Leinster Football Just Above Shambolic?

From TV3 online (link below)

TV3 Analyst Liam Hayes has hit out at the standard of football in the Leinster Senior Football Championship. Hayes, an All Ireland winner with Meath in 1987 and 1988, was speaking to Championship Throw-In ahead of his native county's game against Laois on Sunday.
Referring to the Royals win against Offaly in their Leinster Championship opener, Hayes said that their opposition were poor and that in general football in the province leaves a lot to be desired.

"The standard in Leinster football generally is, you know, not shambolic" Hayes told TV3's GAA magazine show, "but it's maybe a small level above shambolic."

Hayes went on to say that "most of the defences in Leinster are very, very poor. It gives good forwards every opportunity and Meath have the best forward line in Leinster".

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Well, is Leinster deserving of this critisim or are they just an easy target? Is Dublins failure after winning the Leinster Championship evidence enough that the Meath legend is correct, i mean they have lost at the Q/f so often now it's beyond unlucky!

Personally i think the standard of football in Ireland this year is terrible and Leinster are being unfairly pointed out, the Champinship is a shadow of its former self when we used to get some cracking games in all proviences, now provincial thrillers are few and far between, and this from a man who watches British club matches!!

Defend yourselves good folk of Leinster!!

Around this time the intrepid Galwegian will arise and pour petrol on this thread......
Coming from such a reliable source (would you ever doubt a Meath man) the situation must be more serious than we have been led to believe.....Grim tidings indeed Bald....

I think the standard of football has been poor - in all provinces - for the last two seasons at least. There have been great games and performances - but out of 58 games or thereabouts they have been few and far between. Thats the reality.

Mind you the Hayes teams of 87 and 88 weren't exactly total football exponents ....

Could Hayes be Mossy in disguise

mullins wrote:Could Hayes be Mossy in disguise

Not sure about the disguise bit .. they both seem like ugly b***ards ....

Liam Hayes saying what people who KNOW football have been saying for a while now.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I think the standard of football has been poor - in all provinces - for the last two seasons at least. There have been great games and performances - but out of 58 games or thereabouts they have been few and far between. Thats the reality.

Mind you the Hayes teams of 87 and 88 weren't exactly total football exponents ....

JC too easily influenced by commentators telling him how thing were better in the past. Break free of the shackles there lad.

RMDrive wrote:JC too easily influenced by commentators telling him how thing were better in the past. Break free of the shackles there lad.

Not at all - commentators and pundits do not form my opinions (mind you they form theirs from 'Bags apparently. I even think the whole Dublin-Kerry thing of the 70s is a bit over-rated. I have watched GAA since those 'halcyon' days and there have been peaks and troughs. But the last couple of years have been poor in the main and thats not saying there were other periods of poor quality. The reality is we are down to 3/4 good teams at the moment and unless that changes ....

And all the messing with rules does not help.

I dont agree. Football is as good as ever.The difference is the backdoor.The knockout system in the past created the impression that the games were better. Exciting maybe because,you lose and you are out. We denounced in the past 'hard men' getting away with dirty play and rules had to be changed to counteract it. Now I think they have too far with some of the rule changes.There have been as many great games in recent years as in the past but wearing rose tinted glasses about the past is fairly common, especially Mr. Hayes who's memory seems to be selective basis over the years.

Good thread.

Well done to Longford on beating Mayo, Offaly on beating Clare and Kildare on beating Antrim.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Good thread.

Well done to Longford on beating Mayo, Offaly on beating Clare and Kildare on beating Antrim.

Twas a draw.

Yep but they'll win the replay MMM!!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Yep but they'll win the replay MMM!!

In fortress Casement!? They'll be doing well!

Thought Kildare would win it tonight to be honest, home advantage and I thought the passing of Dermot Earley would have brought the team together a bit more and give them that bit extra to win the game. Whether this happened and Antrim were equal to them, or the Kildare lads heads weren't right, I don't know, I'll have to see the highlights and read the reports(have a notion it wasn't great). But Antrim will fancy their chances having brought the game having come from behind and bringing the game back home. Kildare still favourites though.

Saw on aertel that Kildare missed an open goal very late in injury time, MMM.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Saw on aertel that Kildare missed an open goal very late in injury time, MMM.

They'll live to regret that!