Maigh Eo Abú
Mayo manager Stephen Rochford is reporting a clean bill of health ahead of his side’s All-Ireland final date with Dublin in just over two weeks’ time.
There have been on-going concerns over the fitness of U21 star Diarmuid O’Connor, but speaking at last night’s pre-final briefing Rochford stated that he expects to have everyone available at Croke Park on September 18th, bar long-term injury victims Ger Cafferkey and Jason Gibbons.
“Diarmuid is alive and well,” Rochford is quoted as saying by the Irish Independent. "We’ve trained three times since the Tipperary game and he’s been in all those sessions as has everyone else. We have 33 fit guys at this moment in time.
“We got back training a little bit later than we would have liked and later than what other teams were doing so we were probably playing bit of catch up. But thankfully this is the right time to have everyone available.”
The Mayo boss admitted he was impressed by the Dubs’ victory over Kerry this past Sunday, adding: "A team that is undefeated in 27 games between league and championship in two seasons . . . that level of consistency was evident again in how they came back from the five-point deficit and it was more evidence of the quality and threats they have.”
He made Brian McIver retire from intercounty management.
He did Monaghan and Down this year and screwed Down in the first half.
I fully agree. He is absolutely disgraceful, he picks sides from the get go and refs according to screwing one side at the expense of the other. You have clowns like Marty Duffy who will inevitably let the game descend into farce as he is incompetent but then you have guys like Lane who seem to have a more vindictive and premeditated motive to their calls.
Would you say he is vindictive or just plain slow as regards to the rules of the game? Did he play the game at any level do you know?
Not much to what i am aware. But can’t be sure. Very disliked at school anyway.
Cards on the table, he absolutely disgracefully treated us last year ( and the opposition for what its worth). He made a fuck out of 2 teams killing themselces to play good football. But outside of that its his manner, he is not a nice person. He does give the impression of having achip about not being a player/good player.
Everything nembo said is correct, he is flaky and emotional, so he picks sides
Jesus he must be bad if @caoimhaoin and @Nembo_Kid are in agreement.
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He didnt do Boden any harm earlier this year.
Missed most of that, how was he?
He is actually quite inexperienced. If i read it right he never wven done a semi? He doesn’t seem like someone who has earned his corn. I know a couple of the refs he gets for the line in games around Cork, GAH social climbers is the best description. And i am being nice.
Difficult one @caoimhaoin given my age, but Sean Purcell remains, for me, the greatest of all time.
Granted the game has changed but Purcell could literally shape the outcome himself. He could cover ground in defence when needed, a mighty fielder and tireless grafter, yet when the subtle killer pass was required he was The Master. For all that I’ve seen Gerry O’Malley of Roscommon curb his influence on several occasions basically because O’Malley was able to contest with him in the physical battles.
Of the more modern era Jack O’Shea is a standout. A superb athlete, terrific fielder who’s 1st instinct was to look up a seek the best place colleague. And finally you have Maurice Fitzgerald - could create his own time and space with a quiet sidestep and launch a killer ball…Class personified, I could watch him all day.
I may have omitted Matty Forde/Declan Browne but that’s for another debate.
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Super.
I have Maurice Fitz No.1, but i am only watchinh since the 80’s.
Peter Canavan is the greatest.
Pat Spilane was the greatest for me, Jacko and Maurice are the other contenders as I probablt carried some bias towards Spillane, there’s a difference between favourite and best.
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Ger Power needs a mention here as well
No offence mate but I don’t think he does in that company.
None taken. I wouldn’t be a bog ball connoisseur. Therefore I am in know position to argue his inclusion/omission with any consistency. I just remember from memory, he always seemed an exciting player.