Hill16 would you not agree that Dublin contributed to their own downfall in the semi-final. Had Dublin played the Kerry or Donegal of today, I assume the same thing would have happened, loads of space at the back and unable to break down an organised defense at the other end. Dublin need to take a more tactical approach in the future. That doesn't mean parking the bus but they can't continue to ignore the defensive aspect of the game either.

Former_Poster (Meath) - Posts: 394 - 21/09/2014 20:07:33    1654773

So Kerry copied the Donegal template to beat Donegal.

And Donegal beat Dublin well in the semi final.

But the same Dublin team would have beaten a carbon copy of that Donegal team that beat Dublin well by 10 points?

Can't beat the old metropolitan mathematics !

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7360 - 21/09/2014 20:14:42    1654784

Maybe call it evens for the 2011 final when Kerry were clearly the better team! haha...

Seriously though each match has a different context. You don't need to be the best team in the country every time you play just score more than your opponents. Kerry are the only team to have done that. That's knockout competition.

If you want a competition where the prize goes to whoever reached the best performance level over the year I'd recommend the oscars.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 21/09/2014 20:20:07    1654796

It is not just whether one team is better than another ability wise, it is in the head as well.

Taking that into account Donegal deserved their final place, ahead of Dublin.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2897 - 21/09/2014 20:26:35    1654806

clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 5384


i think mayo will feel like they let sam slip through there grasp again

D5dub (Dublin) - Posts: 283 - 21/09/2014 20:27:44    1654809

If things were different and our goals went in against Donegal and we won well, whos to say Kerry couldnt of done to us what Donegal done in semi. We would of went in with even bigger hype than the semi , So anyone proclaiming we would of done this and that in a final is pure speculation.
The bottom line is we lost in semi , tactically we got it wrong and Donegal seized the moment. Its how ye bounce back that matters. Same now for Donegal and Mayo. For Donegal i think they played their final against us.
Im happier now because our lads will relish a shot at Donegal and Kerry next year and i see nothing to fear . So as a Dub im not sick , we had our chance and didnt take it end of story ,no point trying to rewrite history .

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 21/09/2014 20:29:54    1654815

I felt low after the game today but watching Dubs & Mayo men on here consoling each other is cheering me up to no end.

Dublin will win nothing without a defence of some description but the trade of for that is that you lose some attacking power. As for Mayo, until you get a manager who can put some ruthless backbone into you the the role of bridesmaid will forever be your lot.

I'd say that will be that for this Donegal team but Kerry have Gooch to come back not to mention some tasty emigres coming home. Dublin & Mayo can throw as many shapes as they want but it isn't going to get any easier for either of them.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 21/09/2014 20:30:12    1654817

Well Dublin are the 4th best team in Ireland this year. No need to be so sick.

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 21/09/2014 20:31:12    1654820

Come on it's an average Kerry team Mayo should have beaten them only for a shocking ref and all there best players injured on the sideline in the second half and extra time. Fair play to Kerry there the kings no doubt but that's an average team

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 21/09/2014 20:33:28    1654828

Bad post clondakin ,no Devine right to win.Kerry showed the way better team today glad the myth about any teams greatness kept in check.

bistokid69 (Dublin) - Posts: 20 - 21/09/2014 20:40:38    1654839

How about a proper league. Everyone knows Dublin are the best team in the country but they were caught on the day. Donegal deserved it but Dublin just didn't show up. Every team can have a bad day. Dublin would have beaten Kerry today but that is cup knock-out. Determining the "best" team in Ireland by a cup knock-out system is outdated.

If there was a real league not the "we are using it as a preparation for the championship" league we have at the moment, that would be the proper measure of teams.

county man (Limerick) - Posts: 1102 - 21/09/2014 20:45:07    1654848

I think Kerry done what they had to to win ,Dublin proved you cant win anymore playing good attacking football ,Donegal finished that in 2012,were all at it now, im glad Kerry won ,but look at the state of football we get treated to in a final its brutal to look at ,i never watched much hurling ,but at the minute its way more easier on the eye ,looking forward to the replay !

bisto kid (Cavan) - Posts: 492 - 21/09/2014 20:49:14    1654855

Average Kerry team who are better than the average Donegal, Dublin and Mayo teams of 2014. Should've, would've, could've are the words of losers. I know only too well.

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 21/09/2014 21:03:26    1654871

Poorly said clondalkin, but I know where you're coming from :D

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8596 - 21/09/2014 21:10:30    1654884

Former_Poster

to be honest i dont believe it would have been same thing.
tactics werent even been mentioned when dublin when flynn and connolly were running a muck in the opening 25 minutes.
too many dublin players didnt perform to what they had done all year.
that for me was the real dissapointment that day, that unfortunatly they all choose the same day to have a bad day at the office.
not to take from donegals performance that day but dublin didnt perform like they had done all year.
they still could have won the match before half time had they have taken either gilt edge goal chance that opened up for them
but donegal took theirs and won.
still remains the only game this year that doengal played to that level
where as it still remains the only game since he league semi final that dublin played as bad.
kerry wouldnt have set up that way if they were playing dublin today you can be sure of that.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 21/09/2014 21:16:04    1654889

also this nonsense of kerry did what you have to do win and dublin wont win anything playing attacking football
did 2013 not count or something haha
we won all compeitions last year playing that way!!!
and won two f the same 3 compeitions this year playing that way!
we had won bad performance in the two years and now the only way to win anything in peoples minds is to be negative.
dublin could have played donegal a week later and beat them by the same scoreline they beat monaghan by
just happened on the day donegal put in their best performance since 2012 and dublin put in their worst since 2012.
it be very foolish to judge a player on one bad performance in 2 years
so surely it must be the same when looking at a team

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 21/09/2014 21:22:04    1654896

We didn't beat Donegal in the semifinal. Everything after that is academic. We were five points up and we let Donegal back into the game. Kerry out donegalled Donegal. Dublin have a lot to do in defense if they are to challenge next year. However I've enjoyed watching Dublin this year. Thats sport, the favorites don't always win. Well done to Kerry on the win. Anything else is sour grapes.

spmccann (Dublin) - Posts: 209 - 21/09/2014 21:22:24    1654897

I would prefer to watch Dublin playing football anyday than watching Kerry. I thing Kerry were very boring to watch today.

border Gael (Monaghan) - Posts: 894 - 21/09/2014 21:32:36    1654910

Some Dublin fans are unhappy imagine the Mayo fans, rightly or wrongly we now believe that we have lost 3 AllIrelands in a row, in 2012 it was the 2 early goals that made the difference, in 2013 too much time wasted taking the last free O'Connor should have taken the free quickly and hoped to win the next kickout, in 2014 should have won the drawn game but a GAA consporicy for the replay bad ref, almost home advantage cost us the semi. Game should have been in a neutral Provience O'Moore Park Portlaoise holds 27000. Anyway here's to next year and more heartache for every team bar 1 (the 2015 champs)

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 21/09/2014 21:59:07    1654938

A classic post of could have, would have, should have. Total waste of time.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 22/09/2014 08:43:16    1654954