All Ireland Football Final - An Classico

when he ups his appearances at Mounthawk park ill revisit my opinions

Donnacha o connor

Edit…aside from great opponent I spose

There were some nice elements of previous Dublin-Kerry games to this one.

Paddy Small’s goal was quite reminiscent of Kevin McManamon’s goal in 2011.

I thought Dublin were as superior this time as they were in the 2015 final in similar conditions.

The snap Kerry goal before half-time to shift momentum was a nice feature from the 2016 game.

Kerry struggling more and more for scores the longer the game ran on was a similar theme from 2013, 2016 and 2019.

Dublin’s increasing control over the game the nearer it got to the end was a theme from 2016 and 2019.

It’s just as well Con O’Callaghan’s shot didn’t go in as he took about 11 steps.

Flynn has probably cost Mc the FOTY here. He really is a simpleton.

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I was in Row A of the Hogan, which is, at it sounds, the very first row, about five yards from the sideline. I’ve never been down that near to the pitch for an All-Ireland final before. Ye Olde GAA players always talk about a wall of noise at All-Ireland finals that is hard to describe. For most of the match, it was deathly quiet and there was no wall of noise. It was eerie how quiet it was. I could hear the players shouting to each other. The smack of Con O’Callaghan’s shot off the bar was one of the loudest things I heard all game.

The weather wasn’t great, the rain was persistent but wasn’t as heavy as 2015 which was a proper washout. But any significant rain makes a difference on that pitch. It fairly pissed down for about 20 minutes between about 5:45 and 6:05 though.

I thought the first half was as tedious a half as I have seen in a final, with only the goal at the end enlivening it. It was not near 2013, 2016 or even 2019 (draw) as a spectacle. 2011 was not a good spectacle for most of the game but had an explosive last ten minutes. The last few minutes of this were tense but I agree it won’t be remembered as a classic final. It was a satisfying final from a Dublin perspective however because Dublin had to dig it out.

Kerry not getting a chance to mount one last attack following Dublin’s last free was another nice element of 2011 to be revived.

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Really? Sure Dublin looked very comfortable from 20-35 mins til Geaney scored. And very comfortable from about 50mins on.
Id say Kerry looking comfortable is your false narrative there.

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I wouldn’t have much grá for the Dubs and didn’t really care who won but seeing McCaff smiling away before he came on swayed me towards them.

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Fitzsimons smoked him

Did Fitzsimons win any ball ahead of Clifford?

They were 3 points up fucking around with the ball at the back

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He stopped him making runs no one saw. You cant judge that with stats.

This whole Gavin White thing is a bit of bollocks too, as Kerry went 3 clear again after that brainfart.

As astute observers said here before the game, it would come down to Dublins bench, and so it did.

And Clifford did it last year

I’ve given that a like as it backs up my own view, which you quoted. Now I knew I was right anyway - you don’t have a 16+ year lending career without any loan proposals turning into bad debts unless you possess superior analytical & judgement skills. Nonetheless it’s gratifying to read a view endorsement from a TFK heavyweight after @padjo & others ganged up on me at the weekend.

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My phone’s gone funny so I can’t quote @myboyblue but I’m not all that sure the bench was decisive. McCaffrey had an assist for a point but sure that’s the least you’d expect from him when given 25-30 minutes. Rock kicked a free that would have been kicked anyway by someone else. The likes of McMahon, Murphy & Scully hardly made a material impact. I dunno, it was small margins & imnvho down to mistakes & misses in what was a really shit match. Dublin collectively held steady a bit better near the end.

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Kerrys bench was dreadful in comparison. Spillane kicked a point, but in truth he was smoked for two points by Jack. Kerry had no one of his ilk. Even the much maligned Scully was on a lot of ball and smoked his man once or twice as well.

Rock smoked that free over the bar later on, but even Scully would have kicked that.

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Also, press the 4 lines in the top right hand corner to the left of the down arrow to get your quote function back

Thinks it’s more an issue with my Nokia 3210.

A solid machine.

I think somebody said on here before that TSG played Sigerson Cup football before committing to a professional sport like association football.

Clifford was playing against a novice opponent in last year’s final.

Kerry’s All-Ireland victories since 1997 have all come against petrified Mayo or Cork teams, or Galway, who they have the Indian sign over - with one sole exception - 2014 against a street smart Donegal team, where they dug it out in a pig of a final.

Galway 2000 might be considered a top opponent, but Galway 2022 were not a top opponent.

So far in his career Clifford has continued the Gooch trend of shining against inferior opponents in finals and not doing the business against Kerry’s biggest rival in finals.

To be fair Gooch did the business in the 2011 final and the 2013 semi-final against Dublin but lost both times.