What a delight as a football supporter to see a game like today. Extra delight as a Dub that we have advanced to our second AI final in three years. Even more delight as today's game unlike our semifinal of two years ago could be classed as nothing more than an embarrassment to the game of Gaelic FOOTBALL. I hope the defensive team managers sit up (pretty much all the northern managers - step forward Messrs McGuinness and Harte)and watch and see that football played well can be really enjoyable.

Best of luck to both teams in three weeks time. Looking forward to another game of attacking football and may the best team win.

rareauldtimes (Dublin) - Posts: 23 - 01/09/2013 19:47:22    1472517

In fairness you play to win, if Donegal had played like that 2 years ago they'd have been hammered.

It was great to see and one of the great games of all time although I fully expect Mayo to best the Dubs in 3 weeks time and dont think the Dubs will be as attacking next year.

TheWestIsAwake (UK) - Posts: 529 - 01/09/2013 19:53:29    1472523

Yes, this is how football should be played. Forget about the art of defending, forget about man marking, let players waltz through your defence as long as you put up a bigger score the at other end. Lets make defending obsolete in Gaelic Football.

Sergeant_Slash (Cavan) - Posts: 2182 - 01/09/2013 19:58:14    1472527

First 20 minutes were good until Dublin started playing blanket defense, pity they didnt have confidence in their 15 vs 15.

They also played a sweeper against Cork with Brian Cullen, but SHHHHHH! dont tell anyone, they are the saviors of football!

Redfoot (Cork) - Posts: 388 - 01/09/2013 20:04:37    1472534

lots of plulling and dragging and off the ball stuff going on, cynical fouling, guys stamping on other guy's heads, guys getting slaps in the jaw etc etc. it was a good game but dont pretend for one minute that either team are not well-versed in the dark arts

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5522 - 01/09/2013 20:05:52    1472536

How many of the Dublin backs get yellow cards?

Should have 2 players sent off too.

TheWestIsAwake (UK) - Posts: 529 - 01/09/2013 20:08:33    1472539

Agreed. It was one of the first football matches in years I actually thoroughly enjoyed. Kerry's kick-passing in the 1st half especially was beautiful to watch.

Still, let's be honest - it was only a mere curtain-raiser to the big one next weekend :)

banner_boy (Clare) - Posts: 1285 - 01/09/2013 20:27:13    1472575

Did you watch the game two years ago ?
Did you watch the All Ireland final that year ?
Gilroy's Dublin played a more defensive system than Tyrone have ever played.

Also when Sean cavanagh pulled down a player it was left at that - Tyrone were not cynical enough to follow it up with a kick to the head.
Dublin managed to rule out the threat posed by Gooch for the rest of the game - same tactic they used against Lacey in the match to which you refer 2 years ago.

The match was enjoyable, what isn't is selective blind analysis.
Only thing worse than a bad loser is a bad winner.

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 01/09/2013 20:41:55    1472595

rareauldtimes
County: Dublin
Posts: 10

1472517


What a delight as a football supporter to see a game like today. Extra delight as a Dub that we have advanced to our second AI final in three years. Even more delight as today's game unlike our semifinal of two years ago could be classed as nothing more than an embarrassment to the game of Gaelic FOOTBALL. I hope the defensive team managers sit up (pretty much all the northern managers - step forward Messrs McGuinness and Harte)and watch and see that football played well can be really enjoyable.

What a crap post. What you seem to forget is that there were two teams involved in 2011. Dublin under Caffrey were one of the most defensive minded teams around.
Anyway you set your team out to suit your strengths. Dublin have a huge base to pick from & have brilliant forwards at the moment. As against that their full back line is poor so you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that all out attack is going to suit them.
Donegal in 2012 were much stronger in defence & were short of pace, so for them to try & play the way Dublin do would be suicide. The same applies to many teams, their squads are not huge so you design your stylwe of play around your strengths, basic common sense really.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 01/09/2013 20:46:14    1472598

Have to agree somewhat with ruanua. In 2011 Dublin conceded 0-6 v Donegal and 1-11 v Kerry.

Today they conceded the sane amount (3-11) in one game.

So it seems that the Dubs are nowhere near as defensive as they were in 2011.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6482 - 01/09/2013 20:49:55    1472604

Some of the posts flying around on here about the way your suppossed to play would make a man sick. Its the complete antithesis of what the GAA stands for. Freedom of though and expression. Let that be 100 men behind the ball or all out attack. Does everybody in dublin and kerry feel like are better people because they were involved in a good game, which it was? Should I hang my head in shame? Some people are so arrogant and self righteous. Shame on ye I say.

fire_in_belly (Donegal) - Posts: 59 - 01/09/2013 21:05:18    1472622

oh yes the way the game should be played...persistent cynical fouling from kerry...a blatant foot trip on cooper by the other cooper...followed by a stamp on the head from another dub...at one point a dublin player sitting on the back of a kerry player trying to take a quick free...at times kerry playing 13 men behind the ball...oh yes and add in rubbish marking from the dublin backs, and kerry players not being able to put a tackle in as dublin ran through them...oh yes the way the game should be played...nonsense

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 01/09/2013 21:09:05    1472627

I'm getting seriously tired of all the criticism of Tyrone on the Sunday game. In the minor game today where the players and families should be proud of reaching an AI final and sky+ the match to watch after they are having to hear whining and begrudgery about everything they achieve. Even the Kerry Dublin game the comments from the 'experts' everything is related to how Tyrone are doing everything wrong even when they not playing. If the level of continued criticism happened in the playground it would be called bullying.

maiden (Down) - Posts: 85 - 01/09/2013 21:24:16    1472641

There is no doubt it was a fantastic game of football but why do you need to use it as a tool to slag off other teams?

There isno doubt that there was a healthy number of cynical fouls today as well

omaghjoe (Tyrone) - Posts: 1191 - 01/09/2013 21:25:12    1472642

Two teams with much better forwards than they have backs who decided attack was the best form of defense, that's what today was. Teams play to their strengths. Keep it tight if you feel you can, shoot the lights out if that works better for you. But there's no management team out there from any county who cares if you're entertained. And there's no supporter who really cares as long as they win.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 01/09/2013 21:28:51    1472646

As good as today's game was it was not as good as the 2005 All-Ireland final when Tyrone beat Kerry. That was the best game of football I have ever seen.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6482 - 01/09/2013 21:31:22    1472651

Rua nua totally agree with your post and dublin should have been playing with 14 for most of the second half paddy mc brearty comes to mind

prideof85 (Monaghan) - Posts: 851 - 01/09/2013 21:34:31    1472654

Ah give over, it was a great game today, no need to gloat.

MichaelO (Tyrone) - Posts: 820 - 01/09/2013 21:36:10    1472656

Not trying to put any teams down here but todays game was at another level to anything that any team have shown thus far. Mayo aside, no other teams in gaelic football can offer anything near what Dublin and Kerry showed today. End to end non stop action and maybe I'm the only one to say but the amount of brilliant scores and kicked passes (yes that's right kicked passes, so rare to see it with some teams) by both Dublin and Kerry just blew any other game this year away from the spectacle that we had. Yes there was cynical fouls throughout the game and one could argue that RTE missed the chance to pick out a number of times Dublin and Kerry players got away with the same scrutiny Sean Cavanagh and others have had to endure from them. James O'Donoghue was just magnificent to watch even when some of the elder statesmen of his team with more experience went missing at critical times. Bernard Brogan reminded us why he is such a special talent. Gooch's play in the first half showed that he is still the best footballer of this generation.
Well done Dublin, hard luck Kerry, but thank you both for giving this old man a great game of football to watch.

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 01/09/2013 21:56:30    1472679

Redfoot
County: Cork
Posts: 378

1472534 First 20 minutes were good until Dublin started playing blanket defense, pity they didnt have confidence in their 15 vs 15.

They also played a sweeper against Cork with Brian Cullen, but SHHHHHH! dont tell anyone, they are the saviors of football
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brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 01/09/2013 21:58:04    1472680