What it shows is that there is a huge difference now between the provincial championships and All Irelands is very stark.
They are completely different animals now. Kerry, Meath, Dublin, Mayo, Galway, Donegal were all totally different teams when they reached All-Irelands.
The reality is lads Meath only got going after Leinster, Dublin peaked in Leinster.
In the interest of fairness a Champions League style championship is the way to go. You’ll still end up with Kerry, Tyrone, Cork etc in semis, but it will stop all these bloody excuses guys are coming up with for loosing a game.
Championship is all about peaking, its up to a coach and the team to get that right.
Sickened after that. Had Mayo backed to win the All Ireland. Thought they were different this year…:guns:
Still though I felt they were ridden by the ref and the officials. Two blatant lineballs went to Meath that they got scores off. Seemed like the ref gave advantage to the lad for the penalty incident too. Once he missed then the ref gave him the penalty?. The refereeing in general was poor I felt, like they have no problem giving lads yellow cards but you can pretty much foul all you want after that particularly near the end of a match as the refs dont have the balls to send anyone off.
The condition of the pitch was awful but Mayo lacked lads to drag them over the line. Some of their decision making was shocking near the end. Moran and Gardiner were pretty poor and the losses of Kilcoyne and O’Shea were massive through injury. Conor Mortimer was awful when introduced. Brilliant ball in from Dillon (one of my favourite players in the game) and he drives it over. To be fair Mayo needed more leadership from Trevor Mortimer and even Dillon himself near the end.
Fair play to Meath, Ive always liked Farrell as a footballer and Sheridan seems to be finally coming good. They have improved a hell of a lot since the Dublin game but that wont stop Kerry even at half tilt beating seven shades of shite out of them.
I don’t think Kerry will hammer Meath. Kerrys full back line could ship a goal or two to Meath. Still Kerry should have enough, even though i still believe they will be vunerable in the semi, less so in Final.
If Meath to manage to pull off a result against Kerry they will have to again revisit their opinions of Leinster football.
What about Mortimer going for points in the end there? Seemed content to increase his own personal tally as opposed to going for the all important goal.
Spillane was right. Mortimer been on the scene for a long time now but is just not good enough. The same could be said for most of that Mayo team - once the genius McDonald went off the scene they have looked very ordinary.
I never liked Meath though. Hope Kerry take them actually.
http://www.mayonews.ie/news/27860-row-outside-westport-chipper-started-over-1996-all-ireland
Row outside Westport chipper started over 1996 All-Ireland
24 MAY 2016
Twenty years may have passed since the contentious All-Ireland final clash between Mayo and Meath, but tensions over the final are still a cause of conflict, as Westport District Court discovered.
The infamous contest in 1996 ended in a draw but the Royal county prevailed after a tense replay which was dominated by an all-in brawl. Despite the two decades which have passed since then, seemingly the sores between the two counties have not healed and still fester.
Meath-man Seán Fitzsimmons (29) with an address of Addinstown, Delvin, Co Westmeath appeared before Judge Mary Devins last week after he was arrested following an argument with locals over the 1996 All-Ireland football final.
Garda Darren Conlon explained that on October 4, 2015 he observed the defendant engaged in an aggressive manner with a group on Castlebar Street, Westport at 3.57am.
Mr Fitzsimmons was asked to move on and initially did that. However, presumably with still plenty to say on whether Seán Boylan’s men or John Maughan’s Mayo team were the instigators of the infamous brawl, he shouted back to the group.
Garda Conlon said he continued to shout back and he arrested him and issued him with a fixed charge penalty notice, which he failed to pay.
Defending solicitor, Tom Walsh said the incident started in a chip shop and confirmed the argument with the group was started over the All-Ireland Final in 1996.
He said his client, who has a degree in Agricultural Science, was in Cambodia working between November and February and the fine was issued when he was gone.
Judge Devins joked that she was going to give Mr Fitzsimmons the benefit of the probation act if he paid €100 as a contribution to the Mayo team.
However, when she heard he had a previous conviction for public order, she said she could not do that and fined him €100.
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I can confirm that @RaymondCrotty has an address in county Meath, albeit rat infested. Many believe this is the true reason he moved to cambodia, where he has learnt to eat rats without it bothering him one bit.