On The Edge Sports Podcast

2026 All Ireland Quarter Finals Review

• On The Edge Sports Podcast • Season 2 • Episode 4

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0:00 | 52:58

All Ireland Quarter Finals Review. Brendan & Darren review the weekends Quarter Finals.
-Ref Decisions
-Dazzler Rocks & Kerry Blocks
-Are Louth Dark Horses?
-Mayo Firepower
-Cork & Galway Slow Build Up
+More.

SPEAKER_00

Hello and welcome to another episode of On the Edge Sports Podcast with myself, Brennan Attorney, and my guest, Darren Curns. Darren, no waffle. I'm not going to tell you what was on at the weekend in our lives. We're not going to have any long intro music. David Goff in the Galway game versus Dublin. I think it was one of the most talked-about things of the weekend. I am obviously a Galway man. Before we get into it, you know, I can nitpick why Galway were bad in lots of ways, but you're a neutral. You've seen a lot of incidents. Let's go to the first two main ones. Watching the game live when Bascal was fouled. What was your opinion?

SPEAKER_01

I thought that it was a rash enough tackle by Liam Silk. Yeah. To be fair, I think he made uh split decision that split second decision that he was going to stop him going through. Yeah. Did he realise I was coming behind him? Probably not. Now you're going to talk about the penalty and the black card and everything else along with that.

SPEAKER_00

It was funny, I was under listening to Pat Spillan like today of this week's after the match like podcast. And he said, When I heard that David Goff was ref in this match, he said, Uh oh. This was Pat's words. He said, I knew he'd make it all about him. Okay. And I don't know David Goff, he seems like a nice fella, but I'm just saying, we're just picking the context of being a ref in a game. Yeah. And it's mad when someone is saying that about you. Like that's no ref should be even spoken of like that. No, no. So it is a kind of it's a worrying narrative that's created around there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, like obviously it it had the a huge bearing on the game. It was the turning point of the game. Um, there was another couple of instances as well, but that was probably the main one. Um but in that instant, I think that he was very rash in the fact that he couldn't wait to get the black card out.

SPEAKER_00

Like he literally he hadn't even moved from the minute he blew, he I'd say within the same step he hit it up and out. He didn't pause. Yeah, and I mean, if there's any rule makers out there, ref, and I was thinking of this weekend ago and because that uh goal scoring chance, black card penalty rule, yes, uh, I think they nearly need to have a like a human VAR gun, right? Ref, if you give that, you're not allowed to give it until you talk to the two umpires and the two lines when it goes. This is my decision. Can anyone tell me anything else? Yeah, at least then everyone on the field to play, go, well, at least he took a second. And on the day it was Yeah, like like instantly.

SPEAKER_01

Like he made that decision himself. Totally on the spot, on the spot, split second decision, right? No more than what Liam Silk done. Yeah. Okay. So in that instant, if David Goff decided, okay, hold on a second here, right? I'm after seeing what's happening, I'm going to go in, speak to my two umpires, ask either linesman, they're all mic'd up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, ask the question. Like what he's not gonna he's not gonna lose any any aura by doing that. Yeah. Okay, you know, and make sure because like these decisions are changing games for the right, for the wrong, whatever it may be. So, in this instance, you've got to be a hundred percent correct.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and like Liam Silk was gone for the rest of the game, essentially, then and it was like at the end of a game, people getting tired, it totally turned the game.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and it was basically a red card because black card with the time that was left, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And again, like so. Let's say he went into one of his umpires and they go, Well, if in my opinion, that defender would have got it, and then Goffson, fair enough. All I need is one person to go against me. It has to be unanimous nearly. And if someone goes, I wouldn't disagree. No, it's so then he he protects himself.

SPEAKER_01

There there is there is a question to be asked there that when he makes that decision, like, is there anybody saying to him, Hold on a second here, David? I think you might have got that wrong.

SPEAKER_00

But I I like you think the the TV people would be because they hear the refs, yeah. Someone would have said somewhere, well, his lines were told him otherwise. Yeah, plus if his mic's up and it's recorded, David would have been like, Oh god, I better now. This man famously apologised to Mayo against Galway two years ago. Okay, when I laugh to give a free, and he actually apologised that he got it wrong. Yeah, so maybe he'll come around. We're all human, okay? Yeah, now let's go back a step, right? Because I went home and I watched it. I was at the game and then I went home and I watched it. And we will get to Galway because I mean, I said there's lots of weak points to them as well. But if anyone watches, if you go on our social media, we got one of the biggest reactions ever is some of the little posts we put up. Uh, within about 15 seconds before that moment, okay. So, disregarding whether you think it was a penalty, a black card or not, uh, just up the pitch, there were two incidents, and again, I was listening, I listened to about four or five different other podcasts, and one guy was saying, like, there were two 50-50 balls where the gallery man was in first and the double lad led in with the foot. Yeah, and they said that's always a free that they went.

SPEAKER_01

Well, it it in every game, and yeah, no matter what level it's at, like if you're going down on the ball and you're making an effort to pick it up, you bend the back and a toe comes in from wherever it may be. Yeah, it's a free because it's the easiest free in the world to give.

SPEAKER_00

So that's bad enough. So there were two of these instances, and I was going, How do you not give one of them? Fair enough. They do happen, I can understand that. And then if you watch, Colin Bascal takes, I mean, this is always a little argument, like he takes six and maybe seven steps, depending on your perspective. Now, we all understand the rule is four, five or six you can get away with depending on the little twister turn or jinke. But like he was looking at him, he was in view, he was, yeah, and that would have taken away all of this stuff.

SPEAKER_01

And and if if Basquel was pulled up for steps, there's absolutely no one.

SPEAKER_00

Nobody would say Anthony, nobody's no controversy, everything's done. So I think the the counting of steps again is starting to come into it. Uh so then and I would have watched the game and I made a lot of notes and made a lot of little videos and I sent them to you. I mean, we could set a documentary, we could, yeah. Yeah, there was some unbelievable third man tackles done that he missed. There was another one where uh O'Caffey Byrne took eight steps, literally running into uh golf. Maybe he got afraid and he's seen this monster coming towards you. Yeah, yeah, huge man coming at you all right, yeah. But like eight steps didn't give it. There were so many moments uh like if I'm not mistaken, um Dublin scored one five from uh freeze. I don't think Galway scored from a set free at all. I'm open to correction on that. So like someone on and a double someone on Twitter had said, look at Dublin, they hardly give away any freeze, and I said, Well, here's three frees that they should have given away the world. Like, oh, it was great discipline. It's like, no, it might have just been not the world's best referee in that game. So there was there was some awful instance of there was uh a body check, two body checks in in the Dublin penalty area on a goal of player. Couple really obvious. Yeah, Damon Cormer got dragged down by two players another time. He got dragged on, he got hit by a fellow.

SPEAKER_01

I think he got caught with the big man, the big man uh problem with that.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe the aid noche.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, definitely, which which shouldn't come into play. But no, no, on that occasion it did.

SPEAKER_00

And and he didn't dive enough that he got whacked twice. And then so I mean, if anyone wants to see them, I can send them to you. It will actually blow your mind some of the mistakes that was made, and it absolutely influenced the game. Now, I will get to, as I said already twice, that Gobby weren't great, but then the other one, John Maher.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Now, and again, I've heard Patty Andrews and Kieran Wheelan both saying this, yeah, Galway should feel agreed. Big dubs. Big dubs, you know, and everyone keeps going this, and I call it a bit lazy punditry to go, yeah. Well, Dublin scores 1-8 to a point. It's like, well, they shouldn't have got the one. There was two or three frees within that one eight that were absolutely not freeze, and then he didn't give Galway the penalty, so then you go, well, hold on a second, it's a four point.

SPEAKER_01

So this is coming from the the ball that was kicked in when the he was on the advantage, yeah. Um, so again, I we we're watching it live, and obviously it wasn't there in Croker, but watching it, watching it on TV, and like the advantage rule, like like there's a grey area there, there really is, because the advantage rule, like it has to be an uh an advantage for the team. So, surely in that instance, that the advantage is going to be a penalty and not bring it back out for what is the most advantageous situation.

SPEAKER_00

And and can I just say, if you watch it, uh Kieran Kilkenny, and I'm not giving out about Kieran Kilkenny, it's football. We all foul at times. He just wraps his arms around him, so he completely denied uh um goals. That's a goal scorer, and that's a blade one. There was no other defender, so there was no penalty and no black heart, yeah. And people said, Oh, maybe he had blown the whistle before once it hit the post, but he hadn't, because he actually told someone.

SPEAKER_01

But I think I think um the commentators are mic'd up, they can hear what the ref is saying, and he had said minimal contact in the penalty area on John Maher. Now, if he's looking at that and he decides that that's minimal contact, like he has a question to ask.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and we're we're trying to be very uh politically correct here and say, but like there has to be a question asked to go on. I'd love someone to I'd love David Goff, you're welcome to come on the podcast. And I'm not trying to be one of these narky online ranters, but you'd love him to just go, I watched them all back, I actually made a load of mistakes, and I want to go, sound.

SPEAKER_01

Well, as as as a football man, as a GEA man, as I'm saying, like I think the advantage rule in that instance, yes, if there's no advantage coming from it and the next foul occurs down the field, whether it be in the penalty area or not, yeah, I don't think it should be brought back out for the initial foul. Yeah. Because how has that been more given an advantage to the team that's going on the attack?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and then of course, to make matters worse, then Shane Walsh misses the 2.3. Fight the hit the post four times, hit the post and drop back down. Now he got the I think he got the rebound, but so you're going from a potential penalty, three-pointer, to come back out for a two-pointer to miss that, and to only get one then and then to go down the field then and self-implode, really. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So, like, okay, we'll just sorry, not disregarding because I I as you can probably see it really annoyed me. And disregarding being a Gauler fan, if it was any match, you'd be like, wow, and like we'll talk about some of the other games as well over the weekend, some of the decisions that totally influenced the game. Uh, but so I'll get your perspective first, okay? And I I'll put on me maroon. Well, I'd like to think I can say fairly you know independent when I think of things, but what did you think of Galway's performance overall?

SPEAKER_01

Um I thought that first half they probably hadn't done enough, but they didn't kick a wide. So, you know, which which was which was you know, they were on song shooting.

SPEAKER_00

But but but you could argue going there was times where I in first a few moments I remember Walch Infinity go they're they're well able to take them, and there just seemed a real cautiousness. And I would have rather three wides and two two-pointers. Yeah, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01

You know, and it was definitely moments like that I thought that was just I just I just think that the their overall gameplay just lacked a bit of intensity and a bit of madness, really, like that chaos. Many times it's winning that that's winning games that Crow Park needs and the quarterfinals really need like it like you. So if you're talking 55 minutes goal where six points up, yeah, in that instance, you you you just got it, you you have them down, just keep them down at that stage. You know, you have the foot on the throat and you're letting them back up and you're giving them more oxygen. Yeah, um, any of the bigger teams that have won games down or really games when they go ahead, like they put you to the sword, like the dubs when they were winning all Ireland's, like and that's the thing.

SPEAKER_00

I look in fairness, they were six points up, and before any dodgy penalty decision, uh they had got three points. Yeah, so Galway just kind of had let them go into the game. Like um I I I was watching and I was kind of keeping a tab. Like, in fairness, Dublin played lovely direct football a lot of the time. I don't know, Galway just kind of got the ball and just stopped. Uh and and I think Connor Gleason gets a harsh doing sometimes, yeah, but there was definitely maybe it was tactical. If it was tactical, then there's other questions up the line to be asked. It just seemed like I don't know. Did he kick any kick out fast?

SPEAKER_01

No, well, I don't think so. I think and I had mentioned it as well, um, that they were probably two architects of their own downfall throughout the season with Comford and Gleason, that they've got caught on short kick outs. Yeah, and we had said it and mentioned it here like should you just go long? Definitely they had decided from both camps that they were going long with all their kick outs. But there's a difference between going long fast and just sitting back and going long and letting teams get set up, yeah. Which Gleason seemed to do.

SPEAKER_00

And and even then it was like there was a couple of times, like I mean, you you're more experienced at kicking out, and I know it's not always uh it's not that easy to get a perfectly accurate, but as I I coach our young lads and I go, goalie, look up, keep it away from the tall fella, and if there's two v1 against us, then you absolutely don't put it there. And there was a couple of bad kickouts who went out, and you'd be kind of like, Oh, well, they should win it now, but it was kind of really good.

SPEAKER_01

But again, look at it, it's it's it's going back to it. Like, and we mentioned it, it's going back for the last few years of Galway. They have an issue with a goalkeeper, they really do. They've tried and tested. Now they they decided that Cleason was the man this year for the last four or five championship games, and to his credit, he hasn't done bad, and he's a decent shot stopper and he's a big man. I'm sure he's a big presence there in the dressing room. Yeah, but I just like for a team like Galway that will thrive on primary possession, I don't think that they're getting enough of it from their own kick out. And if you look at the teams that are actually buzzing at the moment, it's their own kick out, win a possession after their own kick out, or having the dogs working round for the break of ball after ownership. That's another thing.

SPEAKER_00

There's a lot like Kieran Kilkenny, these Scully, these lads around that mightn't do up pretty all the two of the game, but they're there. And even for goal, my fairness, Finan'al Lee was unreal. Yeah, with working and Kieran Malloy got on ball, and between them they scored like five points like that. They really did. So maybe that's you know a brighter spark for the future.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and I suppose like like I think over the last couple of weeks, I mentioned one of goal was bigger players that probably doesn't get the plaudits he deserves is Sean Kelly. Yeah, um, because everybody's talking about Walsh is back to form and Finerty is shooting the lights out, and Matt Cherney is a big guy, Comer coming off the bench, Conroy clipping in. But Sean Kelly, I think, knits the whole thing together from the half back line with his drive and runs, and I think his leadership qualities is huge. Um, but he missed out on Sunday.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I I didn't hear what had happened or anything.

SPEAKER_01

I I don't know, was it a late call or what? I'm not sure because um he was like he he was still in the 26 but didn't feature at all. So unless he pulled up in the warm-up, I'm not sure. I don't know what were you guys for the warm up.

SPEAKER_00

No, I did I didn't hear anything at the last minute at all.

SPEAKER_01

So like I knew I just think by by losing him, whether it was very close to the throw-in or during the week, I think it's a huge miss. And like some of the decisions around the half back line and even driving forward of when the penetrating runs are coming, like big Key and Darcy was unreal to his credit. Yeah, yeah, he kind of mass it together and he's gonna be able to get it. A big job matter again, like he got up there for and got the goal at one stage, but I think they were just missing that leadership quality, and I don't I think his contribution can't be emphasised enough because when he plays, goal will play an awful lot better, and that's the reality.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, no, no, it's very it's very true. So it was a big loss, and then just come back to the thing I was saying about kicking. Now, from and I mean I'm not an absolute statistician, but I do keep an eye. I make it that Dublin kind of played quick direct ball 13 times, and from that they got one five. Now, arguably you could say the penalty shouldn't have, but never mind that. Yeah, they put it in the danger area, and what happened? Yeah, okay. Maybe Galway could have got the wrong decision on the other side, you know, and got an incorrect penalty, but like Galway won't do it. Galway, my my stats was they put it in fast direct ball, maybe eight times, and they got a point. Okay, so one five versus a point. And I don't know what it was. Was it the movement up front? Uh but I think Galway always let Dublin get back in defence.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, they did they did and look at I suppose look at Shane Walsh has had some bad days out in Croker over the last couple of years. Like he had he was coming in firing, really wasn't that much. And I thought it was going to be a big day for Megan. Charlie McMahor, who I've mentioned before, I think he's having a super season for the dubs, really bright light at the moment, but he just thrived on Markham Walsh. And whether Walsh done enough, like he obviously didn't do enough, but whether he was trying enough, like I know that there was an All Ireland a couple of years ago that he was carrying a knock-in against Armad that he was he was only there or thereabouts. But again, uh like you're going back to if you're not playing well and you still take on that free with your left foot, don't get me wrong, he's a brilliant left foot, yeah, but it's not overly natural, and you have Finerty there who is left footed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, or Matty Tierney, good for Dick or the left foot.

SPEAKER_01

You know, like and it's just too many goals players didn't do enough on the day.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, like overall, and I mean you can I think we I think it's good to air the grievance of the referee because we if these things don't get highlighted, then there isn't everyone watching more, and maybe refs don't start going, oh actually, I got all that wrong, I'll watch for that more. Well, yeah, just but credit to the dubs as well. Like they they I I loved like from where they've come from this season, but like as I as someone said, like look from like from number nine up there, like how many all Irelands is there? Howard Bugler, I know Bugler didn't come on today, but like uh Colin Bascell again, another workhorse running everywhere.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, uh Costello up there in the full forward line.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and Costello didn't even play amazingly well.

SPEAKER_01

But it looked at it it all boils down to Conn.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, he's sensational. And we were obviously praying that maybe he wasn't going to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01

I know, and like like to come back after going off at a half string injury seven days previous, yeah, and to put in that performance again, again he racks up like one six, one-seven, like he's up there with one of the best in the country, yeah. Right, and there was a couple of balls that went in on top of himself and Key and Hearn and like and in them instances like that's a 50-50 ball, and usually more times than not, the full back ends up uh breaking the ball and he's looking for a mob. But Con was actually gathering it the first time.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, and I mean that's exactly what Galwick didn't do. You know, we Matty Tierney, or we might have moved Conray in there different times, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I was like going, please just do it. Yeah, and then and and then of course he gets the penalty, and like I don't know if you noticed it on the clip, or for anybody that's listening in, if you watch it back. So for the penalty, all the dubs forwards, three or four of them, lined up on the right hand side with no dub on the left hand side. Okay, so which would lead me to believe as a keeper, there's only one place he's going in case it rebounds out. Oh, okay. To the left. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Leason guessed right, yeah, was very unlucky not to save it, just dropped over the line, right? Again, look at you you're going to get critics saying that he should have done better, he got a strong hand to it. It's one of these things that's a lottery. But it's just interesting to see if there's a penalty the next day for the dubs. Do they do something similar? Because I think against Kavan he hit it high to the keeper's right, and in this instance, so it's just a little nugget of information that you know something that'd pick up on. But again, if Jane Murphy for a carry, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Or maybe they're going to it'll be a double uh double cross the next time, you know. But uh, but uh someone said to you like Kavan could have beaten Dublin if they're shooting. Sure, we're we're bored of saying it this age. It's crazy, crazy championship, you know. The one game I I obviously was travelling up to Dublin and I didn't get in for the first game, unfortunately. But Lau the Mon and I know you watched it. I mean, I heard all the instances of what happened. Uh the red card from I've hear mixed reviews, more saying it was a red, look at it, but just unlucky red nearly than it is.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like it's it's one of these things that if it's a black, you take the black and you you move on, and I don't think Monan will have any grievance with it. Now, the young fellow that got hit had had a fractured jaw and played on played on and scored a brilliant goal. One of these things he caught him high. Yeah, right again, it was a bigger uh guy against a smaller guy, probably one of these things he left a little bit late on him. Um it definitely influenced the game and the fact that Loud just really upped it from there. They were three or four-nil down at the time, it was six minutes into the game, and after that they end up kicking 27 points. Yeah, okay. Now, in relation to the red card, it was Sean Hurson that issued it. Okay. Again, the week previous, he had an involvement in the Mead guy.

SPEAKER_00

He was the Linesman, and then obviously Killarney. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Uh so I don't know if there's a directive coming down from Crow Parker from the referees committee or what it is that has told these refs that to make these these decisions, don't put yourself in the spotlight, etc. etc. I don't know where or what is coming from it. But again, like in that instance, I don't think he wanted to get the incident wrong.

SPEAKER_00

Uh because of all the heat he'd been getting if yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Right. So if he had given a black card in that and everybody had come back and says, Well, that should have been a red. How was that not a red? Then does he not put himself forward for an all-Ireland final or semi-final or whatever it may be? Does he not get another big game?

SPEAKER_00

After all, like you know, so it's like that has to be playing in their head, and yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So again, we mentioned it here last week, or I mentioned it here last week. I thought it would be a very, very tight game, which it was, and I thought that the difference could have been whether Began played or didn't play. Uh, rumours were there was a dead leg. I've since heard that it was uh torn hamstring, grade two hamstring. Okay, so obviously didn't play. Okay, so that nearly made it 14v14. No offense to the Monhead and keeper, obviously. He's no Began, like who is a Begin? Yeah. I think he like obviously Begin is probably top keeper in the country and has shown it over the years. I think he's played 68 championship games in a row. Wow, no other keeper has played for Monhead in that length of time at championship level, which is an unbelievable game.

SPEAKER_00

And influences pretty much every game at the end.

SPEAKER_01

And when you consider that he was over in America trying out for America, yeah, I watched that, also, right? And influences every game like to the end degree because like he's kicking two pointers, but his kick out then alone is just second to none nearly. And the difference between the keepers on last Sunday for Monaghan was that it's a left-footed keeper that was coming in. A young Mooney lad, I think he was under 20 captain last year, and I'm sure he's a good keeper. Yeah, of course, right? But the difference between having a right footed kicker as a goalkeeper and a left footed is chalk and cheese, it's huge. Why? Because the runs that the players are making, the pockets of space.

SPEAKER_00

Sorry, do you mean uh if they're so used to a right foot kicker? It doesn't matter what foot you are, as long as it's been the rhythm has been going. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So the pockets of space, like the pockets of space the Monaghan guys were creating was with begging in mind. Yeah, yeah. And the the new guy in just wasn't finding them pockets of space. He was made go long on a couple of occasions, but again, look at it was a ding-dong battle of a game. We mentioned last week O'Hanlon, like he was like he had a great game again on Sunday, but I had said that Craig Lennon would probably pick him up, which ended up having a matchup, right? Which was a real it was a great matchup as well, right? But again, it was the game was in the melting pot, right? Uh coming down the stretch, uh Monham were after going either a point up or two points up, and Big McCarville in the middle of the field catches a ball, clean mark, and out of nowhere, Hurston blows for a free and gives a free to load. Okay? And from that, Tig McDonald scores a point, he was after coming off the bench. He ended up with three points, but there was no free. And if you watch it back, like nobody knew what the free was for, right? And he had said, because he again he was mic'd up, and the commentator had said that number I think it was number 22 pushing, which like you know, but there was no push in it. It wasn't as if that the loud guys were looking for the free, if you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00

And that's they're the freeze, you go, why give a free? You go, I'm I'm not sure. And like they're an easy one to go back to the player and say, Look, I didn't see it, I'm not convinced.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and like Modern were on the attack, they were going right now. Look at I would say that Mon played into Loud's hands, they had an extra man from the six minute on. Okay, they didn't stretch the game once, they played all through the central channel at no stage with the out wide, they didn't go coast to coast with the ball. And Loud were able to mop it up and hit them on the break. Now, some of Loud's players just really stood up to the mark. Like, and even at the end, there, if you look at Mulroy's flick-up at the end for Kieran Byrne's last score, Kieran Byrne comes off the bench, kicks three points. They had 11 different scores throughout the game, Loud had. Okay, which is a huge spread of scores. And usually you were looking at Mulroy kicking seven, eight, nine points in games for Loud down through the years and keeping them in games and doing very well, don't get me wrong. But they have this spread of scores now, and they have guys coming off the bench and kicking points, you know. So they deserve huge credit for what they've done last Sunday. They really do. I think Mohan's legs give out towards the end, all right, because they've had a few weeks on the trot there. And I know that we says that they won comfortably against the Rossies and against Westmead up in Clonus, but you're playing three weeks on the bounce. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

They're a small they lost their forward uh in McCall, is it? Big Bobby, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So I mean there's a few things him and Begin missing too.

SPEAKER_01

Of course, you know, so three get three weeks on the bounce, and we says Croker plays faster. There's a super hot day in Crow Park last Sunday. Loud just outfought them towards the end. Like, and I wouldn't have been surprised if it had gone to extra time, to be honest, but I just think that the impact that Loud got off the bench, like Kieran Byrne to his credit, I think he was going to give up football. He has had two ACLs, came back from Aussie Rules, two ACLs, and had fractured his ankle and had stepped away from the panel during the league to do a bit of rehab and get himself up to speed to be able to operate at championship level. So, like the SNC guys plus the management team plus himself deserve huge credit for doing that. Because if a guy does step away from a panel, it's very hard for him to come back in. He's after coming back in and making a huge difference in the last few games. Like, you know, so it just shows you the strength of a panel. But again, Horst Devlin is uh like he's a serious, serious operator, serious manager. And again, I've said it before, he came in on the pitch after that game and he was hitting fellas like he was playing a championship match himself. He's that rose up.

SPEAKER_00

Is he real good buzz within the campaign?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like I'd say I'd say fellas go through a brick wall for him.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, no, well, obviously, Mayo's now meeting them. They they won't be gone. This is ten years ago, oh, did Louds throke into a semi-final? That's me handy.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_00

And like it was Mulroy said in 2022 that we should be talking to ourselves of being in contenders. People like you're a lunatic. And he had said in his war all at home, or when he was younger, or I'm going to be the best forward in Louds.

SPEAKER_01

Like and asking the lottery like number six for them, Dara McDonnell. Okay, only out of under 20, right? Mad of the match performance, I would say nailed on for an all-star already. He's clipping him scores all through the screen. But he kicked one with his bad foot, his left foot from out underneath the Kusick stand, a two-pointer in the first half, right? In that instance, like you have the confidence to do that. That's the innocence of youth as well. Like, because you'd have some guys, and in some games, you get into that position, you're turning back, and you're giving it to a forward. You're saying, right, you can have the shot, you're passing the buck, but he's just gone out and he's mopping up ball, and he was winning kick outs and he was winning breaks and he was hitting fellas, and he just had a monumental performance.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, provide a hook.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, definitely, yeah. Or I'd say Gavin Devlin has says to him, Look at you are the man, and he has instilled that confidence in him. Do you know what I mean? Because it really shows coming out through the game, and look at he got his man of the match performance, and rightly so.

SPEAKER_00

You know, it's the one game I said I missed now, and uh, might actually better look back at it before next week when we do a semi-finals preview. Cracking game. Uh so the one game that well to me the best quality game of the weekend was Kerry and Tyrone. Yeah, and I do I do think like I like I don't think Mayon Cork was that high quality Galdway in Dublin, a lot long of it, long lots of parts of the first half was awful, I thought. But anyway, so Kerry Tyrone, like what? Where do you start?

SPEAKER_01

Like it was a game for the ages, it was like it was like back in the day, it was like the shackles were off. Um Kerry had them at arm's length, Tyrone wouldn't go away. Um, and then obviously they introduced the Dazzler. Oh my god, you know, after 44 minutes and kicks 10 points, like the likes of that is unheard of. Yeah, right. That's not supposed to happen. No, it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I mean, it's also a query on the Kerry defence to a point, too, isn't it? Like we were saying there's a weak points that we can if you're Dublin now, you're going okay, where can we go?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, de definitely. Look at it, like, and but like Tyrone were just really, really good. They really were. And it's look at it, it's it's one of these things, and I like it seems to be a topic that we're talking about here in games, but it's because the man in the middle has such an influence on the game. So the last it was Patty Neal and okay. Like there was a couple of incidents in the game. There was two that really really spring to mind. So there was a kick out that Conclairpatrick won out on the sideline, clearly won inside that between him and the linesman they got it wrong. That it was a mark all day long that says that he stepped outside the line. Oh, okay. Yeah, okay, so sideline ball. So this happened a few weeks ago in the Derry match, Derry against Mead as well. So it's like you know there has to be communication there when the Derry guy slid out over the line, he clearly marked the ball on the pitch. There's no way that Con Kilpatrick is going to step across the line if he hasn't got the mark. It was a clean catch. And then there was the other instant that the was it Kennedy or Kilpatrick was pulled down when he was in the air.

SPEAKER_00

This Jim and O'Connor.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I got a clip of that, and I that was also very popular on our social media. It was just it was blatant, but like he couldn't let the play go even. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But it was it was it was that blatant and obvious that the Kerry boy stopped.

SPEAKER_00

Sorry, when I say let the play go, I mean that yeah, they stopped, and maybe at that point they're obviously like and they had a look at the riff, and he was like, What are you looking at me for?

SPEAKER_01

And they kept going on the down the field and got a score.

SPEAKER_00

It was surreal, and like no man going up for a ball just turns backwards like that. He'd go up, but he just got this twist. It's like someone must have caught him. Yeah, uh, yeah, and again in a game of so tight, like that like I know there was a late goal, but like momentum, momentum, like if Frog had got that penalty, for example, maybe the momentum switch. If Kerry, you know if Toronto got that free that time, uh yeah. So they're they're like we're talking nearly every game about ref. We could do like a Sky Sports.

SPEAKER_01

I know I know, I know, I know. But look at it's it's one of these things that they're having such an influence on games that you have to you can't but mention it. Yeah, do you know what I mean? But again, look at it doesn't take away from the game itself as a spectacle. Like it was up and down, there was breaks, there was scores, like like you're talking about scores, and we talk about McCurry, and we talk about obviously the main man himself, the goat inside like you kind of just we nearly pass over it now. And what did you get? One eight, and again, I think it was like you know something like so crazy.

SPEAKER_00

But then if you just like touch on Dylan Gini, like he to me, and this is again because Clifford has just been doing it, you go, that's sensational, we're just used to it.

SPEAKER_01

I think Dylan Ganey, like I think there's uh the stat has come out 17 shots in championship, 17 scores.

SPEAKER_00

Imagine marking him going, can I and like it was that's funny. Someone in the podcast they were like going the next day now, because this will all be talked about for someone who should get the first ball, just kick it wide. Yeah, no, that's another one. Forget about it, that's it done. That's it, done. Imagine if he does it.

SPEAKER_01

But no, but like like he he was phenomenal, he really was.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, he's he's really enjoying his football, and it's so dangerous from anywhere.

SPEAKER_01

He's off the cuff, like and he's but like he is just he's a gem of a player, I'd say, to play with because if you make a run, he's gonna find you. You make a backdoor cut, he's gonna find you. He's that smart, he has he has the brain like to do that. So I'd say for the likes, he's taking pressure off Potty. Yeah, I would say, because Potty is coming back into his own, really. Like he played very well the last day. Now, some of Tyrone's matchups in the back line was was very good. Like young Quinn was marking Clifford in the first few minutes, and then uh Devlin went on. Devlin went down.

SPEAKER_00

Kind of seemed to quite in him a little bit more. He did like I think as much as you can.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think Clifford had five attempts when Devlin was on him, and he kicked one and fisted two over the bar.

SPEAKER_00

Now, those two fist to points that was like, okay, I can do everything amazing, but you know what? Right now it just needs a bit of calm. Yeah, clip them over, and that kept the board.

SPEAKER_01

And I would say that's his maturity, whereas Kevin the last couple of years, because beforehand, I would say he would have put the head down and tried keep going, keep going, might have got a goal, might have got a save by Morgan. You'd imagine the lift that would have given Tyrone at the time if something like that happened, but he had the know-how just to clip it over the bar with his right hand, so left footed right hand. But should he's a he's a freak of science, he really is like he just defies laws of physics like it's and like you're talking about the chip-up for his first score.

SPEAKER_00

Become in quite a prominent thing. Was it Concord Patrick did one? There was a couple of you did you see Mulroy did a chip-up as well back in? He did, yeah, for the leg score. You love it, uh and like if you're an underage coach, you're like, Oh god, don't be letting me see the down the ball. Maybe we should just go back.

SPEAKER_01

But then we say that the Galwall boys were trying to go down the ball and there was boots coming in and there was no side of it. So but no, no, but but look at Tyrone stuck in there, like they were they were dogged, like Maddie Donnelly at full forward there, like like, and whether it's his Swan Song and Croker, but looked at at the end of the game, like he kicked a couple of great points. I think he ended up with three points, but his overall play, young Macel home, was very good as well. Like he linked up with Donnelly for a goal chance to clip the top of the crossing. If that rattles up in the top corner, there's a good chance that we're talking here about Tyrone being an All-Irel semi-final.

SPEAKER_00

I was gonna say, like, I think now, in hindsight, and we'll all be made fools of again, no doubt, within the next month. 100%. I think whoever had won that game, I think that's your All-Ireland winner.

SPEAKER_01

Well, yeah, well, but a couple of weeks ago, would you have said that?

SPEAKER_00

Not well, not you wouldn't have put Tyrone in that space, you know. But we did say they only lost by a point to our then they beat Mayo, who maybe now their stock is rising. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So and beat our beat beat Mayo with a two-pointer free the last kick of the match or very close to the last kick of the match.

SPEAKER_00

Like, you know, it's a pity he's gone because he's gone for this year.

SPEAKER_01

And and again, Darek Hanavan not togged, yeah, which was a huge, huge loss. Like, like, and the the likes of him coming on for 15 minutes at the end, like he must have picked up something bad for that to happen. Because surely to God, you would have been doing everything you could to get on that field, you know what I mean? So it's it's just a shame that we didn't get to see him because we're talking about stars of the game, and you're talking about unsung heroes also in different games. But I tell you what, the block that Keith Evans done at the end on Michael McKernan like that's about our social, but that got like off the charts views.

SPEAKER_00

It was again you you just it defies everything. It does, yeah. How he did it, and even McCurry must have been like, Oh, here we go. AC McKernan, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I line it up outside the right and thinking I'm going to level the game here or I'm gonna win the game for Tyrone or whatever it may be. And this guy, I'm after sending him to the shops, as my young fellow says when he dummies me in the backyard, and all of a sudden I'm about to kick the ball over the bear, and there's the fellow that I sent to the shops blocking it, throwing out it. Now you're you go back to blocks in the game of Gaelic football, and everybody thinks to Connor Gormley's blocking the learned final for Tyrone 2005, I think it was. Like that's right up there. Yeah, it's a monumental block.

SPEAKER_00

And I I have a major thing, I I usually say it's not having a good block, it's a bad shot choice. Yes, you go he's there, you're just pretending to shoot. Yeah, but like that was not that was that's what a block was.

SPEAKER_01

It really was, and it was and look at Keith Evans who was like he got a great goal against our mat when he came on there a couple of weeks ago, and he gets that block again. So, like he's gonna be pushing, yeah, and then obviously then we'll touch on Shane Murphy's kick outs.

SPEAKER_00

Like he put on a clinic again. They could put him on Taj to just those. Now, in fairness, Morgan as well, I thought did a lot of good kick out. He did, of course. But yeah, Shane Murphy is everything, and I'm not going to go back and go away, but like on a few teams, bang, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick.

SPEAKER_01

He had I would when I was watching the game, when you're actually looking at a shot, either going over the bar or going wide, before the ball hit the back of the net or the ground, he was had the ball on the T ready to go. So like it's it's just and I and again I'm gonna put it down to the two-time All-Star sitting on the bench who has given him a kick up the backside that he knows that if I don't do this, then I'm not gonna play for Kerry. And that's the long and the short of it. Like, you know. So in that instance, he deserves huge credit. Again, like some of the kick-outs he got away, like they were you know, they were they were 60-40 at best, but he backs himself. And again, the onus is on the player out the field, be where I'm gonna kick it. You know, and more often than not he got them away and set Kerry on the front foot straight away. Like some of their like I think there was they got was a 1-7 they got from direct from his kick out without Tyrone touching the ball again.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and and like football as I say is very simple kick, catch, kick, point. Yeah, and I mean I know it's a perfect word, but that all relies on accuracy of the kick-up, but then looking up and movement up front. Yeah, you know, and it's coaching our young lads, and you're trying to go, how do I get them the one? The ball's gonna just go, just go, even if you're not going where you think you're going, just move. Yeah, because otherwise it's static and no one will kick to a static.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, look at I like I'm I'm sure that Dublin are going to be waiting in the wings, they're gonna be thinking that they're like this is all the talk is about Kerry, it's gonna suit us, blah blah blah, blah, blah, and have to come up with a plan for Clifford. But what is the plan for Clifford? Is the plan to stop him scoring double figures or keep him to six, seven?

SPEAKER_00

Did someone keep him quiet somewhere? Like maybe they had a league game, but then he might have been like, I'm not bothered today. Yeah, you know, you know, because I don't know. I mean, like I don't know what you could do with it, to be honest. Let's say Devlin, if you're watching the video back of your analysis, you're probably going, okay, what did Devlin do? Yeah. Because you know, McCall Lasher didn't really get it right. Yeah, so but what did Devlin do with it?

SPEAKER_01

And then Tyrone are going to be wondering, you know, if Devlin was on him from the start, but I presume they had said, right, Color Quinn is going to be the man to do it. He just like it's it's and it's no embarrassment for Carmer Quinn to get one three kicked off him because he was just on fire in the first few minutes and he was just unmarkable. Like you've got to double mark him and you've got to sacrifice it, but in that instance, what are you gonna do? Leave Dylan Gainey free, leave Paul Gainey free, leave Paudy Clifford free. Like, and then you have, of course, the all-star himself, Shawnee O'Shea, knocking on the door saying, I want to get into that lineup. You had Gavin White started the last.

SPEAKER_00

No, Gavin White, I was just blown away at like both halves because I do me little tick system when I'm watching matches, and he just was bang, bang, bang. He constantly was influential.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, I would consider Gavin White to be one of the top attacking footballers in the country, yeah, based on what he's done over the last couple of years, right? Because he's just phenomenal, he really is, and like to get into that Kerry team, you need to be firing all cylinders. He's come back like a what a player to bring back into your lineup. Yeah, and like if Tyrone they obviously thought, okay, if Gavin White is fifth, there's a good chance he's going to start, so we've got to be thinking about him. But there's there's nothing you can do with him because he's so strong, and he's not that big either.

SPEAKER_00

Like, no, he's not a monster, but you know, just like Las Chasel Ireland as well. Like, just I was it the start of both halves, and bang, and like that's what I'm saying. And again, we go back to some of the other teams we we mentioned that are not now they're not left in the championship. Well, maybe if there was a bit more Gavin White S in the manual, it's just go for the bigger.

SPEAKER_01

But I suppose he's been given the option or the license by the management team. Like you're in there to do a job, run yourself into the ground and make somebody else chase you and see who see what comes off of it. Yeah, because they don't need Gavin White going up the field and clipping it over the bear because they have the forwards to do that. Do you know what I mean? And then obviously, when he goes by the halfway line, he they have the four giants around the middle of the field.

SPEAKER_00

That's the other thing, like Marco Shea, is it Sean O'Brien? Sorry, and and like Joe Joe kind of didn't get into it as much, I found, and especially in the second half kind of petered out a bit. Yeah, I mean he's entitled to not do brilliant at all.

SPEAKER_01

No, but I suppose like like and Kerry probably got like Kerry or Tyrone have huge bend theirs were in the middle of the field as well. And McGee, who whistened half the size of Jeremy O'Connor, like he went up with him at one stage in the air, and the both hands or four hands were on the ball from a kick out, and he put in a huge shift and he ended up kicking a two-pointer in the first half as well himself. Do you know what I mean? So, like Tyrone really, really, really will be like thinking pat in the back, yeah, but we should have won that game, or we could have won that.

SPEAKER_00

And I this year, I'm gonna read this in an article on Saturday morning. They had a number of debutants in the championship this year. You know, there's under 20 teams coming up. So I'd say if they can keep the O lads for one more year just for that crossover, yeah, like they I think they're a dangerous animal. But someone said to me, Now, what do you think of Kerry? I said, I think they've even made themselves look better now. I know they had a proper test, they came through it. Uh, like they had a proper midfield battle, they had some tough defenders to go up against and their defence is so good as well. Like it's it's annoying. Like, it's like I don't I I just I can't see anyone else winning it. I mean, we all obviously want an underdog to come in and win it, but I can't. But we'll look at we'll we'll enjoy what it was for the weekend and cracking game, cracking game. And then uh, well, the last game we'll chat about, but it was the first game of the weekend, Mayo and Cork. Yeah, now again, I did watch this and I just thought again, you people are gonna say, Oh yeah, this is goalie, but like it wasn't a good game, it wasn't a good game. And I mean, bar for the Mayo full forward line, it would have been you know, but I think people would have been turning it off, like you know. Yeah, but again, where was it won and lost?

SPEAKER_01

Like, well, there you go, what you're after mentioned, the full forward line. Mayo kicked 23 points, full forward line kicked 18. Yeah, do you know? Um, but more so I was just so disappointed with Cork. And at times I thought that just their overall gameplay was so so poor. And I like I'm not taking anything away from Mayo, they won the game, and fair juice to them for winning the game, but just some of Cork's shot selection, there was like like they obviously knew that Mayo were gonna have a plan for Sherlock. Yeah, okay. Dunnock McHugh done a massive job on him. Okay, now he kicked six or seven points, Sherlock, at the end of the day, right? But when Sherlock wasn't coming on the loop or when he couldn't get on the loop, like Cork were just throwing the leg at it, and they had so many wides from ridiculous positions, and they weren't even close to being over the bear. And they were like, you know, like they brought on Brian Hurley, I think, too late. I think he should have been introduced at halftime. Uh Chris Oak Jones tried very unlucky not to get a goal.

SPEAKER_00

And Endaheson kind of marshaled him quite well because Ender wasn't as much of an attacking force, but again, he's shown both sides of his game.

SPEAKER_01

Like again, there was an instance in that game also when Chris Oak Jones fisted the ball over the bar that he got absolutely nailed after it by Stephen Cohen.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, I heard I heard this or someone. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Now he was now he was airborne, he was up, he was gone, he was committed. Okay, but he catches him around the head, he absolutely nails him. In that instance, like, where's the advantage we're talking about, right? Like it like is it a black art?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you know, should it have been a black art, like like like there's no duty of care towards no, and it's like rugby is like going, okay, and we know you mightn't have fully meant to hurt him, but you you you weren't in control, he didn't do that wrong, so you need to be punished, you know, and and after that it took Chris O'Jones a good few minutes to to recover after that.

SPEAKER_01

But look at Mayo again, look at we'll talk about the boys up front, Ryan O'Dunhu, seven or eight out of ten all the time.

SPEAKER_00

He's so dogged, like he's the one player you'd love in your team as regards if things aren't going well, he will go out and do his best to make it. And like you have him and Darrow Byrne and then Kobe, but as I was saying in darts they say doubles for Doe and Trebles for Shaw. But for me, Byrne and Odunhu are the doubles, they'll just get the scores, do it. But Kobe is the treble, like might not always get the highest score in the team, but he will come in with some answer.

SPEAKER_01

No, like it, like look at what he so we'll say the innocence of youth again, right? Down along the Qusick sideline, he sizes up Stephen Sherlock, who doesn't have the legs to keep up, and flicks the ball over his head with a hand pass, runs onto it. Like you don't coach that because you you if as a coach, you're definitely not going to coach that. No, no, here's the here's the tactical. But he had green grass in front of him, and he says, I'm gonna go. Now, I've seen that uh I heard that Alan Costler used to do it back in the day. He definitely wouldn't do it now. I think that was Alan mature to tell you that. I think that was national school he used to do that in, and he's still talking about it. But um Kobe done it, but I tell you what what I noticed after what Kobe done, he got the ball and he ran 50 yards with it, and he handed it off to Darburn and clips it over the bar instead of going for the score himself. Because it'll just show look at it, I'm mature enough to do it. Let I I'm after running 50-60 yards at full tilt here, it's not in the legs to kick it over the bear.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's Tamara Display going, okay. I know I could probably, but no, absolutely. And like like look at, I mean, obviously from the Golemio beautiful rivalry, you've been, oh well, thank god, that's one less to worry, but like I think it's a huge loss if you're a genuine GA fan, that's the kind of football you want to see. Like when he does.

SPEAKER_01

Look at and go back to Dara Byrne, right? Now he kicked seven or eight points the last day. I had said that I watched him at the very start of the year in an under-20 championship in Tupper Curry, and I had singing his praises after that, I thought he was exceptionally. Yeah, right. But he kicked points the other day, right? And where the coach defence were gone for a few of the points, no disrespect to Darrell Burney, he kicked them over, but he was clipping them over at his ease. Like you're looking at the scores that was got in we'll go back to Kerry and Tyrone for Argonne's sake, or loud them on, and the really intense, tense games with the defenders like really throwing themselves down for the blocks, like he was clipping them over. Now he gave it to the crowd each time that he scored. You love that.

SPEAKER_00

And Kobe's great. I I'm loving this decision. Why not? Clifford is even getting in a bit more than he used to. That's what we want. 100%.

SPEAKER_01

The supporters are there. Yeah, supporters are giving it to you, whether it be the opposition supporters or your own supporters, right? Give it back to them. Do you know? And of course, that's going to raise the roof, then, like you know, yeah. And look at Mayo, are we says they were in bonus territory?

SPEAKER_00

I thought Cork were going to bring more to the table, and Mayo still have plenty in them because like there's a few good players, like Matty Ruan, who hasn't even he wasn't even the panel for a couple of games. Yeah. And he's back. I mean, look at it.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, and again, go back to young Livingston, pulled off a brilliant safe later on.

SPEAKER_00

He was gone the wrong way. And Paul Tawi, by the way, who was centre for it. No, I if I'm not mistaken, he went off halftime, or maybe he did, yeah. Yeah, I think he was very influential with Mix set uh link in the play as well. Yeah. So they're just starting to like they're probably not the finished article, they'll probably tell you that themselves. I mean, who knows what'll happen them the next day. Okay, they got loud, who you might say are not are maybe third out of the four in rankings, maybe. Yeah. Uh but whatever happens, Mayo, you're going they've they've they've thrown I'd say they're delighted where they are, but I mean I'd say they're obviously I'm sure the likes of Andy is going to be greedy.

SPEAKER_01

They're gonna be saying we'll get to another final. Here last year. Well those two teams.

SPEAKER_00

No, I'm I'm kind of making sure we don't go too much into semi-finals because we need to get on to them next week. But but like with that full forward line, yeah, like you're gonna have to make sure. Now, again, as you said, it'll be it'll be a good measure of where they're at against Loud. If Loud go and for example, if they go and beat them and they've got a bit more tough defence, bit more driven, then you'll go, okay, that's from Mayo now, but they're definitely on the opportunity.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, now like what Andy had said a few weeks ago was this team is made for Crow Park, as in his own team, his own Mayo team. And yes, because they play expansive football, they go at it, they chase you down, they will go forward when they have the ball, they're gonna try and score, they're gonna go at break next speed. On the flip side of that with Cork, I didn't realise this until this week, but Cork are definitely not made for Crow Park because that's eight games in a row they've now lost in Crow Park. Yeah, do you know? And like again, like it's it's obviously there's they're they didn't lose they didn't win a game in Crow Park in knockout is it since 2012?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, something like that. Something mad in it. I don't mind if I'm wrong. Someone'll find it out.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, but look at again, and but they had enough a ball to win the game.

SPEAKER_00

14 wides to seven, I think. And it was just it was all their forwards we talked about, and some of the games they won this year, they beat Dunny Galloway, and they were kind of going, Oh god, this will be a great game. And yeah, yeah, it was really, really I'd taken aback that it was so I thought like these boys would be clipping a few twos around.

SPEAKER_01

And look at I think I think the aforementioned Stephen Cohen makes a huge difference to Mayo when he's playing because he's playing as a with number 10 on his back, but he's playing as an extra defender, and I'm sure he is a huge leader in that dressing room. He was uh he won an under-20 All Ireland with Mayo as captain, he's played Sigerson football up at UCD, so and he's played I don't know how many games from Mayo, but any time that he's fit, he seems to play. So look at he he knits a lot of it together. He's talking his leadership qualities like young McHugh done brilliant on Sherlock, give him his dues, right? Because Sherlock has been kicking the lights out and everybody was talking about it going into it. But when you give a young fella that has that can the matchups like that, and you give him a job like that, and every time that he got the ball, you had Callanan coming over. If Sherlock did get by him, Callanan was giving him a clip, Cohn was giving him a clip, Henshin, we mentioned before, had another great game.

SPEAKER_00

So and one man we're forgetting, and he's he's really starting to clip on a bit now, is Tommy Conroy. Yeah, he now there's a Crow Park player. Yeah, definitely. And like the more than I suppose, like Damian Comer's he's been dogged with injuries for ages, and you'd love to see a good player like that to go, let's see what you're made of, or is it unfortunate that the injuries keep going? Because he's he's really cooking, and I could see you know, like if imagine putting Kobe out on the half-hour line, Tommy in there, whatever way you juggle around the rest of the backside. Obviously, McGreel looks he went off injured, so I don't know what that would mean for him.

SPEAKER_01

But like good to see Tommy Connery coming back, like he got fouled twice when he was getting through, two points resulted. And he just looked lively. He just looked looked really lively, but again, I just not enough players for Cork came to the game and Mayo, to their credit, got the win and probably deserved in the end, to be honest, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, if when we did our first podcast, whatever it must have been is this the fourth one, I think. Uh, you picked Armand to win the All Ireland, so obviously that is not happening. So for Divelman now, who's going to win the All Ireland?

SPEAKER_01

Oh no matter what I say, it's probably going to be wrong, but look at I think a lot of people names. Now, look at look at there's I don't think there's anybody who is not going to pick Kerry right at the moment. But like we will touch on it uh in in the preview show for the semi-finals, but like rule anybody out at Japur, and that's the long and the short of it. Like you're saying that Loud and Mayo are in All-Irland semi-final, one of them is going to be in the All-Inland final.

SPEAKER_00

Like they're there on merit, like even to go to next year, like Loud, Mayo, and Dublin are for me, are all on an upper trajectory. Galway, Armah and Donegal are all going to be like, right, lads, hold on now. Yes, this let's tear out the sheet here. We have enough good players. All those three teams have enough players to win all Ireland. Yeah. But it'll be a very interesting championship next year. So again, this year, even if it's inevitably maybe looking like Kerry again. I mean, I I'd love to do that.

SPEAKER_01

But you can but you can imagine the build-up over the next couple of weeks for we'll say the Wii County, which is loud, yeah, right, and Mayo, which is uh the the the most passionate supporters in the country.

SPEAKER_00

And they they kind of left them a couple of years a bit, they're starting to get louder and come back now.

SPEAKER_01

Like, like I think um you go back to Mayo Roscommon in the championship last year uh in the Hyde, very small crowd travelled, you know, they didn't really pass an awful lot of heat of it.

SPEAKER_00

Andy has come in. Even this year earlier on the championship, was it the Roscama game where there was not even a great support? There was the controversy with the price of tickets. There was, of course, yeah. That was a few things, whereas the old days the price tickets didn't matter. So yeah, look at me. Look at it, and I'd say Andy in his first year is going to be like, look, even if we lose the next day.

SPEAKER_01

And heard there this evening that both semi-finals are sold out for the first time ever.

SPEAKER_00

Imagine the noise in the loud MAO game.

SPEAKER_01

But that's the first time ever across both codes, Herlan and Gailey football, that the semi-finals have been sold out. Wow. Which is which is a crazy stat, and it's something to look forward to, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no, no. We're in for a retreat. Uh okay, so if because I mean, okay, well, obviously, most people are going to go player of the year is David Clifford. So let's say Kerry lose the next day. Who do you think is gonna be player of the year then? This is obviously just you know looking in the crystal ball then.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, if Kerry, if uh put it this way, if Kerry didn't win the All Ireland and you're saying the likes of the dubs or loud or something like that.

SPEAKER_00

Right now, out of the other three teams, who's the best player out of the other three teams?

SPEAKER_01

I know I'll go I'll go for King Khan. Khan O'Connor. Okay, yeah, he's up there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, definitely, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe on some of the halfbacks in Laos. Yeah, like Mayo. Would you would you put any of the Mayo lads in a player of the year contender at the moment?

SPEAKER_01

Um, look at the you you know, no matter what conversation you have in Gaelic football at the moment, Kobe is in it. Whether he's in that category, I just don't think that he's not expected.

SPEAKER_00

You know, and Darrow Byrne as well. Like, I mean, he's come into games. There are only kids. You can see brilliant talent there, but yeah, kids. So I was just kind of going, like, okay, so maybe Mayobin might not get there unless they go out and win the already because that trend changed it. But just right now, like, you know, maybe maybe it's a loud player is stuff there ahead of some of the dub lads. You know, people say Niel Scully. Like, I watched it back, he got two two pointers, he was big dog, but I was kind of going, I think it was a little bit. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

He got mad the match as well, I think, didn't he?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but I I I watched I was going, yeah. Maybe I'm a fool, you know. Yeah, well I was going, I because I was watching, I do me little ticks and I go, as I say, did they how much like drove on with a good ball, not just run around. You know, no simple passes. So yeah, I'm kind of surprised that some people were talking about him as player of the year contender. Like, you know, as you said, I I can't me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, but that and but then obviously you go back to you go back to the Kerry boys, and if you're having the conversation, like put Dylan Gini in it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and Jay Murphy.

SPEAKER_01

Jay Murphy. Like you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00

Could you say if he wasn't doing everything right, we'd have no foundation, it wouldn't be bad, like you know, but he could easily be in the conversation. But anyways, look at it, a bit of a bit of waffle talk of course you go through the crack. So so you think Kerry are gonna win it? I do. Okay, who's the worst team left? Oh, Jesus, that's an awful that's an awful question to ask.

SPEAKER_01

Well, no, no. Well put it put it this way in the in the in the bookies they have Mayo favourites over loud.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so you've diplomatically answered you put that onto one of the bookies, so it said And I would go in the opposite way. Uh and I've heard a lot of people, there was a few guys, and they were all saying pick pick them and they they would have picked Loud. So but that's the beauty of this, isn't it? Of course it is, yeah. No one could confidently say pick I I think I would confidently think Kerry probably have enough for the drug, but then the dub fans are.

SPEAKER_01

Well, if I if if if if I say that Kerry and Loud are going to win, then it's going to be M.O. double on Ireland.

SPEAKER_00

If I have one at home, I know, but I don't I like I love the craziness of it all, and it's like you nearly hope you keep getting it wrong because there's nothing more boring than the opposite.

SPEAKER_01

Look at look at the scores in the games we're getting. Yeah, yeah. Like it's off the charts, and like you know, I think we had talked about you know, with the two-pointer being coming in, should the goal be four points? That was a conversation that was had. It was trialed in Croker in them uh the sandbox games, but there's loads of goals.

SPEAKER_00

I I I I probably get this wrong, but it was like 40 or 60 percent up to a certain round a couple of weeks ago. It was that many more extra goals. Yeah, like so. Then you're going, is the two-pointer bringing out defense? Yeah, and leaving a bit of space in behind for the goals?

SPEAKER_01

Why don't we like even if it's not actually on in the odd time it goes in, yeah, then there's a good chance that something's gonna happen from it, like you know, yeah. So we'll see if you're gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00

So so look at uh Darren. Uh, we'll gonna preview the semi-finals next week. I know you're heading away, so we'll get that done early in the week. That'll be out early. If you are watching, uh, we'd love you to interact, share, like. We're on all the social media channels. This is a hobby for myself and Darren. We're having the crack. If anyone's watching that would like to sponsor us, you know, we've been getting a few good hits on our socials and that. But thanks for watching. Tell your friends, spread the news, and as I said, comment, like below wherever you're watching this. Darren, we'll see you next week. Get all your notes done now in the four semifinals, and I will have to ask you to rank the four teams next week.

SPEAKER_01

I will I'll have a think about it.

SPEAKER_00

All right, that's all from us this week. We'll see you next week.