All Ireland Final

Funny that this topic is coming up in December but such is 2020!

What way do you think it will go on Saturday?

I predict the Dubs by 5

Dublin by 12

At this stage does anyone give a shite. Don't think I'll even bother watching.

Dublin by as many as they want.

I'm conflicted.

I would so love to see Mayo win because of their efforts over the last 10 years. However, we all know if that happens, the argument over funding will be twisted and the lack of competitiveness of the Leinster championship will be targeted at the under-performing counties, despite what has happened over the last 10 years.

Regardless though, I think Mayo winning is a forlorn hope - if they keep the deficit to single figures they will have done well. Conceding 3-13 to Tipperary in the S-F certainly doesn't fill you with great confidence for their chances.

I expected Waterford to be closer to Limerick that Mayo would be to Dublin, so yeah, about 12 points.

Probably not going to watch for the first time in more than 30 years. There’s a big time difference where I am and it’s just not worth it for a 1 in 20 chance of a close game/upset.

I know we sometimes find the GAA strange but Holy God, the draw for the Rugby World Cup made today for matches due to be played in September 2023

This Mayo team isn't actually as good as the team that pushed the Dubs to the brink.

Also, while James Horan is an excellent manager, a recurring flaw in his teams is the amount of space they leave in front of the full back line - they don't play with a sweeper and they aren't particularly adept at getting additional cover back.

Dublin will ruthlessly target that - a bit like Jim McGuinness in 2012 - and I would expect Con O'Callaghan, Rock et al to drive in a few goals.

Elsewhere, Aidan O'Shea gets an unduly hard time but the fact is he has never done it against the Dubs.

Put all that together and I think Dublin are going to hammer them tbh - similar to last year, will be 10 or 12 in the end.

Who cares. A professional team that plays all their games at home are going to win 6 in a row. I won’t be watching that crap.

I'll sadly be cheering on Dublin to destroy (and they will) a team that in any sort of a non-rigged game would have multiple All Irelands but were instead called bottlers for going toe to toe in a fix. It's a pity but there are so many Dublin fans in key GAA positions that even a narrow win will have them denying reality staring them down and mean we've to endure another five years of this rubbish which will kill what I once deeply loved.

Seen loads on social media waxing lyrical over Kevin McStay telling everyone how great the Mayo lads for fighting the good fight.

If he had any sense he'd write an article asking why those same players who have done all they can, travelled thousands of miles across the Country to spill sweat and blood at training have been denied an All Ireland by a financially doped up team who have not only the weight of the governing body supporting and prioritising them but also the money of the state backing them. That's what he should have been writing about.

Why would they Rex, it'd offend their bosses because it would offend the market. All about playing up to where the money comes from and milk it dry. And greater cause such as the integrity of the sport just doesn't have a great value on it in comparison.

I think the Dublin cash cow is about to run dry, as TK mentioned here previously, they couldn't fill Portaloise last year for a double header. Only 50,000 at semi final v Galway in 2018. Unless/Until the competitive balance is restored, GAA will start to struggle to fill Croke Park for All-Ireland finals. Sponsorship will dry up as well as no company wants to be associated with that type of scene an organistaion which can't even fill its stadium for the final!

TommyKeegan wrote:

Why would they Rex, it'd offend their bosses because it would offend the market. All about playing up to where the money comes from and milk it dry. And greater cause such as the integrity of the sport just doesn't have a great value on it in comparison.

You may be right, but that sentimental rubbish is pointless and does no one any favours. As long as he and others continue to come out with that kind of rubbish the more he'll watch his County beaten in an unfair sport.

Mayo by 2.

Rex wrote:

TommyKeegan wrote:

Why would they Rex, it'd offend their bosses because it would offend the market. All about playing up to where the money comes from and milk it dry. And greater cause such as the integrity of the sport just doesn't have a great value on it in comparison.

You may be right, but that sentimental rubbish is pointless and does no one any favours. As long as he and others continue to come out with that kind of rubbish the more he'll watch his County beaten in an unfair sport.

#

Oh very much so but I can tell first hand there's a yearning for just that. Some narrative that rekindles what the GAA used to mean and deflects from what it now does mean. Dublin also love it as it's a look over there effort, so everyone's happy. People read, advertisers pay, elephant in the room ignored. Everyone who matters wins.

My new nickname for McStay: Bullshit Galore. It’s how he should be titled on Sunday Game.

Speaking of which, really hope Dessie Dolan is doing co-comm on final. The sheer comedy value could actually be the game’s redeeming feature.

I really like Mayo. Amazing football county with the resiliance to go with it. Fantastic support too. Don't want them to win, though. I hope Dublin win by 20 points. It will kill inter county-football dead and hopefully force change.

I was watching highlights of a few of Mayo's big games from 2013-2017 the other day.
By god their workrate, tackling, and heart was phenomenal in that era.
Basically the complete opposite of us.

And so the elephant in the room grows ever larger, and noone will mention it on mainstream media next week......nothing to see here, move along please....

Didn’t watch the game. Just checked the result there now. Any good of a game? Sounds like Dublin won it easy enough in the end.

Spent the last 10-15mins passing the ball around in their own half. Never under any pressure and looked like they had a couple of extra gears in hand.

It was almost as if they decided not to go for the jugular and the inevitable big win because a 'close win' would be in the long term interests of the Dubs.

Mayo threw the kitchen sink at them and knocked them out their comfort zone like no one else can. But they never looked like scoring a goal. If O'Callaghan hadn't dropped the ball when through on goal in the 2nd half it would have been a lot easier for them. Howard was some substitute to bring on!

Had a read of John Gunningan’s match report over on the Mayo GAA Blog - which has been a brilliant chronicle of a remarkable decade for Mayo football.

Think he sums it up when he says we are probably watching the inter-county game in its death throes. Certainly if Dublin aren’t split, we are. Pretty remarkable the GAA stood over all this, all in the pursuit of profit. Tis the old human story I suppose.

One hundred percent, Dublin will now be gearing up for 10 in a row. Personally I won’t be going to another Leinster championship game again - a lot of supporters around the province in the same boat - and I’ll be only following Kildare in League & qualifiers, plus underage teams.

Bigger picture, if GAA don’t act, Dubs will continue to dominate & off-field debates & rows will be at least as entertaining as the games. I suppose we have to get our entertainment somewhere as the whole thing burns to the ground.

CantonasCollar wrote:

Didn’t watch the game. Just checked the result there now. Any good of a game? Sounds like Dublin won it easy enough in the end.

Sounds like you're on the wrong forum !!!