The Super 8 's

Don't agree Ogie, I personally was shocked by the cynical tactics by Galway. It was clearly orchestrated as everyone was involved. Yes I've seen plenty of incidents over the years at all levels but it always seemed to be individuals involved rather than a concerted team effort.
It's just totally unacceptable that one of the finest fielders in the game can be nullified simply by wrapping your arms around him as he tries to jump for a ball. It's totally unacceptable that a player be continually dragged back off the ball and the offender not be carded. Galway will feel emboldened by this leniency and will certainly continue.
Maybe we have to copy to compete but what sort of spectacle are we evolving for the future? It's all going to come to a head soon and we may see a repeat of the 1983 final.
It's time the linesmen remembered that they are referees with responsibilities.

It's a well written and thought provoking article, bit of a tizzy in twitter with Galway lads taking exception to it. There's always been players and teams who played on the edge and it's up to officials on and off the pitch to define where the edge is. More can and should be done to cut down on the pulling and dragging of players. It was always there but is now getting coached as part of a system. It has to be seriously not enjoyable playing against it. Giving linesmen greater powers and responsibilities might be a start

One hundred percent – there is stuff going on so utterly blatant it should be immediately dealt with. But guess what? There are too many incompetent officials around, so it won't be.

Therefore, you either lie down or fight fire with fire.

lillyboy wrote:

Giving linesmen greater powers and responsibilities might be a start

They already have sufficient power. But they don't act and they never will.

To be honest I'm not sure what powers they have, they're certainly selective when using them. No reason why each linesman can't monitor a half each for blatant pulling and dragging.

How linesmen work...

Daniel Flynn is being repeatedly held in a headlock by Sean Andy O'Ceallaigh. The whole stadium can see it.

Eventually Flynn lashes out – and it's at this point that the linesman brings it to ref's attention. To send FLYNN off, of course.

This is why there's no hope.

Don't get me wrong, I agree we have to play where the edge is but I don't think we can just accept inept officials and I commend CON and today's article for calling them out

Just on that, told of a forward of ours who is covered in pinch and scratch marks after the game. Somehow never reacted. Know nothing new but if my season was ending after enduring that for over an hour I'd be taking my marker with me and he'd be drinking dinner through a straw for some time. It's funny, I've more admiration for a lad who throws a smack in a proper dust up.

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

The Kildare whinge-fest continues... Why can't we all live in a utopia? Where's our safe space?!

For the record, you will NEVER hear me complain about a Kildare team having a hard edge and employing the dark arts. Why? Because there are officials who out of their depth and let it go ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

They'd learned that they had to give it back to the opposition twice as hard – the current team needs to do the same.

Just two points, HG. Surely, if "the officials are out of their depth" there is a really major problem that does need to be addressed, rather than more of the same?
Secondly, if "giving it back twice as hard" is the answer then it's self-defeating as witnessed with the Kildare red card last Sunday?

That Galway team are dirty bastards sounds strange but 3 or 4 players have been sent off against them by reacting to shite they have been doing much more respect for Mayo....

On the Jim McGuiness rumour he's been linked with Cavan today as well but surely youd pick Kildare over Cavan if there was a choice to be made, be a massive coup if we would get him and we would challenge no doubt about it.

If O'Neill is leaving and McGuinness is available, we have to get him. Message to Kildare county board: I don't care what it takes, JUST GET HIM.

TommyKeegan wrote:

Know nothing new but if my season was ending after enduring that for over an hour I'd be taking my marker with me and he'd be drinking dinner through a straw for some time.

Hilarious right at the end of the game, a Galway back blocked David Slattery's run and in response he literally just started beating him up. Then the final whistle went and the two boys were looking around a bit sheepishly.

murof wrote:

Don't agree Ogie, I personally was shocked by the cynical tactics by Galway. It was clearly orchestrated as everyone was involved. Yes I've seen plenty of incidents over the years at all levels but it always seemed to be individuals involved rather than a concerted team effort.
It's just totally unacceptable that one of the finest fielders in the game can be nullified simply by wrapping your arms around him as he tries to jump for a ball. It's totally unacceptable that a player be continually dragged back off the ball and the offender not be carded. Galway will feel emboldened by this leniency and will certainly continue.
Maybe we have to copy to compete but what sort of spectacle are we evolving for the future? It's all going to come to a head soon and we may see a repeat of the 1983 final.
It's time the linesmen remembered that they are referees with responsibilities.

I agree that it should be penalised, for sure. And it may take something like 12 or 13, consistently for a change in attitudes. That's a key element of competitive sport - playing to win - putting a toe over the line and keeping going until the authorities shout stop. I said it for years about what happens at corners in soccer. The wrap became acceptable, so then they just went to all-out pulling and dragging and 99 per cent of the time, you won't concede a penalty.

Why was there a need for the black card? Initially? Or the sin bin? Really, because the rules were not being applied. The third-man tackle... so here we are now, offenders not being carded. I agree that's wrong. You see refs trying - giving a free for a drag on a forward ahead of the play - but need the other six officials on the field to be much more involved, and also take retrospective action. Don't disagree with anyone in that. I'm just saying if you can do it and get away with it, there's too much time and money goes into it for little or no monetary reward to not do everything you can to win. I don't like it, but I definitely don't blame Galway for it. And I would understand why they would be defensive about the criticism, because it's not like they invented and I disagree with you there Murof.

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

How linesmen work...

Daniel Flynn is being repeatedly held in a headlock by Sean Andy O'Ceallaigh. The whole stadium can see it.

Eventually Flynn lashes out – and it's at this point that the linesman brings it to ref's attention. To send FLYNN off, of course.

This is why there's no hope.

And this has happened for years. Even the two on the ground - one clear aggressor and always two yellows. Like I say, I saw Seamus Moynihan do all but mount Colin Corkery and Moynihan was a beautiful footballer, one of the greatest ever. But he was doing what he had to and could get away with and Corkery was pleading with the two daws (umpires) standing six feet away. Corkery eventually lost the plot and was sent off. That's what Moynihan / Ó Ceallaigh would probably term bonus territory.

I don't know what the referees discuss in their meetings - rugby is miles ahead in this fashion.

Sorry Ogie I never for one minute thought Galway invented those tactics. I just think they have brought it to a new level which is to the detriment of football. Where does it end when they inevitably meet Tyrone or Dublin?
Even the Galway fan behind me near the end of the game said there was far to much provocation in the modern game.
One thing we can all agree on is that only a proper application of the rules will change things for the better.

The whole problem here is that some referee and his team fail to implement the rules. The rules are  there and 3 types of cards to issue but when you have incompetent match officals who make the same mistakes over and over and instead of being struck off, they are rewarded with high profile games. Look at several referees and see the trend. Remember Paddy Neilon during our league game constantly now allowing the advantage rule to the detriment of the attacking team, obviously this was never addressed because it became topical during a championship game he took charge of this summer. How many controversies has Joe McQuillan been involved in from taking part in in-house Dublin training match prior to an all Ireland he would referee and Dublin get all the marginal calls but he continues to get the biggest games, we in Kildare appears to have a particular problem with him. There are some capable referees out there, in fact David Gough apart from a small period done fantastic in the Kildare Mayo match which he allowed to flow. It's up to the powers to address the referee issue which is an ago old problem. There is no excuse for ignoring the off the ball stuff that was witnessed last Sunday. There are 7 match officals, 7. Yes they seen each and every incident but for reasons only known to them they decided only to act on Daniel Flynn. This is where the issue is, not with the rules or lack of video ref and the bigger issue is the gaa tolerate it

It's so straightforward. Sometimes players tussle off the ball and grapple with each other when competing for possession. Occasionally they start shoving each around. All fine.

What we're talking about here is when players are being DELIBERATELY TARGETED and it's VISIBLE TO EVERYONE – except the officials that is.

The essential problem is that we don't have enough officials who are up to it. We just don't.

So, if you get one of these refs who's letting stuff go – it's a case of if you can't beat em, join em. Otherwise we'll be seeing repeats of the Galway match for the next five years.

If the GAA made a concerted effort to improve officiating standards and clean it up, it could be sorted pretty quickly. But they won't – so time to fight fire with fire.

Personally if I was marking Comer, Walsh or Burke against Galway, I would have taken it as open season.

You take as much advantage as you can – it's the ref's fault, not ours.

H.G. I agree fully. Look at the turn around Galway had since they embarked on the nasty streak, bottom line is that these tactics reap results and if we were waiting on the gaa to eradicate this crap it won't happen. Also an item that annoys me in gaa is example of a back completely mauling, pushing, pulling any grappling a forward. The forward just wants to break free to make himself available and the result is a yellow card for both back and forward.

Also, black card has been an abysmal failure and should be scrapped from next season on.

As Ogie says, if games were actually refereed properly in the first place, there'd be no need for it.

read mckenas atticle with interest agree with a lot of his comment but how he could come to the conclusion that flynn deserved a red after being pulled and dragged all game is beyond belief galway are now whats called cute hoars able to live with the big boys in the dark arts kildare are naive, my opponion if officials opened their eyes and did the job properly we would have a level playing field

Lads the season isn't over but the Kerry game is another chance to show something of where we are.
It is no harm in taking the time to say thanks to the team and management who grew as a group this year.
Christ after the Carlow game it wasn't an overreaction to say how disastrous that was. Even leaving Longford I felt we were waiting for someone to kill us off and be done with the season.
It's safe to say the players were not buying into the grand plan either, but then Mayo happened and mentally the group came together more than ever before.
Cian O'Neill's seemed much more assured on the sideline. we all know he is a good talker but there seemed to be less of it and fewer words were listened to more attentively.
In fairness Monaghan were too street smart for us and the wet ball fecked us up. No shame in that game.
Galway was a top class game against a top class team that we had to face a man down for most of the second half.
No matter what happens we have to acknowledged the growth in the group. Also in terms of a squad we had a bench.
Imagine a fully fit Feely in those games and the difference he would make...

Anyway I think next year we can come straight back up while also bringing in some of the U20s. That alone is a huge boost and we hope they can be bedded in. Although feckin hell Jimmy Hyland is ready now.

Did anyone hear if lads were dropped or left the panel in the last week or so just heard a few names but I dont no if its true of not?

Luke Flynn

Flamingo wrote:

Luke Flynn