all ireland football final

[black and red exile]

what an incredible final, and what fantastic champions! Roll on next spring when we welcome Tyrone to O'Connor park and it will only do our lads the world of good to see first hand how far we have to go to get anywhere near the level needed to compete with the best. What is Lone shark's opinion?[/img]

[OffalyManAway]

Tremendous game.

Couple of notes
- I got flash backs to '82 with that "high, lobbing, dropping ball" that led to Canavans goal. It was a carbon copy of Liam Connor's, anyone else notice that ?.

- Not sure if it was Canning or Carney but "what a point by Jordan, not the model, but he's a model player" ! - I thought that was brilliant... (for either of them !).

[As Such Ger]

u cant be serious about actually liking that cheesy line from the football on sunday...I heard it and the first thing i thought was that it would be well placed on dangerhere.com , the week in guff section.

[OffalyManAway]

let me clarify - brilliant in an oh so cheesy (heard it before and have to work it in) sort of way ! scheesh ...... lighten up !

[Lone Shark]

I remember when Tyrone won their first All Ireland in 2003 thinking that about twenty teams would be looking at that match thinking that the Holy Grail was within reach with the right attitude and application. After all, the previous All Ireland winners were all blessed with real star quality (Galway - Joyce/Donnellan/Savage/Meehan, Meath - Fay/Giles/Geraghty/Murphy, Kerry - Crowley/Moyneihan/O'Sé, Armagh - McGeeney/McDonnell/McGrane) but by comaprison Tyrone were an example of a good all round team just functioning as one complete unit.

On the contrary Sunday's was a complete performance that it's hard to imagine any team being able to match without moulding together over five years like they have. The complete unity of purposes, the whole team functioning as one entity - it was fantastic, no other word for it, and whatever about pulling off a shock result in the league next spring, beating Tyrone in a championship situation seems a long way off.

But Cavan drew with them, so you never know.....

[TheManFromFerbane]

OK I am def in the minority here but did anyone else not "like" that game on sunday. I know it was very exciting and everything but I thought the football was very bad, some nice scores taken (goals especially) but I thought the running game that both teams (especially kerry) led to alot of bunching and slow movment of ball around the middle. Now I know this is opening a bit of a debate here but in my opinion the low, quick, intelligent ball into a quick corner forward is, and always has been, the best type of football and is lovely to watch. I know the handpass and running with the ball has its place and is grand in moderation, but I just didnt enjoy watching that game on sunday. Opinions??

[The Biff]

I know what you're saying TMFF, but I reckon the bad play you saw was mostly from Kerry. Where previously we may have expected Tyrone to over-indulge in excessive handpassing, I think this was not the case. There was a speed and directness about Tyrone's handpassing that showed a deliberate purpose, i.e. get the ball to a free man as quickly as possible so that he can either (a) go on a fast solo-run to carry the ball upfield quickly, or (b) have time to pick out a forward for a good long kick pass, either high or low.

Kerry were the ones who passed themselves into bunches, where they often lost the ball in tackles, or were forced into pressure passes that went astray. I think Tyrone realised they didn't need to commit 5 or 6 players to each tackle like they did in 2003. This year, it only needed 2 or 3 players because they targetted the ball more, and it worked.

I give Tyrone tremendous credit for never allowing Kerry have the type of "purple patch" in the second half that most losing teams manage to have, even if only for 5 or 10 minutes. Kerry could only ever get the lead down to 1 point, but could never draw level. Tyrone always got the next score, often within a minute of Kerry's score. That type of resilience and concentration to the task must be respected, and their actual play was as open and free-flowing as you're ever likely to see in a final.

Remember my own training motto - "I'm getting the next ball". I think Mickey Harte owes me royalties.

[TheManFromFerbane]

I thought the running game that both teams (especially kerry) led to alot of bunching and slow movment of ball around the middle.

I agree with you that it was mostly kerry and ok tyrone did look to have a purpose to their game so i cant really say anymore bout them but I just didnt enjoy the type of football on show.

fair play to Tyrone tho.

[Trib]

What a game! Through all the year's that I've football matches I've seen any team play cat and mouse with Kerry (even at their lower points) in the way Tyrone did on Sunday.
I was genuinely delighted for Tyrone because to be honest winner the final meant so much more to them than it would have to Kerry.
I know teams often play up stories about doing it for a late friend or a sick coach etc but I truely believe that Tyrone's real motivating factor on Sunday was the late Cormac McAnallen.
Peter Canavan's niece (she's hot by the way) is my course in college and when I asked her about it last night she was emotional and basically said that if they had lost the final the team would have been ripped apart - it really meant that much to each of them.
She also noted that the celebrations up North were euphoric. It's great to see a county who really appreciates the signifance of the All Ireland winning. Up Tyrone!

[Bogman]

It was a great game in a lot of ways but there is a lot of bunching in modern Gaelic football around the middle of the field with the ball moved by handpassing.

Maybe there needs to be a rule where a handpass must be followed by a kick.