AI Football Final 2010: An Corcaigh vs An Dún

[Farrandeelin]

Had Mayo not lost to Longford, it could have been totally different for Down.

honestly, this is the lowest firm of drivel.

Mystic meg with muddled hindsight.

Ah Jaysus, can ya not have fun anymore? You know well my position on Mayo football and we're in crisis. I just said I'd throw in these comments for the craic. That's all...

[thewobbler]

Maybe I'm just a humourless coconut, but some of the shite about Down's worthiness of an All Ireland Final place is not just wrong, but out of order.

They beat the current champions. They've more than earned it. And they will finish the deal.

[Farrandeelin]

Maybe I'm just a humourless coconut, but some of the shite about Down's worthiness of an All Ireland Final place is not just wrong, but out of order.

They beat the current champions. They've more than earned it. And they will finish the deal.

I do think Down will beat Cork though, I think the fear of losing yet again will ultimatly be Cork's downfall, whereas Down seem to be there with no baggage and will win yet another final. Jesus if only Mayo had Down's record over the years I'd be a happy man.

[ONeill]

Now, thewobbler, i'm surprised at you. Sure it's the nature of these games. For weeks there's the normal wind-uppery. The 7 days beforehand you get the serious stuff.

I was thinking recently that if if if Tyrone had beaten the Jacks and Cork and were now facing the Mourne in the final I'd have hated the build up. Tyrone would have been hot favourites. Down would have nothing to lose, especially after the Casement game earlier in the year. I actually think Down would have taken them.

[thewobbler]

You shouldn't be surprised O Neill.

Last time Down were in an AIF, the Internet was only an apple in Tim Berners Lee's eye!

[jas376]

/quote]

   I do think Down will beat Cork though, I think the fear of losing yet again will ultimatly be Cork's downfall,

   The fear of losing again will either be Cork's downfall or else it will motivate the Cork players  to play like never before.

   Yes, most of the psychological pressure is on Cork this time but this Cork team has shown this year that it is now better able to handle such pressure than it was previously. The Cork  players' backs were to the wall  at some stage in almost all of their games this year - yet they managed to stand tall each time and grind out narrow wins in most of their games.

  Now, if only they could do the same just one more time!

  Finally, remember that Cork is not facing Kerry this time so the pressure may not be as great as it was last year or in '07.  As I already said, Kerrry is the only county to have defeated Cork in the past six years' football championships so Cork doesn't fear any other county as much as it fears Kerry. It's a 'tradition' thing!- the sight of the green and gold jersey in Croke Park just frightens us!
In fairness though, last year in the AI final Cork faced a forward division that included Paul Galvin, Declan O Sullivan, Tadhg Kennelly, Tommy Walsh, Gooch Cooper and one other who I can't name right now (either Kieran Donaghy or Darren O Sullivan, maybe?) and that was just the forwards! Now, I know that the Down forwards are excellent as well but I don't think that they will quite instill the same fear in Cork minds as these Kerry players did somehow.
Also, many of the Cork players are older and more experienced than their Down counterparts so this should help the Cork team's confidence and composure as well.

[down6061689194]

I usually look forward to the finals. This year it doesn't bother me one bit. Cork are only there because Dublin's indiscipline, and Down are only there because of a square-ball goal...

                   ... and Mayo, where are they?

      It took a lot more than Dublin's indiscipline for Cork to reach another All-Ireland final. These Cork players have ben bursting their guts since last January in their effort to make it to this final so please don't disparage them with such glib comments.

Had Mayo not lost to Longford, it could have been totally different for Down.

Whilst I remember thinking exactly the same at the match, the fact remains, if your granny bad bollocks...

[DownFanatic]

Of Down's current starting XV and bench there is plenty of All Ireland Final experience.

Garvey, McKernan, Fitzpatrick, McComiskey and Clarke played in the 2005 Minor All Ireland Final. Colgan, Gerard McCartan and Duffin also started on that team.

John Clarke and Benny Coulter played in the 1999 All Ireland Minor Final. Rony Murtagh and Rony Sexton were also starters on that side.

Poland played in the 2005 All Ireland U-21 Final. As did Ambrose Rogers, Conor Laverty, Aidan Carr, Colgan, Marty Clarke and Jason Brown.

Fitzpatrick, Paul Devlin, Conor Maginn and McComiskey played in the 2009 All Ireland U-21 Final.

[jas376]

Of Down's current starting XV and bench there is plenty of All Ireland Final experience.

Garvey, McKernan, Fitzpatrick, McComiskey and Clarke played in the 2005 Minor All Ireland Final. Colgan, Gerard McCartan and Duffin also started on that team.

John Clarke and Benny Coulter played in the 1999 All Ireland Minor Final. Rony Murtagh and Rony Sexton were also starters on that side.

Poland played in the 2005 All Ireland U-21 Final. As did Ambrose Rogers, Conor Laverty, Aidan Carr, Colgan, Marty Clarke and Jason Brown.

Fitzpatrick, Paul Devlin, Conor Maginn and McComiskey played in the 2009 All Ireland U-21 Final.

    Fair enough! - not every senior team has had the same under-age experience behind them when facing into an AI senior final as this present Down team has had and this experience will benefit the Down players greatly, no doubt.

  With respect, though, under-age and senior are very different propositions. For instance, last year's under- 21 final was played in Portlaoise in front of a few thousand people, not in front of 80,000 in Croke Park. Incidentally, some of the Cork senior players also played in that Under 21 final  which Cork won so they should benefit from the experience also.

   This year's Cork senior football team is likely to have only three players playing in their first senior AI final next Sunday, namely, Ray Carey, Ciaran Sheehan and Aidan Walsh. The other players will all have previously played some part in at least one football final - not to mention the six semi-finals that Cork has played in over the past six years. So, if Cork loses the final again this year we can't blame it on the lack of big day experience.

[Aaron Boone]

Why was Kevin Mussen not captain as well in 1961? Ballykinlar's P Doherty was.

[5 Sams]

Why was Kevin Mussen not captain as well in 1961? Ballykinlar's P Doherty was.

Might be something to do with the fact that he wasnt playing Aaron

[armaghniac]

Watching todays Camogie final, they didn't seem to see the  need to have different colours, it is very difficult to tell Wexford from Galway. I know Camogie is a different association (even if closely related) but the difference in policy is odd.

[Jinxy]

Watching todays Camogie final, they didn't seem to see the  need to have different colours, it is very difficult to tell Wexford from Galway. I know Camogie is a different association (even if closely related) but the difference in policy is odd.

I'm surprised half of them didn't just leave when they realised there were other girls there in similar outfits.

[ballela-angel]

I'm surprised half of them didn't just leave when they realised there were other girls there in similar outfits

[parkoncrokie]

/quote]

   I do think Down will beat Cork though, I think the fear of losing yet again will ultimatly be Cork's downfall,

   The fear of losing again will either be Cork's downfall or else it will motivate the Cork players  to play like never before.

   Yes, most of the psychological pressure is on Cork this time but this Cork team has shown this year that it is now better able to handle such pressure than it was previously. The Cork  players' backs were to the wall  at some stage in almost all of their games this year - yet they managed to stand tall each time and grind out narrow wins in most of their games.

  Now, if only they could do the same just one more time!

  Finally, remember that Cork is not facing Kerry this time so the pressure may not be as great as it was last year or in '07.  As I already said, Kerrry is the only county to have defeated Cork in the past six years' football championships so Cork doesn't fear any other county as much as it fears Kerry. It's a 'tradition' thing!- the sight of the green and gold jersey in Croke Park just frightens us!
In fairness though, last year in the AI final Cork faced a forward division that included Paul Galvin, Declan O Sullivan, Tadhg Kennelly, Tommy Walsh, Gooch Cooper and one other who I can't name right now (either Kieran Donaghy or Darren O Sullivan, maybe?) and that was just the forwards! Now, I know that the Down forwards are excellent as well but I don't think that they will quite instill the same fear in Cork minds as these Kerry players did somehow.
Also, many of the Cork players are older and more experienced than their Down counterparts so this should help the Cork team's confidence and composure as well.

A huge motivating factor for cork to win on Sunday is the fact that kerry have only beaten Mayo .Galway and Cork in all their all irelands since 1997  and  have not been able to stop the northern teams, having said all that .....      up Down