Donegal v Kerry - 2025 All-Ireland Football Final

[jb77]

Why did Seanie O'Shea not kick from the ground, Shane Ryan butchered the free and the 45 rightly

[imtommygunn]

Donegal are not that bad to watch. Some people still haven't let go of 2011.

[tbrick18]

The old rules covered team limitations when up against a superior team that couldn't man mark 1 on 1. Still think 3 up a silly rule, 2 enough.Armagh and Galway employed double sweepers last year and that game although tight, was a horror show.

I'd take a tight pulsating encounter over the procession that occurred yesterday any day. Two pointers killed yesterday as a contest.

Of the 11 knock out games in the All Ireland series only 3 were decided by a single score.

Last year it was 8 out of 11.

I understand the new rules are here to stay and I think things will improve but I don't think it's improved the game or the entertainment yet.

Exactly this.
I don't get the current fawning over how good the game is now.

There was no excitement or edge to that final - it was pretty much a walk over. The point of the rules now is to allow teams like Kerry with "superior" footballing talent to always overcome the teams with lesser talent.
It removes the ability of an underdog of having their day through the use of tactics.


I get it though, 2 ultra defensive teams made for what some see as a lesser spectacle and that argument has won out, in no small part due to the commentators on RTE.  But give me a tense, tight game any day over a poor all-ireland final.

For what it's worth, Kerry were by far the better side.
Their main players stood up, where Donegal looked rather ordinary. Murphy was exposed as being too slow for a game at that pace, gave away ball and missed an easy free. He did score a few, but compare him (the Donegal star player before the final) to both Cliffords and he was miles off.
McBrearty too - played that impact role all year, but had no impact against Kerry.
Taking off Galen was a mistake imo.

I feel Donegal might slide again now - as without Murphy this year, I doubt they'd have got as far as they did.
You'd imagine he'll retire again now, possibly McBrearty too. Will McGuinness go? He doesn't strike me as the kind of manager who sticks if he doesn't think there is an AI in a team - hard to know what he'll think after that final.

[Armagh18]

Why did Seanie O'Shea not kick from the ground, Shane Ryan butchered the free and the 45 rightly

He must have picked up a knock, even the ones he did hit were out of his hands.

[Rossfan]

Teams with superior attacking talent beating teams with less talent.
This is bad??

[NAG1]

Why did Seanie O'Shea not kick from the ground, Shane Ryan butchered the free and the 45 rightly

He must have picked up a knock, even the ones he did hit were out of his hands.

Why did Donegal not move a couple of their free back outside the 2 point arc? I can remember a couple of instances where they could have but chose not too.

[Armagh18]

Why did Seanie O'Shea not kick from the ground, Shane Ryan butchered the free and the 45 rightly

He must have picked up a knock, even the ones he did hit were out of his hands.

Why did Donegal not move a couple of their free back outside the 2 point arc? I can remember a couple of instances where they could have but chose not too.

Like when? The only time you can move back out is when it has been brought forward for dissent or a breach.

[tbrick18]

Teams with superior attacking talent beating teams with less talent.
This is bad??

If an underdog can't give themselves a chance by trying to be innovative with the rules it is bad.
Being tactical is the leveller - where some teams have easier paths to finals than others, have larger populations, have more investment. Remove the ability of teams to play to what ever strengths they have is just going to rule more teams out of having a chance at an AI. 

[tbrick18]

Teams with superior attacking talent beating teams with less talent.
This is bad??

If an underdog can't give themselves a chance by trying to be innovative with the rules it is bad.
Being tactical is the leveller - where some teams have easier paths to finals than others, have larger populations, have more investment. Remove the ability of teams to play to what ever strengths they have is just going to rule more teams out of having a chance at an AI. 

To be clear on this final though - Kerry were superior in terms of tactics as well as on the field.

[downgael2065]

The old rules covered team limitations when up against a superior team that couldn't man mark 1 on 1. Still think 3 up a silly rule, 2 enough.Armagh and Galway employed double sweepers last year and that game although tight, was a horror show.

I'd take a tight pulsating encounter over the procession that occurred yesterday any day. Two pointers killed yesterday as a contest.

Of the 11 knock out games in the All Ireland series only 3 were decided by a single score.

Last year it was 8 out of 11.

I understand the new rules are here to stay and I think things will improve but I don't think it's improved the game or the entertainment yet.

Exactly this.
I don't get the current fawning over how good the game is now.

There was no excitement or edge to that final - it was pretty much a walk over. The point of the rules now is to allow teams like Kerry with "superior" footballing talent to always overcome the teams with lesser talent.
It removes the ability of an underdog of having their day through the use of tactics.


I get it though, 2 ultra defensive teams made for what some see as a lesser spectacle and that argument has won out, in no small part due to the commentators on RTE.  But give me a tense, tight game any day over a poor all-ireland final.

For what it's worth, Kerry were by far the better side.
Their main players stood up, where Donegal looked rather ordinary. Murphy was exposed as being too slow for a game at that pace, gave away ball and missed an easy free. He did score a few, but compare him (the Donegal star player before the final) to both Cliffords and he was miles off.
McBrearty too - played that impact role all year, but had no impact against Kerry.
Taking off Galen was a mistake imo.

I feel Donegal might slide again now - as without Murphy this year, I doubt they'd have got as far as they did.
You'd imagine he'll retire again now, possibly McBrearty too. Will McGuinness go? He doesn't strike me as the kind of manager who sticks if he doesn't think there is an AI in a team - hard to know what he'll think after that final.

Have to say i agree on the mcguinness question, i dont think its a certainty he stays on at all. Definitely not the kind of manager to slog it out for years. I think Murphy definitely retires. Jim will probably feel deep down this was their best chance and over next few years doesn't look that they have the immediate talent coming through to elevate this Donegal to an all Ireland. They had good u20 team this year ran tyrone to extra time in ulster final but don't think squad will be good enough next year.

Still a good year for donegal and will require a more willingness to adapt game plan to each opponent and depending on the state of the game.

[Rossfan]

Tactics are great yokes if you have the players to enact them, if the opposition play into your hands, if your players perform on the day, if you have a Plan B.

Yesterday Kerry starting winning ball, doing everything at breakneck speed, stretching Donegal's zone defenders, kicking long range scores,.
Donegal insisted on passing to try and get into small D, no attempts at 2 pointers, 6 points down late in the game but still didn't throw everything at it.

[Armagh18]

Tactics are great yokes if you have the players to enact them, if the opposition play into your hands, if your players perform on the day, if you have a Plan B.

Yesterday Kerry starting winning ball, doing everything at breakneck speed, stretching Donegal's zone defenders, kicking long range scores,.
Donegal insisted on passing to try and get into small D, no attempts at 2 pointers, 6 points down late in the game but still didn't throw everything at it.

Yeah baffling especially with the amount of players who'd kicked them all year, couple of half assed attempts at balls into Murphy in the square was the height of it

[downgael2065]

Kerry domination of possession early just allowed them to settle and get a march on donegal that they never relinquished. Allowing a creative player like p clifford to express himself without trouble was poor decision by McGuinness

[thewobbler]

There's some amount of knee jerk stuff going on here.

IMHO this season  has flattered Kerry rather than them being a particularly strong team. Whatever is in their DNA, Kerry teams are always more adaptable. Their ability to win breaking ball, and to man mark, is what set them apart, much more so than even having the Clifford's. Despite all their moaning about injuries, they arrived into the key weeks of the season with all their key players in top gear. Similar to 2009, the gap in quality after their first 15-17 players to their bench is huge, and (like 2010) they will be pulled quickly into the pack if 2-3-4 players have setbacks.

Similarly, Donegal are much closer than suggested above. They'd a tactical horror show yesterday, endured a couple of key early injuries, and fell into the trap of unloading pre-ordained substitutions rather than reading the room. Murphy coming back for them this season was huge, he clearly gave them a lift and a spark, but I would harbour a guess that like Mayo, they might just be a better unit without their big talisman.

[galwayman]

Kerry were just aweosme yesterday - right from the throw in. The ten point margin didn't flatter them one bit.
Did anyone else notice that the Donegal forwards weren't in position when the ball was thrown in at the start?
They were jogging into position when the ref threw the ball in - that to me contributed to Gavin White getting onto that first ball. His marker had his back to the play when it was thrown in because he was still just getting into position.
Only a small thing but unusual in such a big game.