Cork in the final

blackbelt

Well they finally got that semi-final monkey off their back.What are peoples thoughts on the match?I thought Cork were not near their best even if they upped their game and dished out a hammering to Meath.Meath were shocking and the loss off Moyles may have contributed but Meath were terrible.

More to the point though,there will be no taking down of Dublin flags by any Meath fans today I can tell you that.:D

johnnog

Just back from Croker. Meath were woeful all over the pitch. Didn't really deserve any better than the result. They just didn't seem to click at all on the day. The forwards missed too many scoreable points in the first 20 minutes. Meath players were making too many simple errors like dropping and losing simple balls. It also seemed that Cork always had plenty of time on the ball, particularly in the second half when they started really pulling away. Cork also seemed to be winning nearly all the kickouts.

MayMay

If Cork win an All Ireland against Kerry I don't think they'll ever stop celebrating Then again would be great rivalry between Cork and Dublin too so either way looking forward to the final.

An Citeog

I think that the Meath players are guilty of believing their own hype. They thought that all they had to do was turn up today and that Cork were nothing without Masters. They couldn't have been more wrong and were beaten by the better team on the day.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Flukey

As the match progressed, the weather got better. Apparently, other than some heavy rain heading this way tonight, and over Meath, the weather is going to be great all week!

As to Croke Park today, well it was a bit odd really. Apparently Meath were meant to be playing Cork. Apart from a minute or two, I didn't see Meath play. They thought they only had to turn up today, but they didn't even appear to do that much. :rolleyes:

A bit like on the pitch today, there doesn't seem to be much evidence of Meathmen around here tonight. I am sure they are feeling a bit down. Ah well, at least they won't have to go through another beating by Dublin this year, so it is not all bad. :rolleyes:

Kinetic^

Congrats to Cork.:cool:

Hopefully we'll join you there.

Atomic Pineapple

the all ireland final is on next weekend to be honest i think, cork were made to look far more impressive today by simply playing against a team that stood there and watched cork play rather than playing themselves. i dont think cork are anything special and would be easily beaten by dublin or kerry.

and as for the obvious targetting of graham gerathy with violence......absolute filth and i hope the situation is reviewed and the cork players involved are banned from the final

Flukey

The O'Leary incident was disgraceful. As we've often been told has happened time and time to Geraghty himself, O'Leary was head-butted in the fist.:rolleyes:

D. Coughlan

draffodx wrote:

the all ireland final is on next weekend to be honest i think, cork were made to look far more impressive today by simply playing against a team that stood there and watched cork play rather than playing themselves. i dont think cork are anything special and would be easily beaten by dublin or kerry.

and as for the obvious targetting of graham gerathy with violence......absolute filth and i hope the situation is reviewed and the cork players involved are banned from the final

Did you learn anything from today's match, never right Cork off. It's the first time in a long while that I can remember the pundits being so wrong, with most of them predicting a Meath win and then Cork go off and win by 10 points.

About the Geraghty INCIDENT, there was only one player involved, Noel O'Leary. It was wrong and he should not have done it but if he was to miss the final because of it, it would be to say the least very unfair. Think about the amounts of incident's Geraghty was involved in this year alone, with no suspension and all the other players who got off scott free. The GAA discipline system is a joke with no consistency what so ever. Noel O'Leary is a hard working honest player and does not deserve to miss the final because of this single incident.

Cork in my view were outstanding today, first to every ball, super fast throughout the field, sensible mature play, clinical and playing the type of game that suits the players on the field. Meath were nothing but awful in the second half.

I was at the match today and could not help noticing that at most there was 7 or 8 thousand Cork fans, but yet, here we go again when it comes to the final, tickets will be very hard to find. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out a loyalty system were those cork fans are asked to send in there tickets and then there names be put in a draw for 1500 tickets. I will send a letter to the County Board explaining this tomorrow but i will most likely not even get a reply.

UP THE REBELS!

lukin

draffodx wrote:

the all ireland final is on next weekend to be honest i think, cork were made to look far more impressive today by simply playing against a team that stood there and watched cork play rather than playing themselves. i dont think cork are anything special and would be easily beaten by dublin or kerry.

and as for the obvious targetting of graham gerathy with violence......absolute filth and i hope the situation is reviewed and the cork players involved are banned from the final

Ah, diddums Graham, live by the sword, die by the sword.

Het-Field

I finally feel vindicated. I was laughed off the face of the planet when I claimed that Meath were not as good as people were saying. Today they were exposed as a poor side. In fact a side with no real future. TThey beat Down, Fermanagh, a declined Galway and a rapidly declining Tyrone team. The first real opposition, since Dublin soundly defeated them in June, soundly defeated them today.

I enjoyed the way Brolly and O Rourke wrote of the Dubs immediatly. At least they never disapoint. It would be no fun if they loaded the favourites tag on Dublin

Atomic Pineapple

even though i'm a meath man i fully expected to lose today, i completely agree that cork were overlooked and there performances were much better than they were given credit for, i had hoped meath's momentum would have brought a big performance out of them but it didnt, they simply were not there today and cork were playing against a side that would have lost to a under 16's team

Flukey

D. Coughlan wrote:

I was at the match today and could not help noticing that at most there was 7 or 8 thousand Cork fans, but yet, here we go again when it comes to the final, tickets will be very hard to find. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out a loyalty system were those cork fans are asked to send in there tickets and then there names be put in a draw for 1500 tickets. I will send a letter to the County Board explaining this tomorrow but i will most likely not even get a reply.

UP THE REBELS!

The ticket distribution system is set in stone. We get this debate every single year. I wouldn't bother wasting the time to write to the county board. There is no perfect system. The only system acceptable to any given individual is where that individual gets a ticket. More than 83,500 want to be there and could put up a legitimate case as to why they should be. So that means that there is no perfect system.

smashey

Well done Cork.

I missed the game today and got home after it had finished. I went to Aertel and they had the score as Cork 1:19, Meath 0;0. :eek:

How are RTE going to manage digital television when they can't manage teletext? (End of off topic rant).

Flukey

It wasn't much better for them in reality.

K-9

In fairness, I know what its like when your county takes a bad beating. Meath have a lot of positives from the season.

The teams they beat probably said a lot. Tyrone with 80/90% of the kick outs in the 2nd half of their match was a telling statistic. Cork had the forwards today to punish them, Tyrone didn't.

I'd say Cork are dying for Kerry to win. No problem for any motivation there. Played some great stuff today, though it was reminiscent of Ulster football at times! Plenty at the back and a lot of short passing. Very effective and they where playing there natural game.

Looking at the stats in the Tribune, they have conceded the least of any team in championship matches in the last 2 years. Which as Billy Morgan knows fine well, is where you start winning matches, no matter what style it is.

Agamemnon

I thought this would be a close game and never would have imagined a 10 point winning margin, with 1-12 from play. Cork had acres of space to play with, particularly in the second half. Kavanagh and Murphy were in total control as well.

Agree with Seanie32 that Cork will probably be more motivated against Kerry in the final. They also have shown that they can beat Kerry whereas the Dubs would less familiar opponents and more likely to surprise them.

Nalced_irl

Well, im going to comment from a meath point of view and not a Dublin one, i dont believe in rubbing salt in wounds so im not going to. Very disappointing id say for meath fans. They really didnt turn out today. I think like Dublin have fallen victim to many times, they were overhyped and seen as the backdoor winners before the game even started. Thats gonna affect your mental preperation whether you like it or not and always in a bad way. Geraghty? Im not gonna say much on it; all ill say is i have no sympathy. You give it, you gotta take it. For people begging for O Learys blood, look closer to home, dont think Geraghty is a targeted saint. He gave it in the last few games and recieved it today. So its Dublin/Kerry v Cork, either way that`ll be a huge game. Cannot wait for it. Hopefully Dubs will be there but its gonna be a tough one and we need to be at our best to meet cork in the final. If we get there, id fancy us but cork are a bloody tough team, physically and tactically so nothing should be taken for granted in the next 2 (hopefully) games. Congratz to Cork and tough luck Meath, thought you would put up more of a game but hype can destroy you (as i know all too well). Good to see more Leinster teams going a good distance, even if they are our main rivals, want to see Leinster as a force to rekon with again.

Meathlass

D. Coughlan wrote:

Did you learn anything from today's match, never right Cork off. It's the first time in a long while that I can remember the pundits being so wrong, with most of them predicting a Meath win and then Cork go off and win by 10 points.

About the Geraghty INCIDENT, there was only one player involved, Noel O'Leary. It was wrong and he should not have done it but if he was to miss the final because of it, it would be to say the least very unfair. Think about the amounts of incident's Geraghty was involved in this year alone, with no suspension and all the other players who got off scott free. The GAA discipline system is a joke with no consistency what so ever. Noel O'Leary is a hard working honest player and does not deserve to miss the final because of this single incident.

Cork in my view were outstanding today, first to every ball, super fast throughout the field, sensible mature play, clinical and playing the type of game that suits the players on the field. Meath were nothing but awful in the second half.

I was at the match today and could not help noticing that at most there was 7 or 8 thousand Cork fans, but yet, here we go again when it comes to the final, tickets will be very hard to find. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out a loyalty system were those cork fans are asked to send in there tickets and then there names be put in a draw for 1500 tickets. I will send a letter to the County Board explaining this tomorrow but i will most likely not even get a reply.

UP THE REBELS!

I was very disappointed with the low attendence at the game. 40,000 at an ALL-Ireland semi final is a joke. There was no atmosphere with all the empty seats and all the Meath fans leaving early (Could ye not have stayed the extra 5 mins to cheer the team for giving us a great year?). I know everyone complains about the ticketing system every year but there's good reason for that. Real Cork fans who travelled all year won't be able to tickets for the final. Just at the final whistle a friend of mine and her Cork boyfriend texted me to see if I could get them tickets to final. They've never been to a football game and have only a passing interest when it's a big day out. Even if I had some tickets I would make sure they go to real fans, not people who jump on the band wagon for the big day out.

In terms of the game itself, the team didn't think they just had to turn up and win, they were genuinely nervous about the day and without Moyles to steady them and the bad start things just went downhill rapidly. Still Cork were by far the superior team and I know who'll I'll be cheering for in the final.

nesf

Meathlass wrote:

Even if I had some tickets I would make sure they go to real fans, not people who jump on the band wagon for the big day out.

Spare a thought for those of us who can't realistically make games due to family commitments etc and who would occasionally like to go to big games just for the spectacle after following our teams as close as we could all year on TV etc. I know what you are saying and some people do take the piss with it but just because you don't turn up regularly to matches doesn't mean you aren't a "real fan".

nesf

draffodx wrote:

the all ireland final is on next weekend to be honest i think, cork were made to look far more impressive today by simply playing against a team that stood there and watched cork play rather than playing themselves. i dont think cork are anything special and would be easily beaten by dublin or kerry.

I wouldn't go that far but the favourite for the final will be selected next weekend. Personally I'm just happy to see the Cork team progress to the final this year. They're a young team and this is good tempering for them, so to speak.

draffodx wrote:

and as for the obvious targetting of graham gerathy with violence......absolute filth and i hope the situation is reviewed and the cork players involved are banned from the final

I agree. I sincerely doubt that gerathy was an "innocent by-standard" in the incident but the punch should merit some disciplinary action outside of the game.

A-Train

Was at the match yesterday terrible stuff, Meath didnt show up missed Moyles
around the middle for the breaking balls and plenty of silly mistakes like not taking very easy scoring chances. But Meath are a young team on the up so there is always next year!!!

Good luck to Cork.

The Rooster

D. Coughlan wrote:

About the Geraghty INCIDENT, there was only one player involved, Noel O'Leary. It was wrong and he should not have done it but if he was to miss the final because of it, it would be to say the least very unfair. Think about the amounts of incident's Geraghty was involved in this year alone, with no suspension and all the other players who got off scott free. The GAA discipline system is a joke with no consistency what so ever. Noel O'Leary is a hard working honest player and does not deserve to miss the final because of this single incident.

So if you are a "hard working honest player" and you lamp a player who has been involved in incidents in previous games, its perfectly fine and you shouldnt get suspended.

That'd be a great system alright DC. :rolleyes:

Wll done to Cork. I couldnt see them beating Kerry, but they'd have very chance against the Dubs

Erin Go Brath

Well, the pundits and bookies got it wrong again. Fair play to Cork, you have to hand it to them, they absolutely destroyed Meath. So much for missing Masters, it didn't seem to affect them at all. Its a young enough Meath team, so they'll learn their lesson in the same way Cork have learned their lessons loosing semis in the last few years.

Cork haven't produced it this year until yesterday, getting a lot of criticism for the games against Louth, and Sligo. Apart from the Munster Final when they gave Kerry a great game, they haven't showed us what they're capable of until yesterday.

I'd expect Cork to have every chance in the Final. They won't fear either Dublin or Kerry, though I'd suspect they'd be underdogs against either. Should be interesting!

blackbelt

Meath were a bit over-hyped but in retrospect it was merited.It wasn't too long ago that we were in the same situation as Meath are now and got beat by 7 points against Tyrone in a game we we did turn up for and play close.

I certainly wouldn't write Meath off for coming back again next year but I'm glad they got beat yesterday.Aertel said the game was on at 4pm during the week.When I switched on,I thought that half the Meath supporters were still in the pub.RTE is not reliable but I concur with Flukey that Meath didn't start playing until 4pm.:)

blackbelt

Flukey wrote:

As the match progressed, the weather got better. Apparently, other than some heavy rain heading this way tonight, and over Meath, the weather is going to be great all week!
As to Croke Park today, well it was a bit odd really. Apparently Meath were meant to be playing Cork. Apart from a minute or two, I didn't see Meath play. They thought they only had to turn up today, but they didn't even appear to do that much. :rolleyes:

A bit like on the pitch today, there doesn't seem to be much evidence of Meathmen around here tonight. I am sure they are feeling a bit down. Ah well, at least they won't have to go through another beating by Dublin this year, so it is not all bad. :rolleyes:

That was the icing on the cake.The Meath supporters better not climb any lamp posts today though,looks very shlippy out there.:D

bill_ashmount

Well done Cork. Legends

The Rooster

A-Train wrote:

But Meath are a young team on the up so there is always next year!!!

A team on the up alright but no younger than most other teams out there.

If I was to pick Meath's 5 most important players this year, I'd go with Murphy, Fay, Moyles, Geraghty, Bray. Of those, only Bray is the right side of 30.

D. Coughlan

The Rooster wrote:

So if you are a "hard working honest player" and you lamp a player who has been involved in incidents in previous games, its perfectly fine and you shouldnt get suspended.

That'd be a great system alright DC. :rolleyes:

Wll done to Cork. I couldnt see them beating Kerry, but they'd have very chance against the Dubs

I admit that he should get suspended but my point was that plenty of players have got off for the same or worse incidents this year alone. The system is a joke, inconsistent and unfair. Unless it is applied to all players fairly it should not be applied to anyone.

It must be changed for next year and the GAA need to start the whole thing again.

One Cold Hand

D. Coughlan wrote:

Noel O'Leary is a hard working honest player and does not deserve to miss the final because of this single incident.

Yes he does. That behaviour is unacceptable and shouldn't be tolerated. He punched Geraghty squarely in the face. I know Geraghty is no angel, but that doesn't make it okay. O'Leary should have been red-carded and he should miss the final.

D. Coughlan

One Cold Hand wrote:

Yes he does. That behaviour is unacceptable and shouldn't be tolerated. He punched Geraghty squarely in the face. I know Geraghty is no angel, but that doesn't make it okay. O'Leary should have been red-carded and he should miss the final.

Yes his behaviour is unacceptable and yes it shouldn't be tolerated by the GAA, but the fact is in this past season the GAA have tolerated this kind of behaviour. So why then should Noel O'Leary be treated any differently to those other players who got off and result in him missing one of his few chances to play in an All- Ireland final.

BrianD3

I thought the incident where Geraghty was bundled into the net was worse. First Geraghty is pushed into the net, then caught around the neck and if I saw correctly an elbow or punch was then thrown as he lay on the ground.

TomMc

Well done Cork. They were resolved right from the start that they were going to take the initiative and make things happen (and indeed they did). Meath on the other hand just left everything to chance, with the assumption all would fall into place, like before. Had a bad attitude, lacked motivation, were lethargic and so payed the price. They never got going because Cork were so fired up and determined they had an extra yard of pace, got first to everything and so starved Meath of possession and the opportunity to try and improve. Moyles was a big loss but would not have made for much of an improvement on the day itself. When heads are not right from the start, things go pear shaped. We have seen it all before - most teams seem to need to be playing a fierce rival to have an edge. Only when teams have suffered some heartbreak in the past, do they seem to make sure that they will not allow themselves to fall into a comfort zone of sorts. Cork's past failings gave them the will and determination not to fall victim again. For Meath it is a lesson for the future which should stand them in good stead. The '86 team were well beaten by Kerry in an AI semi-final, and look what happened the next two years. They may not have the strength in depth as in the past but should focus on the positives of Summer 2007 and build further from here.

Dublin, Kerry or Cork - may the best team win. Cork are in a nice position now that they will be underdogs on AIF day and should not get complacent after events yesterday. It will increase their self-belief even further. They have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

I was dissappointed with the attendance as well. Meath should be pulling in bigger crowds and I would have expected a few more neutrals (GAA die-hards) to show up too.

rebs23

After losing so many times at the semi final stage, we finally came good in Croke Park yesterday.
Would love to meet Kerry and beat them in a final, it would nearly make up for the 100 years of oppression!:) but a Cork Dublin final would also have a lot of spice to it so either way looking forward to it!
As for the Noel O'Leary incident, consistency, consistency and more consistency by the authoroties and then no one can compalin. If NOL is suspended for striking a player that has punched other players in this years championship on several occasions and gotten away with it then the rules are a joke.

Cork crowd was pretty pathetic yesterday but the support for the footballers is always bad almost as bad as the Kerry footballers support or the KK hurlers but a County with a population of 500,000 should have more than 10,000 at a semi final. Football is only taken seriously in West Cork and with all the hurling games this year I suppose it was always going to be bad, I just didn't think it would be that bad.

bill_ashmount

rebs23 wrote:

Cork crowd was pretty pathetic yesterday but the support for the footballers is always bad almost as bad as the Kerry footballers support or the KK hurlers but a County with a population of 500,000 should have more than 10,000 at a semi final. Football is only taken seriously in West Cork and with all the hurling games this year I suppose it was always going to be bad, I just didn't think it would be that bad.

Pathetic Cork support, but the simple fact is a lot of people couldn't afford it. Bring a family to Dublin, 4/5 tickets, accomodation, drink, food etc. A few weekends before with the Cork/Sligo football and Waterford/Cork hurling matches amounted to over 500 euro all in. I feel sorry for the players having such a bad crowd there, but at least they are guaranteed a full house for the final.

blackbelt

It is ironic in a sense and interesting to note but if Dublin defeat Kerry next Sunday,we'll have two division two teams playing in the final this year.:eek:

One Cold Hand

D. Coughlan wrote:

Yes his behaviour is unacceptable and yes it shouldn't be tolerated by the GAA, but the fact is in this past season the GAA have tolerated this kind of behaviour. So why then should Noel O'Leary be treated any differently to those other players who got off and result in him missing one of his few chances to play in an All- Ireland final.

I agree that the GAA have messed up on a number of occasions, but I don't think that they should let if slide, so to speak. Two wrongs don't make a right, sorry for the cliché but it's true, Geraghty should have been suspensed after the first Dublin game and O'Leary should be suspended now. Just because GG got away with it O'Leary should.

TomMc

That behaviour should be punished but ultimately it will not, going by events this year.

TBH it was barely a jab or an upper cut for that matter and GG made the most of it. And I'm a Meathman (in mourning). GG's election poster on Hill 16 was the only laugh I had, all day. He lost that one too.

Aedh Baclamh

Barely a jab?

Good man.

Waylander

One Cold Hand wrote:

I agree that the GAA have messed up on a number of occasions, but I don't think that they should let if slide, so to speak. Two wrongs don't make a right, sorry for the cliché but it's true, Geraghty should have been suspensed after the first Dublin game and O'Leary should be suspended now. Just because GG got away with it O'Leary should.

I think they have to be consistent over the course of a season. O Leary was lucky not to be sent off but he was not, and others have gotten away with it this season without the GAA retrospectively punishing them. I do think that this should be looked at for next year, and some form of system put in place. It is not unprecedented to punish a player after the fact though, wasnt Mattie Forde punished at a later date for his stamp to the neck on a player?

Bambaata

and that one should have been a life ban, that was more like criminal asualt. a fist is one thing, a stamp to the head is shocking

One Cold Hand

So how are players getting away with it? Isn't it something like if it's mentioned in the ref's report then the rule is he's dealt with the incident so no further action can be taken. But if he misses it completely then the GAA can review it and punish the player?

Surely it could be done very simply by allowing a reviewing committee to overrule (or standby) a decision that the ref has made, or review something that he missed.

Meathlass

nesf wrote:

Spare a thought for those of us who can't realistically make games due to family commitments etc and who would occasionally like to go to big games just for the spectacle after following our teams as close as we could all year on TV etc. I know what you are saying and some people do take the piss with it but just because you don't turn up regularly to matches doesn't mean you aren't a "real fan".

I understand what you are saying but you can't seriously expect to get a ticket 'just for the spectacle' at the expensive of someone who has gone to games all year? It's not just the championship either, there's a league and club competition too. Some people seem to think the GAA calender runs from May to September. If you can't make it to the big games then at least go to local club games and support the grassroots of the organisation.

I think it is completely unfair to compare Dublin and Cork fans as it doesn't take into account distances and costs but alot of people are ex pats and have to travel to games not from their native counties. I live in South Tipp and made the round trip to Croke Park yesterday, collected some young cousins in Bus Aras, brought them to the game and dropped them home to Meath afterwards, watched the Sunday Game in Meath, back in Tipp at 2am and up for work at 6.30am. Along the way on the journey up I passed Cork families having picnics on the side of the road at 10am sunday morning. Families like that, who do that journey every year should be guaranteed tickets for the final but I know it's never going to happen.

nesf

Meathlass wrote:

I understand what you are saying but you can't seriously expect to get a ticket 'just for the spectacle' at the expensive of someone who has gone to games all year?

My point was that it should be understandable that we'd like a ticket rather than we should "expect" or "deserve" tickets. Whether we should be able to get tickets is a different question but I'm trying to point out that a) you can be a fan and not attend every game and b) someone who doesn't regularly attend games can have genuine grounds for wanting a ticket.

lukin

I agree totally that O' Leary should have been sent off but some people on this thread have very short memories. Geraghty did the same thing (twice) in the drawn game against Dublin and wasn't sent off. He also wasn't charged afterwards on video evidence so if the GAA do it to O' Leary it's a clear case of double-standards.
I never thought I'd say this but Geraghty has gone up in my opinion after yesterday. When Kieran O' Connor man-handled him in the net he didn't retaliate (and he's a much bigger man than O' Connor) and he also didn't complain to the media afterwards about it or the fact that O' Leary got away with what he did to him. He also warmly congratulated Graham Canty at the final whistle.
He's shown he can give it but can also take it.
I would have preferred if there hadn't been any incidents like yesterday because Cork and Meath have only recently buried the hatchet after all that bitterness from '87-'90 and neither county want any return to that nastiness thank you very much.
On the subject of the poor attendance, I am not surprised there was a low turnout from Cork supporter's. Other counties might find it hard to understand why Cork people don't support the football team in such large numbers as the hurlers but there's a lot of cynicism among Cork GAA fans towards the football team. They've let us down on so many big occasions in the past ('87,'88,'93 and '99) so there's an attitude of "Ah sure they only build our hopes up to let us down".
If they win the final they will prove a lot of people wrong in Cork never mind outside of it.

nesf

lukin wrote:

On the subject of the poor attendance, I am not surprised there was a low turnout from Cork supporter's. Other counties might find it hard to understand why Cork people don't support the football team in such large numbers as the hurlers but there's a lot of cynicism among Cork GAA fans towards the football team. They've let us down on so many big occasions in the past ('87,'88,'93 and '99) so there's an attitude of "Ah sure they only build our hopes up to let us down".

That and people are poor after all the Waterford games tbh.

Orizio

D. Coughlan wrote:

Did you learn anything from today's match, never right Cork off. It's the first time in a long while that I can remember the pundits being so wrong, with most of them predicting a Meath win and then Cork go off and win by 10 points.

About the Geraghty INCIDENT, there was only one player involved, Noel O'Leary. It was wrong and he should not have done it but if he was to miss the final because of it, it would be to say the least very unfair. Think about the amounts of incident's Geraghty was involved in this year alone, with no suspension and all the other players who got off scott free. The GAA discipline system is a joke with no consistency what so ever. Noel O'Leary is a hard working honest player and does not deserve to miss the final because of this single incident.

Cork in my view were outstanding today, first to every ball, super fast throughout the field, sensible mature play, clinical and playing the type of game that suits the players on the field. Meath were nothing but awful in the second half.

I was at the match today and could not help noticing that at most there was 7 or 8 thousand Cork fans, but yet, here we go again when it comes to the final, tickets will be very hard to find. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out a loyalty system were those cork fans are asked to send in there tickets and then there names be put in a draw for 1500 tickets. I will send a letter to the County Board explaining this tomorrow but i will most likely not even get a reply.

UP THE REBELS!

Thing is Noel should be disciplined and should miss the final because what he did was sheer thuggery.Inconsistent it may be - seeing as Geraghty seems to be able to punch players with immunity - but fair. And despite giving his best performance ever in a Cork shirt, Noel is a bit of a liability, he gives away too many frees and is always close to being sent off.If he went yesterday who knows what could have happened?

johnnog

My opinion on the "Geraghty incidents".---> Game is over people,so forget about it. The Cork players could have been sent off but weren't. They got away with it.Sh1t happens! None of the Meath management or the player himself is complaining. He was fairly well targetted a few times during the match but sure he always gets "special attention". O'Leary wil meet himself on the pitch some day anyways and we'll see how he takes it!

What I do think is stupid though are the idiots who've posted here and elsewhere who are of the opinion that O'Leary shouldn't be targetted purely because of who he hit. Like as if to say that if he'd done it to one of the other players then he should be suspended but it's ok to do it to Geraghty.

I think that post-match suspensions should only be looked at for serious off-the ball incidents. Fair enough , both incidents were off the ball but sure nobody was really hurt. If there'd been sly kicks or jaws broken or whatever they should have a look at it but he was able to get up and play on. I'd say he's under orders not to retaliate and just go down if anyone tries to start on him so I'd imagine that's why he went down. He's the one man who's automatically assumed guilty until proven innocent. I was at the match and looked at the highlights last night and in both cases the commentators basically said that both players involved should stop their messing, when from what was shown, it was all one-way traffic.

I had the same point of view earlier on in the year too. So I'm not being hypocritical like some people who denounced Geraghty for incidents in the Dublin game yet appear to think that he's a legitimate target because of whatever reason (They don't like him or whatever).

Meath were beaten on the day and Meath supporters in general accept that.

Rowley Birkin QC

Flukey wrote:

The O'Leary incident was disgraceful. As we've often been told has happened time and time to Geraghty himself, O'Leary was head-butted in the fist.:rolleyes:

Anyone have a link to a clip of this? Don't usually condone "incidents" in a match but in Geraghty's case I'm willing to make an exception! In all fairness it's coming to him with a long time and I make no apology for holding this point of view.

Hope Dublin make it to the final, Kerrymen take it in their stride the odd time they are beaten but it would sicken the Dubs to be beaten in Croker by Cork. Great display yesterday, it was training ground stuff towards the end.

Nalced_irl

johnnog wrote:

What I do think is stupid though are the idiots who've posted here and elsewhere who are of the opinion that O'Leary shouldn't be targetted purely because of who he hit. Like as if to say that if he'd done it to one of the other players then he should be suspended but it's ok to do it to Geraghty.

I dont think that is what people think. He should have been sent off, no doubt. But the fact that after the 3 incidents with Geraghty against Dublin, everyone was going on that the ref dealt with it, he shouldnt be pulled up after the game, ect. With this, people are suddenly of the other and complete opposite opinion that O Leary should be banned for the final. I have no sympathy for Geraghy as he dishes it out plenty also, but they both should have recieved bans for their actions on the pitch. The fact it was geraghty getting hit doesnt excuse the fact that it was a red card offense, but if he gets away with it, it is justice as far as Geraghty is concerned. Now, if Dublin beat Kerry, i will change my attitude completely and join anyone looking for a ban