All Ireland senior football final 2012 Donegal v Mayo

[ross4life]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

[cadence]

any team in connacht gets within 4pts of mayo this year i'd be surprised.   

[cadence]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

not competitive anymore because mayo are streets ahead of the rest.

[GalwayBayBoy]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

not competitive anymore because mayo are streets ahead of the rest.

We'll see. I'm pretty sure they will have at least one possibly two tight games in Connacht this year. Just because they gave Donegal a good game doesn't mean that the rest of Connacht will suddenly start bowing down and waving the white flag. Even when Galway were winning All-Ireland's most of the rest of Connacht still felt they could beat them on a given day. That's just the way it is in a small province where the teams play each other so often and know each other inside out.

[ross4life]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

not competitive anymore because mayo are streets ahead of the rest.

Hmm,Mayo got a far more competitive game from Sligo than Down gave them. Of course if Mayo struggle in any of their Connacht games this year the AI odds of 11/1 will become longer..

[INDIANA]

Mayo have a Connacht draw full of opportunities for the train to derail and teams more than capable on their days to do just that. It's a no win situation for Mayo next year in those games while for everyone else it's a chance to beat the AI finalists. Mayo have been impressive but history says only the very best teams from the west emerge as Connacht three years running - the last time Mayo did it was in 1950 as part of a four-in-a-row from '48-51 - and Mayo's record in the qualifers is poor. I think

Mayo reaching the AIQF stage by either door will be a statement that should worry whoever their opponent are.

reckon this mayo team don't pay much mind to history.

here's me thinking this  donegal team haven't beaten dublin yet.

thats right they haven't.

got confused for a moment,

we'd have done you, even the dogs in the street know that.

But when you had your chance to beat us in 2011 you couldn't

In Fact I reckon Sir Jimmy said a few Ava Maria's when Mayo fell over the line. We'd have gone in as reigning All-Ireland champions as underdogs into a final.

Really Donegal for me have to beat us in the championship to claim being the best in the country.

[Captain Obvious]

Mayo have a Connacht draw full of opportunities for the train to derail and teams more than capable on their days to do just that. It's a no win situation for Mayo next year in those games while for everyone else it's a chance to beat the AI finalists. Mayo have been impressive but history says only the very best teams from the west emerge as Connacht three years running - the last time Mayo did it was in 1950 as part of a four-in-a-row from '48-51 - and Mayo's record in the qualifers is poor. I think

Mayo reaching the AIQF stage by either door will be a statement that should worry whoever their opponent are.

reckon this mayo team don't pay much mind to history.

here's me thinking this  donegal team haven't beaten dublin yet.

thats right they haven't.

got confused for a moment,

we'd have done you, even the dogs in the street know that.

But when you had your chance to beat us in 2011 you couldn't

In Fact I reckon Sir Jimmy said a few Ava Maria's when Mayo fell over the line. We'd have gone in as reigning All-Ireland champions as underdogs into a final.

Really Donegal for me have to beat us in the championship to claim being the best in the country.

To be the best in the country you have to beat the best and let's be honest Dublin weren't the best team last summer.

[Syferus]

Honestly if I was pushed right now I'd say someone other than Mayo wins Connacht this year. I'd still fancy Mayo to make their way through the qualifiers and be there when summer drifts into August, indeed in some ways it may make more people take notice of them than them winning a 'weak' Connacht again.

If Mayo don't want the Nestor Cup desperately then someone else will do it - Sligo know their potential Connacht final is likely be the final moment for that team to prove themselves as more than the nearly men they've been since 2007 because anything less than a Connacht title and Walsh is out one way or the other. For us there is a whole hell of a lot of disgust about how we exited Connacht last year and our season in general - we did get  a victory over Armagh but the overall reaction tells you we're getting past being sated by moral successes - after two good seasons and even going to McHale Park won't spook us when we think about what's to be won and the redemption we can find with a victory there. Galway in Salthill? That speaks for itself. Mulholland is better than he showed last year and I have to imagine an improvement in their fortunes.

I think the Connacht draw is set up very interestingly this year, with even London and Leitrim having to fancy their chances for progress. There's sure to be at least one unexpected result thrown up.

[cadence]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

not competitive anymore because mayo are streets ahead of the rest.

We'll see. I'm pretty sure they will have at least one possibly two tight games in Connacht this year. Just because they gave Donegal a good game doesn't mean that the rest of Connacht will suddenly start bowing down and waving the white flag. Even when Galway were winning All-Ireland's most of the rest of Connacht still felt they could beat them on a given day. That's just the way it is in a small province where the teams play each other so often and know each other inside out.

don't agree. mayo are further ahead than everyone else in connacht atm. i don't expect you to respond any other way, but that doesn't change the way things are now.

[sans pessimism]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

In the top four I'd say

[GalwayBayBoy]

it's about getting over the line. they were closer this year and might have won it if they didn't get off to such a bad start. how they came back in that final will be the making of them. they will not want to experience that again.

@ syferus, we were not great against mayo. good enough to close it out, but they disrupted us and it was them controlling the game and giving as good as they got for large parts of it.

it's all speculation i know, but i can't see mayo not being an even tighter prospect this year. they'll hardly lack hunger. they'll piss connacht.

Mayo got alot closer in 1996 & that AI final remains the only one they really should have won. Mayo must have been on the piss when London brought them to extra time in 2011? the fact is Connacht may not have many All Ireland contenders at the moment but it's one of the most competitive provinces in Ireland & the last 8 Connacht finals proves my point

2012   Mayo 0-12   Sligo 0-10
2011   Mayo 0-13   Roscommon 0-11
2010   Roscommon 0-14   Sligo 0-13
2009   Mayo 2-12   Galway 1-14
2008   Galway 2-12   Mayo 1-14
2007   Sligo 1-10   Galway 0-12
2006   Mayo 0-12   Galway 1-08
2005   Galway 0-10   Mayo 0-08

not competitive anymore because mayo are streets ahead of the rest.

We'll see. I'm pretty sure they will have at least one possibly two tight games in Connacht this year. Just because they gave Donegal a good game doesn't mean that the rest of Connacht will suddenly start bowing down and waving the white flag. Even when Galway were winning All-Ireland's most of the rest of Connacht still felt they could beat them on a given day. That's just the way it is in a small province where the teams play each other so often and know each other inside out.

don't agree. mayo are further ahead than everyone else in connacht atm. i don't expect you to respond any other way, but that doesn't change the way things are now.

Don't get me wrong. They are warm possibly even hot favourites but it's a bit delusional I think to feel they will just steamroller everyone in Connacht without breaking a sweat. They will have to dig deep at least once. Maybe even twice given that they will have to play 3 games to win it. They could even win two games handily but somewhere along the way they will be in a battle.

[ballinaman]

We had Dublin steamrolled and still managed to make us sweat, it's almost part of our game. Connacht will be tight.

[ONeill]

This year will see 12 years since Sam headed West. Should we merge a few of those counties together?

[Syferus]

This year will see 12 years since Sam headed West. Should we merge a few of those counties together?

Ah sure we're not as weak as Ulster colleges, no need to merge up just yet. 

[From the Bunker]

This year will see 12 years since Sam headed West. Should we merge a few of those counties together?

Ah sure we're not as weak as Ulster colleges, no need to merge up just yet.