I think Donegal have more potential currently.
Ah I’m not so sure of that now. They have a good crew of lads born in 96’ who should be entering their prime now but Michael Murphy is starting to show signs of wear and tear, Neil McGee will leave a big void at full-back and even Paddy McBrearty is on the go since 2011 now. There’s a feeling they wasted the last 2 years on Bonner.
James Horan did a very effective rebuilding job with Mayo. Youthful enough side now.
Lads on here allude to how Cork are like mushrooms in the hurling and can grow a team overnight. Galway are surely the football equivalent. By all accounts the 1998 success was fairly unheralded and even 2001 was unexpected after losing in Connaught to Roscommon.
Very few people would have said they had a realistic chance of winning the All-Ireland in April after a windy enough performance against Roscommon in the Div 2 final yet here they are in the final. Even when they won Connaught your mind cast back to 2016 and the debacle against Tipp in the quarter-final but they’ve grown in stature in Croke Park this season. Which is funny enough considering they didn’t win there for about 15 years after 2001. Even the doubts around their S and C after their 2nd half capitulation in last years Connaught final seem to have evaporated. A real throwback kind of emergence of a darkhorse.
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But the way I look at things is would you rather take over and try and improve a side that was managed by Bonnar or James Horan?
I’d say mcguinnes would improve that Donegal team overnight tbh. They probably have better forwards around too.
I’d also prefer to be taking over a job where the last man in was doing a terrible job anyway. I’d say James Horan had Mayo close enough to their maximum.
That’s a good point alright. Everyone wants to be the messiah figure. That’s what makes the Cork football job quite enticing given the potential that’s there and the underperformance of previous regimes.
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I’d say Mikey sheehys chip over paddy Cullen is up there.
We are discussing last minute scores here! Having said that culchies love that mikey sheehy chip more than they love ham.
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David Clifford was absolutely brilliant yesterday. If he wasn’t being judged off higher standards there’s not a chance paudie would get MOTM ahead of him.
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Cc @Cheasty
The silence on The Hill when Dublin lose is one of the most amazing things in the GAA. Yesterday joins Mayo 2012 and Donegal 2014 as a classic of this genre.
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Fuckin state of Comerford.
Lads filming matches on their phones is the way it’s gone these days.
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Deep down there’s a grudging admiration there for Comerford’s antics.
Has a single club ever produced as many pantomime villains as Ballymun Kickhams?
It’s as if it’s bred into them.
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We play them under age and they are great value. They lose all their best players to soccer around 13 or 14 their coaches told me so they focus all their attention on the layer below the best lads.
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Its such a pity they made a balls of their Senior team for the last decade. I’d love to see them go on a run like 2013. Its probably too late now.
That time they came to Thurles and wrecked the place after walking all over Dr. Crokes was tremendous fun.
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I’ll never understand it.
Their defeat of Kerry in the Super 8s in 2018 was their first win in Croke Park since 2001 and their first victory over Kerry since 1965. Five starters from that day will start again Sunday week, Comer, Walsh, Conroy, Heaney, Kelly. Arguably but for an Eamonn Brannigan missed penalty they were on course to at least put it up to the Dubs in the semi final that year.
The truth is that was the summit of what could reasonably be expected from the style they were playing under Kevin Walsh. PJ was always going to be more attack focused but he was reasonably inexperienced taking over in 19 and that combined with a torrid run of injuries to pretty much every key player not to mention Covid had stunted progress somewhat.
But, injury free, every box has been ticked this year, promotion to Div 1, Connacht Championship, now an All Ireland Final. PJ has a serious backup team, John Divily, John Concannon, Cian O Neill and theres a lovely balance in the team between North/East/ West and City something that has alway been key for succesful football teams. There are only 3 Corofin players on the panel albeit they’re all starters. Winning in Croke Park is 2nd nature now
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There’s more than 3 Corofin lads on the panel.
Dylan Canney and Tony Gill are definitely there even though both would be lucky enough to start for Corofin.
Then again Dylan McHugh couldnt start for Corofin during their 2020 All Ireland Club run either.
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