Donegal v Kerry - 2025 All-Ireland Football Final

[lurganblue]

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.

Mad wasnt it.  Now I'm not advocating for the Dublin style of potshots from everywhere and then saying they were unlucky cos they all went wide.  But certainly Donegal needed to get a few of their shooters into positions to hit a couple of 2s.  There seems to be a fear to step outside the original forward gameplan.

I didnt expect Donegal to be wiped out in midfield but they were.  I liked the change from Donegal on the kickout for Patton to speed up and get it away as soon as possible to an isolated contest down the field. It didnt always work of course but it wasnt total dominance from Kerry in those scenarios either.

Serious performances from Gavin White and Paudi.

[Captain Scarlet]

I don't remeber the FRC saying you can't lay a glove on P Clifford or that you have to drop your own kickouts onto Joe O'Connor...

I know what they were trying to do in marking the D, but it wasn't working and even with bodies Kerry still slipped plenty of passes through gaps.

There was so many obvious errors. D Clifford was ALWAYS going to end up on the ball that at the end of the first half. And then there was at least 4 terrible wides when Donegal were actually doing OK in the second half. Even O'Baoill in the first half had some space outside the arc and soloes to the edge and then the back and forth play began again. He can kick 2 pointers, but didn't even think of letting rip.

Kerry were fully on it and they have serious players who flew out of the traps.

[DaleCooper]

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.

Donegal went through the motions all over the place, handling dodgy


Rewatched first half

The game was over by time Gallen scored, already the donegal crowd were hoping for a goal.

Clever of Kerry to hit guy marking Murphy several so hed have to run out to sideline and back.
Cuteness in spades, Dylan geaney hugging sideline to stretch donegal system wide.

Its fairly basic but then so is gaelic football. Its as if Jimmy studied the Armagh Tyrone games then said "well its not gonna happen us because we have a system".

McHugh and Thompson were demoralising losses to cap the other disasters. Murphy hitting the post, death by a thousand cuts. Many self inflicted.

Kerry showed what they could do against Armagh.

Got mocked for saying thats one of the greatest teams ever in football & probably should have 2-3 more all irelands.

[Keyser soze]

The Donegal players went into their shell yesterday, hence many of their big game players were not at the races.

They were making passes, runs, catches, going for breaking ball, taking shots but doing all of these things without their customary conviction, whilst the Kerry lads had absolute conviction in spades in everything they did.

I think Jim has to take a lot for the blame for that, he needed to send his players out to embrace the occasion and show what they could do, instead he misleadingly named the wrong starting team, came out late, left the parade early etc which IMO are gimmicks that a penny ante junior manager would get up to.

He looked flustered along the line as well when things were not going to plan which couldn't have helped his players.

Having said that he has done some job over the past 2 years, he maybe overthought things this time. 

[Quarterbackk]

Id love to see the stats on teams that kick the ball versus teams that tend not to kick. And how that equates to all Irelands.  Kerry's ability to kick the ball under pressure is unreal.

[gallsman]

A masterclass by Kerry made easier by Jimmy getting a lot wrong on the line. Who in their right mind leaves Paudie Clifford unmarked. Their match ups on Kerry were off too. Joe O'Conner dominated the kickouts and Donegal finally put Langan on him late in the game but the damage was done. As for Donegals defence, it was a shambles, split open at will. They took away Pattons kickouts and made him look ordinary. Well done Kerry, a very impressive performance.

On the contrary, I thought Patton was excellent on kickouts yesterday. Previously when Donegal have been getting destroyed on the kickout, he's had a meltdown. He didn't yesterday. It's not on him when he's forced to go long and Kerry mop up the breaks. When he was forced into the more daisy cutter ones, which are fraught with risk, he executed them nigh on perfectly.

[tyrone08]

Silly stuff such as leaving parade early, delaying start of the match didn't help Donegal and was more of a distraction. Kerry players on the other hand looked relaxed but focused. 

Playing Murphy for nearly every game instead of using him as an impact sub was stupid. Could you imagine the physiological boost to the Donegal fans and team if they sprung Murphy from the bench even if they were a few points down.

Having a captain long long past his best and who spent most of his time on the sub bench throughout the year was another stupid move.

[Pub Bore]

Donegal just weren't at the races yesterday, steamrollered by Kerry between the 5th and 20th minute.  The 2 pointer by Clifford before half time finished a demoralised Donegal off.  They were really never in that game, Kerry were just too good, quicker, stronger and more skilful.  McGuinness's tactical rigidity didn't help.  I can't understand teams who are 7 points down and continue to let the opposition hand pass it about the 45 for a couple of minutes.  You'd think they'd be better having a go at getting the ball?

[APM]

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.

Donegal possibly haven't been great since the Ulster Final. We don't know for sure because they had two handy games in the SF and QF. They definitely weren't at it in the group stages.

I thought they played better football last year with no Murphy. Everything had to go through him this year for some reason and Gallen was quieter, possibly as a result. Why play him for the entire game, every game, when you have such a long season.

Unbelievable how McGuinness got Donegal back to the top table from where they had got to in 2023. He is like cult leader in the way in which he seems to inspire players to devote to the cause.  But that can be a double-edged sword and Kerry made both team and management look very ordinary yesterday. If he walks then Donegal could have bother. If he stays and the team falls back next year, then the magic will be gone, if it isn't already. Their failure to deal with Paudie Clifford is purely on the management.

Kerry timed their run to perfection and they took out the three top Ulster teams on their way, including two recent all-Ireland champions. This must be O'Connor's sweetest win, given where they had come from, who they beat and the criticism they took at home.

From having no midfield a month ago, this all-Ireland was based on controlling the space between the two 50s in the last three games.

Clifford is a joy to watch. I think in the first ten minutes he touched the ball four times and scored two 2-pointers and won a 2-point free. His total time on the ball couldn't have been more than 5 seconds during this period - it was an immediate shot each time. Literally unmarkable.

He spent so much of the game drifting into the corner followed by McCole and leaving the space behind him. The impact he has when he hasn't the ball is huge as he is such a distraction.

[Cunny Funt]

Well done to Kerry on yet another well deserved All Ireland win, all of key players had  an influence and the argument they ended up with their best and most balanced team due to injuries stacked up stronger after yesterday.

No need to sugar coat that contest though it was not a great advert for the new rules. Was no way you could see Kerry losing once 9 points ahead midway though the 1st half.  The two pointers Kerry 5 to Donegals none proved a big difference and the goal added gloss to the final scoreline.

Donegal will have regrets about their stand off approach, they most certainly didn't win the All-Ireland in 2012 defending in that manner and going back further with Tyrone in 2003 didn't give Kerry a single second to settle. The time and room on the ball the likes of the  Cliffords,OShea got was dream stuff for a final and the last score of the 1st half summed up the contest,  with a long possession football as Donegal stood off admiring it and David Clifford knocked over a two pointer at his ease unchallenged.

Be interesting to see what tweaks the FRC come up with as the knock out stages the excitement level they were hoping for didn't really happen this summer.

[Armagh18]

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.

Donegal possibly haven't been great since the Ulster Final. We don't know for sure because they had two handy games in the SF and QF. They definitely weren't at it in the group stages.

I thought they played better football last year with no Murphy. Everything had to go through him this year for some reason and Gallen was quieter, possibly as a result. Why play him for the entire game, every game, when you have such a long season.

Unbelievable how McGuinness got Donegal back to the top table from where they had got to in 2023. He is like cult leader in the way in which he seems to inspire players to devote to the cause.  But that can be a double-edged sword and Kerry made both team and management look very ordinary yesterday. If he walks then Donegal could have bother. If he stays and the team falls back next year, then the magic will be gone, if it isn't already. Their failure to deal with Paudie Clifford is purely on the management.

Kerry timed their run to perfection and they took out the three top Ulster teams on their way, including two recent all-Ireland champions. This must be O'Connor's sweetest win, given where they had come from, who they beat and the criticism they took at home.

From having no midfield a month ago, this all-Ireland was based on controlling the space between the two 50s in the last three games.

Clifford is a joy to watch. I think in the first ten minutes he touched the ball four times and scored two 2-pointers and won a 2-point free. His total time on the ball couldn't have been more than 5 seconds during this period - it was an immediate shot each time. Literally unmarkable.

He spent so much of the game drifting into the corner followed by McCole and leaving the space behind him. The impact he has when he hasn't the ball is huge as he is such a distraction.

Sure what did he do the 4th time? Dud.

Thats madness when you think about it, 0-6 coming off him having the ball 3 times.

[marty34]

I liked the Kerry referencing of Cork's non-performnce in the second half of the hurling final. It was talked about at half-time.

Whyte got on the break straight after half-time and drove forward with purpose - like he did in the first few minutes. He hit Mc Hugh a good lift on the way through. So much so, that Mc Hugh had to go off a few minutes later. Kerry weren't going to have a 'Cork' second half.

They always carried the ball with intent, with purpose, while Donegal, on the other hand, were waiting for things to happen.

[Norm-Peterson]

The McKaigue segment on BBC was cringe but not as bad as Niblock's poetry at the start. Niblock trying to be Seamus Heaney.
People like McKaigue and Neil McManus don't have the voice for TV due to their co.Antrim accents.

Also I never know who those celebrity guests are in the box. Maybe I am out of touch with society.

[DaleCooper]

Can see Jack staying now, as Ive learned the "Drive for 40" is now a possibility.

If I was him I would probably stay but hes given an awful lot & he revealed the wife had taken a "momento" picture of him outside the changing room.

Kerry the King's and a victory for football

[EoinW]

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.

The FRC's intent is to improve the game.  The irony, at the inter-county level, is that the rule changes have made the championship's biggest problem worse.  Kerry highlighted this flaw over the past three games.

For years the complaint has been lack of competitiveness.  The GAA response was to kick 16 counties out of the championship every year, have the big counties play extra games against each other, and pretend the problem doesn't exist.

The rules changes expand this problem into the big counties because teams can no longer defence superior talent.  Kerry waltzed over Armagh, Tyrone & Donegal.  That's the best the rest of Ireland has to offer.  It's the best that will be offered for the rest of this decade.

I turned the tv off after 15 minutes yesterday.  It was 10-2 and it sure looked like there was no defence even on the field for Kerry's 10 points.  They came so easily that it seemed like a joke.

We've all been fooled by the novelty of the new rules and convinced something better is now in place.  However I saw the Canadian Football League go all offence in the 1990s and it ruined Canadian football because scoring became too easy.  Casual fans love it as it requires minimal effort to be entertained.  But what about the real lifetime fans?

On top of the novelty, as pointed out, you've got RTE and all authority manufacturing consent.  Brainwashing all fans that the new rules are a done deal, so accept them.

If I was an optimist, I'd be relieved that Kerry's run came just in time for the FRC to roll back the rule changes that have destroyed the offence-defence balance.  Unfortunately the more I see the GAA at work, the more cynical I become.

2024 scores resemble Gaelic football scores going back to the "glory years"(whenever those glory years were).  2025 scoring is double.  So which is really closer to the traditional game and which is something completely different?

The GAA's Frankenstein monster is now on the loose!