Because it means so much to me, simple. It has been a part of my life since I can remember. It's not something you can just switch off like a TV show if you don't like it. I love the sport and the ethos behind the GAA. I am very proud of the fact that every hole in the hedge in Ireland and beyond has a GAA club. I love what the sport has done for Ireland and how unique it is. I love the camaraderie that comes with being a GAA fan and player. I know hundreds of people that I would never have had had it not been for the GAA. I love that it is parochial and that where you are from is so important unlike soccer and many other sports. I played the game from about 8 years of age to my thirties and loved every minute of it. I have followed my club and county all over the country through the good and bad. Every year after the all Ireland final I can't wait until the McKenna cup starts so we can start to speculate and hope for the season ahead. But this year is different, last year was similar but this year that real sense of excitement is very much diminished. I dread the thought that we will go through another year of playing this awful style of football that is so unnatural, particularly with the talent we have. I would love to see us play like we did against Galway last year, something to get us excited again. I'm not against the management, I just dislike the tactics they employ. I hate that our beloved sport has been reduced to a handpassing fest with the odd glimmer of skill. I don't have many other ways of showing this so I use the forum to put my point across and hope that others agree and maybe we will see things improve. From the backlash I have received though, I doubt much will change.
I do think alot of Gaelic is harder to watch, just look at Rossie's keeping the ball for 6 mins against Dublin, a friend of mine says he just puts on the last 15 mins because he says it will always be controlled slow paced until final 15/10 when teams go for it, I think he has a point, but as much as I do agree the skill is less now because if you can run jump and work hard you will play, I still enjoy watching the matches and do think the matches for 20/30 years ago where just as bad but for different reasons, I was proud of Armagh over the last 4/5 years they where one of the few who played attractive football. Last year this was gone and although I can see why they go to a defensive style I wish they didn't do it, the way I look at it we lost 2 all Ireland QF'S In a row and I felt way different after both, after Galway I was proud of the lads, they played to their limit and where brilliant even though a few scores where left behind it left me excited to the potential of the team, last year's loss to Monaghan left me angry, I was fuming we played way to negative its like we didn't even try to win, your left with alot more what ifs when you play the way we did v monaghan
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I thought we where the better team the first half and didn't have a lead to reflect that and the second half they where the better team and did have a lead but for a late rally from us, no fantasy about the game iv watched it a number of times lol it's on YouTube.
The fantasy is that we played some very attacking style of football which we threw out for a more defensive system last year. Galway played better football than Monaghan so the game was nicer to watch, but that’s hardly anything to do with our system.
The Monaghan game is the only gripe I have last year tbh, although we played more defensive football for most of the year compared to the year before, the year before we put Tyrone and Donegal to the sword with attacking football and we played more attacking against Galway than we did Monaghan, now you can say that was due to Galway being more attacking then Monaghan but I'd sooner look at ourselves, playing a defender in attack in McElroy just summed up the way we approached that game,
Very fair answer Diarmi, one we can all relate too.
Its all back to the risk adverse mindset that has taken over. Even when we play Antrim I expect we will put up the same wall defence with 13 blocking up the space between the 14 and 45 lines, not because we need to against Antrim but because we are trying to perfect it for a Derry or someone down the track. The mindset needs changed, and that will only happen with a rule change that forces a rethink in approach IMO
I think I heard it on Colm Parkinson's podcast, he said they should try a rule change that the full back and full forward line from both teams cant go past the 45, might be interesting to see at sigerson level see how it looks
Probably enforceable at county level but would be very hard to do at club with usually only one official at a game. Not sure id want different rules at club/county as big as that one would potentially be. Also leaving three forwards up at all times doesn't stop teams dropping 5 defenders into the same zone so not sure it would solve much. Think its all about space so the 13 a side would be more interesting for me, and probably actually benefit a lot of rural clubs struggling for numbers and raise the overall standards.
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It’s been a while since defensive systems stopped being there to cover an inside forward. Most teams are pushing 12+ men forward so you have to drop as many back or there’d be overloads and a mountain of space for lads to kick points. Dublin would let you man mark conn inside and have the rest of the team kick 40 scores from around the D.
Yeah if you want it to be club and county it has to be the 13 aside, I wouldn't be against it but would prefer a different way if possible, like with the 45 line that I mentioned, have it just for intercounty, I know they don't like having rules they can't use at club but I look at it like Hawkeye, never in club football only in intercounty
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It was actually the Galway game in Carrick-on-Shannon I was referring to.