All Ireland Final!

So it's come down to it after the Months of football, red cards, suspensions, appeals, suspensions being dropped, re-appeals (and that was just Derry and Monaghan! ) We are down to the final 2, The Kingdom v the Rebels!! Can Kerry win and become Team of the decade with a very impressive 5/10 wins, or will Cork bridge the 19 year gap since they last held Sam Maguire!


With all due respect, I hope Cork hammer the **** out of them!

So do i, i have a feeling though that they will s***e themselves and kerry will win

Ah now lads - lets try and maintain a degree of respect and objectivity about this!

Personally I hope Cork hammer the s**t out of them too!

It would be great to see Cork win, and the way they're playing they're well on course.

Mind you, I have a bit on Kerry from when they were 5-1 so I wouldn't mind that coming through!

I would prefer to see Kerry win. In Meath, there has always been a certain admiration for the way Kerry play and I'm sure its the same vice-versa. Cork, well Meath never really respected the Leesiders. After Dublin, I'm sure most Meath people would like to beat Cork.

Plus Gooch, Darren and Declan O'Sullivan, Killian Young, Tomas O'Se, even Galvin are a joy to watch, they are as athletic as they are skilful, they have the perfect balance, they are proper footballers.

Anyway, Cork have left their "final" in the Tyrone game wheareas Kerry continue to get better. The Meath performance was better than the Dublin despite what a lot might say. Kerry have the better footballers and therefore should win.

I voted for Kerry because of a number of factors, principally the one that I WANT them to win.
I've had enough of all things Cork for the past 3 years and if I have to hear about their A/I triumph then it's the final straw.

Donal Og, FM, Teddy Holland, Gerald, in fact the whole bloody lot of them......"Mon' the Kingdom.

Just realised that on this fine GAA site there is no thread on the biggest football occasion of the year .....

Cork for me - on form - and if there is any justice in this funny old GAA world!

I think Cork will dismantle Kerry.

Cork to win by +5/8

Hate to say it, but I reckon the Kingdom are going to do it again.

They always seem to be able to raise their game to the appropriate level to get the win when it matters.
In the qualifiers they didn't look overly impressive, but the impression was always there that they could step up a gear if they needed to. Likewise in the semi against Meath.

Against they Dubs they knew that they had to put them away early, or the crowd could spur the Dubs on. What did they do.....?

I'd love to see Cork put one over on them, but I can help feeling that them cute Kerry hoors have one more big performance left in them that will confirm who really was best team of the decade.

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Not only that, you commented on it!!

I wonder what are the chances of a replay.
I woud love to see Cork win it but i think Kerry will be motivated by all this team of the decade mullarky(even if they do deny it).
I can't wait to the watch The Sunday Game to see Brolly and Spillane go at it. You just know if Cork are crusing at half time Brolly will let him have it.
Cork midfield could be the winning of the game for them. Should be a great minor match too. The young Mayo keeper was the only minor player to make it on to the Sunday Indo's team of the week after lst semi-finals. That's some compliment. Armagh's first minor final since 1992(i think) so they will be well up for it. Please God this weather keeps up for Sunday.

I hope Cork hammer the s***e out of them and then go up into the RTE studio and do the same with that Spillane tosser.

I think Cork will have too much strength and power for them - and they old mental fragility that people allude too wont be a factor i dont think. Cork by 3.

Have to say Corks SF performance surprised me. Didn't think they had it in them but they proved that day that they've every right to be dining at the top table. Im still doubtful however, as to whether their good enough to win on Sunday. Kerry have had a turbulent year mixing the very good with the outright rubbish in getting to the Final this year but here they are again for the 6th year in a row, phenomonol achievement and I expect them to raise their game again and put their beloved neighbours back in their box.

They had the beating of Cork in the Munster final matches but you wouldn't know about Sunday. Kerry will be fitter but Cork should still have too much for them.

Cork are bigger, younger, fitter, faster, and have the players. I said that before the semi, and backed them to beat Tyrone on a minus ten handicap.

They have already dismantled kerry once this year.

However, McCarthy's comeback has steadied the entire Kerry defence, he has been immense. And they still have the players.

I suspect Kerry may just about triumph, again.

Is it just me or is there little or no build up to this All Ireland. Hardly a mention in the Herald. The open draw has regularly thrown up an all same province final. Maybe not the healthiest of things?

I agree completely. This is the least excited I've been about an AI final in years. And looking at the 2 teams it should be making my mouth water. Is the country sick of Cork V Kerry or something?

RMDrive wrote:I agree completely. This is the least excited I've been about an AI final in years. And looking at the 2 teams it should be making my mouth water. Is the country sick of Cork V Kerry or something?

Thats one way of looking at it. But when you don't even have a team from your province it doesn't help.

The two most southerly teams in the country kind of makes it hard for the rest of us to get excited maybe - miles away from the talk - if there is any!

I have to say if I was offered a ticket I would turn it down. I will watch it on TV but would have no interest in going.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

RMDrive wrote:I agree completely. This is the least excited I've been about an AI final in years. And looking at the 2 teams it should be making my mouth water. Is the country sick of Cork V Kerry or something?

Thats one way of looking at it. But when you don't even have a team from your province it doesn't help.

The two most southerly teams in the country kind of makes it hard for the rest of us to get excited maybe - miles away from the talk - if there is any!

I have to say if I was offered a ticket I would turn it down. I will watch it on TV but would have no interest in going.

You are spoiled JC with Corker on your doorstep. Turn down an AI final ticket?? I've never been to a final in my life!

Not your fault you were born after 1992 lad! Happy Birthday by the way!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Not your fault you were born after 1992 lad! Happy Birthday by the way!

Yeah, that's me ... 17 and never been kissed!

Jayo Cluxton wrote: Hardly a mention in the Herald. Maybe not the healthiest of things?

Jayo, you're becoming agrophobic.... get down to the sticks more often.theres life beyond the realm of the Herald.

But as a ball-hopper, well you're up there.......

''Hardly a mention in the Herald. Maybe not the healthiest of things?''

In fairness they probably ran out of ink after their Leinster Final coverage

Dont think All-Ireland Finals have been in vogue with the 'hedald' since 1995

Peter the great joins the growing list of those blaming the ref before the ball is even thrown in



While commentating on a professional fight the legendary George Foreman
once remarked 'The referee is going to be the most important person in
the ring tonight besides the fighters'.



While George's comment is both glaringly obvious and funny we can say
something similar with regards to the upcoming All-Ireland Final.
Martin Duffy's performance on Sunday will come under just as much
scrutiny and opinionated crossfire as that of the two combatants.
Recent refereeing performances will ensure that the man-in-the-middle
has a spotlight all of his own.

John Bannon's handling of the Tyrone v Cork match did give cause for
debate (especially among Tyrone fans) but the subsequent performance of
Gearoid O Conamha in the Meath v Kerry game only generates cause for
further debate around some of his decisions.

On numerous occasions in the Meath v Kerry game O'Conamha penalised the
player with the ball for over-carrying while tackled by a wall of
opposing players yet in the Tyrone v Cork game the player in possession
won several frees while being tackled by a group of Tyrone players.
Certainly, the rule is open to the referee's interpretation but which
interpretation do coaches accept as being valid when preparing a team
for competitive action.

Diarmuid Kirwan's decision to award Richie Power a penalty in the 68th
minute of the hurling final gave rise to major debate also. While he
should be praised for his overall performance he will unfortunately be
remembered for this incident in particular.

Referees are sportsmen and just as performance level is everything for
the competing teams so too should it be for referees. Yes, they are
fallible and can have a 'bad' day just as any player might, but their
performance can have such dramatic consequences for competing players
that it is imperative that it is as close to perfect as humanly
possible.

The fact that John Bannon's and Dairmuid Kirwan's interpretation of
certain rules played a major part in the outcome of both games cannot
be denied. Cork may well have beaten Tyrone under another referee and
Kilkenny may well have beaten Tipperary without the penalty but I can guarantee that both games would have finished with a much narrower winning margin.

Apart from affecting the outcome - or not - the referee can have a
relevant input to the enjoyment level of the game as far as spectators
are concerned. In the opening league match of the football season we
had a cracking encounter between Tyrone and Dublin
in Croke Park and in this column I lauded the performance of Marty
Duffy in that match. He was prepared to let the game go from the very
throw-in despite the recent fiery encounters between these two teams.
We were all rewarded with a fantastic free-flowing game of football.
Admittedly, the sporting manner in which the two teams played the game
was a big help to Marty, but he did make a big contribution to the
occasion by his good refereeing.

Of course, a league encounter (though spectacular) does not hold the
same devastation for the losing team as that of an All-Ireland Final
nor does it present the same Eldorado for the victors - Sam.

When Marty Duffy takes to the field on All-Ireland Final day he will be
presented with a completely different set of circumstances and a
heightened sense of responsibility. Hopefully he will 'let the game go'
and we will once again be lauding his performances in this column.

An interesting comment was made during the post-match analysis on The
Sunday Game when Cyril Farrell said (while reflecting positively on
Dairmuid Kirwan's performance) that if the hurling game had been a
football game the number of frees awarded would have been enormous.
Thomas Mulcahy was very quick to point out that such comparisons could
not, or should not be made. He is right, of course, but if the
footballing referees did hold back a little bit more on the whistle it
would surely make for better viewing.

Conor Counihan and Jack O'Connor will undoubtedly talk about Marty
Duffy behind closed doors as part of their preparation for the final
but they will have many other issues demanding greater attention than
the man from Sligo.

Conor Counihan will know that the Kerry half-forward line will not be
as easily subdued as the Tyrone men were in their last outing. The
oft-maligned Paul Galvin is certainly showing his true potential and
proving to all the country just how valuable he is to any Kerry
line-out. Deploying Noel O'Leary to subdue this livewire will make for
one of the more exciting match-ups in the game. Will Canty and Miskella
getting pushing forward or will they be too busy with the athletic
Tagdh Kennelly and roving O'Sullivan and Galvin?

Marc O Se will undoubtedly relish another chance at Donnacha O'Connor
and the battle of the giants at midfield, Darragh O Se and Nicholas
Murphy, will also prove intriguing.

All over the field there ares fantastic head-to-heads. Will the
resurgent Mike McCarthy have the legs for Pearse O'Neill. Can the Gooch
shake free from the shackles of Anthony Lynch? Will Thomas O Se slow
the pacey Paul Kerrigan? (O Se's and Kerrigan's at it again - how many
years is that?).

This effervescent, hungry, strong, skillful Cork team come to Dublin
with all the impetus and do indeed hold a pretty neat hand at the
minute. They will no doubt win their fair share of possession and maybe
even shade the possession stakes around the middle sector of the field
for long periods. What they do with that possession is crucial. The
running channels that Cork found in the Tyrone defence will not remain
open as long or as often as they did that day so they will be hoping to
get ball through to their accurate front men O'Connor, O'Neill and
Goulding. With Fintan Gould, James Masters and Michael Cussens waiting
in the wings they can easily add class to that full-forward line. Of
course the runs of Kerrigan, O'Neill, Miskella and Canty are a vital
ingredient to their make-up, I believe it will be hard to sustain a
fruitful running game while maintaining a tight defence.

Just what Cork can achieve by their forceful, on-the-edge type of play
will greatly depend on Marty Duffy's leniency and openness. They do
have abundant talent but it is their hunger that could be the telling
factor. Buoyed by their victories over Tyrone and Kerry they will
certainly take to the field with a spring to their step and under the
shrew tutelage of Conor Counihan will present an awesome challenge to
the Kerry men.

With such credentials as this why is it that I fancy Kerry to emerge
from this with Sam Maguire reclaimed and safely heading for the Lakes
of Killarney?

Jack O'Connor and Kerry set out on a mission at the start of the year
to reclaim Sam. So far they have accomplished their mission, albeit
through a defeat and some scary moments, but they are here. Definitely,
they would have liked Tyrone's scalp along the way but their goal was
Sam - and he still awaits.

Form for Kerry is not something that a punter can read into too much.
Last year they looked unstoppable for a good part of the season but
came undone in the final.

This year they have much more experience and have added greater
dimension to their attacking strategies. No mention this year of 'the
Twin Towers' (though such a prospect still exists if deemed necessary
and if Kieran Donaghy is available). Declan and Darren O'Sullivan along
with the Colm Cooper are extremely talented forwards who can now look
to Kennelly, Galvin and O Se for vital supply.

The Kerry bench? Depending on who starts of course but you could have
Walsh, Donaghy, O'Mahony, Sheehan, Quirke, O'Sullivan, O'Shea,
O'Connor, Moran, etc

Like Kilkenny, Kerry don't do panic and if the game remains close I
expect their abundance of class to take them over the line by only one
or two scores.

In the minor final I expect a powerful Armagh team to bring the honours up North.
Their victory over Kerry was mainly due to a strong second-half
performance that saw their forwards adopt a more direct approach than
that of the first half. During the opening thirty minutes their
over-carrying of the ball and poor passing was frustrating to watch at
times especially when it was evident that they had the talented
personnel capable of going all the way.

Mayo are a very similar team to Armagh in that they have size and
strength throughout the field but I believe that having come through
the tougher route the Orchard County will be better prepared for the
final showdown