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NFL Division 1 - 10 Like(s)
Replying To Donegal_abroad: "So John Small drags Murphy to the ground (again) and both men get sent off? Same Craic as Clifford a few weeks ago. A joke." Why are you surprised? He had earlier conned the ref by going down "injured" after taking Ryan McHugh out of the game. We've seen this before.
midlands (National) - 22/02/2020 20:52:49
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Kerry Vs Tyrone - 8 Like(s)
Some people, including at least one ex-Kerry player, are suggesting that Kerry were rusty after a five week lay-off. By my calculation, Tyrone had a four week lay-off. Is there some scientific evidence indicating that four weeks is OK, but five weeks is too much?
midlands (National) - 29/08/2021 19:35:42
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That Tyrone/Armagh Row - 8 Like(s)
Replying To reffingmad: "Tyrone fáil in all Appeals against red cards. Well done to the Gaa, County boards CCC's and Appeals committees should take note." If similar action had been taken by the referee in the Roscommon-Meath game would you be applauding the decisions? The problem is the complete lack of consistency. Colm O'Rourke and his likes can praise David Gough all they like but the fact is that players from other counties have done far worse than the four Tyrone players and got away scot free.
midlands (National) - 15/02/2022 14:54:21
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Mayo Upset At 7pm Throw In - 6 Like(s)
Replying To candlewax: "Something's will never change with Mayo. They might be upset after the match as well." Very harsh comments about Mayo here, and as usual there are a few of their Galway neighbours only too quick to get in on the act. The timing of the game does seem a bit daft, even if the Down hurlers playing in the Christy Ring final is a complication. Mayo-bashing seems to be a national pastime but we seem to have forgotten that when 30 counties couldn't get near Dublin the Mayo lads put them to the pin of their collar on a number of occasions and ensured a few competitive All-Ireland finals and semi-finals. I can recall only one occasion when there was widespread criticism from Mayo of a referee's performance and that was the 2014 semi-final in Limerick. As a neutral, I would have to say that their complaints were fully justified on that occasion. Other than that, most counties (including Galway) have on occasions indulged in a fair bit of whingeing over refereeing decisions and Mayo are no better or no worse than most in that regard.
midlands (National) - 13/06/2019 14:49:14
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That Tyrone/Armagh Row - 5 Like(s)
Many people have been complimenting Gough for having the courage to send off five players, but I'm not sure what courage has to do with it. There were about 20 players contributing to the melee and how he picked out the five players is a mystery to me. The other mystery is the case of the Armagh player who got the yellow card. What was he guilty of? If he wasn't part of the melee what was he doing there? The referee's job is to apply the rules but he must apply them fairly, and I didn't see much fairness in selecting the five players. As for courage, if Gough is in charge the next time Kerry and Dublin have one of their famous "melees" (sorry, handbags) then we'll see how brave he is.
midlands (National) - 16/02/2022 21:49:04
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Dublin Vs Kerry - 5 Like(s)
Replying To mayotyroneman: "You obviously don't understand the rules. On both occasions Spillane and moynihan travelled for 8 or 9 steps while being fouled. Referee couldn't allow scores because both players had over carried. Correct decision on both occasions was to award free kick to Kerry as the foul was the initial transgression. Excellent refereeing decisions." I fully agree mayotyroneman. The fact that a player is fouled doesn't give him a license to take unlimited steps. I think Moynihan took eleven! If the ref ignored the original foul he would have had to give a free out for over-carrying. The reaction of Tomas O Flaithearta and others displayed a complete ignorance of the rules.I thought the ref was quite good today, in so far as it's possible to officiate at the way the game is played now.
midlands (National) - 23/05/2021 15:54:13
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Dubs V Mayo - 5 Like(s)
Replying To tiobraid: "What are people on about with the John Small tackle? If a man on your team hit a lad as clean as that you'd be delighted. I've watched it 20 times and see it equally as good as the Paudie maher tackle on John canning a few years ago. If it was any other player or county apart from Small there'd be nothing about it" I disagree Tiobraid. He may not have meant it but Small hit McLoughlin on the head with his shoulder and that amounts to very dangerous play, which is confirmed by the severity of the injury. It was much worse than the Richie Hogan hit on Cathal Barrett in 2019 and he got a red, correctly in my opinion even though I believe he didn't intend connecting with Barrett's head. And I disagree that there are similarities with the Paudie Maher tackle on Joe Canning. There was no contact to the head in that collision.
midlands (National) - 15/08/2021 22:15:17
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Hurling League To Date - 5 Like(s)
Replying To perfect10: "played the game at a high club level thanks.different game these days mind.
but sure if limerick didnt want to play a sweeper,why not push up on dublin sweeper?
i will however point out,that every podcast i listen to (gaa hour,irish examiner,irish independent) all said both teams playing sweeper.maybe they all wrong too." It's very simple really. If a team lines up with seven backs they are playing a sweeper. A team with six defenders (even if the opposition have only five forwards) cannot be accused of using a sweeper - they are simply lining out with their backs in their allotted positions and one of them will be a free man if their opponents use just five forwards. The guys on the podcasts aren't infallible, Just like the reporters and commentators, they are well capable of indulging in lazy analysis.
midlands (National) - 27/03/2019 21:47:57
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All Stars 2019 - 5 Like(s)
Replying To Mobot: "If there was a rating system Murphy would of been one of the first names in the team. He gave two complete 10/10 performances v Tyrone and Kerry playing centre forward v Tyrone and at midfield v Kerry showing his full range of talent in both games. In the games v Fermanagh and Cavan he controlled the temp of the game and popped up where needed and I would give him 8/10 in these two games. He was at his best v Meath, especially in the second half and needed to be be as Donegal were in trouble with 10 mins to go but him and Ryan McHugh were exceptional on the day. 9/10.
The Mayo game was his poorest performance of the championship and this was because he kicked a few wides in terrible conditions but still ended up with 1-4 and was directly involved in 1-8 from 1-10 Donegal scored. Even though he wasn't at his best he still nearly pulled the game out of the fire and didn't have much help on the day. Any Mayo person I spoke to after still raved about his performance but I'd still probably give him a harsh 7/10. This would leave him with a 8.66 average against 4 Division 1 teams and 2 Division 2 teams.
I'd be confident that supporters from the teams Donegal played in 2019 will agree with the ratings I have given.
By the way I think Stephen O'Brien is very unlucky as is Ciaran Kilkenny but it's one of those years when most of the top forwards in the country performed at a high level. It may well go down in years to come as one of the best all star teams named. So many current and future greats were selected." Michael Murphy has been one of the top players in the country for several years. He has it all - he can win his own ball, his work rate is second to none, he can set up scores for colleagues and is one of the best finishers in the game. He has set ridiculously high standards for himself which he invariably lives up to, year after year. In my humble opinion there isn't another player in the country that has shown the same consistency, and how people are questioning his selection on the All-Star team is beyond me. The Mayo game this year may not have been his best but he was still one of the top players on the field that evening. Does he have to be man of the match every day to deserve an All-Star? Of course players like Ciaran Kilkenny, Stephen O'Brien and Brian Howard had strong claims for inclusion in the half forward line, while Ryan McHugh, James McCarthy and Colm Boyle were unlucky to lose out to Howard in the half back line, but I think it would have been a travesty of justice had Murphy been excluded. For the record, I have absolutely no Donegal connections.
midlands (National) - 04/11/2019 14:25:58
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The Corona Virus And Possible Effects To GAA Matches - 5 Like(s)
Replying To theyoungbuck89: "Pack up the hurls helmets and football boots and see if we can sell off a few of the Gaa pitches around the country so" Thanks for your very mature and helpful suggestion, youngbuck, but we're talking about missing out on less than one full GAA season in order to try to deal with a very serious situation that has already cost us about 1.500 lives, including several great GAA people. Nobody is suggesting that we close down for good, so hold onto your hurleys , helmets etc for another while, I'd suggest.
midlands (National) - 14/05/2020 14:17:42
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Dubs V Mayo - 4 Like(s)
Replying To carlovia: "Well done to Mayo, what a comeback.
Hard luck Dublin, great champions and good to see so many of them shaking hands at the end." Isn't that what all teams do after games? Why should Dublin be given credit for doing what is expected of all players?
midlands (National) - 14/08/2021 21:13:22
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Munster Club Hurling - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Canuck: "Loughmore deserve credit for their season. The reality is they were beaten by the better team today. Ballygunner missed a penalty, one of the best keepers in Ireland made unbelievable stops and Hutchison head and shoulders above anyone else on the field.
With regards the sending offs. I got ripped for saying that frontal charges should be aloud. McGrath hit an unsuspecting player frontal in retaliation with no play. His choice. A yellow would be sufficient. Coughlan's hand is being X-Rayed. I hate fakers also but both of these players were injured in these cases should not be vilified and shamed. There were players on this Loughmore who played out of their skin and the McGrath's should be ashamed for letting them down. Blame the correct people.
The ref was not good but it could be equally said that Hutchison could have had two more penalties awarded to him. It was obvious he was trying to even it up after the first red.
The vitriol on here towards Ballygunner and Waterford is shameful but not unexpected I suppose." McGraths should be ashamed??? Are you saying that any player who is wrongly sent off should be ashamed? Ridiculous! The shame is on the officials, but the over-reacting of "injured" players doesn't help. I would have loved to see Ballygunner win Munster and All-Ireland but after today I'd prefer to see Kilmallock bring further glory to Limerick.
midlands (National) - 12/12/2021 19:15:22
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Brendan Maher - 4 Like(s)
I'd be interested to get the views of some regular contributors to the HS forum on Brendan Maher. Personally I'd rank him very highly - one of the best I've seen in the last 15 years. After winning two Minor All-Irelands in 2006 and 2007 he became a regular on Tipp's senior team in 2009. In the first quarter of the 2009 final he found Eddie Brennan too hot to handle but he shrecovered to turn in a fine display subsequently. Kilkenny paid him the ultimate compliment the following year by targetting him early on with a thumping frontal charge but again he bounced back and would probably have got man of the match (and possibly player of the year) but for Lar Corbett's three goals. Tipp didn't play well enough to win the 2011 final but not starting Brendan (just recovered from injury) certainly didn't help. He was consistently brilliant over the next seven years, even if Tipp had just one McCarthy Cup success (in 2016 when he was captain). Many felt he was finished when he did his cruciate in 2018 at 29 years old but he was resilient enough to recover and play a key role in the 2019 victory. Possibly his greatest achievement came the following year when he led Borrisoleigh to county and Munster titles, before losing to an excellent Ballyhale team in the All-Ireland final. In that campaign he scored two of the greatest points ever seen - one against Ballygunner in Pairc Ui Rinn and the other, with a broken hurley, against St. Thomas's. It's a pity we won't see his superb skills on the big stage again, but he has left a lasting legacy. I believe he's a genuine hero in his local community, and not just because of his hurling ability and achievements.
midlands (National) - 13/08/2021 22:38:59
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Munster Club Hurling - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Canuck: "How shameful of you to talk about Waterford county players like this. Okay lets discuss the Waterford county players. Did you see any of the two senior Mahony's involved in any fracas today. They led their two younger siblings and team by example. If you want a hero look at Philip. Two broken legs this year and stared. 36 year former county great Shane Sullivan was not pulling on anyone's hands. Loughmore deserve plaudits for being there today but somehow or other the intent was to bully Ballygunner and it did not work. Noel McGrath might not throw his weight around if it was Austin Gleeson or someone else. Leavey is a young kid starting out. Ref or no ref the McGrath's plotted their own destiny today. Skill won out and if it were a dry sod it would have been a blow out.
You In Limerick like us knows how difficult it was to get to the top at club or county against the elite counties. If Ballygunner are beaten by Kilmallock I hope they win it all. The same way as I will root for Limerick if we can not win. I have never vilified Limerick's player in any situation against us or anyone else and there has been plenty of them. I wonder are ye beginning to smell yereself's a bit ? The likes of Oldtourman on here does not.
I am not a Ballygunner local supporter but they can be proud of where they have come from and we in Waterford are proud of our players. Long ago we gave up blaming others when we don't succeed." Canuck, you describe as shameful what the Limerick poster said about your county players and then you proceed to cast aspersions on Noel and John McGrath. You rightly praise Philip O'Mahony and describe him as a hero but surely there is no greater example of heroism than Noel McGrath, who came back from a very serious illness to win a host of awards with club and county. And what is the basis for your claim that Loughmore went out to bully Ballygunner? They didn't set out to bully younger teams in the Tipp championship so why would they try it on a seasoned team like Ballygunner? Noel McGrath didn't initiate anything. His shoulder on Leavy was in retaliation for an incident just moments earlier which for some reason the officials chose to ignore. By the way, I would question your conclusion that it would have been "a blow out" on a dry sod. Loughmore have played brilliantly on the lively sod in Semple Stadium and to imply that the heavy sod in Fraher's Field suited them more than Ballygunner simply defies logic.
midlands (National) - 12/12/2021 22:04:27
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Hurling Referees Destroying Hurling - 4 Like(s)
Babs is over the top as usual but we certainly do have a problem with refereeing and it's not always the referee's fault. I certainly wouldn't consider Johnny Murphy the worst referee around, but it's becoming an increasingly difficult job, and I suspect many of them are simply trying to apply the rules as dictated by their assessors. I'd fully agree with Babs on one point - the ball is far too light. In most games nowadays teams are scoring 20 points or more, with many of these points coming from frees, some from 100 yards out. OK, it's a great skill to be able to do this but the result is that some teams are mostly playing with no full forward line. And let's be honest, many players are deliberately playing for frees all over the field in the knowledge that their freetaker is likely to point the free. The result is that fewer goals are being scored and indeed goalkeepers can sometimes go through a whole game without having to make a serious save. Again, I'm not blaming the referees, but a heavier ball would certainly make their job easier, as well as leading to more goalmouth action.
midlands (National) - 26/02/2020 11:25:26
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Munster Hurling Final Tipp V Limerick - 4 Like(s)
Replying To skillet: "No.
Any other questions?" Brian Gavin had his own way of refereeing. Some would say he "let the game flow" which means he wasn't applying the rules of the game. Yet he has been regularly criticising referees every Monday for not applying the rules. And if you look back over his articles over the past year he has suggested that at least four Tipperary players should have been sent off in various games. He refereed Tipp games on numerous occasions but I can't remember him ever sending a Tipp player off. He famously didn't even take any action against Tommy Walsh when he struck him in the 2001 final. Of course it wasn't deliberate but it surely constituted "careless use of the hurley" and merited some reprimand. So for Gavin to be regularly advocating red cards is a bit of a joke and his articles should be taken with a grain of salt.
midlands (National) - 01/07/2019 17:25:11
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Anti GAA Agenda - 4 Like(s)
Replying To brisbane: "I think its important to remember its not just the Rugby guys who are jealous of the GAA. The Ireland soccer manger Stephen Kenny also thrown digs at the GAA when they opened up Páirc Uí Chaoimh for a charity event in aid of a soccer player. Kenny said when writing in his pre-match programme notes ahead of Dundalk's Europa League clash against AEK Larnanca
"When Damien Duff called the GAA committee dinosaurs he was doing dinosaurs a disservice"
Likening the current situation in which Miller's family are "being treated without dignity by the GAA authorities in Cork," Kenny likened the situation to that which Arsenal's Mesut Ozil revealed earlier in the week.
A World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, Ozil believed he had to remove himself from the national team set amid claims that he had been racial discriminated as a result of his Turkish background." I agree with you about Kenny ........and Duff. At the time they made those comments they had their heads in the sand in relation to what was happening at the top level of the FAI. I have no involvement whatever in soccer and yet I knew from some of my soccer acquaintances that there was something rotten going on. Rather than throwing insults at the GAA, would Kenny and Duff not have been better employed asking serious questions about what was happening in their own organisation? "People in glasshouses, etc."
midlands (National) - 20/11/2020 19:44:48
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Debunking The Myth Of Kerry And Dublin - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Young_gael: "Have to say I largely agree with mayotyroneman. It is a myth created by the players of that era and the sporting media who profited and expanded massively from that era onwards. It suited the narrative of the celtic tiger to look back on the football of the 70s-90s as a golden era of sorts. The game then was a wild, erratic, often dirty affair and in my own personal opinion it was a far better spectacle, although the superior fitness, athleticism, strength, and tactical play stands out by miles nowadays and the players have evolved in every way.
In relation to the puke football remark, with respect I dont agree with you on that. Those days defence was a complete scramble, get the ball and hoof it anywhere. Man on man, play the space but if need be, play the man also. It was a contest every time. Kick always trumped hand pass. The rule book wasnt half as thick.
I stand-by Spillane in his remark about Tyrone football and the implementation of what he called puke football back in the early 00s. It has been the ruination of the game as a spectacle and led to constant revision of rules to try and subtely stamp it out of the game, and only in the past few years has that goal looked to have started to succeed. Not a cheap remark at all, and I respect your post and the debate youre looking to start, but thats what I think." I disagree with you about Spillane. His comments were mean-spirited after his county had been well and truly beaten and he seemed to have forgotten that Tyrone played brilliant football in the first half of that game - a fact later acknowledged by Jack O'Connor. Tyrone had never won an All-Ireland and had been accused of being naive in previous encounters against so-called superior counties. They could have continued to play expansive football in the second half and still won well but I suspect that deep down there may have been a sense of insecurity so they adopted safety first tactics to protect their lead. One of the clips from that game that RTE play over and over covers a few minutes where Kerry players are continuously surrounded by several Tyrone players who eventually win the ball. Each of those Kerry players had the opportunity to kick the ball forward but appeared to be trying to find the perfect pass, and Tyrone refused them the time and space to do that. It was very disciplined defending even if it may not have been pleasant to look at, but in a way Kerry contributed to that by persisting to try to hold possession. It forced other counties to adapt their game but Tyrone still managed to win two more All-Irelands after 2003 without getting the credit they deserved. Some of the stuff we've seen in recent years from all the top teams is much more cynical than what happened in 2003 but of course it's very easy to lay all the blame on Tyrone (and sometimes Donegal) for this trend.
midlands (National) - 04/06/2020 11:08:47
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Clifford's Red Card - 4 Like(s)
Players like Gooch, Canavan, Brogan, McManus, McNamee and our own Dessie Dolan have all endured physical off-the-ball abuse from corner backs over the years. This is not new. My own first experience of this phenemenon was the 1976 Munster final in the then newly-developed Pairc Ui Chaoimh. I was on the Blackrock terrace and had a clear view of the treatment meted out to Jimmy Barry Murphy, even when the ball was nowhere in the vicinity. I'm sure this was not new at the time but it was the first time I had witnessed anything like it. As regards David Clifford, I would regard him as one of the most outstanding young talents I have seen. Of course he receives very close attention from opposing corner backs, much of it totally unacceptable. He has got two red cards in Kerry club games in the past twelve months. However, the two yellow cards he got in Omagh early this year provoked a lot more outrage. Was this an anti-Tyrone or anti-Ulster phenomenon? Most commentators seemed to suggest that he was an innocent victim. Of course there was provocation involved, although I cannot recall any appeal from Kerry against that decision. Instead, referee Fergal Kelly and his umpires were castigated in the media and there was a general consensus that Clifford was totally blameless. But why has there been no such outrage against the officials who were involved in Clifford's straight red cards in the club games in Kerry? Double standards?
midlands (National) - 04/09/2020 23:45:55
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David Gough To Referee The Final - 4 Like(s)
Replying To jimbodub: "I think you're absolutely right
A day of celebration for him, his family and his club being absolutely tarnished. The worst part being that it's being done in such a highly publicized and open manner.
Unfortunately I've no doubt that he's fully aware of this absolute character assassination.
Let's not dress this up. That is exactly what is going on here." The statements from Fitzmaurice and O'Mahony are designed to put pressure on David Gough, just like the statement from Seamus Moynihan last week about the need to protect David Clifford was intended to pressurise Maurice Deegan. This is Kerry" curehoorism" at its best. They should take a leaf out of Dublin's book. Several years ago, when the Dublin-Meath rivalry was very intense, they had no problem with Paddy Collins being appointed to referee a Leinster final against Meath, despite the fact that Collins is a Meath man, albeit living and working in Mullingar. They acknowledged that Collins was the best referee around, and it's a pity that Kerry can't be equally gracious in relation to David Gough.
midlands (National) - 14/08/2019 23:26:37
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