Wake me up when September ends

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

Kerry v Mayo

The first football semi-final takes place this weekend, with an ageing Kerry taking on the surprise team of the summer. Mayo look to have a well-balanced team, with veterans such as Alan Dillon and Peadar Gardiner lining out alongside young, fearless players such as Cillian O'Connor. Despite the various final batterings that the Kingdom have inflicted on Mayo over the last decade, the Connachtmen triumphed in their last semi-final clash in 1996, a year before the reverse verdict ended Kerry's trophy famine. It should prove an incredibly close encounter, but with the element of surprise gone from Mayo, Kerry's Croke Park experience should book their appearance in September 18th's All-Ireland Final.

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

So Kerry advance to the All-Ireland Final, but once again, they made heavy weather of their victory. The first half was particularly shocking, a 2/5 display, where 10 minutes of misplaced, hoofed long-balls was followed by another 10 whether they were swamped by the Mayo defence, before finally finding a rhythm in the second quarter to take an 0-8 0-6 lead. Though better in the second half, the defence was again permeable on occasions, with three Mayo goal oportunities spurned before O'Connor struck for Mayo, instantly answered by The Gooch. Galvin was impressive on his introduction, but such a display won't be tolerated against Donegal/Dublin, with that 70 minutes to determine the success or failure of the season.

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

Dublin v Donegal:

I'm torn as to who I want to win on Sunday - on the one hand, a Dublin win would guarantee a final of classic, free-flowing football, but on the other, Donegal would be marginally easier to defeat, and the rush on All-Ireland tickets would be far less intense. As to the game itself, Dublin can blow hot and cold, but the overall team quality should ultimately grind down the Ulstermen, who though not aestheticaly pleasing (in a footballing sense), are far less cynical than their Tyrone and Donegal predecessors.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

Pre-match nerves have kicked in. It's Dublin and it's a semi-final - our fifth in ten years - and it's the semis where we always fall. Of those four semi-final defeats, three were by just one point and one by two. I couldn't take a fifth successive defeat at this stage. If Dublin win tomorrow, then get battered by Kerry in the final, well I could live with that. But if we lose another semi it will be a sickener. Given that I'm still disgusted with the defeat to Mayo in 2006, I won't be getting over a defeat tomorrow for some time.

Anyway, typical nerves aside, I'm quite confident. How Dublin went about dismantling Tyrone was more impressive than anything I've seen from them over the last ten years, and there appears to be a mental toughness about this side that previous sides lacked when it came to the crunch. Tomorrow, of course, is the crunch, so we'll see. But if Dublin can kick from distance, it will render Donegal's ultra-defensive system useless and I've yet to see a Plan B from them if they need one. Kildare let Donegal back into their game on two occasions, but I can't see Dublin doing so if they open up a decent lead.

It's Dublin in a semi-final, and Dublin are, well, Dublin, but in spite of these traditional handicaps I'll go for them to make the great leap forward and reach their first final since 1995.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Wake me up when September ends

Great stuff! Horrible, horrible pig of a football match, but a very good resilient, battling performance to see off the face-clutching, four-sweepers-having Nordies. Dublin showed a hell of a lot of character out there, only ever taking the lead after they went a man down. Kerry are a far superior side to Donegal, but they're also a hellof a lot easier to play against...

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

If that's the future of Gaelic, then "include me out", but fair play to Dublin, they dug in and got the better of the blanket defence, certainly Kerry will be a lot happier with their final opponents. Bit worried about Brosnan, Young, O'Sullivan at the back, but the midfield has steadily improved all year, and the forwards (bar Donaghy and Walsh)have set a consistent standard, Galvin being the ace in the hole. Of course, if anyone has two tickets going spare, PM me at the usual address.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

Fuck me, that was an abomination of a game. Donegal have taken puke football to a whole new level. 13 men behind the ball, handpass after handpass, rugby-style passages of play where the ball is moved from one wing to another by way of sidewards or backwards passes. And that's before the cynical tactics of timewasting, standing over an opponent taking a free, refusing to release the ball when penalised. The last few actions, of course, could easily be stamped out if the refs had the balls to show cards for these things. Donegal aren't the first side to implement any of the above, but their whole game plan is based around it. Thank fuck they didn't win. If that kind of game can succeed, the sport is in trouble.

Delighted with the outcome, of course. Dublin tend not to win when winning ugly is the only way, and they'll get more from that victory than Kerry will from theirs over Mayo, so there's benefits to be gained from that horror show today. Crucially, Dublin kept their heads even though they were getting little joy, and couldn't get their own forwards into the game. The introduction of McManamon swung the game as he penetrated the Donegal defence that had been otherwise impregnable.

So Dublin's first final in 16 years. That's half a lifetime ago for me. And it's Dublin v Kerry - the last final pairing of those two was in 1985 which was the first final I attended. Now the scramble for tickets begins...

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

So the countdown to the All-Ireland Hurling Final begins - on Saturday, you'll get RTE's regional news correspondents seeing the two teams off on the train to Dublin, followed by Up For The Match that evening, a bizarre cross between Soccer AM and Last of the Summer Wine (if such a melange can be imagined). Come Sunday, the supporters will have staked out their usual Dublin watering holes (Kerry usually colonise the Gresham and Cafe Kylemore on football weekends), before the minor and senior doubleheader. Brian Cody launches his assembly-line of hurlers like Orcs from darkest Mordor, but they fail to inspire the awesome fear and dread of old, and between the two mahers, Corbett, Kelly and Cummins in his final game, I confidently predict that the Premier County will remain the home of hurling, and retain the Liam McCarthy Cup.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

I'm going for Tipperary to secure their first back-to-back All-Ireland's since the 1960's. Neither side has impressed en route to the final in the manner that both did in 2009 & '10. The last two finals were genuine 'classics', but I fear this one won't. It's the last hurrah for a number of this Kilkenny side - arguably the greatest of all time - but this much-touted 'hunger' won't alone win an All-Ireland. Tipp have a serious performance in them, one we've yet to see this year, and I reckon they're primed to deliver it tomorrow.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

10mins into the second half and it's looking good for the Cats. They lead by five, but it's not a fair reflection of the game so far, with Kilkenny dominant throughout. Tipp's younger legs will have to come good from here on, because at the moment there's no way through the brilliant Kilkenny defence.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Wake me up when September ends

Kilkenny were very good, and you could see that in the way that nothing fell tipp's way, which is the sign that they were first to every 50:50 ball.

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

You're very sanguine tonight, Colm, I'll probably be like a bear that's swallowed a wasp in a fortnight if Kerry are similarly given the runaround. Flawless performance from the Cats, controlled the play from start to finish, aided by a rock-solid defence (Tommy Walsh to get man-of-the-match?). Just as well Tipp got the goal to start the comeback, but you never got the sense that they'd force a replay, and in truth, it would have been ill-merited. Still, you're easily in the top two hurling sides, so a fourth final encounter looks probable in 12 months.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

I called Tommy Walsh as MOTM about 15mins in. His catching was superb and he cleaned up every scramble he was involved in. He did, however, smack the ref in the nose with his hurley, so I wonder was that held against him in the end?

An eigth winners medal for Henry Shefflin, so the obvious regal title will be used in tomorrows papers no doubt.

DR - Your boys are regulars in the final, reaching nine finals and winning six in the 16yrs since Dublin last played in September. It should be no big deal whether you win or lose. 1995 was half a lifetime ago for me, so I claim the right to express the emotional polars 'round here, if you don't mind.

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

Kerry v Dublin - All-Ireland Football Final:

So, All-Ireland weekend is finally upon us, and OA will be surprised to hear that Kerry people are just as insatiable for success tomorrow as their Dublin counterparts. Personally, I grew up during "the Famine Years" of '86-'97, when pre-All Ireland Gold and Reeling In The Years, the notion of an invincible Kerry team was laughable, given the annual pummellings received from Cork, so consequently you appreciate the success when it does arrive. Anyway, back to the game itself, and with both teams expected to break even in midfield, the game will be decided in the head-to-head matchups. Dublin have the stronger backline, but fall far short in the forwards, where only Bernard Brogan delivers consistently, and goalkeeper Cluxton is the third-highest scorer. The game appears set for Colm Cooper, the Lionel Messi of the GAA to unleash a five-star performance and with Paul Galvin to be sprung from the sidelines, I'll go for a narrow two-point Kerry win.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

Those wilderness years for Kerry were a real surprise, especially as the county was still producing successful sides at underage level. It was a pleasant change for the rest of the country though, as, together with the Northern Renaissance, the chances for success extended beyond the traditional counties.

So, after three weeks of endless phonecalls and text messages, and reacquainting with old friends that may deliver the goods, I finally end up with two tickets, also known as 'gold-dust', for tomorrow's final. They're for the Canal End which is not good, given that the only two times I've watched the Dubs from there, they've lost - the Leinster Final v Meath in 1996 and the Leinster Semi v Laois in 2003 when the stage for the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony was being erected on the Hill. My wife is six months pregnant so she'll appreciate not standing on the Hill with the capital's finest, I'm sure, but if Dublin were to win there would be a slight tinge of regret that I'm not on the Hill when we finally win an All-Ireland.

As for the game, I'm quietly confident. Or at least I will be, providing Kerry don't blitz Dublin and run into an eight point lead. Game over then. But if it's a tight game with only a couple of points in it entering the final quarter, then I fancy Dublin to keep their head and work their way through the remainder of the game, like they did when a man down to Kildare and in that slugfest against Donegal. Dublin will have to adopt some ugly Donegal-like defensive strategies to cope with Kerry's superior forwards, but the backs have been strong to date so it could work.

I won't go as far as tipping Dublin to win, but I fancy the underdogs to come very close. There, spoken like a true Kerryman.

[ursus arctos]

Wake me up when September ends

Well done to the Dubs.

What. a. match.

[Diable Rouge]

Wake me up when September ends

Hate to say it, but this is the last time this Kerry team will be in Croke Park on the third Sunday in September. The psychological and mental scars inflicted by Ulster sides have obviously not healed, throwing away a four-point lead when Kerry had one hand on the trophy, and after a fourth final defeat in a decade, many of the veterans will announce their retirement. With no new talent coming through the ranks, this is the beginning of another lengthy barren spell for The Kingdom, likely to last a full decade.

[anton pulisov]

Wake me up when September ends

Yes, they literally threw it away today.

But Dublin were under the kosh a long time and did well to keep it to four points and then nick their chances when they came their way, so fair dues. Nice that they can finally win it after 15 years of systematic home advantage.

What's the deal with injury time and GAA? You can spend the entire two minutes injury time preparing for a free kick and nothing will be added on?

Anyway, people in Cork like to see Pat Spillane made to look not so smug, so that's always nice.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Wake me up when September ends

Sixteen years. Jaysus.

The Jacks are back. Town is going to be carnage tonight...

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

"Football? Bloody hell!", as somebody once said after winning the holy grail at the death when the side looked dead & buried.

Where to begin? Well, with the fact that I was crying for about ten minutes after the final whistle. It just happened. I was thinking of my Dad, in another part of the ground, probably in tears thinking of his late sister who would have been with us today. Occasions like today really do bring out some very deep emotions.

But the joy. Such unbelievable joy. Sixteen fucking years. In the years since our last win we've endured the following - last minute penalty miss against Meath to force a draw in 1997; conceding two goals in 90 seconds to Kildare in the Leinster Final Replay of 2000; Maurice Fitzgerald's 'superkick' in Thurles in 2001, Ray Cosgrove hitting the post with the last kick of the game to force a replay with Armagh in the Semi-Final of 2002; blowing a 7pt lead to Mayo in 2006; five Semi-Final defeats (4 by a one point margin) and a number of horrible hammerings. That's what makes today special.

I'll give my opinions on the game later.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

Diable Rouge wrote:

Hate to say it, but this is the last time this Kerry team will be in Croke Park on the third Sunday in September. The psychological and mental scars inflicted by Ulster sides have obviously not healed, throwing away a four-point lead when Kerry had one hand on the trophy, and after a fourth final defeat in a decade, many of the veterans will announce their retirement. With no new talent coming through the ranks, this is the beginning of another lengthy barren spell for The Kingdom, likely to last a full decade.

Absolutely not going to happen. Kerry will be 'there or thereabouts' next year, the year after, and the year after that. They just will. Unlike Tyrone, their ageing side has already been infused with a number of talented youngsters, they have a run to the final already under their belt, and will be well-placed next year. People wrote Kilkenny's obituary last September for similar reasons, and we saw what followed. We'll resurrect this thread next August, but I bet I'm telling you "told you so".

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

Bryaniesta wrote:
[quote]
What's the deal with injury time and GAA? You can spend the entire two minutes injury time preparing for a free kick and nothing will be added on?
quote]

Been saying it for years, timing needs to be taken out of the hands of the referee. I've come to that conclusion because of the persistent failure of referees to account for lost time. I'm not talking small stoppages, where the ref might not be bothered to deem 20 or 30 seconds for a fella hitting the deck.I've seen games where the time lost on just one injury was greater than the time added at the end. In the Leinster Quarter Final between Dublin & Meath in 2009, Mark Davoren was stretchered off in a stoppage that took four minutes alone. The added time at the end of that game was one minute. In this year's Leinster Semi between Dublin & Kildare, Ollie Lyons dislocated his shoulder early in the second half, taking three minutes stoppage in the process. Added time - 2mins.

Today reminded me of that Mayo v Dublin All-Ireland Semi of 2006. That day, the second half was littered with stoppages, plenty of which involved the referee searching for players to reprimand for off-the-ball incidents, yet the added time was a discraceful one minute. Today's two-minutes of additional time was equally unfair.

[Outside Agent]

Wake me up when September ends

So, where it was won and lost. In short, Kerry blew it. At four points ahead with seven minutes to go, there was only one outcome. There was no Dublin resurgence because Kerry were getting stronger as the game progressed. They had snuffed out the Dublin gameplan, nullifying the distribution from Cluxton, forcing Dublin into overplaying the ball in the centre of the park, and enticing Dublin into some desperate fouling. Even if Dublin had one more wind in them, there was no way Dublin were going to kick their way back into the game. We were in 'only a goal can save us' territory. And yet we got there. Kerry in possession, a handpass goes straight to MacAuley who is fouled. From the free, Dublin work it upfield, culminating in MacManamon's goal. That sloppy pass was where it was lost by Kerry.

Fair play to Dublin for upping their game after the goal. The defensive line returned to it's previous disciplined shape, with the desperate fouls (O'Sullivan & MacAuley introducing rugby-style pulls and soccer-style sliding tackles to a disturbing and costly level) stopped, allowing crucial turnover, which inevitably led to the winning scores.

The point that brought Dublin level was proper fairytale stuff. Kevin Nolan is in his fourth year of Championship football. He's never scored, but then, he never shoots. And there's a reason for that. So in the 68th minute of an All-Ireland Final, with the team trailing by a point, he finds himself in posession 40yards from goal and decides to shoot. He should never shoot again, because he'll never kick one like that again.

I have to add that Dublin were the recipients of a number of very soft frees (not the winner though) whilst there were a couple of occasions late on when Kerry's forwards were being fouled but nothing was awarded. Also, Ger Brennan should have been sent off when he met an onrushing opponent with an elbow. It has to be acknowledged that these things do add up, and when a side prevails by a point, then it has to have mattered a great deal.

So, I cried at the end. And according to the numerous text messages I've received, I wasn't the only one.

[anton pulisov]

Wake me up when September ends

Yeah that was a certain red card.

Donaghy's point to level it at the end was unreal. The GAA must have heard the cash registers ringing there for a while.