All-Ireland Final Preview

Sam is headed back to Kerry.

It all comes down to this. Dublin. Kerry. 70 minutes for a lifetime of glory. The buzz from Dunquin to Dublin is second to none. The banter and the predictions are everywhere - who's going to stop The Gooch, Cluxton's kickouts will be the difference, Kerry's experience will see them through and on and on. Today is my favourite day of the year.

In All-Ireland Finals, poise and polish win the day and Kerry have both in droves. Kerry have been to the Final in 9 of the past 12 years. They know what it takes.

A Mother's Love...for Tickets

by guest author Maria Shanahan

3 days before the match, Dublin is enjoying its own mini Indian Summer while the rain is threatening ruin on the Listowel Races. My mother is walking around Dun Laoghaire with a Kerry scarf around her neck, a stash of All Ireland tickets in her handbag, and casting furtively suspicious looks at anyone who walks too close to her. You could leave them in your safe at home, I point out helpfully. “They’re safer on me than in the house! What if we got burgled?!”, she scoffs, completely rational.

My formidable mother has hunted and gathered no less than 7 tickets this year, 2011, the Kerry Dublin final for which we anticipated all manner of beg, borrow, stealing and little reward. Now that (mum‘s) hard work is done we can abandon the usual annual anxiety and look forward to the match. A rare luxury for this family, and one that doesn’t sit too well.

Sunday Qualifiers July 31st

'Not very excited today'

I'm heading to Croker now but I'm not too excited. The bookies have Kerry favoured at +9 and Cork at +5. I think both matches could be much worse. The Kerry panel is the best its been all year with Paul Galvin making his first start of the year and Tomas O'Se returning from suspension. They are going to crush Limerick. The Cork match might be a bit closer but I don't expect a real challenge from Mayo. Then again, I've only seen Mayo once this year and the conditions were awful. I'm going to put on a handful of bets just to keep it interesting. I suggest you do the same.

Kerry hold on for Munster Championship; Micheal Quirke is Terrible

Final Score in Killarney

Kerry never trailed and were able to see off a tremendous second half surge by Cork to retain the Munster Championship.

The Kingdom dominated the first half much to the delight of the 43,000 in attendance. The thrill of the match and the warm sunshine proved too much for some in the crowd as a man next to me in the O'Connor Stand spent the first 10 minutes of the match screaming and the rest sitting with his head down. Maybe he just had too many pints but a poor performance on his part nonetheless.

Munster SFC: Cork v. Kerry

Tickets are reported to be nearly sold out for the Munster SFC. Here's the link to purchase tickets that are still available.

I'll be heading down to Killarney for the Munster Final on Sunday. This is the first match I'm truly excited to see this summer. There have been some great matches already but this is the first with a sense of anticipation.

The result is a tough one to call. The starting line-ups are closely matched. Cork have a better midfield and bench. Still I think the fire-power of the front six for Kerry combined with the home field will see The Kingdom as Munster Champions.

Overheard in the Snug: April 10th

Missed you last week

I was busy moving last Sunday so I didn't have time to eavesdrop in the snug. Instead I was moving heavy boxes and complaining to anyone who'd listen. Now that the complaints are out of my system I'm able to focus on an important final week of the League. I'm starting to think the League is more important than most will admit. Most shrug off the League as the time to get your house in order for the summer by trying new people in new positions. The increasingly professional approach to the game by players and management means the League is starting to be more important. Dublin have laid down a marker this spring with 6am training sessions and an undefeated campaign to show for their efforts. With the importance of the League in mind here are my points for the week.

Brogan, Dublin Top Kerry by Smallest of Margins

Bernard Brogan's only point from play proved the decider as Dublin defeated Kerry 3-10 to 1-15 as two Gaelic Football powers clashed last night in Croke Park. Similar to the match against Cork last week, Dublin's ability to find goals proved the difference. You can read a match report here.

This was the first match of 2011 I was able to attend in Croke Park. Considering this was a National League match and a cold evening, the atmosphere was good. There were a large number of families with children in attendance - not surprising when such value for money is on offer. The GAA should be commended for their creation of the 'Spring Series' and for their ticket prices.

Overheard in the Snug: Feb 13th

Alright, alright, so I haven't posted since November. Thanks for all your emails wondering if I had emigrated or if I was alive. Much like the controversy regarding exactly what is a legal tackle, I am alive and well. I've been busy with a new job, moving house and fighting with Aer Lingus for a refund of a Christmas flight that never left the airport.

Nonetheless I've been keeping a loose eye on things in the world of Gaelic Football. I'm going to try an post a few talking points every Sunday from now until the All-Ireland Final. I'm going to call it 'Overheard in the Snug'. Here in no particular order are my topics for the week.

Match Predictions: 30 July 2010 - Quarterfinals

We are down to the final eight in 2010!  I can't wait to watch the matches this weekend.  I think Cork are the only ones who will have an easy win.  I have to agree with the oddly anonymous predictions on the Hoganstand site.  My picks for this week are Kerry, Tyrone, Cork, and Kildare.