn't happen.

I think that's great and adds to the jeopardy of the thing and before if a team was 6 points up heading to the last 10 mins the game was completely over now you can't leave in case a comeback is on.

Teams are going to have to develop a set play kickout to break momentum. I imagine we'll see more of these next year becuase once you go on a run of losing possession in midfield things can get bad very quickly!

[Aaron Boone]

We could reinvent ourselves as "kick-out coaches" and we'd be set for life. 

[tonto1888]

We could reinvent ourselves as "kick-out coaches" and we'd be set for life. 

You can be sure some team will start employing them

[tbrick18]

Monaghan v Donegal - actually missed the first half with match traffic but was listening on the wireless. 2nd half Monaghan completely fell apart and Donegal were in complete control. Should probably have won by more. Donegal looked really strong in that 2nd half. Seems to be how they've played most of the year, with an ok first half then blow teams away in the last 20mins. Can they keep doing this? They have on paper the easier draw for to make the final.

Tyrone v Dublin - a poor game in general. Felt like neither team really hit top gear until Tyrone in the last 10 mins. Perhaps it's in indication of the quality of both sides at the minute though? Tyrone just about deserved it, but will need to seriously up their game if they are to get close to Kerry. Dessie stepping down perhaps the final phase of that great Dublin team and a period of rebuilding needed.

Galway v Meath - Would have bet the house on Galway before this game, but Meath are fearless. I only saw the highlights of this one but it looked like a great game. Will Joyce be under pressure now? Will Meath be a Cinderella story?

Kerry v Armagh - seemed to be evenly matched until Kerry blew them away in the 2nd half. Armagh looked really ordinary. I said early in the year these new rules were brought in to suit the likes of Kerry, and that the kickout rule was an unfair one. The fact you have to keep kicking the ball into an area where you are being over-run is crazy in my view. Kerry took full advantage of it yesterday and Armagh were wiped out in that middle 8 sector. The quality of this Kerry team came through yesterday and I think they will be hard stopped now if they can be consistent.

[Rossfan]

The kick out rule was brought in to suit Kerry
Another lad wants the FRC to change the kick out rule .

[mackers]

Well yesterday was a big disappointment. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by a much better team in the day. It was a pleasure to watch Sean O'Shea yesterday. Well done Kerry

That would be my feeling too. As Peter Canavan said last night no team would have been able to live with Kerry during that 15 minute spell yesterday. I wouldn't want to have been in Ethan's boots during that period. He made his mistakes of course but I would put it down to a complete system meltdown rather than putting it completely at his door.  Momentum always was an important commodity in football but it's off the scales now.  If you lose it then it is very hard to get back.
A Kerry team with a chip on its' shoulder is a dangerous beast especially with that wasp Jack O'Connor in charge.  You can just hear him using all the negative comments in the dressing room.
I'd have concerns over what some of our older players might do now.  Hopefully they take their time and arrive at what's best for them.

[Mikhailov]

The kick out rule was brought in to suit Kerry
Another lad wants the FRC to change the kick out rule .

He didn't say the kick out rule was brought in to suit Kerry. But he did say the new rules would suit Kerry which they arguably do with the forward line they have.

[Armagh18]

The kick out rule was brought in to suit Kerry
Another lad wants the FRC to change the kick out rule .

Kickout rule should have suit us yesterday given Kerry were missing their main midfielder but that didn't go to script.

[Applesisapples]

I don't know who was writing Kerry off, I always felt that they would beat Armagh yesterday, but by 1 or 2. I didn't expect such a mauling.I couldn't for the life of me see the strength and depth in that Armagh squad that everyone spoke of and that was proven yesterday. too many over 30's in the team. Oisin O'Neill is a big loss. Why does Cian McConville not get more game time? It's time to rebuild I fear. I would hope McGeeney is given the option to decide on his own future, he deserves that much. Hopefully we can continue to build on these foundations.

[illdecide]

Congrats to Kerry, very deserving winners yesterday and If they play like that in the next 2 games they will win SAM but will they get themselves up for the following games like yesterday...We will see.
I was fearing all the hype we were receiving and Armagh have never worn the fav tag well, when we go into games as the underdog and the world against us it's when we perform best but full credit must go to Kerry as they done us well and good yesterday, I wish them well for the rest of the Championship.
Keeper kick outs were poor but credit must go to Kerry for this as they pushed up and gave him nowt to hit, Armagh midfield were poor and a lot of guys who are usually steady and reliable had below par games and again I put that down to Kerry's intensity and endeavor.

[Mario]

Well yesterday was a big disappointment. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by a much better team in the day. It was a pleasure to watch Sean O'Shea yesterday. Well done Kerry

That would be my feeling too. As Peter Canavan said last night no team would have been able to live with Kerry during that 15 minute spell yesterday. I wouldn't want to have been in Ethan's boots during that period. He made his mistakes of course but I would put it down to a complete system meltdown rather than putting it completely at his door.  Momentum always was an important commodity in football but it's off the scales now.  If you lose it then it is very hard to get back.
A Kerry team with a chip on its' shoulder is a dangerous beast especially with that wasp Jack O'Connor in charge.  You can just hear him using all the negative comments in the dressing room.
I'd have concerns over what some of our older players might do now.  Hopefully they take their time and arrive at what's best for them.

It's true that no team would have been able to live with Kerry if they gift them possession 15 times in a row but I don't think most teams would do that. He'd have been better lumping a few up the middle but for whatever reason he decided now to. It happens all the time now when teams get on top and hit 7 or 8 points in a row, but 14 is unheard of in what was a tight game before that.

[EoinW]

Well yesterday was a big disappointment. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by a much better team in the day. It was a pleasure to watch Sean O'Shea yesterday. Well done Kerry

That would be my feeling too. As Peter Canavan said last night no team would have been able to live with Kerry during that 15 minute spell yesterday. I wouldn't want to have been in Ethan's boots during that period. He made his mistakes of course but I would put it down to a complete system meltdown rather than putting it completely at his door.  Momentum always was an important commodity in football but it's off the scales now.  If you lose it then it is very hard to get back.
A Kerry team with a chip on its' shoulder is a dangerous beast especially with that wasp Jack O'Connor in charge.  You can just hear him using all the negative comments in the dressing room.
I'd have concerns over what some of our older players might do now.  Hopefully they take their time and arrive at what's best for them.

It's true that no team would have been able to live with Kerry if they gift them possession 15 times in a row but I don't think most teams would do that. He'd have been better lumping a few up the middle but for whatever reason he decided now to. It happens all the time now when teams get on top and hit 7 or 8 points in a row, but 14 is unheard of in what was a tight game before that.

It begs the question: did Armagh have the right keeper in goal?  Rafferty is great, pure excitement.  However when the FRC altered its own rule change back in February, the advantage of the attacking keeper was lost.

[APM]

Disappointed with the performance yesterday but have to be impressed by Kerry and their intensity in the middle third. I did think Armagh would have been stronger in the middle eight and that it would have went down to the wire, but it wasn't to be.

I said previously on here that I feared we would get a trimming at some point if we didn't win enough possession in the middle as every time we don't have the ball, it is almost a guaranteed score/shot for the opposition. That was evident against Tyrone, Donegal, Derry, Dublin and Galway.

That might just be the new rules in action, but we have a very questionable defensive platform and we get fewer turnovers, compared to Donegal who seem that bit tighter at the back.

The key for Armagh yesterday was to win the midfield battle and we lost it spectacularly. This was a combination of a lack of work rate in midfield and some poor kickouts, but it certainly wasn't all on Rafferty as some would suggest.

Kerry had their tactics spot on and they closed out Grugan just as Donegal did. They also kept McQuillan quiet and as Kerry rose to the occasion our guys were found wanting.

I read somewhere that outside of Dublin and Kerry, no team has done back to back finals since Armagh in 03 and none has won back to back Sams since Cork in 1989/90.

So on that basis, Armagh have performed admirably as champions and these players and management owe the county nothing.

It looks like this is could be end of the road for some of this team (it was that kind of defeat) and we could be in for a dry spell because of how much we depend on lads like Murnin, Grugan & Campbell (if any of them decide to call it a day).

Galway's defeat has the same kind of feeling to it and they may be in a similar position after yesterday. That should be a reminder to Armagh followers to be very grateful that their team got over the line in the big one last year because both teams might be going into transitional period.

You now have teams coming like Tyrone, Down & Meath and no doubt Dublin will be back. Getting back to those heights will not be a simple exercise for Armagh.

If it is to be a transitional period I would certainly trust McGeeney with that job of by leading Armagh into it. Winning the All Ireland after 10 years in charge (something that must be a record and is rarely commented on) demonstrates that very well.

[Armagh18]

Well yesterday was a big disappointment. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by a much better team in the day. It was a pleasure to watch Sean O'Shea yesterday. Well done Kerry

That would be my feeling too. As Peter Canavan said last night no team would have been able to live with Kerry during that 15 minute spell yesterday. I wouldn't want to have been in Ethan's boots during that period. He made his mistakes of course but I would put it down to a complete system meltdown rather than putting it completely at his door.  Momentum always was an important commodity in football but it's off the scales now.  If you lose it then it is very hard to get back.
A Kerry team with a chip on its' shoulder is a dangerous beast especially with that wasp Jack O'Connor in charge.  You can just hear him using all the negative comments in the dressing room.
I'd have concerns over what some of our older players might do now.  Hopefully they take their time and arrive at what's best for them.

It's true that no team would have been able to live with Kerry if they gift them possession 15 times in a row but I don't think most teams would do that. He'd have been better lumping a few up the middle but for whatever reason he decided now to. It happens all the time now when teams get on top and hit 7 or 8 points in a row, but 14 is unheard of in what was a tight game before that.

It begs the question: did Armagh have the right keeper in goal?  Rafferty is great, pure excitement.  However when the FRC altered its own rule change back in February, the advantage of the attacking keeper was lost.

Not really given he was super all year, Blaine did get a game or 2 in the league and was poor.