Dalys not playing
Thatās not the team thatās starting for Galwayā¦ o Donnell isnāt starting and army is ff
Thatās an improvement. Iād have thougth Bradshaw has no real purpose in Croke Park against Dublin either with Heaney or Daly instead of him, maybe even Molloy if he is still there.
Duggan is in for Cooke too
Please tell me Patrick Sweeney isnāt startingā¦
Army for Sweeney I think.walssh too 11
Itās a combination of a few things.
i) Mayo are not there. They have been the main football story of the decade and it feels like thereās a major void there without them.
ii) The general public has a feeling of inevitability that Dublin will walk the All-Ireland.
iii) The constant air of negativity surrounding the game of Gaelic football in the media.
iv) The Galway publicās attention is more focussed on hurling at the moment.
v) The two semi-finals being played on the same weekend takes away from the build up to both. The Saturday 5pm game is seen as the less important slot.
vi) The championship finishing earlier than usual sort of takes away from it a bit. People like routine and they like All-Ireland semi-finals and finals to take place on their normal dates. Everything feels a bit rushed this year and it feels like the whole thing has been sort of downgraded.
vii) Big GAA matches traditionally have the feel of prize fights which means by definition they are a rare thing. After the provincial championship round robins finished in June there was at least a bit of a gap to the later games. The football has had round robin games in three of the last four weeks and a lot of followers are a bit punch drunk from it all.
The atmosphere around the football championship this year is what it must have been like in 1980 or 1981. Only in Monaghan is there any real excitement but very few either in Monaghan or outside it believe that they have any chance of beating Dublin in a final. But just to get there would be a huge thing for them. It would be a bit like Armagh in 1977 or Tyrone in 1986 should they get there. Theyād be going up to make sure they enjoy the day out, not expecting to win.
All of mayo roaring for dublin supposedly.
Of course they are. Theyād hate to see us do it. Canāt say i blame them tbh. Theyāve nothing to worry about today though.
100% agreed
a few things
- monaghan tyrone is an impossible sell to anyone outside those counties- People will turn on the EPL tomorrow over that
- dublin galway is a disaster of a pairing also with galway perceived to be one of the worst teams to make it thru since maybe fermanagh in 04 or wexford was it in 08 as unremarkable a pairing since mayo tyrone in 2013
- the rushed nature of the thing also, the GAA is part of the routine of irish life- weāre still only in AISHC semi final mode really - all your memories as a kid if ure into GAA are formed around these weekends in august before back to school with the hurling final, its as if they are trying to rush the thing to get it done so joe public can just get on with the EPL that is been forced upon the population like a cheap porno by sky sports- the EPL starts after the october bank holiday for me anyway
sentimental and twee - absolutely - but thatās what makes the gah and that is what defines a lot of irish life - kerry and mayo not there is a huge issue- the belief that only kerry can beat the dubs holds true really
All that is true and Iād also add into the mix the fact that almost all sides now are managed by incredibly dour individuals who will tell you that they are there to win, not to entertain. This makes it hard for fans of the competing counties to maintain interest, and almost impossible for the neutral. The charismatic managers like Micko, Paidi, Tommy Lyons, Boylan are gone from the game replaced by men who are either dislikeable or of no interest. If the style of play is boring and the characters involved come across as boring then why would there be much interest in the games.
Galway have beaten Mayo (for 3rd year running) and Kerry in this yearās Championship.
Monaghan and Tyrone have made it to a semi final without beating any of Dublin/Mayo/Kerry, the top three teams in the championship by a distance over the past 5 seasons.
Fuck those bottler cunts.
i know the facts on Galway but they are going up to play the best team in country in their own ground after a comprehensive beating last time out from a team who were beaten by Fermaangh
the game is on at 5pm on a saturday and it seems to be playing second fiddle to the main event that is been rushed in next sundayā¦
the game today feels like a foregone conclusion
Caragh Open Farm, have you been?
Iām going out to cut the grass before it pisses rain.
Iāll be back for Dublin v Galway.
EDIT - Raining. Bollix!
its DRY in Meath
i just installed a back tap- delighted with myself - it not aligned perfectly over the outside gully tho as that lines up with the dishwasher and not the sink, FFS
yes carryharry - down near Naas
very enjoyable - check my FB - was there in April 2015
Never thought to check that far back, passed that way yesterday. Bleak enough area but that place was very busy.