Your unique memories of All-Ireland Final day 2002

[pablo]

As Pablo and others here have said, John McEntee going off early in the game was a big blow. We took a while to adjust to that. Kerry did run us ragged for about 15 mins if I remember after that. But we inched our way back into in towards the end of the half. It was a new and different game in the second half. Much less open. Kerry just did not get the same spaces to run into that they did in the first half. On another day Kerry could have taken 1 or 2 of their goal chances and been out of sight. But we were overdue a bit of luck against them. It was our turn.

I think we also missed a few goal chances that normally we might have expected to put away. The penalty was an obvious one, but also the balls-up that occurred between Marsden and O'Rourke in the second half. If we had lost that game we would have been lamenting our bad luck-missed chances, injury to John Mc, and two of our players colliding with each other in the second half (Clarke and Stevie). For a while, things were not going our way. I still think Kerry were used to flattening the opposition over an intense 20 or 30 minute spell. But we hung in there and by the second half I think they (Kerry) had already thrown at us all that they had with nothing else in the tank to call upon. Easy to say now, but looking at the replay of the game, I think we deserved to win by more than the one single point.

Watching the replay of the whole event on TV (including the BBC coverage kindly uploaded by An Port Mor on YouTube)-honestly have you ever seen such an outpouring of joy at Croke Park? I know as supporters we are all emotionally involved when watching that event again, but those scenes after the final whistle have to be truly one of the iconic moments in Irish sport-for anyone watching. The sheer delight of a whole community of people pouring onto that pitch, wonderful and it still brings a lump to the throat.
I think the for Hurling Final that year, no pitch invasion-and Kilkenny paraded around the field with 'Congratulations' by Cliff Richard playing over the PA. Sheer Naff. But we brought back what it was all about a few weeks later.

 

[PatMustard]

@pablo the celebrations will live long in the memory. I think it was also the sea of orange that makes it more memorable as a spectacle, as it’s a more prominent colour than blue or green.

I can’t even recall the balls-up and collision you mention. Must watch it again.

What annoys me about that day is all the talk of Kerry’s second half collapse. It belittles our great second half effort. Oh Armagh didn’t win it, Kerry lost it. Feck off! Kerry simply couldn’t live with us when it became a proper scrap.

 

[pablo]

@pablo the celebrations will live long in the memory. I think it was also the sea of orange that makes it more memorable as a spectacle, as it’s a more prominent colour than blue or green.

I can’t even recall the balls-up and collision you mention. Must watch it again.

What annoys me about that day is all the talk of Kerry’s second half collapse. It belittles our great second half effort. Oh Armagh didn’t win it, Kerry lost it. Feck off! Kerry simply couldn’t live with us when it became a proper scrap.

spot on

 

[jpowell100]

As Pablo and others here have said, John McEntee going off early in the game was a big blow. We took a while to adjust to that. Kerry did run us ragged for about 15 mins if I remember after that. But we inched our way back into in towards the end of the half. It was a new and different game in the second half. Much less open. Kerry just did not get the same spaces to run into that they did in the first half. On another day Kerry could have taken 1 or 2 of their goal chances and been out of sight. But we were overdue a bit of luck against them. It was our turn.

I always thought Marsden’s points before half time were massive for us and give us a bit of positivity going into the second half.

 

[Throwball]

Although not directly connected I note Eoin Mulligan comments in Irish News. He thought Francie marked very tight so he decided to leave the arm in. To quote " some might call it diving. I would call it bad defending". Personally I would just call it cheating.

 

[pablo]

Although not directly connected I note Eoin Mulligan comments in Irish News. He thought Francie marked very tight so he decided to leave the arm in. To quote " some might call it diving. I would call it bad defending". Personally I would just call it cheating.

To get over the line in 2002-it brought out the best in that Armagh team
To get over the line in 2003-it brought out the worst in that Tyrone team

 

[thecritic]

In fairness to Tyrone (never thought I'd say that) they were a great team in 03 - I think they would have won that game even with 15 men each - we didn't seem at the races that day - but I guess we'll never know. The loss to Fermanagh in 04 was gut-wrenching, we should have steamrolled them. It was mostly pain from there on, Tyrone 05, Wexford in the back door - 07?? and Derry 08...

 

[PatMustard]

In fairness to Tyrone (never thought I'd say that) they were a great team in 03 - I think they would have won that game even with 15 men each - we didn't seem at the races that day - but I guess we'll never know. The loss to Fermanagh in 04 was gut-wrenching, we should have steamrolled them. It was mostly pain from there on, Tyrone 05, Wexford in the back door - 07?? and Derry 08...

Tyrone got very handy frees in first half, that put them a few points up. It was just about maintaining that lead for them, by any means necessary. That included clothes-line tackling (Kevin Hughes), bear-hug tackling (Canavan) and that sneaky hoor Jordan getting Marsden sent off (I can hear @Ard Mhacha 13 ’s pulse racing from here).

We played poor in 03, yet had Stevie managed to get that shot in, we could have forced a replay. And next day, who knows?

2004 and 2005 were missed opportunities, but we still had to go on and win more matches. 2003 was the biggest disappointment, especially as it was against themmuns.

Looking back, the ship had sailed by 2006.

 

[thecritic]

Tyrone got very handy frees in first half, that put them a few points up. It was just about maintaining that lead for them, by any means necessary. That included clothes-line tackling (Kevin Hughes), bear-hug tackling (Canavan) and that sneaky hoor Jordan getting Marsden sent off (I can hear @Ard Mhacha 13 ’s pulse racing from here).

We played poor in 03, yet had Stevie managed to get that shot in, we could have forced a replay. And next day, who knows?

2004 and 2005 were missed opportunities, but we still had to go on and win more matches. 2003 was the biggest disappointment, especially as it was against themmuns.

Looking back, the ship had sailed by 2006.

Yes, look, losing an AI final is the ultimate disappointment agreed - maybe it's just the Fermanagh media reminding us all of that victory in 04 that has my stomach churning this week. We should never have lost that game.

 

[niall1980]

In fairness to Tyrone (never thought I'd say that) they were a great team in 03 - I think they would have won that game even with 15 men each - we didn't seem at the races that day - but I guess we'll never know. The loss to Fermanagh in 04 was gut-wrenching, we should have steamrolled them. It was mostly pain from there on, Tyrone 05, Wexford in the back door - 07?? and Derry 08...

Derry was 07. Wexford beat us in the AIQF in 08 I’m sure

 

[niall1980]

Tyrone got very handy frees in first half, that put them a few points up. It was just about maintaining that lead for them, by any means necessary. That included clothes-line tackling (Kevin Hughes), bear-hug tackling (Canavan) and that sneaky hoor Jordan getting Marsden sent off (I can hear @Ard Mhacha 13 ’s pulse racing from here).

We played poor in 03, yet had Stevie managed to get that shot in, we could have forced a replay. And next day, who knows?

2004 and 2005 were missed opportunities, but we still had to go on and win more matches. 2003 was the biggest disappointment, especially as it was against themmuns.

Looking back, the ship had sailed by 2006.

05 was the worst. We were never winning the final in 03. In 05 we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I’ve never watched it back since.

for anyone that’s interested out 02 semifinal is on TG4 on Sunday afternoon

 

[PatMustard]

Derry was 07. Wexford beat us in the AIQF in 08 I’m sure

That is correct.

 

[Throwball]

Derry was 07. Wexford beat us in the AIQF in 08 I’m sure

The day of the flood in Dublin

 

[pablo]

Tyrone got very handy frees in first half, that put them a few points up. It was just about maintaining that lead for them, by any means necessary. That included clothes-line tackling (Kevin Hughes), bear-hug tackling (Canavan) and that sneaky hoor Jordan getting Marsden sent off (I can hear @Ard Mhacha 13 ’s pulse racing from here).

We played poor in 03, yet had Stevie managed to get that shot in, we could have forced a replay. And next day, who knows?

2004 and 2005 were missed opportunities, but we still had to go on and win more matches. 2003 was the biggest disappointment, especially as it was against themmuns.

Looking back, the ship had sailed by 2006.

Funny enough, thought we were at a peak in 2004. We really had come together well after 2003 (when I think we were carrying a few injuries). I still can't get my head around what happened in that Fermanagh game. We can give Fermanagh whatever praise, but honestly-we should have bate them out of the park. They were nowhere near that Armagh team, and yet we lost. And lost an All Ireland title as well. We were close to the same standard in 2005, had no Marsden at that point, but were still looking good. Should have won the 2005 semi final, hard one to take

But the 2003 final sticks with me also for maybe different reasons. We didn't play particularly well-again I suspect we had a few niggly injuries to key players that kept them just off 100% (Oisin, McGrane and John Mc?). We didn't help ourselves in that we changed the shape of the team for the final-Loughran going into half forward, Clarke playing deep-not so sure that worked.
But in addition to us losing a title, it is that victory for Tyrone justified for them the element of toxicity they brought into the sport. There is a stink to them that has polluted the game. I've played enough to be familiar with the usual shenanigans, mind games, old grudges and skulduggery-but there is a sense that to get that win, Tyrone broke whatever unwritten remaining rules of ethics apply in this sport. Lines were crossed. It brought out the worst in Tyrone, not the best. They were enraged when we won in 2002 and it was that fury that drove them and gave focus for 2003. By any means necessary-call on all reserves of sheer spite and gamesmanship.
They threw everything into winning-including manipulating the press. Their supporters flooded discussion boards/opinion pieces before hand constantly building up the image of us as bad boys and how Holy Peter deserved an All Ireland. Probably no surprise that early stages of the game they got so many soft frees-and from that point on, they just held on as best they could.
Maybe a bit of revision in play here-but I remember having a sense right before Marsden was sent off, that the tide in that game was beginning to turn. I just have that feeling with Marsden on the field, we would have dug it out
And if we had won-that would have been such a hammer blow to Tyrone, I don't think they would have recovered. So much invested in that drive to win, they sold their souls to Satan to try and win, happy to bring poison to the game. If they had lost after all that, no amount of motivation afterwards could have go them going again

 

[PatMustard]

The day of the flood in Dublin

Noah and his Mrs were home before any of us that day

 

[PatMustard]

@pablo - Fermanagh 2004: were we over confident? Did we think we had to just turn up? Who knows?

We beat a poor Monaghan team, struggled past Cavan, then a good display v Donegal. Although Donegal did come back at us, and we pulled away late on to that gave us a flattering win. So, it’s hard to know if we really were a better team in 04 or 05. Maybe the tougher run in 05 battled-hardened us.

2003 was sickening. Tyrone realised they weren’t able to win an AI playing football, as we did in 2002. I actually believe they were coached in winning cheap frees, how to hold onto opponents to win frees etc to gain that extra advantage.

2005 was sickening too but I could have lived with that easier, had we won in 2003. But losing an AI to themmuns plus another potential AI was doubly sickening.

 

[Ard Mhacha 13]

In fairness to Tyrone (never thought I'd say that) they were a great team in 03 - I think they would have won that game even with 15 men each - we didn't seem at the races that day - but I guess we'll never know. The loss to Fermanagh in 04 was gut-wrenching, we should have steamrolled them. It was mostly pain from there on, Tyrone 05, Wexford in the back door - 07?? and Derry 08...

Wash your mouth out, they were & still are diving, cheating...... you know the rest

 

[Ard Mhacha 13]

Tyrone got very handy frees in first half, that put them a few points up. It was just about maintaining that lead for them, by any means necessary. That included clothes-line tackling (Kevin Hughes), bear-hug tackling (Canavan) and that sneaky hoor Jordan getting Marsden sent off (I can hear @Ard Mhacha 13 ’s pulse racing from here).

We played poor in 03, yet had Stevie managed to get that shot in, we could have forced a replay. And next day, who knows?

2004 and 2005 were missed opportunities, but we still had to go on and win more matches. 2003 was the biggest disappointment, especially as it was against themmuns.

Looking back, the ship had sailed by 2006.

Ah @PatMustard you know me so well

 

[Ard Mhacha 13]

05 was the worst. We were never winning the final in 03. In 05 we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I’ve never watched it back since.

for anyone that’s interested out 02 semifinal is on TG4 on Sunday afternoon

Yep it is on at 2:40pm, then it's time for something to eat before watching the 2005 Ulster final replay Our Boys v Them Uns on BBC2 at 8:15pm. That's Sunday's TV viewing sorted I'm even going to wear my jersey to mark the occasion properly

 

[PatMustard]

Cross documentary on Sunday night too. BBC1 at 10.35pm.