Another football season over and what have we learned? The Dubs are back on top after 16 years of life without Sam Maguire while Kerry are hurting badly about the nature of the defeat in the All-Ireland final. This is not the way of things in the so-called ‘rivalry’ between Dublin and Kerry as usually the Kingdom come out on top in clashes between the two counties. Dublin have saved Gaelic football, let the country rejoice!
The Gaelic football romantics and nostalgists finally have their dream final again after a 26 year gap when the connoisseurs of football, Kerry clash with the glamour boys from the capital city, Dublin in the All-Ireland final this weekend. While some of the naval-glazing and love-ins between the management and players of the seventies and eighties is a bit nauseating, it is still a mouth-watering clash between a Kerry side looking to win their 5th title in 8 years and a Dublin team desperate to reclaim Sam Maguire for the first time since 1995.
As August approaches rapidly, there are 13 counties still standing in the All-Ireland football championship. In this era of the qualifiers and the second chance, this is known as the business stage of the competition. All the early season favourites remain in contention so what sides can get their hands on Sam Maguire in September? Read more…
For Meath footballers and their supporters, the comprehensive victory over Louth on Saturday consigned the controversy of last years Leinster to the bin for once and all. Maybe now this team can break free from the shackles that the goal that never was which has enveloped them for the last 12 months.
It was no surprise that Kildare maintained their recent superiority over Meath yesterday at Croke Park. A 6 point win for the Lilywhites despite the wrongful dismissal of Meaths Brian Farrell with 15 minutes left and the controversial wiping out of a goal for a square ball by the returning veteran Graham Geraghty. Karma retributing itself for Meaths late goal against Louth last year no doubt but Meath have other issues as they prepare to hit the familiar qualifiers trail again. So what steps can Seamus McEnaney take to save make sure he still has the Royal hotseat next year? Read more…
Few phrases sum up the appeal of the Gaelic Football championship in May as “the dream of the dry sod and the fast ball”. It gets this columns hair on the back of the neck up as very little beats the anticipation of the first round of the championship. 2011 is no different so who are the main runners and riders as this years provincial renewals commence on Sunday next? Read more…
The Dublin footballers contest their first National Football League Division 1 final since 1999 this coming Sunday when they clash with reigning All-Ireland and league champions Cork in Croke Park. The Dublin hurlers will emulate that feat a week later against hurling kingpins Kilkenny. Heady days for the Jackeens in both codes. So is this the start of a dominance of the GAA scene by the metropolitans? Read more…
Meaths abject descent from dubious Leinster champions to the precipice of relegation to division 3 of the National Football league is nearly complete. Defeat to Tyrone in Navan will confirm it and even a shock win may not be enough if results go against them. The controversial appointment of Seamus McEnaney is backfiring for the Royals so far this season. Read more…
The critics of the current ills in Gaelic football believe the standard of football is decreasing year on year and that no good never mind classic confrontations occur anymore. Thats just sensationalist journalism but there have many epic battles in the last 15 years. Below are a few of my personal selections in chronological order:- Read more…
February may be Six Nations rugby time and the Premier League in England is building to a crescendo but the GAA secondary competition,the National Leagues in Football and Hurling are ready for the throw-in. The anomaly about why a league competition is treated with less importance than a knock-out one has been discussed here before but lets just embrace we finally have some proper GAA action to entertain us. Read more…
