All Ireland senior football final 2012 Donegal v Mayo

[sans pessimism]

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

Yawn

[ONeill]

Seriously though. It's a bit of a joke now. Since the great Galway side half a century ago, the West's record has been a bit like the land. The odd spark of life (Kiltimagh = Joyce 98/01) but mostly barren, cold, dark and useless.

[sans pessimism]

Seriously though. It's a bit of a joke now. Since the great Galway side half a century ago, the West's record has been a bit like the land. The odd spark of life (Kiltimagh = Joyce 98/01) but mostly barren, cold, dark and useless.

O Neill and serious....naaay,can never see that takin off

[Walter Cronc]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

[Walter Cronc]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

Hmm,I vaguely remember hurling being played there-the great
Galway midfielder Michael Coleman being its most famous son...but All-Ireland titles???
Football my son FOOTBALL!

Perhaps I didn't word that right. It was 2 seperate questions, one regarding the hurling and the other about Jarlaths. I know a great Coleman's side beat Jarlaths a couple of years ago in the Hogan final.

[sans pessimism]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

Hmm,I vaguely remember hurling being played there-the great
Galway midfielder Michael Coleman being its most famous son...but All-Ireland titles???
Football my son FOOTBALL!

Perhaps I didn't word that right. It was 2 seperate questions, one regarding the hurling and the other about Jarlaths. I know a great Coleman's side beat Jarlaths a couple of years ago in the Hogan final.

Jarlaths still have most titles (12)

[Walter Cronc]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

Hmm,I vaguely remember hurling being played there-the great
Galway midfielder Michael Coleman being its most famous son...but All-Ireland titles???
Football my son FOOTBALL!

Perhaps I didn't word that right. It was 2 seperate questions, one regarding the hurling and the other about Jarlaths. I know a great Coleman's side beat Jarlaths a couple of years ago in the Hogan final.

Jarlaths still have most titles (12)

I know that, what I'm asking is, what is the reason for their recent decline?

[sans pessimism]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

Hmm,I vaguely remember hurling being played there-the great
Galway midfielder Michael Coleman being its most famous son...but All-Ireland titles???
Football my son FOOTBALL!

Perhaps I didn't word that right. It was 2 seperate questions, one regarding the hurling and the other about Jarlaths. I know a great Coleman's side beat Jarlaths a couple of years ago in the Hogan final.

Jarlaths still have most titles (12)

I know that, what I'm asking is, what is the reason for their recent decline?

The economy, osterity,girls,drink, fags,-How did the all-ireland
thread turn into this....blame O Neill

[GalwayBayBoy]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

Galway doesn't really have one big hurling school like Flannan's in Clare or Kieran's in Kilkenny. Most of the hurling schools in Galway are smaller vocational schools so Galway tend to be very strong at vocational schools level where they beat Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final last year and did 4 in a row in the 90's and 3 in a row in the early 00's.

Jarlath's are not quite the powerhouse they once were without borders but they are still pretty strong. They really should have beaten Colman's in the Hogan Cup final 2 years ago and they lost in the semis last year to the eventual winners again. Even with the boarders it's not like Jarlath's were winning it every year.

[Walter Cronc]

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. 

Out of interest when was the last time a Connacht school won the A Colleges Hurling title?? Jarlaths record of late isn't the best either. Is this because of fewer boarders?

Galway doesn't really have one big hurling school like Flannan's in Clare or Kieran's in Kilkenny. Most of the hurling schools in Galway are smaller vocational schools so Galway tend to be very strong at vocational schools level where they beat Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final last year and did 4 in a row in the 90's and 3 in a row in the early 00's.

Jarlath's are not quite the powerhouse they once were without borders but they are still pretty strong. They really should have beaten Colman's in the Hogan Cup final 2 years ago and they lost in the semis last year to the eventual winners again. Even with the boarders it's not like Jarlath's were winning it every year.

Cheers GBB. Thanks for clearing that up!

[Orchardman]

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.

2011 is long gone and dublin have 1 all ireland in over 15 years.
Cork beat dublin on the way to winning the sam in 2010, and dublin havn't beat them in champo since, why? there lies the answer to your statement. Surely then dublins 2011 win is devalued as the didnt beat the champs. Or maybe ur comment is just tongue in cheek which would make a lot more sense

[cadence]

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.

In Fact I reckon you're clutching at straws. In Fact, I reckon you haven't addressed the fact that dublin weren't good enough.

[ck]

Plenty of slagging as per usual about the poor oul wesht. Much as it pains me I think Mayo will take Sam home this year. Their rise last year has been underestimated.

[J70]

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.

Sure youse didn't beat Cork last year. What would you have said to a Cork man who said Dublin couldn't claim to be the best team in the country last year (leaving Kerry out of it for the sake of argument)?

The 2011 Donegal performances are irrelevant. Donegal were a much more formidable team this year and easily the best in the country by any normal barometer. Of course, their appetite has now been at least partially sated, and other teams may find that extra bit of determination and leadership that can make the difference, so whether or not Donegal will be the best team in 2013 obviously remains to be seen.

[Declan]

Good interview with Horan here:

Horan blasts RTÉ All-Ireland 'bias'
By Terry Reilly
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Mayo manager James Horan has accused RTÉ of influencing officials ahead of the All-Ireland final with a "biased" build-up in favour of Donegal.
The former All Star hit out at the national broadcaster before travelling with the team for a holiday in Miami and vowed that his side's potential would eventually prove Mayo's doubters wrong.

"There was a lot of commentary from some media sources that was factually incorrect and, quite frankly, idiotic stuff," he said.

"In a two-horse race, if you have the national broadcaster proclaiming about one team and one team only, that's going to influence officials and various things around the game.

"There should be no place for that type of biased discussion. It was completely unwarranted and incorrect. We'll eventually be proven right. Did it impact the game? It's hard to say."

Horan also believes the national media in general constantly talks down Mayo's chances and cited the analysis ahead of their game against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final.

"It didn't particularly annoy me but of course we notice that," he said in an interview with the Western People.

"Pretty much any big game we play is always about the other team in the media. If you were paranoid, you might think that the representation we get from the national media isn't fair or reflective, but you'd waste your time if you went down that road.

"It's pretty much all about how strong the opposition are and how are Mayo going to stop them rather than talking about what we can do, but as time passes, we're changing minds and changing attitudes, I think."

One thing he can't change, though, is the result from the final. He dismissed the notion he got his match-ups wrong against Donegal and put the loss down to basic mistakes made by Mayo players.

"I've heard a lot of discussion about match-ups in the All-Ireland final, but in a way that misses the point. We had as much possession in that game as we had against Down in the quarter-final but used it poorly at times.

"We had a lot of possession in the first 10 minutes. A lot of ball went into the full-forward line in the opening minutes that we didn't hold. If we had held that ball, we'd be having a different conversation. There's a range of things apart from the match-ups that, to me, are more important.

"I hear a lot about Michael Murphy winning that early ball but if you go back and ask why was that ball kicked in, why did Karl Lacey get the space to deliver such a fine pass? We had Barry [Moran], Aidan [O'Shea], Alan [Dillon], Jason [Doherty] out there and go back further than that — where did Donegal win the ball?

"Scores don't just come from the things that stick in people's minds, there much more to it than that. We always go back and look at why and where such things happened and that's the way we improve," he continued.

"Before Lacey kicked the ball in, there were guys who could have got tackles in and could have stopped it in the half-back line. There are always moments like that where we can improve, and we will.

"Michael Murphy got a great goal and fair play to him, but we were in a lot more control of the game than that early scoreline indicated and we didn't do our stuff. We made mistakes and gave Donegal the opportunities. That's where I focus my attention rather than just on obvious match-ups. The reasons behind the construction of the attack were much more important."

The experience of competing in the final, a game he believes Mayo should have won, will stand to his team though, and the biggest problem he has had since the game is resting players ahead of the season.

"We had to cool guys down in the weeks after the All-Ireland final because they wanted to get back to it again. They couldn't wait to start again, but we had to say 'hold on there'. It needed to be done in a controlled, scientific way, and that's what we have done.

"People are very keen and there's a great team spirit, a great sense of unity among the players. We've already some strong additions to the group and we're not finished yet, so fellas just can't wait to get back on the field again.

"We eradicated the seven-point deficit fairly quickly and 10 minutes into the second half we had opportunities we didn't take. It was the mistakes we made that ultimately cost us.

"The exciting thing is that we didn't play like we can, yet should have won the All-Ireland and that gives us huge scope in which to develop. That's what we're looking forward to and that's what we're working so hard on already to bring out in 2013.

"We had lost the All-Ireland final, but within 10 minutes I knew people would use the experience in the right way. From talking to the players, I knew that an even greater level of determination was building as we spoke.

"We were all disappointed and emotional and it was hard, but we sat down and analysed the game and said 'This is why we lost and this is what we must do to improve in those areas'. It was very practical and logical and everyone realised that a few little things cost us. So we went through that process before we left the dressing room and even later that night in the hotel there was a sense of 'onwards and upwards'.

"We're back in action next weekend and we can't wait to get started. We did okay in 2012, but compared to what this team is capable of, we didn't perform to 60% of our true potential.

"We got to two national finals last year, but didn't come anywhere what we are capable of. So the challenge for us now is to play to our potential. The team has huge skill levels and we're looking all the time to improve and drive on. We're working hard and we know that when we get things right, great things are possible."

Mayo boss reveals huge sacrifices of coaching role

Life as an inter-county manager requires huge sacrifices according to Mayo's James Horan.

Having led his county to the All-Ireland final against Donegal last year in just his second season with the team, he admitted the limited time he can devote to his wife and four children shows why so few managers stay in the job for long.

"I'm enjoying it, but it's very, very tough and extremely time-consuming," he said.

"Today, I've competed a day's work, got home and had dinner with the family before having six meetings between half seven and this interview at 11pm. Maybe that's why the life of a top-five inter-county manager is a short one because it's so high octane; but don't get me wrong, it's extremely enjoyable.

"You just have to try and make up for it in different ways.

"I try to minimise the time I'm away from home and try spend as much time as I can with Siobhán and the girls. Undoubtedly, some things do suffer because of the time required to do this job."