WELL DONE DOWN very Unlucky Kildare on another day those uprights and goal posts might have went the other other way, Johnny Doyle you give it your all no shame in being in tears at the end of what was a very exciting game . Now Down you do the right thing and bring SAM along with Tyrone Minors TOM back to Nordie land

williewentwell (Tyrone) - Posts: 1712 - 29/08/2010 19:35:29    759424

refs and umpires in the gaa need to get their act together teams train very hard and then to see a disgraceful decision which cost them the game given clearly Coulter was in the square waiting for the ball disgraceful decision.

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 29/08/2010 19:35:45    759425

Just home from Croker and trying hard to find some perspective. First off, Congratulations to Down: had the majority of the ball, worked hard for it and if you were trying to guess which team had been in the last eight for the last three years you wouldn't of thought it was Kildare as Down's use of that ball, decision making and execution was fantastic. Apart from that I'm just going to make a few points because I can't be bothered stringing together a coherent paragraph:

- Kildare's half-back line was cleaned out and McGeeney who is usually so quick to make changes when required was a little slow today
- Earley was desperately missed at midfield and wouldn't have been bullied today in the way the lads who played today were
- The Pat Mac rulebook should be explained to both sides beforehand because whatever that was today it wasn't voted in at congress
- The umpires took 1-1 off us in the first-half but this should not be used as an excuse. In the drawn game against Antrim we were awarded a point which looked wide from where I was standing so maybe the current incompetence of umpires balances up across a season but obviously it still feels harsh today
- Maybe Earley might be a bit restricted by injury moving forward but Johnny Doyle should stick at it. He's got the lot as far as skills though and still has the pace to take on any corner back I've seen

Perspective wise if you said to me when I was in the car home from Navan after losing to Louth that we would be denied by a kick of the ball in the last minute of an All-Ireland semi-final I would of taken it but right now it feels like we've just blown a great opportunity. The only bright side is that from tomorrow morning I'm off on holidays to Prague for the week so I won't have to talk about GAA for a while.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 29/08/2010 20:13:49    759465

Well Done DOWN!! WOOOO!

Orlaith (Derry) - Posts: 4282 - 29/08/2010 20:52:41    759520

Congrats to Down
Delighted for them and Benny getting to the All ireland final
one of Ulsters best over the last decade

dubshurling7 (Dublin) - Posts: 1017 - 29/08/2010 20:55:19    759526

congrats lads played well today an hardluck kildare. must say yees are a good bunch of supporters sang your hearts out up on the hill even after the whistle an outside yees are a credit till your county !!

dj27legend (Down) - Posts: 641 - 29/08/2010 21:03:27    759541

I am scared of Cork after Downs performance today. Will Cork loose a third final in a row? Thats quite possible.

Rebeldude (Cork) - Posts: 5 - 29/08/2010 21:05:34    759545

Great to see a team full of talented footballers beat a team with just guts and determination. Nice to see skill win. Over the past few years it has been the teams with the greatest physicality and fitness who have won these games. Cork v Kildare would have been an AI final with no standout skillful footballers. Hard luck to Kildare, but a county who cant find a single forward to kick a free left-footed from in front of the goal doesnt deserve to be in the final. Rather than blaming the ref Kildare could look to the free Cavanagh missed in the first half and the point O'Flaherty missed from the 14 in the second as the key moments. Any one of the Down forwards would have slotted those chances.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2581 - 29/08/2010 21:52:03    759614

Congrats to Down. Hope ye finish the job now.
Contrary to what Ulsterman might think alot of Kerry people would rather an Ulster team win Sam than Cork and that includes those nasty lads from Tyrone ;-)

Superglue (Kerry) - Posts: 1283 - 30/08/2010 08:57:18    759663

Congratulations on your win lads, I was devastated at the final whistle but stayed on to applaude the lily whites off the field, Down played to the best of their ability and beyond to win the game,, best of luck in the final.

bryanadams (Kildare) - Posts: 733 - 30/08/2010 09:11:31    759667

Well done Down, hard luck Kildare! Some questionable decisions throughout the match, but it was an exciting and entertaining matcha and Down ran out deserving winners.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12409 - 30/08/2010 09:54:25    759695

Fair play to Down. Kicked wonderful points and played the best football over 70 minutes. Full credit to the Down supporters who stayed on to clap the Kildare team off the pitch. I'll cheer Down on for the final. This probably won't be the last time these two play at the business end of the championship.

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1172 - 30/08/2010 09:57:12    759700

I honestly thought Kildare would win, but Down were superb. Hard working, great scores from play, brilliant to watch. It will be a great final.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 30/08/2010 11:09:29    759805

Looking forward to meeting ya

Cork vs Down (cant wait!)

jambread (Cork) - Posts: 307 - 30/08/2010 11:25:29    759833

all this talk about bad decisions and downs goal shudn have counted is utter crap, im not sayin that the goal shud ave counted but there was also kildares goal in which doyle took 9 steps the bbc championshitp team counted. poor decisions on both sides but im glad down won , buh very saddend for kildare they are a team that deserved to play in a final this year. hard luck lads and thanks for a brilliant day out!

AN DUN ABU

r123 (Down) - Posts: 35 - 30/08/2010 11:34:52    759850

Yea Thurlesblues I agree. Its very very infuriating. Lets hope Tipp get a 10 or 12 point lead against that shower next Sunday!!! We know they are the best hurling team of all times, they have well made that statement but for neutrals we are sick of them. Up Tipp,. the game of hurling (let alone your county) need ye to win....Heres hopin.....ye've nothing to fear, lads....

Mollymalone (Dublin) - Posts: 1137 - 30/08/2010 11:36:26    759858

Well done to Down. Took some wonderful scores at key stages in the game..Coulter and Clarke were top class. There was some very hard decisions against us but the one i am struggling with the most is Alan's Smith perfectly good point which everyone saw go over bar the umpires who waved it wide. That sickened me the most. How can you get that call wrong......its unforgiveable. People are talking about the square ball which was also a bad call but the point waved wide was ridiculous. Imagine we had lost that game by a single point. Something has to be done by the GAA about this and it's just going to get worse. Anyway, well done Down and desperate hard luck to our lads.

Kildare30 (Kildare) - Posts: 603 - 30/08/2010 11:42:38    759875

Well done down.. played better football kildare never got out of 3rd gear i think if the goal hadn't gone in we would of had a different outcome of the match even if the same decisions went against us i still think we would of won if the goal didn't count.. you's got that bit of luck that wins all-irelands.. best of luck against cork!!!

toprow2010 (Kildare) - Posts: 214 - 30/08/2010 11:43:21    759878

Ye fair play down.... good supporters, good team. Now i just hope to god ya's beat cork!!! Have fun scrambling for them tickets!!!

mozsyh (Kildare) - Posts: 172 - 30/08/2010 12:36:18    759980

r123
County: Down
Posts: 24

759850 all this talk about bad decisions and downs goal shudn have counted is utter crap, im not sayin that the goal shud ave counted but there was also kildares goal in which doyle took 9 steps the bbc championshitp team counted. poor decisions on both sides but im glad down won , buh very saddend for kildare they are a team that deserved to play in a final this year. hard luck lads and thanks for a brilliant day out!

AN DUN ABU

Have a look at the rule book r123, Callaghan (not Doyle) could take an extra 5 staps as the ref clearly signalled advantage was being played which meant the first 5 steps were discounted and he could take another 5 before playing the ball. Maybe some of your BBC buddies should have also checked the rule book... Kildare were hard done by, 3 awful decisions (square ball, point and penalty at the end) made a mockery of any result that game produced. Yes we got some "soft" frees but so did Down.

SallinsMan (Kildare) - Posts: 77 - 30/08/2010 13:13:39    760062