Tailteann Cup.

Bleating Lamb

Apologies mods if there is a thread already for this competition but I could not see one,

Glorious sunshine in Croker for the semi-finals today. 12 minutes gone in first game between Cavan and Sligo and Cavan are 6 pts up already!!

Tbf it's a very young inexperienced team up against a team who were playing in an All Ireland Semi Final a few years ago.

The second semi between Westmeath and Offaly should be a very closely fought game.I think that the GAA have missed out on a huge opportunity to further promote the Tailteann Cup if they had played the final on the Saturday of the All Ireland weekend.

The likes of Sligo would bring a huge crowd,am a proud Leitrim man,and only for us wrongly having a goal disallowed for a 'square ball' against them in the quarter final I would be in Croke Park today:(

The trains from Sligo were fully sold out yday and today with big numbers heading up to cheer on the black and white.

A game like Cavan v Westmeath would easily draw 60k+ to Croke Park between supporters from both counties and nuetral fans.

Instead it is being put on the Weekend of a semi final where less fans for the Tailteann game will be able to travel.

Bleating Lamb

Great open game now.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058250889/tailteann-cup

60k for Cavan V Westmeath? What are you on

Akabusi

Sligo blessed to get a penalty, foul was just outside the square.

zetecescort

Cavan tipping away getting points while Sligo have missed a few decent goal chances when in hindsight they may have been better off knocking them over

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223186#Comment_119223186

They've missed a few kickable scores too

Treble double

Not a bad game. Cavan seem to have better forwards and are getting good joy from long kickouts. Sligo have opened them up a few times but haven't taken the chances. Kicked a couple into the keepers hands which is a killer, some bad wides aswell.

Cavan look more streetwise, hopefully Sligo can push them all the way.

Say Your Number

Young Spillane is a handy player, still can't break into the Kerry team.

asdfg87

Would it not have been better for supporters if this match was innCarrick-on Shannon.

MacDanger

Sligo have missed a lot of goal chances. Possible peno on that last one I thought

Bleating Lamb

Cavan up by 2 pts after 55 mins.....both teams playing attacking positive football.

Sligo have spurned several more goal chances in the second half.

Say Your Number

Sligo need a goal, but those damn posts today.

DJIMI TRARORE

Surprisingly open game, Sligo should be ahead, timber hit 3 times, Kiernan clearing twice off the line and at least 5 easy poi ts kicked wide, but Cavans experience seeing them through

Whatdoesitmatter

I'll say one thing for this competition. At least the eventual winner will be a worthy one and not a county that's bought their way to victory

Treble double

Sligo left it after them, small bit green. Cavan a solid keeper and a bit stronger in the air as well as mckernians experience creep over the line

Bleating Lamb

FT-Cavan-0:20 to Sligo 1:14

A 3 point win for a Cavan side that dominated the midfield and kicked 17 pts from play.Some of them from long distances out.

Sligo will be kicking themselves for the 6 or 7 great goal chances that they missed.They kicked some lovely points themselves throughout the game.

Cavan were the better team overall but will need to seriously tighten up their back line to have a chance of winning the final.

Definitely a success for the first ever Tailteann semi-final,good quality fare on show from both sides and a great atmosphere in Croke Park

Pussyhands

Why did they switch camera position? The hill is always on the left as you look at it.

Bleating Lamb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223164#Comment_119223164

Cavan is a county that very much became part of the commuter belt to Dublin over the last 10 years.....this has increased the number of supporters for the County team as newly moved people with young children are joining Cavan clubs as happens in other counties.

Even before that Cavan have a great fanbase. Likes of Westmeath is a proud football county and literally all able bodied GAA fans in the county would be up for heading to a final in Croke Park.

Add in 20 k then of interested nuetrals who would look forward to seeing a good tight match and there is your crowd.

PTH2009

John Maughan is a scary man

Id hate to make him angry

Pussyhands

Disappointing crowd. Must be only 7 or 8k max.. Really not good for the TC. Needs full stadium with big atmosphere for a semi final.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223459#Comment_119223459

Youre just plucking figures out of the air now, why on earth would 20k neutrals go to see that game? And if both counties have such great support, where are they all today

callaway92

20 thousand neutrals for a Cavan match

My god

C’mon we’ll make the spin from Tipp to see Cavan vs Westmeath in the 2nd tier of the Football Championship, spending a fortune on petrol, tolls and match tickets

Great day out

callaway92

For what it’s worth, it genuinely doesn’t matter what type of Marketing/Promotion they do; there’s an obvious ceiling for the Tailteann Cup. It’s hitting that ceiling year-on-year is key

*60k in attendance for the final is not a realistic ceiling btw

Quitelife

Big enough day out for the 4 teams today in Croke park , reasonable crowd circa 10k .live on tv for those interested which is a sizeable audience as TNAG have proven over the years . Teams in a competition they have a chance of winning . How bad ?

keeponhurling

What’s the official attendance today ?

PTH2009

Shows there's not much difference between lower table Div2 and top table Div 3 with Westmeath a Div 3 team comfortably dealing with Offaly who were very close to staying in Div 2 this year

redarmy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223612#Comment_119223612

16,616

threeball

Enjoyable game of football. At least both teams are showing a bit of adventure rather than the constant switching and probing 45m out that the top teams get involved in.

Cavan vs Westmeath will be a good game in the final and a matchup not often seen in championship.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223703#Comment_119223703

Makes me wonder how Offaly managed to lose to Wexford in Leinster, with that amount of firepower Offaly have!

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223683#Comment_119223683

I'd say they'll get 30k at the final. Every man and his dog show up at a final regardless of the level. Junior club finals draw a crowd.

PTH2009

So will the winner of Westmeath and Cavan be guaranteed a place in the All Ireland (SM Cup) next year no matter league/Provincial championship results ?

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223781#Comment_119223781

I suppose they concede a bit easy and there's alot of young lads on the team. Give them 2yrs they'll have a decent outfit to put it up to kildare and meath but won't make Dublin sweat.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223786#Comment_119223786

Not sure, but they should. That's the biggest incentive to win the thing out.

Thunderbirds

Yeah whoever wins is in Sam next year.

Thunderbirds

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223784#Comment_119223784

It's with an All Ireland semi so Croker will probably be close to full.

dobman88

You'd never in a million years get 60k at a Cavan v Westmeath match as a standalone fixture. If they got 20-30k it would be huge.

The final is on in conjunction with a senior semi final and I'd expect both semi finals to sell out easily this year. So they'll have a crowd there but not because it's Cavan v Westmeath.

mikeybhoy

GAAs answer to the Europa League

blowitupref

Two enjoyable open games of football. The 1st halves in both games was telling, Sligo left to rue their misses in the 1st game and Westmeath had the 2nd game won at half time.

The two sides into the final will likely be promoted to div 2 next year also so no surprise they have reached it.

blowitupref

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223786#Comment_119223786

Yes go into the last 16 of the All Ireland championship, a group stage (4 groups of 4)

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223837#Comment_119223837

Could even do with a GAA version of the 'Europa conference league'

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223328#Comment_119223328

Gearoid McKiernan missed two one-on-ones with the keeper and Galligan missed one too. I thought at the game that Cavan had just as many goal chances as Sligo, if not more.

dobman88

Two very enjoyable games. Hopefully teams continue to buy into it and it becomes a good competition every year.

Markus Antonius

Who thought of the name "Tailteann" cup? Why couldn't they have called it anything but this?

And there's a Ras Tailteann in cycling too...

I think the GAA have made a serious error having the AI series ending so early in the summer, but I do think the Tailteann Cup is a very good idea, and will be good for the game in smaller/weaker counties.

manofwisdom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223927#Comment_119223927

Sligo had 6 goal scoring chances to Cavans 2. 1st half Sligo scored just 4 times from 18 scoring opportunities the video analysis on where the game was lost will be short by Tony McEntee tonight.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119223683#Comment_119223683

That's more than were at the mayo v kildare & roscommon v Clare double header so not a bad crowd

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119224342#Comment_119224342

1. James Smith palm down saved by keeper and knocked out for 45.
2. Gearoid McKiernan through one on one end of first half.
3. Thomas Galligan through one on one start of second half.
4. Gearoid McKiernan through one on one 40 mins.
5. Thomas Galligan through one on one again in second half.

There’s five for you off the top of my head. I don’t remember any Sligo player having a one on one with Galligan. There were always covering players, even Faulkner was cutting across at the “penalty”.

Whatdoesitmatter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119224509#Comment_119224509

@Cavan_King Happy you got the victory. Delighted Cavan have found their level. Supporting cast

gigantic09

Cavan put it up to Donegal for most of Ulster semi final so the future could be brighter for them. A win in this is competition can only help their progression.

poppers

Just like every club championship in the country senior inter and jnr and works a treat.

Id say everyone will be supporting this in the next 5 yrs

Say Your Number

Cavan were lucky to get away with that foot block in the second half.