Seadog54
On the day , at the end of the game the result will tell who is ahead of who We are only speculating at present
Donegal should have stayed at home last year if we had listened to most on here about Dublin's dominance and about how far ahead they were of everybody else
Mayo's win over Sligo does not mean they should be leapfrogging teams as the same with Donegals defeat on Sunday does not mean they should be sent back in the pecking order
Dublin . Kerry , cork .,Mayo ,Donegal , Monaghan and Tyrone are well capable of beating one another as to me there is not a lot between them
I left the other teams out as I doubt any of them are capable of challenging for Sam this year

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 22/07/2015 21:48:55    1757803

Mayo must be dark horses. They really crept in under the radar with 6 goals in the Connacht Final. Just about got them over the line versus Sligo. Ssshhh, don't tell anyone

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 23/07/2015 08:30:15    1757811

In a nutshell...I have become to hate the word "marquee". We are not dark horses, we have a very good team. We have flaws like every team. We can beat any team left but they can also beat us. I accept the whole country will question us and doubts will remain until we actually win an All Ireland. Sligo performance should be forgotten. It's all about the next game only for now.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11232 - 23/07/2015 08:56:39    1757815

Dark horses would refer to an unexpected victory. Should Mayo win the All Ireland this year deservedly and belatedly, you cant say they were dark horses as they are part of a big 4 (with Donegal, Dublin and Kerry) that have dominated all Gaelic football competitions since 2011, and account for 14 of the last 16 All Ireland semi finalists (Cork in 2012 and Tyrone 2013 are the exceptions). None of these teams can be dark horses, along with Cork who are consistently competitive.

The dark hoses teams this year for me are Tyrone and Galway. If they were to win the All Ireland this year, it would be the shock of shocks, a complete surprise.

galwaydublin (Galway) - Posts: 226 - 23/07/2015 10:33:15    1757856

I always wondered how Jonah Lomu would fare at football.

bryanadams (Kildare) - Posts: 733 - 23/07/2015 17:10:20    1758136

When I say this I don't mean any malice towards Mayo at all. I'm very fond of the county. But no matter how good they are they will never win an all Ireland. I've watched them loose 7 finals now. That current side lost in 2013 despite the Dubs playing terribly. that final was there for the taking and they didn't have the composure. I hope my words are shoved back in my face in late September but I can't see it happening.

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1171 - 23/07/2015 17:57:07    1758151

Mayo are strong up front, with 5 of the 6 positions nailed. Diarmuid O'Connor is the most improved player this year, with Doc & Kevin Mc both playing well.

Midfield, we have strength in depth, with good options on the line.

Defensively - don't look so strong, but we'll be setup differently against other opposition.

I would say, currently should be 3rd favourites after Dublin and Kerry, and marginally ahead of Donegal.

BlastCalyle (Mayo) - Posts: 206 - 23/07/2015 21:15:28    1758223

According to Kenny Archer in the Irish News today ;;;; these are his rankings
Dublin
Kerry
Monaghan
Donegal
Mayo

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 23/07/2015 21:53:29    1758241

'I would say, currently should be 3rd favourites after Dublin and Kerry, and marginally ahead of Donegal'
Very hard to argue with that. And they are that in the betting too.

I don't understand this fashion for knocking Mayo. After the 2013 All Ireland we were told they had no top quality forwards, they were bottlers, their management were clueless tactically, they were too cocky & believed the hype (I'm sure I've left out a few of the things they were accused of too)...given all that was wrong with them, Dublin must have been the worst All Ireland winners ever to only beat them by a point !

So they're dependant on O'Connor & O'Shea as their two best forwards ? Wow. Cos I mean Donegal would be unstoppable if Murphy/McBrearty didn't play well ? Or Dublin without Brogan/Connolly ??

After Kildare go out this weekend, Donegal will be the only county left I've family connections with. But I'll be honest, seeing Mayo win it I'd enjoy most. Good luck to them.

KildareKelly (Kildare) - Posts: 593 - 23/07/2015 21:55:00    1758242

Daith
County: Kildare
Posts: 963

1758151
When I say this I don't mean any malice towards Mayo at all. I'm very fond of the county. But no matter how good they are they will never win an all Ireland. I've watched them loose 7 finals now. That current side lost in 2013 despite the Dubs playing terribly. that final was there for the taking and they didn't have the composure. I hope my words are shoved back in my face in late September but I can't see it happening.

If everyone went out with that attitude, then no small county would make a breakthrough, ditto for teams with tradition but no recent success. Galway wouldn't have won All-Irelands in '98 or '01, Tyrone and Armagh would have fallen short, same for Dublin in 2011, or Donegal in 2012. The past only inhibits you if you let it do so.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 24/07/2015 09:01:38    1758254

Kildare Kelly, as in life, online there are a lot of people who like an easy target. Mayo fit this bill because we have lost a lot of finals, and because our supporters tend to be either up or down, to put it mildly. Ask any of the haters to repeat their comments about bottling, choking etc. beside a Mayo senior footballer, and chances are only dogs will hear them. But things will always remain the same until Mayo win Sam.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 24/07/2015 09:06:04    1758256

aith
County: Kildare
Posts: 963

1758151
When I say this I don't mean any malice towards Mayo at all. I'm very fond of the county. But no matter how good they are they will never win an all Ireland.

Are you sure about this comment?
Mayo have lost finals for various reasons:
89 - Beaten by excellent Cork team.
96 - lack of experience and not closing the game out
97 - Maurice Fitz
2004 & 2006 - Not good enough. Terrible defensive performances. Bottled it.
2012 - Early goals. Poor Mgt Decisions.
2013 - Lack of confidence. Beaten by good Dublin Team. Poor Mgt Decisions.

All these games were lost on their own merits, not because of previous performances or because of the fact that we are Mayo.
We will an All Ireland soon.
When we're good enough

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 24/07/2015 09:53:17    1758277

I have accepted that we are and will continue to be a source of fun for many and the sneering and jibing will continue until we finally land Sam. But by God we will win it someday, if that's this year, 10 years or another bloody 64 years from now. I just hope I am around to see it.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11232 - 24/07/2015 09:57:22    1758281

Yew tree even when you win it you'll come up against a different set of sneers. It's the begrudging way of the Irish.

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 24/07/2015 10:14:04    1758291

This Mayo side are a serious team and were very unlucky not to make a final last year. There are among the top 4 contender for the last 4 years and will likely be for the next 3. Their fans suffer a lot on AI final day but they have great days en route and many counties would love a run like theirs. Wouldn't be a surprise to see them winning this year. There are reasons they lost finals but this mental block nonsense is just boring. I don't see any lack of belief in this mayo side, if they don't win it will probably be because the team that beats them performs better on the day.

switec (Kildare) - Posts: 525 - 24/07/2015 10:18:44    1758293

Jackeen - I know well but it's easier to look the other way and have a laugh when Sam is spending the winter in your county.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11232 - 24/07/2015 10:20:49    1758295

Well this is very true yew tree. 2011 in particular was great craic on HS for us Dubs :) you might feel the same this year!

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 24/07/2015 14:31:00    1758443

Would Seamie O'Se be any use at full back?
Mayo seem to be well stocked at midfield but maybe lacking a bit of power and strength at full back.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9141 - 24/07/2015 16:55:41    1758522

No way are Mayo 'dark Horses" they are contenders.Dark Horses are outsiders who have a chance like Cork, Tyrone etc etc, Mayo are 3rd favourites in my opinion after Dublin & Kerry.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 25/07/2015 10:33:26    1758657

I have been to all the Mayo finals since 89 apart from 04 and 12 and the only one I traveled with confidence to was the 97 final with Kerry. I was planning the homecoming on the way up but I should have known better when Kerry were involved. I could never fathom why Kenneth Mortimer wasn't put on Maurice Fitz after five minutes as he was a far tighter marker than Pat Holmes. It has been very difficult to win an All Ireland the last few years because there are two or three very good teams in Dublin, Kerry and Donegal involved each year. For Mayo to win an All Ireland they will need Dublin and Kerry to be rebuilding and no Tyrone or Meath waiting in the long grass. I certainly would have no problem with winning a "handy" final and I don't much care if we play 15 men behind the ball and win by 4 points to 3 with big Aido throwing the ball over the bar in the last minute for the winning score. I know that it won't keep the cows milked, the kids fed or the turf saved but it would still be a weight lifted off the shoulders. The only downside is what will we have to talk about as from January on all you hear is "how do you think we'll do this year"?

Llaw_Gyffes (Mayo) - Posts: 1113 - 25/07/2015 13:33:38    1758720