Kerry v Cork All Ireland Final 2009

[Tyrone Dreamer]

OK Kingdom folk, Paddy Heaney in today's Irish News, read it and... wet yourselves with laughter  And the Armagh wans will want him beatified...


Familiar hands on Sam should satisfy lovers of tradition
Against the Breeze

"There is a nationwide inability to dismiss Kerry. Despite the evidence presented in recent games, there are many who insist that 'You write Kerry off at your peril'. What cautious drivel!"

Against The Breeze, July 28 2009

WHAT drivel indeed! Regular readers might remember that the quotation above is taken from a column which explained why Kerry would not win this year's All-Ireland title. Suffice to say it was a slightly inaccurate prediction and I'll gladly accept that my assessment was somewhat wayward.

I'm not going to offer any defence other than to say that when reading the column again yesterday morning, I detected the sound of a sports reporter betrayed, a fan who had been jilted. The cruel irony of this unfortunate affair is that there is no greater admirer of this group of Kerry footballers than yours truly. There is written proof to back up this claim.

In 2005 and 2008, I dismayed many Tyrone fans when tipping Kerry to beat their team in the All-Ireland final. My rationale was always pretty basic. I simply believed Kerry had better footballers. Tomas O Se, Darragh O Se, Declan O'Sullivan, Colm Cooper, Tommy Walsh and Kieran Donaghy. I couldn't look past them.

On each occasion, however, Tyrone underlined the importance of teamwork and tactics. Of course, the Red Hands had their own share of quality footballers, but their cohesion and collective craft was the key difference.

After last year's All-Ireland final, I started to lose faith in Kerry. That faith was jolted again when Cork dismissed them in Munster. It lost further ground when I watched television coverage of the Qualifier games against Longford and Sligo. And it evaporated completely when I travelled to Tullamore and saw them struggle to beat an Antrim side that started the season in Division Four.

Hence the madness of July 28. I concluded that particular column by informing readers that Kerry would receive their last rites in Croke Park before the year was out.

This prophecy was one of the reasons why I was supporting Cork to the hilt on Sunday. By the same token, it would be false to suggest that I had any huge attachment to Conor Counihan's side. Truth be told, it would be more accurate to state that I just wanted Kerry to lose. It was partly due to ego and pride. It was partly because they'd won the thing 35 times already and they didn't need to win again.

I don't think this is a particularly remarkable admission, yet like-minded individuals would be amazing to discover the attitude that exists among the general populace.

Irishmen and Irishwomen appear to love the status quo. It doesn't annoy them to see Kerry back on top. In fact, if pushed, this conservative majority would probably admit that they like to see the Kingdom succeed. They find it quietly reassuring to see the green and gold in the Hogan Stand on the third Sunday in September. It must restore their belief that there is actually a natural order to the universe. There can be booms and recessions, taoisigh and tribunals, storms and sunny days, but if Kerry are winning All-Irelands then it proves there are some laws of the cosmos that cannot be violated.

This contentment in Kerry's success extends to the Irish sports writing fraternity. Journalists, by nature and definition, are supposed to be anti-establishment.

Yet it's amazing the satisfaction many hacks derive from a Kerry triumph. Make no mistake, many of them love to see a county make the breakthrough, and this was evident when Ulster teams like Armagh and Tyrone enjoyed maiden victories in 2002 and 2003. But this support for the little man quickly dries up when he threatens to seize the crown. (Note the bitterness and nit-picking following Tyrone's victory last year). In this respect, sports reporters merely reflect the broad body of opinion in the country as a whole.

It's quite unbelievable how many southerners... and northerners support Kerry in All-Ireland finals. And maybe it's this love of the familiar, and reverence for the ancient powers which explains why tradition counts for so much in the GAA.

In no other sport, can the history of a parish and place hold such store. The very colour of a jersey is often worth six points. The importance we place on the past unquestionably affects the psychology of our footballers and, for this reason, overcoming the establishment is without doubt the greatest obstacle facing any club or county.

This is why the 'team of the decade' debate has become too boring. Kerry have won five titles. Big deal. Kerry win All-Irelands. That is what they do. It's like praising Russia for producing chess champions.

Tyrone deserve a certain amount of credit. They finally stood up and fought the tide in 2003. But the longer I study Tyrone, the less impressive their record becomes.

It's a huge county with the eighth highest population in the land. For many decades Tyrone has had a thriving GAA culture. And unlike many of its northern counterparts, its towns are alive with strong clubs. Equally significantly, the O'Neill men have little truck with hurling.

Given its population, its devotion to football, its culture, and its massive resources, Tyrone should be the Kerry of the north. Yet, they've just three All-Ireland senior titles. It's a paltry return.

But study the past decade closely and one tribe of gaels emerges as true revolutionaries. This is a small county that dared to trample over tradition and trends. Its footballers have proved themselves in every competition where the blue bloods are accustomed to getting their own way.

So take a bow Armagh. All-Ireland senior champions in 2002, All-Ireland U21 champions in 2004, and All-Ireland minor champions in 2009. The triple crown. And let's not forget the National League title in 2005 and those six Ulster senior titles.

Considering the nature of the GAA, an organisation where the rich get rich and the poor get knocked out in the opening seconds, that's some haul of trophies for a county that was on the dole.

So please let's forget all this talk about Kerry and Tyrone. Who cares? What do their exploits really matter to those of us from the blue-collar counties?

When it comes to truly inspirational champions, we should take our cue from Armagh, the county of the decade.

Not so sure about that bit in bold. The likes of Strabane and Dungannon are really struggling. Omagh doing better but for its size should be better. There's 2 clubs in Armagh city still left in senior championship and a number of clubs in Lurgan area. He talks some crap.

[Rossfan]

So it's Armagh win "Team of the Decade" then?

After all sure Kerry and Tyrone only won the last 7 All Irelands which pales in comparison to 6 Ulster Titles.

Paddy ...hole..diggin ...stop

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

But the mistake most people are making that these shots were all from the 21 yard line. A lot of them were kicked passes straight over the endline- ie poor passes. Others like Kerrigans were the result of 50 yard pot shots under pressure because he had no other options. Just watch the kerry swarm defence in the 2nd half just between the 45 and the d. Cork were under huge pressure taking those shots.
Granted a few scoreable frees were missed but most of the other chances were directly because kerry putting severe pressure on the shooter with 2/3 men tackling him.

Not necessarily, I remember thinking at the time in real-time on at least half a dozen occasions that they weren't missing those up to that, and only 4 points separated them in the end.

True, Kerry were applying pressure, but nonetheless, on those specific occasions it was more a Cork failing than a Kerry strength. I'd need to have a look at it again though.

[INDIANA]

But the mistake most people are making that these shots were all from the 21 yard line. A lot of them were kicked passes straight over the endline- ie poor passes. Others like Kerrigans were the result of 50 yard pot shots under pressure because he had no other options. Just watch the kerry swarm defence in the 2nd half just between the 45 and the d. Cork were under huge pressure taking those shots.
Granted a few scoreable frees were missed but most of the other chances were directly because kerry putting severe pressure on the shooter with 2/3 men tackling him.

Not necessarily, I remember thinking at the time in real-time on at least half a dozen occasions that they weren't missing those up to that, and only 4 points separated them in the end.

True, Kerry were applying pressure, but nonetheless, on those specific occasions it was more a Cork failing than a Kerry strength. I'd need to have a look at it again though.

I think you should. Kerrigan had 2 pot shots that weren't chances at all. A number of balls were kicked straight over the end line. Masters had one he should have scored and so should O Connor off his left and obviously the 2/3 frees. But the cork ff line couldn't hold onto the ball so you can't blame cork in the 2nd half for trying to run through kerry. Kikcking it in to the ff line was just handing posession away.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Kikcking it in to the ff line was just handing posession away.

Exactly, and if they'd been thinking clearer they would have desisted from that fruitless avenue, and why was their thinking so muddled?

So Masters, O'Connor and 3 scorable frees: those weren't missed because of Kerry, those were missed because of Cork.

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

The bottling theory is just lazy analysis. Did Tyrone bottle it against cork? Did Tyrone bottle it against Laois in 2006? Did Tyrone bottle it against Sligo in 2002? Just beaten by a better team. Same as Cork on Sunday.

That's not a great piece of analysis there either in fairness: we didn't make half the chances against Cork as they missed against Kerry, we weren't going great in 2006 and just didn't have it. Against Sligo, well, I would say that we actually did bottle it: we threw in the towel long before the end of that game when Sligo turned up the heat.

Despite the best of Kerry's efforts, Cork still had made many chances to convert very scorable opportunities, chances they were burying against ourselves, and once they'd found themselves iin those positions Kerry's tactics were neither here nor there, it was all upstairs.

Have to agree with fear there. Tyrone did bottle it against Sligo. They had better players and in the opening 20 minutes were blowing Sligo off the park. When Sligo came back and offered some resistance Tyrone just folded like a wet paper bag. Tyrone had a history of bottling it in big games in Croker at that stage and that team did not have the mental toughness required. Mickey Harte added that crucial element to Tyrone. They didnt bottle it in 2006, they were just missing so many key men and lost to a better team on the day. Dont think they bottled it this year either, they just turned in an unusually flat performance and didnt get away with it against a very talented and motivated team.

Cork are an excellent team but sadly they didnt seem to believe in themselves on Sunday, when the game started to slip away they did not keep their heads. Kerry on the other hand did not panic despite their slow start and clearly believed they had it in them to reel Cork back in. So much in sport is mental and Sunday, and indeed the closing 20 minutes of the 2008 final, showed that very clearly.

Pretty mediocre match on Sunday to end a pretty mediocre championship but the most deserving team always comes through in the end and congratulations to Kerry.

[achtungantrim]

hope kerry kick their ass*s. didn't think cynicism could sink as low as the cork tactics versus tyrone. kerry are a shoe-in. get the money on i'm telling you. 6-8 points winning margin for kerry, or i'll eat my trunks!

well, it wasn't quite the 6-8 points, but i was close! when it comes to the big days, kerry have that know-how and  skill that no other teams seem to possess. i like tyrone, but i think kerry would have destroyed them yesterday. tyrone haven't the pace they once had. today's game is all about pace. they will need to up their game next year if they are going to do any damage.

i can't see tyrone even winning an ulster. armagh might re-group, derry need to shake themselves. and if antrim developed an inner steel to match their skill and pace, they could do some damage. i hope so anyway. i will make the prediction right here and now. tyrone won't eEven more damage than beat Donegal and Cavan?... wow!  ven reach the quarters next year.

Even more damage than beat Donegal and Cavan?... wow!   

we were only beaten by 1 point more than cork were by the all ireland champions.  . and i was talking about the ulstr championship, the final of which we reached last year. by doing "damage" i meant knocking out one of the so-called big teams.

[longrunsthefox]

OK Kingdom folk, Paddy Heaney in today's Irish News, read it and... wet yourselves with laughter  And the Armagh wans will want him beatified...


Familiar hands on Sam should satisfy lovers of tradition
Against the Breeze

"There is a nationwide inability to dismiss Kerry. Despite the evidence presented in recent games, there are many who insist that 'You write Kerry off at your peril'. What cautious drivel!"

Against The Breeze, July 28 2009

WHAT drivel indeed! Regular readers might remember that the quotation above is taken from a column which explained why Kerry would not win this year's All-Ireland title. Suffice to say it was a slightly inaccurate prediction and I'll gladly accept that my assessment was somewhat wayward.

I'm not going to offer any defence other than to say that when reading the column again yesterday morning, I detected the sound of a sports reporter betrayed, a fan who had been jilted. The cruel irony of this unfortunate affair is that there is no greater admirer of this group of Kerry footballers than yours truly. There is written proof to back up this claim.

In 2005 and 2008, I dismayed many Tyrone fans when tipping Kerry to beat their team in the All-Ireland final. My rationale was always pretty basic. I simply believed Kerry had better footballers. Tomas O Se, Darragh O Se, Declan O'Sullivan, Colm Cooper, Tommy Walsh and Kieran Donaghy. I couldn't look past them.

On each occasion, however, Tyrone underlined the importance of teamwork and tactics. Of course, the Red Hands had their own share of quality footballers, but their cohesion and collective craft was the key difference.

After last year's All-Ireland final, I started to lose faith in Kerry. That faith was jolted again when Cork dismissed them in Munster. It lost further ground when I watched television coverage of the Qualifier games against Longford and Sligo. And it evaporated completely when I travelled to Tullamore and saw them struggle to beat an Antrim side that started the season in Division Four.

Hence the madness of July 28. I concluded that particular column by informing readers that Kerry would receive their last rites in Croke Park before the year was out.

This prophecy was one of the reasons why I was supporting Cork to the hilt on Sunday. By the same token, it would be false to suggest that I had any huge attachment to Conor Counihan's side. Truth be told, it would be more accurate to state that I just wanted Kerry to lose. It was partly due to ego and pride. It was partly because they'd won the thing 35 times already and they didn't need to win again.

I don't think this is a particularly remarkable admission, yet like-minded individuals would be amazing to discover the attitude that exists among the general populace.

Irishmen and Irishwomen appear to love the status quo. It doesn't annoy them to see Kerry back on top. In fact, if pushed, this conservative majority would probably admit that they like to see the Kingdom succeed. They find it quietly reassuring to see the green and gold in the Hogan Stand on the third Sunday in September. It must restore their belief that there is actually a natural order to the universe. There can be booms and recessions, taoisigh and tribunals, storms and sunny days, but if Kerry are winning All-Irelands then it proves there are some laws of the cosmos that cannot be violated.

This contentment in Kerry's success extends to the Irish sports writing fraternity. Journalists, by nature and definition, are supposed to be anti-establishment.

Yet it's amazing the satisfaction many hacks derive from a Kerry triumph. Make no mistake, many of them love to see a county make the breakthrough, and this was evident when Ulster teams like Armagh and Tyrone enjoyed maiden victories in 2002 and 2003. But this support for the little man quickly dries up when he threatens to seize the crown. (Note the bitterness and nit-picking following Tyrone's victory last year). In this respect, sports reporters merely reflect the broad body of opinion in the country as a whole.

It's quite unbelievable how many southerners... and northerners support Kerry in All-Ireland finals. And maybe it's this love of the familiar, and reverence for the ancient powers which explains why tradition counts for so much in the GAA.

In no other sport, can the history of a parish and place hold such store. The very colour of a jersey is often worth six points. The importance we place on the past unquestionably affects the psychology of our footballers and, for this reason, overcoming the establishment is without doubt the greatest obstacle facing any club or county.

This is why the 'team of the decade' debate has become too boring. Kerry have won five titles. Big deal. Kerry win All-Irelands. That is what they do. It's like praising Russia for producing chess champions.

Tyrone deserve a certain amount of credit. They finally stood up and fought the tide in 2003. But the longer I study Tyrone, the less impressive their record becomes.

It's a huge county with the eighth highest population in the land. For many decades Tyrone has had a thriving GAA culture. And unlike many of its northern counterparts, its towns are alive with strong clubs. Equally significantly, the O'Neill men have little truck with hurling.

Given its population, its devotion to football, its culture, and its massive resources, Tyrone should be the Kerry of the north. Yet, they've just three All-Ireland senior titles. It's a paltry return.

But study the past decade closely and one tribe of gaels emerges as true revolutionaries. This is a small county that dared to trample over tradition and trends. Its footballers have proved themselves in every competition where the blue bloods are accustomed to getting their own way.

So take a bow Armagh. All-Ireland senior champions in 2002, All-Ireland U21 champions in 2004, and All-Ireland minor champions in 2009. The triple crown. And let's not forget the National League title in 2005 and those six Ulster senior titles.

Considering the nature of the GAA, an organisation where the rich get rich and the poor get knocked out in the opening seconds, that's some haul of trophies for a county that was on the dole.

So please let's forget all this talk about Kerry and Tyrone. Who cares? What do their exploits really matter to those of us from the blue-collar counties?

When it comes to truly inspirational champions, we should take our cue from Armagh, the county of the decade.

Not so sure about that bit in bold. The likes of Strabane and Dungannon are really struggling. Omagh doing better but for its size should be better. There's 2 clubs in Armagh city still left in senior championship and a number of clubs in Lurgan area. He talks some crap.

Oh dear Paddy... no hurling in Tyrone, winners of Lory Meagher Cup.  He says, "Tyrone deserve  a certain amount of credit"... All Ireland minor winners 2001, 2004, 2008, U21 All Ireland winners 2000-2001, All Ireland senior 2003, 2005, 2008. Cringe worthy article trying to weasle out of previous funeral of Kerry nonsense.  Same Paddy who tipped Kerry to beat Tyrone in 2005 and 2008.  Is turning into Liam Hayes while trying to be (poor man's) Pat Spillane.
Uncle Seamus Heaney wrote:  "Between my finger and my thumb-The squat pen rests...I'll dig with it."
As previous poster said, Paddy, stop digging ffs.

[mountainboii]

 

Good man Paddy!

The predictable Tymoanie response to that will probably do enough to fill a couple of pages in the 'Off The Fence' piece later on in the week, making things a wee bit easier for the IN journos.

[Frank Casey]

Sometimes you need to get knocked down (or out!) to really appreciate what a wonderful place the summit is.

Match was won/lost because of:

Hunger                  Choking
Application             Over-confidence
Tactics                  Reverence
Experience            Karma

Takes two to tango and while Cork may have lost the way the were pushed there by an excellently executed Kerry game plan. Kerry never went beyond third gear cause they didn't need to.

Still living in langerland does have its moments...............such as now.
Getting porter till all hours from a Tipp publican in the heart of rebel-land after the match was pretty alright except for yesterday morning.

[puskas]

congrats to kerry, the yardstick by which we are all measured. Was Darren O'Sullivan's point a double hop? That was the one that finally snuffed out any faint hope of a revival. Looked like it but a ref near me reckoned he'd only one hand on the second one and hence it was legal.

[Kerry Mike]

Still living in langerland does have its moments...............such as now.

FC: Are you on for a pint or 2 in Tompkins some evening. He might put on the match for us 

Am only back in action today , what a savage result for us, am catching up on my newspapers reading all day, so will write more later.

[Frank Casey]

Still living in langerland does have its moments...............such as now.

FC: Are you on for a pint or 2 in Tompkins some evening. He might put on the match for us 

Am only back in action today , what a savage result for us, am catching up on my newspapers reading all day, so will write more later.

I'll give you a shout

[Kerry Mike]

2009 Kerry - All Ireland & National League Winners

http://pix.ie/mipix/1238860/size/800

http://pix.ie/mipix/1238493/size/800

It will make for a mad week in Glenbeigh.

[longrunsthefox]

Yo! Mike...Was looking forward to gloating when youse got beat... but have to say was some achievement taking Sam back to the Kingdom yet again. Enjoy it as I have got to know it is a wonderful feeling.