It makes me laugh to see posters from certain counties get carried away after the odd victory and all of a sudden thinking they are invincible!

Do it consistently over a long period of time and don't disrespect players and teams who have proven it at the top level year in-year out, it lacks class.

Hazardous (Limerick) - Posts: 1 - 02/07/2013 17:08:54    1421900

Superglue last year you ran into a Donegal team that dominated you the entire game and lead from the start, at no point in that game were you ahead..... And only for an Illegal goal from Donaghy that got you back in it in the last couple of minutes, you would have been beaten by 6 or more points.

Tyrone have improved on last year and I will be interested to see if you run into them the outcome. I think they'd whoop Kerry.

Coming back to a point you made earlier there is an intra provincial competition each year.. Its called the railway cup, Guess which province has won it the last 3 years back to back

Aiders (Donegal) - Posts: 49 - 02/07/2013 17:09:27    1421902

Superglue, come to think of it I remember Kerry beating Tyrone before we beat Kerry. Paul Galvin's post match interview sticks out where he was crying, tears in his eyes at finally having beaten Tyrone.... When they were no longer the team they used to be
That will tell you the fear they had of them in the last decade...

Aiders (Donegal) - Posts: 49 - 02/07/2013 17:14:56    1421909

Aiders
County: Donegal
Posts: 21

1421902
Superglue last year you ran into a Donegal team that dominated you the entire game and lead from the start, at no point in that game were you ahead..... And only for an Illegal goal from Donaghy that got you back in it in the last couple of minutes, you would have been beaten by 6 or more points.

Tyrone have improved on last year and I will be interested to see if you run into them the outcome. I think they'd whoop Kerry.

Coming back to a point you made earlier there is an intra provincial competition each year.. Its called the railway cup, Guess which province has won it the last 3 years back to back

It's not called the railway cup anymore but the interprovincials which is why I called it the interprovincials.
Based on our last 10 years vs Ulster sure we'd probably win it

Superglue (Kerry) - Posts: 1283 - 02/07/2013 17:55:14    1421957

Anyways back to the Munster Final before this turns into the TOTD debate again
It's shaping up to be the most competitive of the 4 provincial finals ;)

Superglue (Kerry) - Posts: 1283 - 02/07/2013 17:57:18    1421961

Well in fairness Superglue I have to hand it to you there, It will be the most interesting of the finals..... Cork and Kerry will be closely matched.... which is good to see

Also if it ends up an open 15 v 15 game it will cater to the tastes of those who aren't fans of defensive football..

Aiders (Donegal) - Posts: 49 - 02/07/2013 18:20:00    1421983

For all the guff about the other provinces being stronger than Munster, this is the only final that will be competitive. This is the only final with two division 1 teams in it. All other provinces involve Dvision 1 v Division 3/4 teams (this year's standing). This is the only final that before the game the result is in doubt (no disrespect to Monaghan, Meath or London intended). This is the second match this year that is taking place between two contenders for Sam. One was in Ulster and the other in Munster (ie one in each province). We can talk about all the close games between other counties all we like in other provinces (if Waterford played Clare it would be competitive too but neither would win the All-Ireland but we are not making a song and dance down here about how close a game it would be).

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 02/07/2013 18:21:22    1421985

Aiders
County: Donegal
Posts: 22

1421902

Tyrone have improved on last year and I will be interested to see if you run into them the outcome. I think they'd whoop Kerry.

I don't think Tyrone have improved that much at all since last year. There's too much being read into their league form. They looked very ordinary to me against Donegal, which is why I think people were reading too much into Donegal's performance.

They'll be dark horses for years to come, but they'll be like Kildare- never lose to teams below them. Never beat teams above them.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 02/07/2013 18:26:03    1421990

This will definitely be the most competitive
of all the provincial finals. Up Cork!

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 02/07/2013 18:27:15    1421993

Really looking forward to this game! Can't wait to see where Cork and Kerry actually are. I can see Sam heading back to Munster this year, there is too much class between Cork and Kerry for tactics to keep defeating them. And if they fail I think it will be the Dubs to take it. Would love for Mayo to prove me wrong but can't see it happening yet!

Was disgusted when Colm O'Neill got injured yet again, massive loss to football!! Hopefully Cork can still have a good season without him. For me this will be the closest match in the provincials, very close to call but perhaps a Kerry win just on home advantage. I think the young Cork players will benefit more from a round 4 qualifier than Kerry would too (also a fear that a Kerry player might get injured or suspended in round 4). Kerry have more depth than they have had in previous years, with the likes or Darren O'Sullivan and Brian Sheehan on the bench, but still an injury or suspension to a major player could cost us dearly again. As for Cork, I like Conor Counihan and was delighted for them to win the all-ireland back in '10, but I think they need a fresh face - even if they manage a win this year I'd change it up anyway!

@ Aiders, it's all great to take about who knocked Kerry out of championships in recent years, but just look at the last 10 years - 4 all irelands, 4 runners ups and 2 quarter finals! Show me a better record in the last 10 years. And it's easy to start counting Ulster victorys when you had a team with the class of Tyrone around! I just don't see how you can talk down about a team who only 4 seasons ago were all ireland champs and 2 seasons ago were runners up? Sure players are pushing on but no one talks about how Bernard Brogan is pushing on even though he is only a year younger than Gooch and Donaghy, same age as Declan O'Sullivan and Donnacha Walsh, and older than Darran O'Sullivan and Brian Sheehan. And it's great for you to have so much confidence in Donegal, but can you really say they have played well this year?? Apart from fitness levels and the best full forward line in the country, they are not a terrific team. Donegal will not dominate football like Kerry and Tyrone did in the last decade. Saying that ye are still the team to beat - you can even see how Dublin have set up to play is to beat Donegal's tactics. Any dublin player that receives a ball standing still instantly turns around and hand passes to a man running at pace. For the Dubs sake it appears like they are aiming at Donegals tactics but I wonder are they forgetting that Cork, Mayo and Kerry play a different style, could be their undoing.

Good to see that all 3 pure football counties (Cork, Mayo and Kerry) have upped their defensive training. They haven't been reduced to ultra defensive tactics but their harassing has improved imensely. With that and improved fitness and more class than other teams, that's why I think Sam will come back to Munster. (Mayo to fall short due to lack of killer instinct - and Dubs to perhaps fall short due to just concentrating on Donegal)

JMK (Kerry) - Posts: 273 - 02/07/2013 18:28:13    1421995

Really looking forward to this game! Can't wait to see where Cork and Kerry actually are. I can see Sam heading back to Munster this year, there is too much class between Cork and Kerry for tactics to keep defeating them. And if they fail I think it will be the Dubs to take it. Would love for Mayo to prove me wrong but can't see it happening yet!

Was disgusted when Colm O'Neill got injured yet again, massive loss to football!! Hopefully Cork can still have a good season without him. For me this will be the closest match in the provincials, very close to call but perhaps a Kerry win just on home advantage. I think the young Cork players will benefit more from a round 4 qualifier than Kerry would too (also a fear that a Kerry player might get injured or suspended in round 4). Kerry have more depth than they have had in previous years, with the likes or Darren O'Sullivan and Brian Sheehan on the bench, but still an injury or suspension to a major player could cost us dearly again. As for Cork, I like Conor Counihan and was delighted for them to win the all-ireland back in '10, but I think they need a fresh face - even if they manage a win this year I'd change it up anyway!

@ Aiders, it's all great to take about who knocked Kerry out of championships in recent years, but just look at the last 10 years - 4 all irelands, 4 runners ups and 2 quarter finals! Show me a better record in the last 10 years. And it's easy to start counting Ulster victorys when you had a team with the class of Tyrone around! I just don't see how you can talk down about a team who only 4 seasons ago were all ireland champs and 2 seasons ago were runners up? Sure players are pushing on but no one talks about how Bernard Brogan is pushing on even though he is only a year younger than Gooch and Donaghy, same age as Declan O'Sullivan and Donnacha Walsh, and older than Darran O'Sullivan and Brian Sheehan. And it's great for you to have so much confidence in Donegal, but can you really say they have played well this year?? Apart from fitness levels and the best full forward line in the country, they are not a terrific team. Donegal will not dominate football like Kerry and Tyrone did in the last decade. Saying that ye are still the team to beat - you can even see how Dublin have set up to play is to beat Donegal's tactics. Any dublin player that receives a ball standing still instantly turns around and hand passes to a man running at pace. For the Dubs sake it appears like they are aiming at Donegals tactics but I wonder are they forgetting that Cork, Mayo and Kerry play a different style, could be their undoing.

Good to see that all 3 pure football counties (Cork, Mayo and Kerry) have upped their defensive training. They haven't been reduced to ultra defensive tactics but their harassing has improved imensely. With that and improved fitness and more class than other teams, that's why I think Sam will come back to Munster. (Mayo to fall short due to lack of killer instinct - and Dubs to perhaps fall short due to just concentrating on Donegal)

JMK (Kerry) - Posts: 273 - 02/07/2013 18:35:15    1422006

Great post JMK. I think Kerry and Tyrone were in a different league to everyone else during the 00's. Two great teams. I think Kerry were the better of the two, but Tyrone were the only team who had their number.

At the end of the day though, All-Irelands talk, and Kerry's 5 wins the day. Also, people like to downgrade their acheivements by talking about wins against Cork and Mayo being soft. Well, both those teams beat Tyrone in big championship games in Croke Park. Tyrone played Mayo twice in that time, and scraped past them the second time. Tyrone also lost to teams like Derry, Laois, Sligo and Meath as well. The only opposition of that nature that Kerry lost to in a white hot championship game was Down in 2010.

As for Kerry never producing it when it's put to them, as Joe Brolly likes to say without going into any depth about it, that's the first refuge of someone who dislikes a team and can't accept how good they are. Armagh went toe to toe with them in two games in 2000, Kerry came through. Armagh looked to be inflicting another northern defeat on Kerry in 2006, but Kerry stood up in the second half and came from 4 down to win by 8. In 2007, Monaghan were all over Kerry, Kerry pulled in out of the fire. They were no Croker Chokers, but you'll never hear those who dislike Kerry mention those games!

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 02/07/2013 18:45:21    1422017

JMK I agree with a lot of what you say first and foremost that Colm O'Neill is a massive loss to football, excellent forward on left or right his All star last year was richly deserved

I also agree that it will be a close match one of the closest in the provincials which is also good, as lets face it there have been an awful lot of one sided turkey shoots in Munster and to a lesser degree Leinster.... Most games in ulster were very close

I agree that Kerry are a great team and take nothing away from their 5 recent all-Irelands either, and I mean that they were all deserved.

We may be a team to beat but I would say at the minute (as Michael Murphy has said) Dublin are THE team to beat. We have been missing Karl Lacey and he is going to be making a return in the Ulster final, we have also had other injuries like Neil Gallagher that should be clearing up.

I do have confidence in Donegal and not just in their full forward line, their defenders Neil and Eamonn McGee are up there with the very best in the game.... And our half back line is where we really shine: Karl Lacey and Frank McGlynn two all-stars and two player of the year nominees last year.

I do think Donegal at full fitness and injurey free would be hard for Kerry or Cork to beat this year. But we could all fall at the hands of the Dubs, Jim Gavin or his players aren't whinging in the papers about tactics but fiercely working on their own game plan and that makes them Dangerous

Aiders (Donegal) - Posts: 49 - 02/07/2013 19:15:20    1422038

O mahoney lose is a huge blow. He's a big leader for Kerry in the full back line. Still think Kerry by 4/5 points.

DLlegends (Donegal) - Posts: 503 - 02/07/2013 19:29:58    1422045

Cork to sneak a win.

CaisleanCnucha (Dublin) - Posts: 1379 - 02/07/2013 19:32:57    1422048

Superglue
County: Kerry
Posts: 708

1421961
Anyways back to the Munster Final before this turns into the TOTD debate again
It's shaping up to be the most competitive of the 4 provincial finals ;)

Could even be a replay!

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3858 - 02/07/2013 19:38:30    1422057

"For all the guff about the other provinces being stronger than Munster, this is the only final that will be competitive."

Full agreement that the final will be competitive but the competition itself isn't...... Kerry or Cork have won it every year since 1920's with the exception of Clare winning once, contrast this with Ulster where the championship has been won by 8 of the 9 counties

I refer you to the below for facts on competitiveness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munster_Senior_Football_Championship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Senior_Football_Championship

Aiders (Donegal) - Posts: 49 - 02/07/2013 19:39:26    1422058

Great to see this tread discussing Dongal & Dublin.

Coming in under the radar nicely both Cork & ourselves.

westkerry (Kerry) - Posts: 1250 - 02/07/2013 20:13:29    1422105

Westkerry whoever wins this weekend will have all the papers attention trust me, it's our turn This week to have all the attention the week before was Donegal and before that Mayo , it's the way it works every year , the only reason you and Cork haven't got it yet is because you haven't played each other. Dublin are not setting up for Donegal were just playing the way Jim wants to play like the same way he had his 21 teams playing. We can only meet Donegal in the final if we don't lose and that's along way off so I'd be surprised if Jim set his team up for a team we mightn't even meet this year.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 02/07/2013 20:33:08    1422124

Apologies for the double post, I'm new to these forums!

Also I meant no disrespect to Donegal or individual players, when I said they weren't a terrific team but ya know as all ireland champs they will get compared to the greats. @ Aiders, I see where you're coming from saying the Dubs are the team to beat, but I still disagree to a certain extent. Sure they are the in-form team but I would still say Donegal are (even though I have written them off as winning back to backs which is a contradiction I know). But just look at Donegals championship win last year, can anyone remember a better record in one championship season? They beat a number of good quality teams in Ulster to win the provincial title (as any Ulster county must), and then to beat Kerry, Cork and Mayo (all 3 of whom are in the top 5 all ireland contenders this year). For me they are the team to beat and everyone will be gunning for them. The Dubs tactics for me look tailor made for a Donegal encounter, and is why I don't think they are the team to beat when they look like they are out to beat Donegal.

It will take variety to beat Donegal, a Plan A / B / C & D and vary it with each attack. That's what I'm hoping to see this Sunday!!

JMK (Kerry) - Posts: 273 - 02/07/2013 20:52:44    1422153