GAA! (2 Viewers)

[ann post]

Did anyone watch the hurling?

Or the dublin match recently?

 

[rettucs]

watched the hurling there alright.

put 2 shit teams against each other and it makes for exciting stuff.

 

[ann post]

I still feel like clare won.

 

[Jim Daniels]

Great last 20 mins in fairness!

 

[ann post]

I wouldn't say they were shit teams.

 

[washingcattle]

Dublin vs Kerry last week was superb stuff. I miss ed the Hurling.

A bit worried for the Dubs in the final. Typically when you win a semi final like that it ha one of two effects, it makes you either complacent or utterly unbeatable. I fear they may get very cocky and completely fuck it up.

 

[rettucs]

ah I hope Mayo win. They've gone jaysus long enough without one and the Dubs got theirs 2 years back.

But I think Dublin will win cos Mayo have an awful habit of shitting themselves on the big day.

 

[rettucs]

I wouldn't say they were shit teams.

they were very poor. Standard-wise. If you compare to the standard of finals (particularly the victors) since, say, 2001, those teams yesterday weren't even close.

Cork are very poor. The reason they got within an asses roar yesterday was because Clare came out too gung-ho in the first half. They were spent by 10 mins into the second, and holes started appearing in their defence. They need to pace themselves a bit better across the 70 mins because they don't have good enough players to have a team put away by the time they've tired.

Clare have about 3 class players and a heap of good triers. Cork have maybe 2 class players (at a push), and a heap of good triers.

They were the 2 poorest teams to contest the same all-Ireland since the mid-90s (1996 springs to mind).

 

[CinnamonBoy]

they were very poor. Standard-wise. If you compare to the standard of finals (particularly the victors) since, say, 2001, those teams yesterday weren't even close.

Cork are very poor. The reason they got within an asses roar yesterday was because Clare came out too gung-ho in the first half. They were spent by 10 mins into the second, and holes started appearing in their defence. They need to pace themselves a bit better across the 70 mins because they don't have good enough players to have a team put away by the time they've tired.

Clare have about 3 class players and a heap of good triers. Cork have maybe 2 class players (at a push), and a heap of good triers.

They were the 2 poorest teams to contest the same all-Ireland since the mid-90s (1996 springs to mind).

It pains me to say it, but the accuracy of the Clare hurlers in terms of getting long-range points is a sight to behold. Add to that a generally very solid defence and they're far from a poor team.

Of course, Limerick were the best team in this year's championship, we just had an off-day of epic proportions against Clare.

It's been an amazing season and hurling is the best sport in the entire world.

P.S. Fuck you and your pop at Limerick (and Wexford) in 1996. That Limerick team would have walked all over the strawberry-picking knackers if it weren't for Liam Dunne targeting Gary Kirby in the opening few minutes.

 

[rettucs]

they're far from a poor team.

well everything is relative. They're one of the last 2 teams left standing in this year's championship, but even by their own admission, they are aiming towards a 3-year development model. They were as surprised as anyone to have reached the final.

They are a poor team. I'm basing that on the year as a whole, not on yesterday. They finished bottom-2 in the league, and for good reason.

Even their choice of tactics, which they actually abandoned yesterday because I reckon they thought they wouldn't need to go so defensive against as poor as side as Cork, was almost an admission of their shortcomings.

In reality, Clare have 3 class players and several decent players. They are gutsy and full of gusto, but, in terms of their skill level and their standard of play, they are poor. I would say they're not a patch on the Clare team of the 90s, and that team carried several passengers.

Of course, Limerick were the best team in this year's championship, we just had an off-day of epic proportions against Clare.

While Limerick didn't help themselves that day by being hopelessly tactically naive, I think what we saw that say was closer to the level Limerick are at right now. They have a style of play that suits the type of player they have. That style of play is based on running the ball, and providing subsequent runs to support the man in posession. Its a good game plan, but the lack of a plan B saw them badly exposed against Clare. Limerick forwards were outnumbered that day, as were Clare's. But, you saw the difference in the quality of ball into the forwards, the difference in the ability of those forwards to win their own ball, their usage of the ball when they had it, and their ability to take scores.

Limerick are on the right road. But they're still a handful of players shy of going for top honours. Given the quality of underage in Lk at the moment, I don't see why they can't be winning the all-Ireland soon enough.

It's been an amazing season and hurling is the best sport in the entire world.

Disagree and agree. The openness of the championship has been great, and refreshing. The unpredictability of games has added a dimension to things that have been missing for quite a while. But, again, the standard of play as been abysmal. I've been at lots of games and couldn't believe how the media blew games up to be something they weren't. For example, the drawn game between Dublin and Kilkenny was desperate. There were 5 exciting minutes at the end and all of a sudden Des Cahill is calling it the game of the year. Likewise Clare and Wexford. Yes, it was a draw and went to extra-time, but christ was that one ugly match.

The best games were Kilkenny-Tipp, Kilkenny-WD and Cork-Dublin. But, the standard of play in all 3 left a lot to be desired.

And to my main gripe. Fucking referees.

- Dublin-Cork was decided by a referee sending a man off in the wrong
- Cork-Limerick was decided by a referee sending a man off in the wrong
- Cork-Kilkenny was decided by a referee sending a man off in the wrong.

And then we have yesterday where the referee decides not to send of a player who more than deserved a straight red.

So, yes, the season has been exciting. Best season ever though? Nope, not by a long shot.

P.S. Fuck you and your pop at Limerick (and Wexford) in 1996. That Limerick team would have walked all over the strawberry-picking knackers if it weren't for Liam Dunne targeting Gary Kirby in the opening few minutes.

Ha ha, well I agree with that last bit. Dunne targetted Kirby and that effectively decided the game.

It was days like yesterday that made me yearn for the cynical bollox jounalism that Kevin Cashman provided back in the day. He wasn't afraid to call a spade a spade, and by god did he tear into that Limerick team.

Say what you want but they were not a good team. They had several exceptional players, but only had 1.5 decent forwards (I'll give you half for Frankie Carroll). By Wexford taking Kirby out (and before any Wexford man jumps in defending Dunne, he has admitted what he did), that really blunted Limericks attacking threat (Damian Quigley looked great at times but could not be relied on - actually played against him a couple of times back then and saw 1st hand how yellow he was).

Still though, on Limerick, good team or not they still should have won
2 all-Irelands.

 

[rettucs]

and on '96, I don't take it back, but '98 was worse. That would have been a better example to give.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

There's too much in that for my brain to process on a Monday with a hangover, but Limerick would still have beaten Cork in the Munster final even without the sending off. Some days it's just your day, and that was one of them.

I think it's unfair to say the performance against Clare was a true reflection of where Limerick are because Hannon missed two handy frees in the first few minutes and that set the tone. I watched the game in Portugal with 3 ladies from Newcastle West and when he missed the first one, I turned to them and grimly informed them that it was going to be "one of those days."

We didn't play at all on the day.

 

[rettucs]

I think it's unfair to say the performance against Clare was a true reflection of where Limerick are because Hannon missed two handy frees in the first few minutes and that set the tone.

I said it was a closer reflection, not a true reflection (theres a difference). They were below par for sure, but it did highlight their shortcomings.

 

[washingcattle]

ah I hope Mayo win. They've gone jaysus long enough without one and the Dubs got theirs 2 years back.

But I think Dublin will win cos Mayo have an awful habit of shitting themselves on the big day.

Let's face it it's the battle of the pants shitters, It could be 0-0.

 

[ann post]

dublin or mayo?

my uncle says he can't face mayo losing again and is going to go for a walk and i'm to text him if they win.

 

[Unicron]

dublin or mayo?

my uncle says he can't face mayo losing again and is going to go for a walk and i'm to text him if they win.

So if the Dubs win is he just going to be walking forever?

 

[ann post]

FFS MAYO.

 

[Jim Daniels]

FFS MAYO.

Why did he not at least try for a goal at the end there, instead of just taking the point?
Genuine question. In cases like that, does the free taker take the call from the captain?

 

[ann post]

Why did he not at least try for a goal at the end there, instead of just taking the point?
Genuine question. In cases like that, does the free taker take the call from the captain?

i don't know.

mayo go a bit soft in the head when they hit croker. they were really not capitalising on half the second half stuff at all.

 

[washingcattle]

After that semi final I thought this wasn't going to be a classic. Neither side ever really had any degree of control both sides wasted possesion and scoring chances too frequently.

Mayo's Defence was laughable at times and their keeper would have been man of the match. In the end the decision not to go for the goal was pretty ridiculous but I assume someone gave bad information to the lad taking the free.

In the end we won so fuck it. As usual in London it was a case of Dublin vs the rest of Ireland in the pub and as usual most of the plastics fucked off two minutes after the final whistle. Still happy if not completely satisfied. Could have done with an epic second half comeback and about 4 more pints.