All Ireland Senior Football Championship 2018 thread - Mod warning post #3147

blowitupref wrote: »

The main improvement for Galway 1st half to 2nd half was their shooting. 8 wides in the 1st half to just 2 in the 2nd half and matter of fact it took 20 mins of the 2nd half before they kicked a wide. Roscommon on the other hand shot selection got worse as the game went on and each wide drained the confidence out of them yet the game was still to be won in injury time.


Kerry aren't going to be as poor on their shot selection.
The midfield battle will probably be the deciding factor in this game more so than than the Connacht final. Conroy,Flynn or Cooke v David Moran, Jack Berry. I presume Kerry will start Kieran Donaghy on the edge of the square after all the problems he caused Galway last year so that should be a good test Sean Andy O Ceallaigh. How Galway mark Paul Geaney will be very important also in the league win v Kerry is was held scoreless i believe.

Finding it hard to call a winner so i'll sit on the fence and call a draw. Galway 2-12 Kerry 1-15

For me the poor shooting from Galway in the first half and Roscommon in the second came down to midfield.
Galway were very defensive in the first half and looked to build from the back which drew Roscommon on them in good shooting positions.
Second half Galway went long to midfield and bossed Roscommon with Galway`s forwards pushed forward in better shooting positions that also forced Roscommon on their own kick-outs to go long as well.

Once Galway controlled midfield Roscommon forwards were living on scrapes.
Cannot see Galway getting as much from midfield against Kerry.


Star would be a serious test for young Sean Andy, but I would doubt they will start him. The movement and pace of especially O`Donoghue, Geaney and Clifford against Cork was like a well oiled machine, so I can see the three of them starting in a two man full forward line that keeps switching.
If Galway forwards can get at that Kerry backline or run at the centre of their defence I can see them making hay, but they are going to have to win a good share of ball at midfield to do so. Either that or try going long into their forwards and by-pass midfield.


Difficult to know as they haven`t been test how good Kerry are at the back, or which Galway will turn up, so move over a bit on that fence.
I need a seat on this one as well.

Upcoming GAA Fixtures
All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals
21 July
Roscommon v Donegal, 5.0pm, Dr Hyde Park – Sky Sport
Tyrone v Dublin, 7.0pm, Healy Park – Sky Sport

22 July
Kildare v Galway, 2.0pm, St Conleth’s Park - RTÉ
Monaghan v Kerry, 4.0pm, St Tiernach’s Park - RTÉ

4 August
Kerry v Kildare, 6.0pm, Fitzgerald Stadium – Sky Sport
Galway v Monaghan, 6.0pm, Pearse Stadium – Sky Sport

5 August
Dublin v Roscommon, 3.30pm, Croke Park – RTÉ
Donegal v Tyrone, 3.30pm, Mac Cumahill Park – RTÉ

Dublin Roscommon on it’s own in Croker. If dubs hve won both they will prob play reserves so might not be a great crowd

mystic86 wrote: »

Well it seems to me that Donegal (most likely - home advantage against Tyrone) will be on a collision course with the GAA to make Dublin get the 6 day turnaround to the semi final rather than them!

What is the point of that? there hasn't been a ball kicked in the 8s and already you are starting yet another in an endless stream of posts concerning Dublin about matters in which Dublin have no say!

There will be four teams involved in the semi finals. No-one knows as yet who they will be. I do know that one will not be making a circus act out of what day they play

mystic86 wrote: »

The point is I am giving my opinion, just because my post mentions Dublin does not mean it should be taken as 'yet another' attack on Dublin. And either way, be it Tyrone instead of Donegal, they will still face the same issue.

So there are four teams, as yet unknown who will face possibly a six day turnaround.

Don't think it is as much an issue as it is made out to be to be honest. Teams that have played and won four or five weeks on the trot - Mayo last year being one example, our hurlers in 2013, seem to have suffered more from subsequent four week break after that, These fellas are training at massive intensity for eight months, hopping off one another.

That is scaled down obviously when there are games coming thick and fast, but the last game in 8s will be a comfortable and possibly meaningless game for at least one team. Monday pool and injury assessment, two light run outs during week. Grand by Saturday. Teams that fall tht way are teams going nowhere anyway.

Dr. Bre wrote: »

Dublin Roscommon on it’s own in Croker. If dubs hve won both they will prob play reserves so might not be a great crowd

The U20 All Ireland final is the curtain raiser

So who do we think is most likely to put it up to Dublin this year? I still think in spite of all their travails it could be Kerry. I reckon they have the most potential to score heavily against a tight defence. Plus Dublin could be slightly more vulnerable in the semi than the final...

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

So who do we think is most likely to put it up to Dublin this year? I still think in spite of all their travails it could be Kerry. I reckon they have the most potential to score heavily against a tight defence. Plus Dublin could be slightly more vulnerable in the semi than the final...

Even though the Dublin forwards have not really clicked yet like they can it's hard not to see them running up a very big score against that Kerry defence.

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

So who do we think is most likely to put it up to Dublin this year? I still think in spite of all their travails it could be Kerry. I reckon they have the most potential to score heavily against a tight defence. Plus Dublin could be slightly more vulnerable in the semi than the final...

I think Kerry would be doing well to get within 5 points of Dublin. Two last minute goals by Clifford have given a very false impression of how good they are. Honestly I think that they are pretty rubbish at the moment. If they somehow manage to squeeze through, I'd say Dublin will eat them alive. I honestly don't see where you think Kerry could score heavily against a tight defence. Clifford is their only really dangerous forward and he won't get enough ball against Dublin to make the difference.

Of Galway/Donegal/Tyrone, I think they could all stay within 3 or 4 points but ultimately I think that Dublin will have too much for all of them - especially in a tight finish. The Dubs have so much experience and confidence in tight games at this stage. Injuries are about the only thing that can stop the 4-in-a-row I think

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Paul Geaney no good?

He hasn't been good in their last two games. He doesn't seem to me to be a big enough character to really disturb the dubs. Clifford does but he's young and there's only one of him.

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Was wondering, two matches wouldn't be much to base judgement on. SeO'Shea handy enuf too.

A more esteemed commentator than myself, Sylvester Hennessy (Kerry’s Eye, Radio Kerry), has stated more than once in the last few weeks that this sort of performance from Kerry is nothing new.

The general malaise, the inability to power on late in games, the odd bench decisions etc. He points out that Kerry have not beaten a Div 1 team in Championship since 2015.

Kerry have some gifted forwards, but against big teams they are not functioning as a team in anyway shape or form, and to expect them to just “turn it on” in Croke Park against Dublin is fanciful if you ask me.

People may point out that Mayo looked equally disjointed last year and the year before but in my opinion Mayo were far more consistent.

They beat Derry well in ET, after a slow start they kicked on v Clare, they were well ahead v Cork before they made a few bench changes, they hammered Roscommon when it came to it.

Kerry have been stuck in a rut, with the exception of Clare, Cork and Galway last year, never being able to dictate a game, never being able to win pulling up, never being able to do what we regularly saw from Kerry in previous years.

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

A more esteemed commentator than myself, Sylvester Hennessy (Kerry’s Eye, Radio Kerry), has stated more than once in the last few weeks that this sort of performance from Kerry is nothing new.

The general malaise, the inability to power on late in games, the odd bench decisions etc. He points out that Kerry have not beaten a Div 1 team in Championship since 2015.

Kerry have some gifted forwards, but against big teams they are not functioning as a team in anyway shape or form, and to expect them to just “turn it on” in Croke Park against Dublin is fanciful if you ask me.

People may point out that Mayo looked equally disjointed last year and the year before but in my opinion Mayo were far more consistent.

They beat Derry well in ET, after a slow start they kicked on v Clare, they were well ahead v Cork before they made a few bench changes, they hammered Roscommon when it came to it.

Kerry have been stuck in a rut, with the exception of Clare, Cork and Galway last year, never being able to dictate a game, never being able to win pulling up, never being able to do what we regularly saw from Kerry in previous years.

Kerry have issues. Thats why they're firing out championship debuts to beat the band. Will take time.

I was responding to the claim Kerry have only one decent forward.

equivariant wrote: »

I never said that they have just one decent forward. It's just that they have only one forward who is something more than just decent. Geaney is surely a good footballer, but I just don't think that he is a game breaker in the way that Clifford clearly could be. Given that Kerry have problems in all areas of the field, its hard to see them competing with Dublin.

I think that the problem is that many people start their analysis of matchups vs Dublin with the assumption that everything is going to go right for the other team. Sure if O'Shea plays out of his skin, and Geaney and Clifford also play out of their skin, and Fitzmaurice gets his tactics spot on and the defence manage to contain the Dublin attack and the Kerry midfield somehow compete with McCarthy, and Cluxton has a bad day with the kickouts then Kerry would be there or thereabouts, but how likely are all of those things to happen? I just think that there are too many things going wrong for Kerry for it all to come good.

Kerry haven't a hope of beating Dublin. Work in progress, bout 7/8 players you'd keep and the bench needs rejuvenating as well.

Fann Linn wrote: »

It would be a thing of beauty if Dublin met Kerry in the final this year.

They can only meet in the semi final this year, mathematically impossible for the groups to turn out in such a way that they could avoid each other until the final