Mayo V Kerry All Ireland Final 2004

Croker

Well there's not long to go now !
Its building up to be a great day and as a Mayo man im hoping we can get one over on the Kingdom this time.
53 years is a long old time to be waiting but this current crop of lads seem so focussed on what they have to do.
OK we have rode our luck at times this year but I think its fair to say that Mayo have played the best football of any team in the championship this year.
Yet Kerry have gone about their business very smartly and you still feel there is a big game left in them. If Dara O'Shea and Seamus Moynahan are both out it would be a huge blow to them but knowing the way Kerry operate im 90% sure management are exagerating and I would be very surprised if Dara O'Shea did not start.

I think there will only be a kick of a ball in at the end and maybe this time Mayo can go that one step further.

Yavvy

everyone has been preditcting mayo to win this one based on form alone and the scary thing is that most of the pundits have got it very wrong...

Never the less I am expecting Mayo to win, they have had the tougher games, they are playing the better football and its about bloody time..

Kerry have been below their best this year and its about time they were found out !

Waylander

I gotta disagree with both you boys. Mayo are a good side and are capable of beating Kerry, but I think Kerry are a fair bit stronger than them and will win by 3 or 4 points. Kerry may not be playing the solky football they have played in years gone by but they are in the final, and under a new management team will want to win it pretty badly.

cournioni

Without Darragh O Se, Kerry will struggle. Mayo by two points for me.

threebeards

John Maughans comments about there being quiet expectation in Mayo aren't quite accurate - the county is gone mad again!!! I just hope it doesn't go to the players heads. I do feel though that this is as good as chance as Mayo will have had in years and I would be confident that they can at least match Kerry. Fitness won't be a problem, any team under Maughan was always ultra fit so I think it'll be down to the least number of wides on the day. Croker, can you imagine the Mall in Castlebar on Monday night if we win? Nobody will work for a week!!!

Croker

God, Mayo people would be instantly spotted wherever they go for the next couple of years by the big permanent smiles they would have on their faces !
But lets not get carried away just yet. The support and colour around the county is amazing matching that of 96/97 but there's something different this time - cant really put my finger on it - its as if we are all trying to contain ourself's ..
After our pitch invasion at the semi replay I was in Quinns and "We are the Champions" was blaring out through the speakers accompanied by hundreds of supporters..(I was looking for a corner to hide in).
Then I was at the Kerry v Derry match the next day and all the Kerry supporters "quitley" made their way out of the ground - it was the weirdest thing I ever saw.

Flukey

Kerry always hold back emotion until the All-Ireland. They traditionally don't even travel to the Semi-Final, because they always expected to win it, and the distance of course.

I think Mayo can do it this year. They have a lot of experienced players and management on the team, going back to 1996/97 and they have learnt a lot from that. Kerry are never easy to beat of course and they will be ready for them. I hope Mayo do win!

yop

I think that Kerry have too much firepower for us still, we need 10 players to play out of their skin on the day, cannot be expecting one of the morts, or J Gill, or Dillon or Brady to just play a stormer, we need them all to pull it out.
IF Kerry close down Mc then we are n bother but I think that for once Mayo have a plan B, that could be O'Malley
If Moynihan is back he will still be miles of fitness wise but he still a grea influence

Mayo will go nuts if we win. My wedding is a week later so it will b a tough one, even worse if ther is a replay!

redspider

This final is difficult to call. It is likely to be very close, although one of the teams may fade on the day due to expectations, etc. For the sport, I would prefer to see Mayo win it. Kerry have had too much success, and as is well documented, dont get too excited at the semi-final stage. Although Kerry followers will be at the final in numbers, their celebrations will be 10% of what the celebrations in Mayo will be.

Having said all that I think its been a poor year for football, lots of inconsistency and teams playing hot and cold. A lot of mediocre teams went a long way, Derry, Fermanagh and even Kerry and Mayo themselves. It was a very close championship this year as a result and unpredictable at times.

> I think its fair to say that Mayo have played the best football of any team in the championship this year.

I think that 90% of neutral fans wouldn't agree with that statement. I still contend that the team that was the best when they were firing on all cylinders was Armagh. They to me were the best team.

I hope its a good game. I think both teams have the capability of scoring goals but the Kerry attack if it gets fired up is stronger. I shade it to Kerry based on the performances of these teams this year, 60-40 so I'll go for a 2 point win for Kerry.

cruiserweight

redspider wrote:

> I think its fair to say that Mayo have played the best football of any team in the championship this year.

I think that 90% of neutral fans wouldn't agree with that statement. I still contend that the team that was the best when they were firing on all cylinders was Armagh. They to me were the best team.

I would disagree that Armagh were the "best" team, I will admit they gave the most impressive performance of the year in the Ulster final versus Donegal. But the this year has been littered with good performances followed by bad, for example Armagh versus Donegal then against Fermanagh, Donegal versus Tyrone and then versus Armagh etc. No one team has been head and shoulders above the rest. So the best team as with every year is the one that wins the championship. However I would agree that this years standard has been appalling.

As for the two teams in the final itself. Mayo have played some of the most attractive football seen this year, and it is a welcome break from the everybody behind the ball and kill the man in possession tactics. I think that this team appears to be more level headed and will not panic like previous teams, that is probably from lessons learnt from such experiences by Maughan and McHale. However on the big day will old failings come back? Also if mcDonald has a bad day I would have concerns about the supply into the Mortimers?

As for Kerry they have been considerably below par from what we expect from Kerry, particularly in the games versus Limerick. But they have made it this far. Many people have concerns over the injuries to Monihan and O'Shea, but Kerry have gotten this far with those two having played very little football for them.

I expect Kerry to win by a few points, simply because they have a stronger bench. If things are not going well they have players who are more experienced and seasoned to call on than Mayo. However my one concern for Kerry would be the midfield with Mayo's taller players and fleiding ability, so expect a lot of broken ball.

Croker

Our secret weapon in Mayo comes in the form of one Austin O'Malley. I have seen Austin play club footbal down through the years and played against him a couple of times and he really is a class act. He won a Sigerson this year and was Mayo's top scorer and most creative player in the leauge. All year there has been people crying out for Austin to be in the first fifteen (probably in place of Brian Malloney). He kicked the insurance point against Fermanagh and looked composed in Croke parke. He hasnt started a match this championship and is still our second highest scorer. It will be a tight call weather he starts or not but maybe would be a better option to be introduced in the last quarter.

threebeards

So lads, 3 days to go. Have your predictions/opinions changed in the last week. What do the impartial contributors think? I, no more than Yop, Croker and others will no doubt have a biased opinion so what's the opinion of the neutrals???

denachoman

Kerry by a couple of points for me. They have never had a quieter build up to an All-Ireland and I don't think O'Se is a huge loss.

Mayo have better forwards than they had in 96 and 97 but they have yet to prove themselves on the big day. I would have concerns about McDonald getting enough ball to supply the Mortimers too.

yop

Don't worry O'Malley will get a run alright, same as have played with him through the years and to be totally honest I never saw the potential BUT over the last 4 years no one has trained as hard and I am delighted he is NEARLY getting what he deserves. He deserves a run out in the final, there was no sign of plenty of the Mayo team when we we sloggin it out against Dublin or Tyrone in the pis*n rain and cold while Austin outscored some teams total scores on his own.

What ever happens IF we win this one the county will GO MENTAL. IF we lose it will very hard to take and could seriously dent us for a long time.

God only knows, I expect a kick of the ball to separate us, which way it will swing again I am reluctant to call. Play like we did against Tyrone we will take them, like we did against Fermanagh, I am afraid they could destroy us

BonmahonHammers

As a Mayo fan (living in Waterford) im just gutted and so sorry for the lads, they must tink the gods are against them, but cant take anything way from Kerry, they were awsome, i hope John M will stay on, in fairness no fan could really blame him for walking away after what happened today, but i was very surprised that Austin O Malley wasnt starting instead of Malloney, here's hoping they can bounce back

thejollyrodger

what a white wash. great kerry side but poor game to watch

Flukey

A disappointing game. Kerry won easily and the game was really over by half time when they led by 8 points, which was also the final margin.

At least the Tyrone Minors beat Kerry to collect the Tom Markham Cup:


Some of my other photos of the day:

My ticket.


The crowd outside the Gresham and the Royal Dublin Hotels on O'Connell Street.


A colourful Mayo fan.


Jones Road and the back of the Hogan Stand.


The Mayo and Kerry teams stand for Amhrán na bhFiann.


The Cusack Stand as the National Anthem ends and the game is nearing its start.


Hill 16 as a ball heads towards the posts for a Mayo point.


More action.


What it is all about, The Sam Maguire Cup.


The half-time entertainment.


Sean Kelly, GAA President, Paul McGinley, and Liam Mulvihill of the GAA, and the Ryder Cup.

threebeards

Very disappointed but hats off to Kerry, that was the best display from any team all year. I think that even if Mayo had performed as they did against Tyrone, it still wouldn't have been enough yesterday. There are several positives to be taken from Mayo's championship campaign though. The target for the year was to win the U21 All Ireland title - final is on next Saturday in Cavan against Armagh so hopefully they can do as was planned. The target for the senior team was the provincial title. I don't think too many at the start of the year would have backed Mayo to get an All Ireland final. I hope that Kieran McDonald stays on for another year because he's been the class act all year and a certain all star methinks. I'd love to see James Nallen stay on for one more shot at it. He's good enough and has been so loyal to the green and red that I'd love to see him with an all Ireland medal to show for it. All in all, this is a pretty young team and with the experience gained this year, I'm hopeful for a bright future. I wouldn't like to see John Maughan call it a day - I think he still has a lot to offer but if he does decide to step aside, there's one John O'Mahony waiting in the wings. Anyway.......Maigh Eo Abu!!

yop

Sick, tired, hung over, don't want to be at work, sick again, heart broken, sin é!


Were not at the races.

Croker

Congrats to Kerry on a great performance - deserved Champions.

For Mayo.... well they didnt perform at all on the day players like T Mortimor and his bro Conor played the worst id ever seen, but credit to has to go to the Kerry defence.
What ifs?
David Brady had started ?
Conor Moran held his place instead of D Geraghty who had a nightmare game?
Austin O'Malley came in for T. Mortimor?

Probably wouldnt have changed the final result but some strange decisions made by John Maughan & Co.

So the wait extends to 54 years and as Kevin McStay said its not can Mayo come back "MAYO HAVE TO COME BACK".

DéiseGirl

I feel your pain Croker 45 years and counting now for the Déise boys....I

Just registered here btw after "enterprise" was ranting and raving about it...