AI Quarter Finals 2012

OMAR wrote:Not the draw donegal wanted at this stage
But we have never played them so bring it on.
Hotel booked for saturday night -preferred option for a sat or sun game
Dubs will be happy.

Not so sure that this isn't a good draw for Donegal OMAR, the one thing about this tie is it should stop any complacency setting it, had they have got say Laois (no disrespect intended) the danger is the Donegal guys take their eyes of the ball and are already looking ahead to the semi-final. The ambush happens and suddenly your out.

This game will be exactly what McGuiness wanted I think, it will keep them focused on the job in hand.

Donegal game sunday at 4 after kildare v cork
Mayo at 5 on sat - dubs at 7

OMAR wrote:Donegal game sunday at 4 after kildare v cork
Mayo at 5 on sat - dubs at 7

that dublin time is a brutal time there will be a lot of drunken messing

banjo wrote:

OMAR wrote:Donegal game sunday at 4 after kildare v cork
Mayo at 5 on sat - dubs at 7

that dublin time is a brutal time there will be a lot of drunken messing

True but Dublin game is always second. Would be fairly messy having 40,000 dubs leaving whilst fans for second game are coming the other way.

Though they could have had dublin on sunday.

banjo wrote:

OMAR wrote:Donegal game sunday at 4 after kildare v cork
Mayo at 5 on sat - dubs at 7

that dublin time is a brutal time there will be a lot of drunken messing

As long as the players are sober banjo ....

Parouisa wrote:

banjo wrote:

OMAR wrote:Donegal game sunday at 4 after kildare v cork
Mayo at 5 on sat - dubs at 7

that dublin time is a brutal time there will be a lot of drunken messing

As long as the players are sober banjo ....

2 years ago this would have been a legitimate concern for Donegal

I've put up a tactical preview of Dublin and Laois here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

great weekend of football coming up

Down v Mayo: The weather forecast is bad. Mayo have improved immensely under Horan. They have a nice scatter of good(ish) forwards and 20 who are able to contribute overall. Down are limited and have done well to get this far.They have, as has been pointed out before, somewhat over-achieved given their resources.
Verdict: Mayo.

Dublin v Laois: Laois have gotten this far via a very handy route. A modicum of undesirable tactics has entered their style but that's to be understood. They have possibly 3/4 that would/might get their places on a top six team. Dublin are clawing their way there, unimpressive thus far but will have far too much for Laois in a match likely to boil over at some stage.
Verdict: Dublin.

Cork v Kildare: This will once and for all show us to what, if any level, Kildare have progressed. They are allegedly fighting fit, but need more than engines to overturn genuine contenders such as Cork. Their Achilles heel remains despite the introduction of Johnston.
Cork are a big, strong hard running team capable of mixing their game. They have a good workmanlike panel and could potentially knock it out of Kildare's heads this weekend.
Verdict: Cork.

Donegal v Kerry: Pick of the weekend. Kerry have 3 of the best forwards in the country and the ability to destroy teams at times. The return to fitness of Sheehan will help but he's not defensive enough to protect an ageing back-line that some day will get cleaned out.
Donegal look like a work in progress, well improved on last year. Their scoring ratio has improved, they are super fit and Croke Park will suit them for this one. The performance and approach of Karl Lacey will have a big bearing on the outcome.
Verdict: I'm giving nothing away yet. Check Tipster predictions.

Down again have had the luck of the draw by drawing the weakest provincial winners, They've beaten the might of Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tipp on their way to meet Mayo. If Derry had these line-ups then John Brennan wouldnt be solely concentrating on drawing home round bales this weather and would be thinking of an All Ireland Semi-final with Paddy Bradleys twitter account going into overdrive showering praise on his county board. Down actually could upset the odds and somehow, unbelievably find themselves playing Dublin but expect Mayo to progress and sustain their historic victorious record over Down in Croke Park. Mayo to progress comfortably and give Dublin some sort of opposition in the semi final.

Dublin will beat Laois I would imagine, I see O'Gara is in for McMenamin, As a neutral I like watching O' Gara's unorthodox style, but credit to him his shooting appears to have improved a bit. Laois have done quite well in the qualifiers especially seeing off Meath but its Dublin for me this time on their way towards another all ireland final it would seem.

Cork and Kildare is harder to call. The break may not have done much for Cork as they haven't had anything competitive since they played Kerry whilst Kildare have been playing games but not exactly setting the world alight. Seanie Johnston could have a say in this and will finally have his chance to prove himself in Croke park as he hasn't many receipts from previous appearances there. Cork to win though as they've way too much class in their inside forward line.

I have a tactical preview of Mayo vs Down up now [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Without being overly harsh here, I think it's fair to say that Down were abysmal. Outclassed all over the park, they were suffocated in a fairly straight-forward way in the middle third, where Mayo dominated in terms of primary and secondary possession.
Barry Moran plucked down 3/4 great catches early on, but Mayo's hunger for scrappy ball far out-weighed the Mournemen's committment.

Andy Moran was excellent at 14 and his injury looks serious. McCartan may be castigated for his failure to redress the situation, but truth be told, they just didn't have the men to do it. The 7 day turnaround is hardly an excuse, as Laois came prepared for battle afterwards.

This Down team are but shadows of their predecessors. Bereft of talismen like Linden or Blaney from the 90's, O'Hare or McAlarney from the late 60's or O'Neill and Doherty from their initial successful team...That said, Benny Coulter is a pick on any man's team.
The 3rd. Mayo goal was a fouled ball by the way (the ball was controlled in hand).



Dublin reach the S/F again, courtesy of a lucky goal, the ineptitude of the Laois forwards from play and good substitutions. McManamon had a huge impact in terms of his running game and Brennan brought some composure to their game. They're very beatable. They are playing like a team enshrouded in a blanket of fear, they are caught between their natural swagger and the modern possession module.

Laois were, as my father once described myself, game but limited. Eager and brave, they didn't lack for fitness but lacked the overall fundamental attribute of the game...skill. No score from play (I think) in the 2nd. half speaks volumes. I thought their No.6, John O'Loughlin was immense for them in terms of covering, dispossessing runners and driving on. They have lost nothing in defeat.

Poor enough fare all round, a 4/10 evening but tomorrow beckons.

There is something unsatisfactory about the goal in the second quarter-final. You can't fist a goal, but you can if it takes a deflection? Where do the rules stand if I deliberately aim a fisted shot at a goalie's legs and it goes on? Anyway, The sooner the fisted point is banned, the better the sport will be.

I also thought some of Gilroy's decisions were crazy - taking off Connolly? In my opinion, Connolly was too far from goal and the obvious switch was him and Bernard. Let Bernard get on the ball more without the pressure of him having to provide an end-product in the form of a score. Connolly was playing well but some of his team-mates weren't on the same wavelength.

At the very least now we can be guaranteed, Dublin will be honest with their effort and their tackling. That's three games they've won now thanks mainly to the hard graft of Cullen and Flynn, and some good fielding round the middle. Also a note about the catching - some spectacular fetches today. You could put together a very impressive montage of Laois and Dublin players making wonderful catches on today's game alone.

The result does Meath some small favours too. It shows we lost to a good Laois side. And if we'd been lucky enough to get Bernard of his off-days, who knows.

The other quarter-final was a shocking spectacle. Down let themselves and the County Down down, but also let the GAA public down. On a weekend that's supposed to bring the best team of Gaelic Footballers together, it was some let-down for the neutral viewer. It would be hard if you're say a Meath player watching that. Knowing you're better but just not as lucky (in terms of the draw). What was with the reluctance of some Down players to put in a tackle - not only that but they stood back. Some naive defending but also some cowardly tackling. McCartan has to go after that - two years in a row they've been allowed into Croke Park and to produce that kind of defending, not once, but twice is unforgivable.

Mayo aren't a bad side and will do test Dublin if the Dublin forwards continue to misfire. On the other hand if the Brogans, McMenamin and Connolly get it together, you could expect them to cause a Mayo defence growing confidence a lot of problems. Mayo's real problems are from 10 up. Especially with Moran looking as though he's out.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:. It would be hard if you're say a Meath player watching that. Knowing you're better but just not as lucky

Badly exposed...

I've put up analysis of Mayo's comfortable win over Down here for anyone interested
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Another bad day at the office - that's 3 in a row now. I worry where Giller's head is. We have no shape and without Alan B are rudderless. MDMcA is a fine player but is lost at the moment. I would have stuck him at MF for second half (take off Fennell) and introduced Barry Cahill on the half and left Connolly in the FF line with BB. I would have given EOG 10 minutes with this new format. Bastic is playing well and should not have been taken off. Mossy Quinn's only contribution was missing a free that BB would have nailed. Great to see Kilkenny on but why just now? I thought Rory O'Carroll was superb and the defence were particularly good in the last 20 - it seemed to me that they were experimenting for later games - bizarre if true. Cluxton was our second higest scorer I think .. v Laois! If we were playing anyone but Laois or Down we'd be gone. Very worrying times indeed. Mayo fans will have left licking their lips.

ps Cormac Reilly was appalling. Also he was going for a second yellow for Laois FB after about 20 mins but realised he was on a yellow already and chickened out. Give me Coldrick any day.

My take on Dublin's win over Laois is now up [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Cork rattled here.. Sat back a tiny bit after the second goal and Kildare upped the ante. Losing midfield badly and making lots of elementary mistakes.

C'mon to fook Cork.

Jonsmith wrote:Cork rattled here.. Sat back a tiny bit after the second goal and Kildare upped the ante. Losing midfield badly and making lots of elementary mistakes.

C'mon to fook Cork.

You were watching Cork V Kildare on your "newish" Saorview box....Gotten' doubtless "locally".....Sue them....

I have been so disappointed by Kildare since their Division 2 League Final win over Tyrone. What has gone wrong for them? Maybe the workload over the last few seasons finally took it's toll and when they needed to dig deep in the weeks leading up to the Meath game, and again today, they found they'd emptied thier reserves. I also would not underestimate the absense of Eammon Callaghan who in my opinion is the best player in the country. It's been a bad year for them and this afternoon's second half was very unlike what we've come to expect from Kildare in recent seasons.

Cork look good. I don't like giving them credit as I don't like them, and they don't have a lot ofwhat you might describe as flashiness or brillance. But they're good. They have a strong full-back line although the half-back line is there to be got at. Strong in midfield, Sheehan is class and is splitting too good workers in the half-forward line. O'Neill and O'Connor have it in them now and again but would expect both to crumble against Donegal.

Donegal are good. I expect they'll meet Dublin in the final in a repeat of the final 20 years ago. They are so organised and have such a work ethic.

Kerry are also good but met a hungrier side today.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:I have been so disappointed by Kildare since their Division 2 League Final win over Tyrone. What has gone wrong for them? Maybe the workload over the last few seasons finally took it's toll and when they needed to dig deep in the weeks leading up to the Meath game, and again today, they found they'd emptied thier reserves. I also would not underestimate the absense of Eammon Callaghan who in my opinion is the best player in the country. It's been a bad year for them and this afternoon's second half was very unlike what we've come to expect from Kildare in recent seasons.

Cork look good. I don't like giving them credit as I don't like them, and they don't have a lot ofwhat you might describe as flashiness or brillance. But they're good. They have a strong full-back line although the half-back line is there to be got at. Strong in midfield, Sheehan is class and is splitting too good workers in the half-forward line. O'Neill and O'Connor have it in them now and again but would expect both to crumble against Donegal.

Donegal are good. I expect they'll meet Dublin in the final in a repeat of the final 20 years ago. They are so organised and have such a work ethic.

Kerry are also good but met a hungrier side today.

A disturbing post. Loaded with self-opinated aspirations/delusions.....Calling RMD.....

Omar left ticket duties to a wing man who managed to garner a double brace courtesy of large firm in the beverage trade.
The facilities were shared with 2 dozen others including a strangely coiffeured Mayo man (micheal Jackson fan)and his not unattractive companion.
The couple decided to head for the N4 with 10 mins left on the clock hence miising the dramatic closing stages. I found it symbolic of his timng if all things GAA related this season.

OMAR wrote:Omar left ticket duties to a wing man who managed to garner a double brace courtesy of large firm in the beverage trade.
The facilities were shared with 2 dozen others including a strangely coiffeured Mayo man (micheal Jackson fan)and his not unattractive companion.
The couple decided to head for the N4 with 10 mins left on the clock hence miising the dramatic closing stages. I found it symbolic of his timng if all things GAA related this season.

Yes, the couple in question appeared on the tv screens at one stage - recent fiance, apparently.

He really is an idiot though yet, but for the statement released by his family, he might even have received a phone call from Horan this week, given Andy Moran's injury. But, instead of preparing for an AI Semi against the Dubs, he is checking the traffic reports on the N4.

Thomas Clarke wrote: he is checking the traffic reports on the N4.

Lads - its M4 .. we have motorways now ....

Parouisa wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote: he is checking the traffic reports on the N4.

Lads - its M4 .. we have motorways now ....

Like I would know - not a lot to take me to Mayo!