The 2024 All Ireland Senior Football Championship (Sam Maguire Cup)

And another go at Dublin from bitter little Kerry man 😂

Move on lad with the tired rhetoric and get over that 11 semi…you cant even get the year right.
Donegal won in 2012 with the Highest scoring average since Tyrone in 2008… but these defensive ulster sides! That Donegal average came beating every team that appeared in an AI final the 10 years previous bar dublin.

If any of Donagheys tactical play, the poor Durcan Kick out or the width of the post at the end for McFadden didnt go Kerrys way we could have won 2014 but its fine margins,ifs and buts, they didnt and Kerry won. Probably not very positive putting 3-14 on the 'invincibles' in the semi final either? But easier to keep the narrative isnt it? Rather than say kerry were defensive too.

We played Spillane prasied 'positive' free flowing stuff Bonners first 2 years racking up massive scores in Ulster and couldnt get past the Super8s… if only we tried it in 2014…

Why in all of your posts do you keep comparing the position to soccer and you also mentioned rugby. Those are professional sports. That is their job/profession. They get paid a significant amount of money to carry out those roles and they do not have any other jobs to focus on. There is huge reward for competing to be the best.

GAA is completely different. It is an amateur set-up. As in, like a past time for players and supporters. All of these guys have their main jobs to tend to, which takes up the majority of their time. Their GAA time is their hobby or pasttime. The homecomings are a way for the fans to show appreciation for the dedication that these guys have out in to make things happen, and get their team to an All - Ireland.

If you had made the sacrifices that those guys have done, you could also have made it to Croke Park. But you weren't willing to do that, and didn't bother, so became an armchair supporter. As Fr Tod has said, you haven's a clue about the GAA set-up. And are obviously one of those "fans" who head down to the pub on a Sunday to wat the premiership match, decked out in the latest premiership teams jersey that you got suckered in to buying. And referring to your UK team as "We", when in reality you have zero connection with the team.

I always find it disrespectful to armagh when pundits write them off for 2025. They are incredibly hard to break down since 2021 all be it, they are not that attractive to watch. They have a strong panel and a good management team. I do think conleth Gilligan and Donaghy will return to their respective counties for 2025 in some capacity. That may weaken them.

Writing them is a bit harsh. Considering where there heads were at after losing the Ulster final you can't dismiss their character either. History does suggest it is very difficult to go back to back though. Even the great Dublin team didn't manage it until the third attempt in '15 and '16. Tyrone had an awful defence in '22. Donegal in '13 etc so I'd say it's not very likely but certainly not impossible they win it

Well - you are stating the obvious a bit there.

A lot needs to go right for Dublin to win it next year, and Dublin has a player population ten times that of Armagh.

So of course a lot needs to go right for them to win it again.

To win it once is a great achievement. To win two on the trot, for this county would be absolutely incredible. Apart from Dublin's big run, in the past 30 years Kerry have retained the title once, and not other team has done it.

As for a 'flash in the pan' - what does that mean? That if they dont win it next year, then this year was just a 'flash in the pan'?

Armagh will be in the top 5 or 6 teams next year. They wont start as favourites.

Are they a better team than Galway, or Kerry? Maybe, maybe not - but when it mattered they beat them this year.

And what you cant possibly take away from them is that they have some top class players who have shown they can perform at the highest level.

Have to say, personally I am delighted for Armagh.

One thing I will say about armagh, they are one of the fittest and leanest teams I've ever seen and they have raised the bar in that department. All the players that took the field were 100% fit and that's testament to mcgeeney. Whereas we had question marks hanging over Walsh, comer, finnerty and Kelly. I think Joyce would've have learn allot from Sunday in terms off playing half injured players will only get you so far and your luck will run out and it did.

Even though Galway had injuries they finished the game stronger than Armagh. IMO they had run Armagh into the ground. What stood for Arnagh were they were clinical tgey took there scores from tge few chances they had late in the game.

Liam Silke pass a ball to Walsh tgat he shoukd have put over the bar to even the game after the goal. The chance went and Armagh went straight down and scored. They did similar with a goal chance later in the game they took there point.

I think after the goal Galway wasted about 6-8 chances. Armagh nearly scored all of there chances. Being clinical will usually win games

You told us that there were a number of teams better than Armagh this season, and that did not quite work out.

I think it is very hard to win two in a row, teams now see you coming and your hunger is a fraction less. Armagh in 2002 encouraged/outraged Tyrone, and their win in 2024 will encourage Donegal and Derry. Add that to Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Dublin and it is a period of unusual unpredictability. If a team meets one of these others in a quarter final, then they need to be good for 3 games.

However, while there is no doubt that any winning team needs a few breaks, it is a false narrative that everything went well for Armagh in a unique combination. In the final they did not play especially well, several of their players are capable of better than they played that day. While Galway did not score from frees, Armagh did not either.

All I can give you is my opinion a d it was the opinion of a couple more neutrals that were at the game Sunday that I was talking to in Dublin.

Armaghwere trying to conserve energy for the last 20 minutes. They used a couple long balls over the top to try to free runners after turnovers when they got no joy from.that theyused there running game to get a few scores. However thry never over committed going forward. They played it extremely cute but that is the way you win games.

Donegal missed a couple of handy ones late on against Galway, much poorer shooting than in the Ulster final. Part of the reason is of course the work rate of the Galway defence, who got a goal and defended their lead. So a semi final where a team failed to get to extra time is a measure of Galway success, whereas somehow the same thing happening in the final is Armagh luck.

We live close to Croke Park and I'd say its the best atmosphere we've seen for a game, before and after.

Also your point on kicking is well made - kicking under pressure is very very difficult, I think its much harder than people think.

The good weather helped the atmosphere and you could see all the colour as nobody was wearing coats. Good music before the match too and it got everyone singing.

I must have watched a different game to you. Armagh had 15 behind the ball for long periods of the game. I wouldn't call that an attacking team. Dublin in contrast don't generally do that. So I'd take the Dublin approach any day.

Unfortunately coaches across the country will take a look at the Kerry or Dublin approach or the Armagh approach and decide to follow Armagh's one.

15 players behind the ball will become a common tactic if this continues.