Mayo GAA Discussion - Part 3

Donal55

djPSB wrote: »

The suggestion that the score board always indicates which team was better is wrong. Most of the time but not always. Not yesterday.

Mayo played better than Dublin in last year's game too but then decided to score two own goals.

So in two consecutive years Mayo were the better team and yet lost.

Some might say they're 'cursed'.

Kingswood Rover

Delighted for Dublin but That Mayo team has some bottle to comeback year after year after being knocked down, beaten, robbed, unlucky whatever circumstance you call it with nothing but heartache to get you out of bed each morning to spur you on in training that night i am in awe of those men. Respect from a Dub in the pale

jmayo

Donal55 wrote: »

So in two consecutive years Mayo were the better team and yet lost.

Some might say they're 'cursed'.

I don't care if I am banned from this place or not, but the next person that mention a fooking curse...

...
I will look for you, I will find you, and I will use 66 years of hurt and bate the shyte out of you using the handle off an auld turf spade.

Donal55

jmayo wrote: »

I don't care if I am banned from this place or not, but the next person that mention a fooking curse...

...
I will look for you, I will find you, and I will use 66 years of hurt and bate the shyte out of you using the handle off an auld turf spade.

Calm down Cillian.

km79

awec wrote: »

I agree that the best team does not always win but the better team (very marginally) won yesterday. Dublin showed more composure and more ruthlessness when they were on top, Mayo failed to take enough of an advantage from their periods of dominance.

Mayo's PROBLEM IS IN THE TOP SIX INCHES IMO, which unfortunately for them is a much more difficult issue to solve.

That's what she said

LeoB

Shurimgreat wrote: »

Unless you are from Dublin, Croke Park couldn't give a flying fcuk. That's been made abundantly clear in the last decade. And it will continue for the foreseeable future unless they decide to take a drastic change in direction.

That is not true. Dublin are a commodity to the GAA. No other county can fill Croke park that is why Dublin are important to them. If the GAA could do Dublin a favour it would be for me, to build a new ground and sell Parnell park. A ground off the M.50 that would hold 30-35,000 people for league games. But if they had Mayo, Kerry or Tyrone they would still need Croke park to accomodate them. I like Parnell park for club games but for county games it is a disaster.
The only other route to take is let Dublin have 2 teams.

partyguinness wrote: »

TBH it's not as clear cut as that. GAA is far tighter in rural areas and teams do not have the same pressure from other sports as in city areas. Now I know emigration can be an issue in rural counties.

Agree. My club is from a smallish town 8,000 people. We have huge competition from Soccer, basketball, Cricket and sailing. We try and field teams at every age group and some years we can but the pressure on kids to play other sports is huge and we dont get them all to play GAA. The city clubs have massive problems with competition from soccer and rugby. Some have serious social issues. So it is not like we actually the massive pick it can look like.
Would be interesting to see how many players Dublin actually have.

partyguinness wrote: »

Dublin has a huge population but I see it another way- it is great achievement for Dublin to bring it together and dominate when there is so much competition around.

If you can collect in 20-25 hungry motivated players and a good coach you can go very far regardless of population. Mick O'Dwyer did it for years with Kildar, Wicklow and Laois, Paudi O'Se brought a Leinster title to West Meath, look at Ulster-it's like musical chairs.

If you go back to the day Clare beat Kerry in Munster final in 1992. Pat Spillane said on much the same on Sunday game that every county has 15 players who if are committed and dedicated could do the same as Clare.

WesternZulu

jmayo wrote:

The likes of Wicklow, Westmeath, etc will never have the playing numbers that will give them the same class of 20-25 hungry motivated players as Dublin

I agree with you in terms of the higher population the more likely you are of finding more talented players.

However, counties have to claim responsibly as well. Wicklow has a similar population to Mayo but have never been competitive in any shape or form.

endacl

jmayo wrote: »

I am mighty proud of them because they give kids a life lesson that the winners like the dubs can never hope to do, these guys show you that you never give up, you never throw in the towel no matter what life throws at you.

OK. I was with you right up till this bit.

Loafing Oaf

endacl wrote: »

OK. I was with you right up till this bit.

Yeah I'm with Homer on this:

seligehgit

Shurimgreat wrote: »

The way I tend to look at it is we are gradually nudging towards it. We were closer this year than last. This year we could have won it with some composure which has very little to do with skill or fitness levels and more to do with keeping a cool head and maintaining discipline. Last year the two own goals cost us. We managed to eliminate those mistakes this year as well as sticking with Clarke which is vital.
If we were 2% off last year, we were 1% off this year. We aren't a million miles off winning Sam. Next year it will probably be us and the Dubs again. We definitely have the beating of them, if we keep our discipline and composure. Footballing wise we are their equals, which is amazing given they can pick from 1.5 million people, whereas we have a population of 130,000.
So probably a time to look at the positives.
How we will ever replace Andy Moran though when he does finally decide to hang up his boots is beyond me. If only as a 10-15 minute impact player he could still play a huge role.
I genuinely hope when the dust is settled none of this team retire before next year. Give them a long break if needed.

I hope to God Donie Buckley and Tony McEntee stay on board too.

seligehgit

Good crowd for the homecoming,fair play to the lads for putting on the brave face for all the fans young and old.Can't be easy.

TCDStudent1

djPSB wrote: »

So if Jason Doherty finished the goal instead of blasting it at Cluxton and went on to win, then Mayo would suddenly be better?

In a one point game, the score board doesn't always indicate which team was better. Alot of the Dublin players were poor. Kilkenny, O'Gara, Andrews, Flynn, Small, Fenton all under performed.

Mayo were better, just weren't ruthless once again.

The better team is almost always the more ruthless team.

seligehgit

LeoB wrote: »

This was not eye gouging if it was the Mayo lads would have kicked up foook, and rightly so. And he would have been hammered on the Sunday game and again rightly so. Yes he pressed his hand in his face and held him down, Yellow card.

There was plenty of off the ball stuff going on but not really nasty. COC twice clipped lads on the ankle looking for a reaction and a few Dublin lads were at it as well. That unfortunately is what goes on now. Had we the use of Video ref we could have been down a few more lads by end of the game.

On the Vaughan red and I am no fan of his. I agree it was harsh he didnt actually strike him but threw him to the ground. Also agree Seamie O'Shea was excellent yesterday.

The margins are so fine for amateurs to handle and while Im glad as a Dub (north Dublin) there is huge respect in Dublin for this Mayo squad. The respect for Higgins, Keegan, A.O'S believe me is huge. It is no consolation today but needs to remembered.
These lads will be back in work in a few days like us and getting on with family life. A few posters need to bear this in mind.

I hope the GAA dig seep and make a healthy contribution to the players holiday fund.

Great post.

tacofries

Was sad today but after going to the homecoming I am very very optimistic of what is to come. Main theme was about sticking together and bringing the battle into 2018.

V V proud of the Boys but now lets get out and support the ladies.

dixiefly

kilns wrote: »

The better team always wins at the end of the day, its the reason for a scoreboard

Except in 1996 according to conor Mortimer yesterday in the piece reviewing all of Mayo's losses

What a plank!

dixiefly

Shurimgreat wrote: »

If there is any consolation, supporters from most counties will never see their team play in an AI final and rarely see them play in Croke Park.

Despite all the final losses, I'd still rather be from Mayo than from a couple of the fallen giants of the game who have little chance of a final any time soon.

Disappointed naturally but still proud to be from Mayo.

The difference is mate - if that squad of players came from one of these " fallen giants of the game" then they would probably have at least one but more likely 2 or 3 All Irelands in their pockets.

At least when the Meath's, Down's, Galway's of this world come back with good teams then they will be less likely to blow it year after year as Mayo have done.

That said, I was really gutted for Mayo yesterday, I couldnt watch the last 10 minutes as I couldnt trust them to see it out. I am not gutted for Mayo people but really gutted for a fabulous set of players and management.

km79

From all I've seen of him since the match I think Rochford will step down
It has taken an awful toll on him and I feel so so sorry for him
If he was to leave he will leave without even winning a Connacht title which would be a shame
Maybe it's written in the stars for Horan to finish the job ......

_Dara_

dixiefly wrote: »

The difference is mate - if that squad of players came from one of these " fallen giants of the game" then they would probably have at least one but more likely 2 or 3 All Irelands in their pockets.

At least when the Meath's, Down's, Galway's of this world come back with good teams then they will be less likely to blow it year after year as Mayo have done.

That said, I was really gutted for Mayo yesterday, I couldnt watch the last 10 minutes as I couldnt trust them to see it out. I am not gutted for Mayo people but really gutted for a fabulous set of players and management.

Why hold back sympathy from the supporters? I don't understand that mentality.

km79

km79 wrote: »

From all I've seen of him since the match I think Rochford will step down
It has taken an awful toll on him and I feel so so sorry for him
If he was to leave he will leave without even winning a Connacht title which would be a shame
Maybe it's written in the stars for Horan to finish the job ......

There going to really start blooding other players in the league. The lack of quality on the bench in the last two years has really cost us.

In about two years we will drop off a cliff unless we start getting some players through the system.

km79

Apparently our total of 19 points is the highest by a losing finalist

Of course it is

km79

Apparently our total of 19 points is the highest by a losing finalist

Of course it is

km79

Apparently our total of 19 points is the highest by a losing finalist

Of course it is

happyoutscan

If Vaughan hadn't seen red we would have won. Gutted.

Donal55

happyoutscan wrote: »

If Vaughan hadn't seen red we would have won. Gutted.

#Vaughan'sFault.

dixiefly

_Dara_ wrote: »

Why hold back sympathy from the supporters? I don't understand that mentality.

Didnt mean it like that, I do have a fair bit of sympathy for the supporters, especially he long suffering ones.

homewardbound11

(Vaughans red card) That's rubbish . There were 5 or 6 players with cramps or just out on their feet on both sides . Kilkenny took a black card because he couldn't even walk let alone make the sideline . So how much of an impact loosing Vaughan was in comparison to the subs that came on for Dublin .
We failed to score for the last 15 minutes . Decisions made by purely exhausted players were rushed . The differences between the two teams were so little . Mayo just had nothing left to give . I am confident that if Doherty s strike had gone in . The homecoming tonight would have one Sam Maguire there also .
I'm hurting but there is no gunslinging for players or performances of players . That team gave everything yesterday . Everything .

watching it again even after not getting the rub of the green or the decisions from dublin joe we came so so close.

Cillian missed that free in the 72nd minute. We only had to hold on for 5 minutes after that and the pressure was on Dublin.

I think we would of done it if he'd scored.

fullstop

kilns wrote: »

nor this

Keegan throwing his GPS tracker at him?!

Donal55

fullstop wrote: »

Keegan throwing his GPS tracker at him?!

Couldn't even throw that straight.

BrianBoru00

Faugheen wrote: »

Hang on, people are trying to suggest Vaughan's red was harsh??

He struck another player, or at least intended to. If Diarmuid Connolly did what Vaughan did then there'd be people (rightfully) calling for his head. He absolutely deserved to go

It doesn't look like O'Gara is gouging to me, but it does look like he's fish-hooking which I think is a sending off anyway. The only thing with it is nobody saw it until the replay, so it's hard to expect McQuillan to see it too.

I did feel bad for Mayo, but I think blaming the ref is daft considering they got away with as much as Dublin did.

Watching both sides give it 100% was admirable but the off-the-ball nonsense is what we're all talking about. Keegan's attempts to put off a Dublin player taking a late free can't be excused either just because a Dublin player did something else. Completely unsporting. Some will say he did what he had to do but if the shoes on the other foot and Philly McMahon does that to COC then we have a different conversation.

There is absolutely no way that Vaughan deserved a red and small a yellow. Thats my issue. McQuillan bottled it.

If we're going "by the letter of the law" O'Gara should have had two blacks in the first ten minutes at least. Moran should have in the first half and that foul allowed Mayo a point. Two Dublin players should have got black cards after the last Rock free - all for playing the man.

McQuillan gets too many big calls wrong.
The first goal should have been disallowed for overcarrying. Dublin player gained an unfair advantage by taking between 7 and 8 steps to get past the defender. This was a huge miss.

The two Dublin players colliding? This was beyond ridiculous. I'm not aware of any other incident it could have been for and it was in the same spot.
[Lee Keegan got called for a free on Kilkenny when Kilkenny was pulling (not sure if it was Boyle). Now I can understand that he simply could not see Kilkenny pulling the jersey so its an understandable mistake but two dublin players colliding?] Sweet Jesus thats pathetic - absolutely pathetic.

Thats not to mention the fact that Eoghan O Gara should have got a straight red for attempting to gouge at the end of the first half - no need for his hands to be anyway near the eyes.