The team that played the best football won the All Ireland. Absolute vindication for the rule makers. Hopefully we embrace them next year and have a proper go. As today showed we are right in the chasing pack. But miles behind the Kingdom. Unless one of the Clifford’s is injured or they get ambushed ……..Keep the faith !

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2otS7ja3-r8&pp=ygUSbWF0dCBjb25ub3Igb2ZmYWx5

Matt Connor still the GOAT for me, has a better side step/ dummy and hes a better kick passer than David Clifford and is better at kicking frees off the ground which Clifford doesnt do.Clifford is 2nd.

Well done to Kerry. I feared they might win. They executed their tactics brilliantly with outfield players drifting in all through the 1st half to keep the Donegal defenders on the back foot. Also their kickout dominance was impressive. Don’t think they were a 1 to 15 top team but a combination of tactics and huge performances from about 5 -6 of their players won the game. These were Ryan, Whilte, the 2 Cliffords and Joe OC. Dylan Geaney also did very well. Donegal lost some of their composure which is understandable under such relentless pressure and good ball in dried up although they found 2 decent spells and got it back to 4 a few times. Kerry didn’t panic though and most sensed Donegal would need a goal or 2 pointer to really throw the cat among the pigeons and had they won, probably wouldn’t have deserved it. . One frustrating new rule is the hooter with teams ridiculously holding onto the ball for 2 minutes and more. It’s much better if the players don’t know exactly when the ref will blow the whistle. There was a sense also of Kerry killing the game at times. It was smart play but hard to watch like as if nothing’s changed. There’s becoming a need for a shot clock like basketball as this was one of the things killing the game until this year and this ball hogging is now back. I don’t blame Kerry, they executed a great game plan but the rules need another look at.

Best team won. Any one that let's Kerry get a big lead is cooked because they rarely don't answer scores with a few themselves. Congratulations to our U16 lads who yesterday after extra time beat the Dubs in the semi-final of the Buncranna Cup n a scoreline of 4:19 to 1:19 in McHale park. Some excellent performances against a strong Dublin panel and some good prospects for our future. The game looked like it was heading for another same-old-story but a combination of solid defending and well taken goals ensured the win. Hopefully they can drive on.

The cream always comes to the top, and that is why Kerry are once again the masters. Congratulations to them on a wonderful win. To be fair Donegal had no answers. I thought Kerry had a group of MEN who played as a team. They were big, strong and able to play football. I am delighted to have seen the greatest player David Clifford get his just reward.
Looking back this year at the new rules they made GAA football great again. The changes I would like to make is no 2 points from frees and game ends there and then when hooter sounds regardless of what is happening on the field of play.
In our County I hope new management will bring changes. Get men that act as men on not this scutter we witnessed this year. As shown today the great Ml Murphy was not at the races. Time also has caught up with him. To be give him his due respect he brought Donegal to the final. As for young Clifford he is the greatest. Not for one game but all games..
Somebody said Matt O Connor was the best. That is true in 1980 but he would not have the freedom in the 2025 rules and the fitness of today's players.
I hope 2026 will be a good year for our BOYS. Get men that act as men and be brave and have self belief and also don't have the guts to make changes. This game now is for young men and not the over 30+ brigade who were tried and tested and found the day has passed them by. Again well done KERRY.

No doubt deserved winners. Donegal couldn't match them in middle or at breakdowns. They'll dominate in all likelihood for the next few yrs and could be the next side the pundits are seeking to be shut down. Nobody would have beaten them yesterday. Fittest I've ever seen them.

Just felt Donegal never gave it a rattle.
Kicked in two balls in all day (and messed them up) with the best targetman FF in the country playing for them.

Their defensive system allowed Kerry paky around on the 65 under no pressure at all.
Kerry did the smart thing and moved it around and picked them off.

I don't agree that a shot clock should be introduced, it would force Kerry into Donegals defensive trap and would encourage more defensive play.

Donegal go home knowing they need to put pressure on Kerry all over the field to win, which makes for a better game.
Watching Doengal sit back in defence while 7 points down, you know they are doing something wrong.
Add in Clifford pulling out to the 65 to leave 10v10 and Kerry were just the smarter team on the day.

On the other hand, Kerry played man to man and had Donegals forwards well controlled.

You could put in a rule in around not going back across the 65, which might encourage the likes of Donegal to push right out, but then are you changing rules to try to force teams to play the same way.

As it is, Donegal came with a plan from 2024 and lost to a team playing the new rules perfectly.
Kerry won handy and never looked in trouble. As comprehensive an All Ireland win as there has ever been.

Looks ominous for everyone else.
To beat Kerry you'll need 4-5 top quality man markers and no one has been training that many for 20 years

There is no fear of Jack o Connor leaving the managers job in kerry.

Well done Kerry. The usual nonsense that was trotted out when they lost to Meath proved to be exactly that - nonsense. We ve seen it all before where they have one bad performance and they’re allegedly finished, When they get to Croke Park they’re a different animal. The new rules suit them perfectly allowing Clifford and co to show off their extraordinary skills. What a player. But people saying they were a one man team were so far off the mark. If you play senior football for Kerry you have to be an excellent player. Some achievement for Jack o Connor as well. In contrast a tough day for Donegal. They fought hard to keep it respectable which was an achievement in itself after the first 20 minutes. Anyone putting in the boot into McGuinness or Murphy should cop on. Not so long ago McGuiness was living proof of how great a manager could get his team to perform. It was supposedly the reason why Donegal were so good and Mayo so bad. As I have said all year it’s the players who win or lose games and yesterday Kerry players were simply better than Donegals players. Of course managers have a big input but not as big as the 15 guys out on the field. Had. a Mayo manager left Paudie Clifford have such a free reign there would be some here going apoplectic calling for him to be sacked with immediate effect. Jimmy may have got that wrong but got so much right this year or else his team would not have been in the final, just like lots of past Mayo managers who got us to finals. But ultimately games are won by the calibre of players on the field and in that Kerry are ahead of everyone. Speaking of players brings me on to Murphy. An easy target today because he had just an ok game yesterday. But what a servant to his county. Coming out of retirement in an effort to get them over the line when he had already achieved so much. No need for Burns to eulogise him after the game. Everyone knows what he has contributed to the game. Some of the other Donegal lads just couldn’t get going yesterday. Morgan and Langan and Moore who have been excellent all year were quiet yesterday as Kerry were simply too good all over the field. That 2 point rule is a killer for some counties, Donegal yesterday and us all year, and the Kerry 2 pointers yesterday were soul destroying for Donegal ( hope the Gaa get rid of the 2 pointers free) Ultimately the best team won the All Ireland. That might be great for some but in an age where football is supposedly more democratic and so many counties are said to have a good chance of winning just look back at the last 15 years. Totally dominated by Dublin and Kerry with the odd upstart spoiling their day. The very best of luck to our new management in attempting to change that.

Fair play to Kerry they were excellent there is an all Ireland in that Donegal team yet and we can win Sam Maguire as Kerry have struggled to retain Sam Maguire as it’s difficult so Next year we will see what Kerry are made of roll on 2026

Do you really think so Jordan Kearns re Donegal win the all Ireland . Personally don’t think will be within an asses roar of Sam for the foreseeable . Very little to improve with , very limited underage , where as there are teams that will improve or at least have scope for improvement , Tyrone are a coming force , Derry will improve, Dubs won’t stand still , Galway will have a better cut at it next year , Kildare and Meath have more scope for improvement. I just don’t see Donegal as a force at all in the foreseeable , teams around them won’t be standing still though .

Congrats to kerry. Well deserved. Does anyone have any idea why the goalie kicked (and failed) two frees for kerry with seanie o shea on the field? Seemed crazy at the time to me and I said it b4 the slip for the first one. We all know how good seanie is at the frees. Mind boggling really to me.

So the inter county season ends with Kerry on top again. Jimmy's aura well and truly tarnished after thinking you can beat Kerry without marking their playmakers. Jarlath Burns still talking shite and 5 weeks on from Kevin McStay being relieved of his duties and we don't even know the nominees to replace him.
Thank God for the upcoming club championship to restore some sense of normality.

Did he take two , I thought it was just the one . The one I remember when he slipped , the reason I thought they brought him up was to play down the clock a biteen .

I fear Kerry could win 2 out of the next 3 , I think Mayo will have to make do with just the one over the next three years . That’s not a joke

@Nodoubt Seanie had a bad groin injury a couple of years ago and no longer seems to kick from the ground (not wanting a reoccurrence I'm guessing). It does not seem to effect him kicking from hand as he clipped over a couple of 2 pointer frees.

We are light years off at this moment.

Best team won no doubt. Set the tone with a flawless first 12 minutes and donegal were always chasing

Whats to be done with david clifford in these new rules? Was watching him closely yesterday and McCole really couldn't have done any more, and yet clifford still kicks 9 points, all screamers from play. He's a phenomenal

Also the difference in that kerry team with and without paudie clifford is like night and day, everything goes through him, a masterclass in center forward play

I think McGuinness did what he could. If Donegal went man on man they'd have lost by 20 points. In fairness they were still within touching distance with 10mins to go, even though they were never going to win. Lonely place for Donegal there yday. We know the feeling full well.

Agreed @Liberal....a lot of hindsight analysis going on with what McGuinness should have done but i can't think of a solution, ultimately you need to somehow mark and double team all 3 of paudie/sos/david. Armagh tried protecting their goals and getting bodies in front of DC, then SOS had a field day around the arc kicking 2 pointers for fun. Tyrone tried different approach putting markers to take out SOS and paudie, reasonably successfully but it meant hampsey was left hung out to dry inside against DC who caused havoc. Donegal tried their best with DC but fatefully let Paudie off, with disastrous consequences.

Ultimately coaches and strategies will get you so far but what it all comes back to in the end is skills. Skills skills skills. Kerry didn't give away a single cheap ball all day yesterday.

For teams like Donegal and Mayo who's attacking gameplans are based around opposition turnovers that all meets its limit when you come up against a team of 2 footed highly skilled ballers who just won't cough up cheap ball

The savage intensity of the Kerry players just blew Donegal away. Just where do they get that level of intensity from . If only Mayo players could get to the same level.

Kerry won the all ireland with Tom O' Sullivan and Paul Geaney out. No poor excuses just got on with it.

Also, two makeshift midfielders who Jack alluded to post-game. They simplified the midfield after getting cleaned out by Meath. Two big men break everything and be scavengers on the breaking ball. Be hungrier than the opposition. You do not always have to win the ball clean, with no giants coming through, it could be a blueprint for us in the future.

Also 100% think that if anyone but Jim were in charge they would be getting eaten alive by the media. They let Paidi have 76 possessions yesterday and didn't change it up at all. They only kicked two high balls into Murphy all day: Aidan like stuff. Mayo like stuff!!

@Sean Burke: They've not had underage success, but plenty of talent coming through there.

On years when Derry (minor) or Tyrone (20s) have dominated with convincing wins outside of the province Donegal have been right in the mix with them and only pipped by the odd score (even during times when things were a bit of a mess and they were months late returning to training).

Importantly, in terms of odds of senior progression, they've done it with the odd stand-out player rather than strong all-round team effort. They could end up pulling more from their underage than the eventual winners did those years.

Murphy looked fairly bushed early on. Looked like he might've been carrying an injury or niggle. McGuiness had no answer to Kerry because there wasn't one to be had. They were just brilliant and sometimes it's best to acknowledge it and move on.

It's a funny old game isn't it: Jacko and Cian O'Neill lauded for the tactic of pushing up their midfielders close to goal to make space outside for the shooters around the scoring zones.

Mayo management was heavily criticised for the actions of Stephen Coen and David McBrien, doing the same thing essentially, albeit with different personnel.

I wonder how much any team would improve with David Clifford inside. Is this the start of a period of Kerry dominance?

Was football much better this year?? Serious question, 2 completely one sided semi finals and a final won by 10 points. I feel like everywhere we turn we are being told how great football has become Fitzmaurice on co comms, Jim Gavin being interviewed etc etc.

The game is undoubtedly better. Skills are being rewarded, scores from distance are being rewarded, winning primary possession is being rewarded.

As a neutral it was disappointing that the semis and the final were so comprehensive but thats down to kerrys brillance not the rules. I like the 2 pointer from play because it rewards brilliant shooting from distance and draws teams out. The 2 point free has to go though, its just too harsh of a punishment, Sean o shea for example will just tap those over at their ease. The reward exceeds the crime

@Big Mike - I challenge you to sit down this evening and watch last year's final between Armagh and Galway, and let me know what you think. There is literally no doubt the football has been better this year.

In last year's final, the 6 starting inside forwards managed 3 points (two frees and one point from play). Yesterday, the 6 starting inside forwards managed 30 points with 24 of those coming from play. Some of those scores just wouldn't have been possible last year.

On another point, I thought it was very weird and bad form of Jarlath Burns to single out Michael Murphy in his speech. Its a team game and I thought it was unfair on the other Donegal players (they may disagree with me!)

Good question big Mike. I do think the game has improved for sure, due primarily to the 3 up/back rule and the tap and go. I’m not fully convinced of the two point rule though.

@Clubman51: Kerry pushed their midfielders inside (sometimes playing through them between the lines so they were a threat and had to be minded) and pulled Clifford (& McCole) to isolation on the wing to neutralise Donegal's zonal system.

Donegal weren't willing to to drop to a 9 Man zone to man-mark Paudie, but Kerry's setup (correctly praised) often forced them into 7v7s or 6v6s. They frequently set up preferable 1v1s for O'Connor, Paudie, O'Sullivan or White to drive at with them frequently beating their man and breaking lines. They got huge joy from it and put up serious scores off the back of it cutting through Donegal like butter.

Not sure our use of bodies inside was anywhere near as comparable as the comment suggested.

Tsu…you’re on all the managerial tickets…right!;)

Seriously though your strategic assessment is impressive.

Fair play to Kerry, you just cannot deny their heritage and class. Decimated with injuries, playing poorly but yet not a whinge from Jack O'Connor. They just took their medicine and kept working. Compare that to the pain in the hole that McGuinness is rapidly becoming. Every venue was wrong for him, every decision from HQ was against Donegal and then he had the cheek to not even bother naming a team for our league game. Leaving the parade yesterday early (after having to be called into it THREE times to start with) was totally disrespectful to their opponents and the paying supporters. He got his reply in bucket loads, where it matters, on the field of play.

Kerry brought their best performance in years to the game yesterday, and it was pure joy seeing how football should be played. I'm no lover of Kerry but you cannot deny their hunger and ruthlessness for success. You cannot deny that, for all the changes in tactics over the last 10 years, e.g. blanket defense, 14 behind the ball etc., they have never compromised their belief in how the game should be played. Attack, kick the ball and go for the scores. They are so consistent in the players they produce and their competitiveness in winning Sam. Nothing else, and I mean NOTHING ELSE MATTERS in Kerry but winning Sam. Regardless how many medals you have if you Wintered in Kerry without Sam you would be ate alive by, as Paidi O'Shea called them, "fxxking savages".

Where does it leave us? For me, I still firmly believe we are not a million miles off the top 4. OK, we would not have done better v Kerry yesterday than Donegal did (although there is no way we'd leave Paidi Clifford all alone all game) but with the right manager and the right attitude towards the new rules I believe we have enough good players to be competitive and successful over the next few years. But we need the Kerry ruthlessness from the county board, from whoever the new manager is and from the players. We are great at blowing smoke up players' arses but what do you think would happen in Kerry if they went even 4 years without Sam? There would be blood on the streets. We need those standards and ruthlessness in our set up.

@unstoppable, I was at last years final and even as a Galway man I can remember vividly, Oisin Conaty attacking Galway down the wing in a similar way to Gavin White, Rian O’Neill kicking a glorious score from under the Hogan and Cein Darcy kicking 3 points in space. I don’t remember anyone tapping the ball on their toe at walking pace for 2 minutes in the middle of the pitch. Totally get that there are improvements but think they are being exaggerated. Go back and watch 2023 and Fitzsimons exhibition of 1 v 1 defending on Clifford or Clifford and Walsh in 22 final

We are not far away from the likes of Donegal at all. If we were even a tiny bid smarter in the Hyde we could have topped the group. Instead we got knocked out. Similar in Connacht final. Fine margins and a terrible year suddenly doesn’t look too bad.
We have young forwards coming.
A fresh management team.
I’m looking forward to next year already .

Mayo were the only Division 1 team Donegal beat in the All Ireland series.
Kerry had a tougher run in and were better managed.

Donegal looked like a team that put in too much time running all last week, their energy was way off and looked stiff.

For me Joe O Connor is the player of the year, I witnessed him in Croker in the league final, he was a better version of Brian Fenton in his prime.
He never caught my eye up until this year, I didn't realise he suffered an ACL injury 2 years ago.

For Mayo manager position, remember the Fermanagh man that was alongside Mcguinnes in 2012 as Donegal joint / second in command, I think he may be worth pursuing.

@TsuDhoNim As always, fantastic analysis. You are saying Donegal's preference is to maintain a 10 man defensive zone? On hindsight, was that an error in your opinion? When one player picks up 76 possessions (with incredibly 0 turnovers) does one extra body make a significant difference back there?

In relation to Mayo, I am not saying we were as efficient as Kerry at all, but surely the point in doing it from management was to free up the scoring zone for our forwards similar to Kerry?

Big Mike I do agree with some of your points However I do feel football is a better spectacle this year. The new rules definitely favour players of the class of Clifford. In the past a swarm defence could limit his effectiveness. As an earlier poster said the 3 top Kerry forwards almost needed to be double marked and that is impossible with the new system. The 2 point rule also suits the likes of Clifford and O Shea and again penalises the old way of defending. While it made for a great spectacle in many games once it came to Croke Park it had a negative effect on teams. Monaghan were obsessed with it in quarter v Donegal, Meath likewise v Donegal while Donegal hardly attempted it at all yesterday. The likes of Kerry will be very hard to beat in the big games in this new system whereas hard working and hard running teams without really top class forwards ( ourselves and Donegal and even Armagh for example) will really find it tough to do the business. The new rules benefit teams with the highest skill sets and the most accurate kickers and Kerry tick those boxes. Defending is also a skill in itself and the likes of Donegal and Armagh were excellent at that but the new rules make it so much harder for that now. No doubt we all like to see the great teams being rewarded and winning but Kerry look well ahead of the pack this morning and it will not be good overall for football if they dominate for a number of years

Is it totally unique nowadays to just say one team is better with better players ?

Kerry are the template now and that is what the next management team needs to work towards , defenders that are A1 man markers , central players that are trained like dogs to win breaking ball like their mothers lives depended on it and forwards that score . You can put all the stats and data on the walls you want (that is necessary of course ) but the basic execution of skills and the highest level of intensity will win most games . The tigerish intensity of Kerry yesterday was really remarkable n fact since that spell v Armagh where they pressed the kick out it’s been really top drawer .

Jack o Connor doesn’t have much time for mayo (keys to the kingdom for example ) , so it’s hard to praise him but he really is now one of the great managers for all he’s achieved . Deserves way more credit than he gets

@towinjustonce well summarised, hard to argue with any of that.

You would probably looking at a Tyrone with their firepower as a potential threat, although worryingly for them, they struggled to get the best from their attack all year, with Darragh Canavan and Darren Mc Curry playing in bursts.

Our neighbours Galway have undoubted forward talent with a lack of pace in certain areas, it wont take open heart surgery for them to go close.

Donegal have the players good enough in my opinion, hard to comeback from that.

If Kerry change the management with Quinlivan (minor manager) / Donaghy rumoured to be lined up, it could mean bad news for the rest of us.

That’s the Oisin Mullen rumour put to bed , signed out there till the end of 2027 . Doubt he’ll ever wear the green n red jersey again unfortunately

@Clubman51: I won't say it was an 'error' by Jim, just that it didn't work.

Lots of teams (Mayo in the league final or Tyrone in their recent game) tried tagging either their 2 or 3 danger men (DC, PC & SO'S) and Kerry managed to pick those locks (fairly easily) too. No guarantees they'd have won or even just done better if they'd had McHugh on Paudie or someone man to man on Seanie.

There's huge talent in that Kerry side. Seanie looked half fit, wasn't in a position to kick off the ground (so couldn't take the low trajectory 2s against the breeze in the 2nd half Ryan missed), only kicked 1 from play, and yet still put up 6 points and 2nd only to Paudie in pulling strings around the middle. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' way to try and stop that kind of thing. When Kerry play at that intensity, put in their first 70-minute performance in a number of years (including their previous All-Ireland win year) and with a really clever setup (Cian O'Neill's fingerprints all over them this year) every side in the country has a challenge trying to stop them.

That said... Donegal weren't as far away as most of our analysis would make it sound.

They didn't show up on the day, putting in a 5/10 performance where they'd have been 7s or 8s all year. They never got their running game going with the powerful surges from Mogan/Moore/Roarty/Gallagher we've seen all year. They played with a bit too much fear, with the likes of Langan/Murphy/Ó Baoill never taking a pop at a 2 in that 3rd quarter until the game was already gone for them (at which point they tried to force 3 late on with less optimal shooters that weren't really the right option at the time). They'd a fella in the conversation for POTY putting a tap-over free off the post. They lost 2 key lads in McHugh & Thompson far earlier than they'd have liked. They got relatively cleaned around the middle (McGee & McFadden made a big impact when they were introduced that helped the stats) & especially on breaking ball (a combination of tactics & work-rate there, both of which Kerry were fantastic with) and for a team built on shooting efficiency through the roof all year missed a few relative tap-overs. A huge fan of Jim as a motivator and his psychology work with the side, but looked like one where the pressure of the big day just rounded a few too many of their sharp edges.

And with all that going wrong, they were still there in touching distance with 15 to go and really should have pulled it back (but didn't) to a 1 score game.

@DP90 injury came to mind alright after i posted and it's the only thing that can explain it and ya sean I'm almost sure he took another and kicked it wide..

Are we far away? Well judging a lot of our performances against Kerrys in the final you have to say we are. Judging against the rest of the contenders this year (Donegal, Armagh, Galway, Meath, Tyrone) you would say probably not.

@ Sean Burke those three same aspects of what it takes to win in the modern game certainly entered my head. Then I wandered to whether we have the players to do that.

Certainly I think our backs are more conditioned to playing one-v-one than a lot of county teams out there and the age profile and experience level of many of them (McHugh, McBrien, Brickenden, Hession, Callinan, Coyne) should mean the next 3-5 years should be their prime.

MF is a concern but while it's difficult to manufacture a top tier natural fielding player, players and teams who break ball and win it can be discovered and coached. That I think should be a priority. We also need to learn to ease up on the goalies; this is a new game for them. Gone are the days of set plays getting 90% possession of kickouts. It will either be won under a degree of pressure near the arc or it goes long and relatively contested.

Our attack is where I'm most concerned. Not only do we appear to have few free scoring forwards, we appear to lack long range shooters, kick passers and ball players. As well as tactical plays to get easier scores. Looking a Kerry yesterday the mixed the odd long ball with clever playmaking by O'Shea and P Clifford, scorers coming on the loop (even from distance) and incisive bursts from deep (especially from White). The efficiency of taking their scores was wonderful (and in fairness to Donegal they scored extremely well from their chances).

How do we try to bridge that gap? That's the main question for the next management in my eyes. Some of it might be bridged by instilling confidence in the players and having an attacking plan more attuned to the new rules. However in the current squad I don't see a playmaker and, bar Tommy Conroy, we don't have a proven scorer to come back. Cillian could be coaxed back but surely would be as an impact sub. Youth may need to be given its head.

Final thought, I remember back to James Horan 1 and the emphasis put on skill execution (doing the basics to a high standard). Yesterday Kerry were wonderful at this, as they nearly always are in fairness, but even Donegal I felt were a level above anything we hit this year. The question I have; is this a sign of players ability? Or management focus? Or preparation? Or mentality?

Ah sad about Mullin but it is what it Is. Time to concentrate on the ones who actually want to wear the green & red.

On where we are at firmly believe we are not far away at all . I fear though kerry will be ahead of the pack for a few years now though .

That game for me was won in midfield - Kerry were like animals cleaning up breaking ball. Fair play to Kerry, I was fairly scathing about them after the semi-final, and I still don't believe they were truly tested throughout the championship - BUT you can only beat what is put in front of you and they very emphatically did that.

Kerry gave the apparent masters Donegal a lesson in siege mentality too, and that has been evident since the quarter-finals - you could sense Kerry's fury and defiance in the first ten minutes. Whereas Donegal appeared stunned by the occasion, despite their feeble attempts to appear nonchalant, breaking out of the parade early etc. Did the occasion get to them? Jimmy has it all to prove next year now, because yesterday was nothing short of a disaster for them.

Giving Paudie the freedom of the park was unfathomable. O'Connor and White put in outstanding performances but there is only one contender for POTY - I cannot fathom how anyone is even trying to create a debate around this. There IS no debate. There is one obvious winner and it is David Clifford, all day long, every day. The way he sacrificed his own game yesterday and pulled McCole out of defence speaks volumes about his footballing intelligence and team mentality, and yet when it mattered, he left McCole looking like a fool - that two-pointer at half time being the prime example. I can't claim to have any great fondness for him but there is no disputing his talent or ability.

A long winter of discontent ahead for Donegal. We know the feeling. That Donegal team of 2012 should never have beaten us either. But at least in more recent years, we showed up and fought to the bitter end. Mayo are so far away from this conversation at the moment, but who knows what lies ahead? It's hard to be overly optimistic, though.

Youth has to be given the chance , we have absolutely no choice .

Big Mike - I agree with you, or with your raising of the question.

I seem to be in a minority of one (non Galway or Armagh) whenever I say I found last year's AI final compelling, and with some damn good scores, referenced by Mike. The amount of one-sided games including yesterday (despite Tsu's good analysis and claim that Donegal weren't that far away), is worrying. Croke Park is finding out teams with even greater ease this year.

All that said, Kerry were very good yesterday. The half back line sliced and diced Donegal before they woke up, and suddenly it was 9 to 3 and the game was slipping away, and slipped further. Donegal were way off the pace in this phase and they never really recovered. In the warm up I watched Patton as they simulated high balls in to him, and every time he rose to punch the ball out to the 45 or so. I said to myself, Kerry won't do much in these situations. Yet the very first ball in, from a speculative shot by Paudie Clifford I think, was made for Patton, but it was O'Brien who got a fist to it and over it went. Donegal dazzled in the warm up in fact, but they left it all there; they were listless for the first twenty minutes and then the game was effectively gone.

Our league final defeat by six points (1-18 to 1--12) is wearing rather better now. The best performance against Kerry in knockout in Croker this year, and we weren't even trying!

Batetheblanket I hope you don't mean who I think you do. Wouldn't want to see him anywhere near our set up.

Big Mike Galway had the ball for nearly 3 minutes in last years final before they took a shot. They were 3 or 4 pts on the board this year within 3 or 4 minutes. There was some slow passages yesterday but it's understandable when the game is so much quicker. The game is miles better than it used to be

@Batetheblanket -what you are proposing there is politics becoming even more of a sideshow in Mayo football than it is now.
Whatever you view on whether the individual question should or should not be involved in coaching at inter-county any more, all it would be would be a consistent sideshow taking any and all focus away from what really matters, identifying and improving the correct players to bring Mayo football forward.

Also, said individuals record as Donegal manager after McGuinness was somewhat underwhelming at best and the tactics employed when he was at Derry neither suit the Mayo players or the new game.

What can transform the fortunes of any of the division one sides is midfield.
If one beats Kerry 60:40 at midfield they have a challenge to outscure you.
Mayo can improve several % from this year with :
1. New mgmt and tactics targeting the new rules
2. Fresh approach, fresh SnC, fresh voices bounce
3. New panel with many young players brought in. I really don't believe it's 2-3 in and 2-3 out. It's a clear and present transition year, an absolute necessity. Something in the order of 6-7 new players in and 6-7 players out. Not a chance we'd do that, we're never brave ennigh, but I'm quite convinced we have 6-7! players not suited to the new rules or where a younger player with a higher ceiling is now the better selection.
If a young player is within a small few performance % of a player near the tail end of their career we should go with youth.

It absolutely baffles me around comments we are not far away..I’m wondering if I’ve been too scarred by a lifetime of pessimism following Mayo.

One would think after this years league final horror show we would accept we are a mile off. No we can ignore that as it was -v- Kerry

After exiting the championship before even the last 12, I’d have expected some realism to set in. Not a bit!!

What about the fact we’ve not reached a semi final in 4 seasons? We’ve consistently been outside the top 4 and now the top 8 but somehow we are not far away

If the hope is based on running Donegal to a point and beating Tyrone in this years group stages, I think that’s very flawed logic. There is a world of difference between group stages championship-v- knock out championship. Look at Kerry losing to Meath. Teams are full tilt

Did Donegal do a Mayo on it for final, too much hype, songs flags painting sheep etc, social media all stars, favourites and game won before it started , and players heads gone, as I always said wait till you win before you start talking and celebrating.

@Roco88 Our 2025 panel with a new mgmt targeting the new rules would still be miles off.
A new 2026 panel with new players will still be a mile off, but I think the ship would be headed in the right direction.
This is a 2 year project to be competitive to win quarter finals and semi finals.
3 year project to be a 1 in 3 shot to win a final.
My view is a panel tweak next year of 2-3 in and 2-3 out would be the wrong strategy. We're way off it, major surgery needed we go with youth next year in a first year of transition.

Some interesting thoughts there JP....
I was surprised to hear the lads on the Ah ref! podcast suggest squad would be much the same in personnel next year with 2-3 fringe players out and 2/3 fringe players in...we need a bigger overhaul than that. We need to be looking at introducing a different profile of player where possible.

Now there are some things to build on, i believe in terms of 1.1 man-marking defenders, we are as well stocked as anyone in this department (any 3 of Coyne/Hession/McBrien/McHugh could all do a job there) so thats a platform to build on.

Next, linebreakers from deep, absolutely essential. A fully fit paddy durcan essential from this pov in the new game, eoghan mcL for all his flaws offers something different here too in terms of punching holes and breaking lines. A few bolters from the club scene could bolster this also, Coggins perhaps?

Now to where the real problems lie...primary possession midfielders and quality forwards.
We are trying to solve both of these problems by just starting every midfielder in the squad and yet we are getting ate at midfield and left with midfielders in the front 6 ahead of natural forwards. 10 of the 12 starting forwards scored yday (counting o'baoill instead of thompson), all forwards need to be capable of regularly kicking scores, its not enough now to win an occasional turnover up there or lay off the odd handpass. Much more needed. At least 2 of these starters need to be a competent 2 point kicker or you are fighting an uphill battle, I would get beirne, o'loughlin, kobe, lydon, hurley all in the sqaud on day 1

@TsuDhoNim would respectfully have to disagree with you on the tagging Paidi factor. Yes they have a system, that got them this far but you would have to be able to adapt in this game and have a plan B in place. If Paidi is dominating the game then Eoghan ban/Mc Colgan should have been tagged with him. He had 76 possessions and unlike Ciaran Kilkenny, playing it safe is not his first thought. He is the heartbeat of that team, and stopping him sorts a lot of issues out. Especially if as you said Seanie Shea was half fit.

In relation to Kerry's dominance around the middle, I feel it stemmed back to getting cleaned out by Meath. They went back to basics: two big strong men (average footballers might be harsh) breaking everything and scavengers on the breaking ball. On oppositions kick out in particular they were outstanding. On their own kickout, Ryan was excellent on the short kickouts. They have the defenders composed and confident enough to take the ball on in tough areas.

Do Mayo have these big men? Dylan Thornton springs to mind, Nathan Moran another from holly carra wjos big and strong. Do we need to try and develop a couple of these monsters and let the Jordan Flynn's and Ruanes concentrate on the "second balls"

@JP fair point on the transition. But does the Mayo public as a whole have the patience for a three-year project?

The players and management slated from pillar to post after losing league games, we have no broader perspective on things. When we win, we are the best in the world, and when we lose, we are the worst.

Connaught final for example: most poster's here couldn't see us coming close: when we did lose a game we could have won, everyone here going way OTT in their criticism even though they had previously stated we would get well beaten.

My point being, a 3 year plan sounds great but we too impatient and impulsive since our 2011-2021 team to give any MGMT team 3 years

I think if the public see that we're headed in the right direction, playing positive football there'd be a lot of allowance for that.
By contrast there'll be massive frustration if it's a panel tweak and squeeze the lemon one more time with similar tactics.

A 2 year plan is probably realistic but as long as there is progress. I would define progress as getting to a quarter final next season, competing really hard in that game with 4-5 of lads in the starting team who are the pick of our u20/u21.

On the midfielders for Kerry, I had no awareness at all of them this year but I’d be surprised if they are not better than some might think. One of them yesterday kicked a lovely left footed point and there was a class basketball pat down for PCliffords point in second half (could be the same fella). Great skills and awareness. I know I'm guilty of dismissing players I know little off like Kennedy and Kilpatrick in 2021. Maybe there are lads in Mayo as midfielders who could cut it, looking forward to seeing club championship

Joe Brolly epitomises GAA punditry /podcasts /bloggers . “ Donegal unstoppable , it’s just not possible “ pre all Ireland .

“Kerry to dominate for years “ post all Ireland .

It’s all so reactionary, impulsive. I beg the question is it really that complicated.

Look at Clifford’s two pointer before ht , I’m not questioning his brilliance as a Gaelic footballer but it was simply a burst of speed from him that made the opening . Be great to see Tommy conroy hit peak fitness , really think he’d excel in the new rules .

100% agree with the posters RE midfield.
It accounts for about 60 to 70 percent of the game
Now. If you cannot compete there you are absolutely goosed. Poor donegal hardly touched the ball for the first twenty minutes such was Kerry’s dominance around the middle. We need to be watching the best fielders of the ball in the county, they dont necessarily
Have to be the best footballers, just win primary possession and lay it off, that’s their job.
Look at o’coffaigh Byrne for the dubs. A limited footballer but was their best player this year by a mile.
We need to find similar players.

Joe o Connor is very good fielder but a lot of ball won by Kerry was from breaking ball , so it seemed anyway

Yes. A good midfield definitely needed

Clare, you’re right. It’s sad to think a fella would prefer AFL to Mayo. Personally, I don’t get it. I guess it just boils down to money. I think we are being utterly naive if we think some leading counties havent done what’s required to entice top talent to stay at home. Aussies were all over Clifford. No way Kerry were going to let him go. The powers that be in Mayo need to make sure we don’t lose any more like Hanley and Mullen. Both departures have proven highly detrimental to Mayo. Allied to that, the mentality in Mayo toward this needs to change. It’s far too relaxed. We haven’t a notion of reaching number one unless we have to it best players playing for Mayo.

@Mayonaze

Yeah it must be the money. It's sad to see it but admire the guys who stay and play for us still chasing that dream .

When I say we aren't far off of I mean we are not far off the likes of Donegal , meath etc who all got to a semi . There's not much between the division 1 teams . Obviously we are a good bit off kerry.

I still think we will get a new manager bounce next year. With positives like Durcan more game time, Tommy C back a few of the under 20s up . And also embracing the new rules and forward attacking play instead of the boring lateral stuff we are not a million miles as off as some think.

The point still stands that both semi finals were one sided and the final was won by 10 points. Armagh Kerry QF had 8 point difference
Last years final was won by a point with Conroy getting blocked at the end when trying to equalise.
The Kerry Armagh QF last year went to extra time and was a classic as was the Galway Dublin QF. These are just facts so this narrative that this desperate game has been revolutionised is not accurate

Congratulations to the best team in Ireland Kerry (if Paudi Clifford is reading) I'.m not giving him any ammunition of Kerry not being respected ,. Paudi somehow found inspiration for yesterday in his assertion that Kerry were not respected. I too taught it very very strange for Jarlath Burns to serenade one particular Donegal Player, Michael Murphy as Donegal's greatest at the presentation of the Sam Maguire cup to Kerry's brilliant Gavin White. He should clarify that it his opinion, the jury is always out on such things, personally I would say Karl Lacey is Donegal's greatest of all time that I have seen, Then again Jarlath had very nice things to say about the Mayo County Board while he was presenting the League Cup to Kerry a few months ago. Nice to know that Jarlath takes such an interest in us even if he didn't seem to know the name of the Mayo chairman at the time. In fairness to Jarlath he was very much on board with the new rules which have greatly improved the game in my opinion.

So Mike you preferred watching last year’s awful
Final between Armagh and Galway than yesterday with Clifford in full flow?

@big Mike. Would you keep the 3 up/back rule? What about the 2point arc?

10 pts won is not the blow out being posted here.
There was a late goal with Donegal chasing.
Under the new scoring 10pts is more like 6pts under old rules.
Kerry won't do I think what Dublin did. It's all too hinged on midfield for any one team to stack titles six in a row.
We're all forced now to chase Kerry in skill.
Good.

Can any Kerry person that may frequent here, please explain how Joe O Connor has become such a powerful midfielder this year, how did Kerry management transform him ?, the other O Connor was the standout Kerry midfielder over the past few years.

Re new Mayo management I'm saying that maybe the search should be widened a bit, if not widened already.

@facetheball, Clifford was in full flow in 22, you are picking 1 game to make a point. I’ve pointed out the semi finals and quarter finals in both years. Was their that clear of a difference in quality between Mayo Galway 25 vs the same game in 24.

@mayonaze I would keep the 3 up to rule.
2 point from play at least.
Not a fan of the hooter, teams running down the clock and then shooting. It means that at 66 minutes a few times this year the game was effectively over. Not sure there was a whole lot wrong with the previous way of time keeping.
Solo and Go is very good.
Another things that really annoys me is I would(as per the rules) give a yellow card if a mouth guard is not in place. Ridiculous watching senior inter county players coming on on live television taking it out and putting it down their sock. I see 12 year olds now doing the same thing.
P.S. Refs did a brilliant job with the new rules this year

Kerry's leading players took full responsibility after the humiliating defeat to Meath. They were practically written off by their supporters. In a post-match team analysis, "THEY" addressed their shortcomings and fully committed to playing so selflessly as a team and maximising the clear benefits the new rules afford a team, confident in their own skill and competitve levels.

I have said it before, youth training in Kerry is so inclusive - designed to improve the skill levels of players of all abilities. Of course as they progress through the grades the stand out players begin to emerge, and still retain the TEAM mindset. Strong emphasis always on kicking, fielding and passing. It's not rocket science.

Why is everyone talking about Kerry .we should have pride in Mayo

Will we get the names of the applicants for the senior management position tonight.I think there is a CB meeting or some plan to release them today?.

While he would be a great addition to the team dont forgot we have already lost two all Ireland semi finals as well with Oisin so maybe he felt he was wasting his time with Mayo. Anyway good luck to the lad.

Move over TSU - I've been doing some research! Here, from the match programme, are the Kerry players and their heights:

Ryan - 6'4
Murphy - 5'10
Foley - 6'2
Casey - 6'1
O'Beag - 5'11
Breen - 6'
White - 6'
O'Brien - 6'1
O'Shea - 6'3
O'Connor - 6'3
O'Shea - 6'2
O'Sullivan - 5'11
Clifford - 6'3
Clifford - 5'10
Geaney - 5'11
Sub
O'Connor. - 6'3

Some very big men there - particularly around the middle

BTW - Donegal stats not given - I'm sure Jimmy was protecting such sensitive data from being made public.

I don't know catcol, I think Liam McHale's reported height varied from 6'3 to 6'8 during the 80s and 90s!!

Midfield battle never materialised, Michael Langan never igniting and brilliant breaking ball strategy from Kerry. I agree Midfield is a hugh factor in new game.
Also agree with roco 88, posters need to be realistic about what a new management can achieve in 2026. Did some poster say PP have us at 40/1. Even in our limited season, not one player came up to all star quality, many players regressed, and we were not strong at midfield. Big task for new manager and we have to be patient.
Clifford proved unmarkable. Kerry will be there as long as Clifford is there, simple as that

Agree that we need to be realistic about next year, First of all we need to get a new manager and good ones don’t look too plentiful at the moment. ( I am just waiting for someone to suggest Yerra Jack will come when he quits Kerry. )Then there are the players. Backs quite decent this year, struggled at midfield while our forwards were just unable to get the scores needed. The optimists will say Cillian might come back. Maybe. Will he be as influential as Murphy was for Donegal this year. There is also the suggestion that Tommy C will return and miraculously adopt to the new rules and be fantastic. I hope that is the case. I was looking forward to his return this year but it didn’t happen. Also possibility that some of the young lads will add a bit of impetus but it’s a very big ask for an u 20 this year to have a major impact in his first year with senior team. So we might have to be a bit patient. It would be nice to win Connacht and we should always be targeting a quarter final, At this moment in time we look miles off Kerry, though not quite so many miles off a lot of the other teams. I have to say I found yesterday a bit of a disappointment. Of course one has to admire the Clifford’s and Kerry in their pomp but it’s the closeness of scores and the suspense that makes games so enjoyable. Not from the 10th minute did I think Donegal were ever going to win . In contrast the Galway v Armagh game last year was intriguing with the outcome in doubt til the last kick of the game. Some excellent defence by both teams as well which it had to be to shut down good forwards on both teams. Semi finals were lop sided also so I agree with Big Mike on a number of his observations,

Cillian won't be back . I think he was nearly pretty clear in that interview he did.

He said McStay asked him not to close the door and he said he wasn't going to put out a statement anyway .

We need to focus on the youth and midfield needs sorting ASAP.

Maybe I am being overly optimistic by saying we are not far off but I live in hope I guess.

Seeing kerry on the train to killarney with sam I'm like will we ever see it on the Westport train ..

Be interesting to see if they release the names of the applicants after the county board meeting tonight.

Kerry has the cup again & won it out in style, great team.
Mayo has no senior manager ; under 20 manager ; under 17 manager,
It will be interesting to see how the county board go about appointing these managers. I think they have to develop the young lads big time, that really is about coaching them properly with new rules & bring them on to a very high skill level in all areas, defensive strategies, midfield strategies & definitely forwards attacking & shooting skills. It has to be done now to try to get near Kerry's high level. Hope it happens sooner rather than later.

Whatever about kerry any update on the mayo v London game in Ruislip 2026 flight details from knock or anything?

Maybe your man who always commented saying we are playing in London next year will know more details haha.

That should be good craic anyway looking forward to going over for it .

Haha Rev - Mr Máirtín Breathnach will have the answer :D :)

No Doubt sorry *

A tactical master class by Kerry.
M Guinness totally out foxed.
Scoring from both throw ins tells it all

The zonal defence system was truly exposed yesterday. Kerry was continuously gifted possession and all because the nearest opponent was yards away.
Zonal may be effective in protecting the goalmouth area but useless when point-taking is gifted at will.
Best exemplified by the freedom of the park afforded to Paudi Clifford and the Kerry captain Gavin White. Too many Donegal players didn't appear to be interested in the boring/unspectacular task of being on the shoelaces of opponents - the system apparently doesn't allow for that.
GAA football is still a flawed product and will be so, until all designated defenders must stay within their own-half and forwards must stay within their opponents-half but midfielders would have no restrictions.
That formed part of my submission, last year,
to the "Rules Change Committee". That should eliminate the sterile uncontested interplay between colleagues, which may impress supporters of other codes but in GAA land we were used to better.

The first All Ireland I recall was the 95 All Ireland between Tyrone v Dublin. Including that final there has been 31 all Ireland winners and 31 runners up however Sam has only visited 8 counties in 30 years.

A check through those numbers tells me Dublin (10) and Kerry (9) have won 61% of all Ireland’s in 30 years between them.

Dublin have won all 10 All Irelands they contested while Kerry have won 9 and lost 7 in 31 years. On average Kerry contest a final every 2 years but they don’t win them all!

Tyrone (4), Galway (2), Meath (2), Armagh (2), Cork (1), Donegal (1)

As said above, it's not rocket science why Kerry are perennially so strong. There's a totally committed mindset down there to develop youngsters to execute all the skills of the game. Nurturing them along in numerous development squads from U14 upwards. Starting at U14 girls as well as lads, they have A & B, even C squads going, with coaching teams, kits, buses, food organised for all these squads, it's on a level Mayo need to organise and finance for. Kerry were decimated with injuries at stages this year and yet had a deep enough panel to drive on.

You have to give credit to Donegal, they kept it to 5-6 points to the end and the kerry goal could be disregarded. In fact Kerry had little or no chances of a goal in the game. But Murphy well managed, Langan struggling and no magic from McBrierty summed up their day.
Hopefully we'll get back on the horse in 2026, the club championship will be the first indicator...
Glad there's no talk of manager, it means CB is airtight in following the process. They don't have a choice unless the want legal challenges to agonise them....

I don't know how you could give credit to Donegal after that. Kerry goal disregarded? Joe O Connor has become a power house for kerry .

Donegal didn't do enough man marking . They let Paudie Clifford run riot sure .

I agree though @ontheditch I'm glad no talks or leaks about who applied for the job unlike last time media circus .

They hopefully will be trying their best to get the best man for the job after that awful last 3 years .

There's a flock of carrier pigeons doing the rounds, advertising a Mayo v London match in '26.
Every other message in to the state about it is being shredded, out around Drumcondra somewhere.

When McBrierty came on,, he missed aan easy scoring chance which would have brought the deficit down to. 3, nothing in the new game. Donegal haad throwwn caution to the wind when Kerry got goal chance and took it.
Donegal may have got the tactics wrong,Cliffords punished them for that. The lesson for us, all the big names showed up in spades on the big day and their big names are everywhere..

Im convinced Donegal had 16 players when lined up to meet the president and 16 going round in the parade ! I watched both back a few times to see was I seeing things.

Its hard to see for certain if they had 16 as well in that brief , final warm up/ activation thingy/routine just before throw in,but i think I counted 16 in it

Either way, I guess the winners write the script. Had Donegal gone on to win, these little 'mind games ' would be considered inspirational by the messiah

P.S
Anyone know how much the Hotel in Athlone cost that time? , I never saw the final bill

Paddyjoe, they had 16 in the parade. McBrearty (17) is the captain, and he took part in the parade.

Kerry weren’t better 1-15 individually than most teams. However they had too many exceptional performers at the top end to handle especially in the final and they were superb tactically. If you overlook Joe OC, Paudie, Gavin White, the 2 Cliffords and Geaney several were average individually but the collective was excellent. Would have to give Foley lots of credit for marking Murphy well but O Beaglaigh, Murphy, Graham OS, Breen etc. were ok but not standout or any kind of threat. Likewise O Shea in midfield but they all did the job given to them by management to perfection especially the midfielders. Ryan also deserves credit in goal for his kickout quality. A few years back we didn’t really rate him. The question is can we get the performances and cohesion seen there under a new management and unearth talent to have a top unplayable forwards and a top playmaker. Can we also get a good kickout strategy going or do we change horses, that’s of massive importance in the new game. SOS a bit more hot and cold like Bugler for Dubs so I’d keep him out of the conversation. Kerry also found Geaney, a sharpshooter. We have a similar player in Towey, how would he perform in a team that’s as fluid as Kerry?
Of the Kerry subs, Spillane made no impact and some other players looking good in the league never even got on the field so their panel isn’t that stacked, management didn’t trust them for a big day. Morley looked overweight for a modern player or overly gym bulked and not the sweeper player of 2 years ago. Was that injury or form that had him out? Or maybe no need for a sweeper now so Morley style redundant. Agree POTY should be sewn up. P Clifford made a case too and was probably MOM but David is simply too good to ignore. 9 points (6in old money) off limited possession and sacrificing his game for the team is some stat. Joe OC and White had great spells but hard to suggest they should be ahead of the Cliffords (Paudie was excellent from minutes 1-70) and had massive influence in just one half v Armagh despite carrying an injury. Kerry will only dominate if they keep Jack. Dubs without Gavin not the same. They won 2 AIs since but the trend has been downward.

Congrats to Kerry, who gave a masterclass and also made full advantage of the new rules. Worrying for the rest is that they could dominate for a period and win the next 2 or 3 at least, as their age profile is good. Amazing to see such hunger from a county with 38 Ails coming into the game-our new management, please take note of the level of commitment required. The new game is much more enjoyable to watch and, I would imagine, much more enjoyable to play. I think it requires a much higher level of fitness and athleticism. Primary possession is key, so big mobile bodies are needed around the middle third. Our new management need to assemble a squad suited to this new format. I am happy with most of the new rule, but I think the 2 pointers should be looked at again. I would like to see some trial games without them and I really think that the 2 point frees should go, no matter what. I 'm not sure about the hooter either.

Kerry's ball skills are brilliant, particularly their footpassing. Time after time they stretched and sliced that Donegal defence open, in the first half in particular. Unlike us, they also seem to do a very good job of keeping any internal dissent in-house.

I understand the disappointment about the likes of Mullin and Hanley leaving for AFL, but I'd like to know concretely what the posters saying that they should be kept at home think we can do about it? The Mayo County Board is in huge debt. We don't have a Kerry Group or AIG backing us, and I doubt that a job in Allergan will suffice for most when the Aussies come calling.

It's all very fine and well saying that Mayo players dream of winning Sam; we all do. But a move out to Oz for a few years is a life changing opportunity, not just for top athletes but for Irish people in general. I have a load of mates who moved there, and none of them are coming back, and there's a reason for that.

And before the usual suspects jump in with their "you're not a real supporter' spiel, I'm not saying we shouldn't try to persuade them to stay, and all that, I'm just saying that we have a weak hand in that situation.

Unless Mullin bombs or gets injured in the next few years (and they seem very happy with him down there), he's unlikely to come back in his prime. Good luck to him in whatever he does.

Dublin are not the same not because Jim gavin is gone but because they no longer have the the same quality of players available.We have a similar situation at the moment where we are extremely weak in crucial areas .The daft notion before the final that we are not far off because Donegal only beat us by a point makes no sense.by that logic would Kerry have beaten us by 11 points.You can’t compare games from different stages of the championship.The big men in the middle are back in fashion again and Kerry went back to a basic enough game plan around the middle to gain possession.we spent all year playing lads in the middle who had little or no impact in terms of breaking ball or winning it clean .The priority for new management is to find a couple of ball winning midfielders or even spoilers and a couple of scoring forwards, easier said than done of course.The outgoing management made mistakes but I don’t actually think they had a particularly strong hand to play with

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMqp4kToH38/?igsh=MXYxajBjd25zam1mdg==

Clifford not afraid to lay down marker at start of match. Straight in with shoulder during handshake :)

Nice to see Sligo got their new appointment done quick and fast. Looks like a very impressive team in fairness. Although mind you, as our CB would say, no inter county management experience, forget about it. Nice to see other counties actually respect the some of the internal quality around them. Will be interesting to see who we consider for the gig.

There certainly isn’t as much noise as there was during the last appointment, which I suppose is credit to applicants for not leaking teams to media etc. also probably due to the fact that I think mayo supporters have been beaten down so much over the last 3 years that the energy is just gone from them. We will probably go down the Andy route. Which I’m not overly against but just don’t think he has enough management experience and ties to older players.

Regardless, I have full confidence (wink wink) that our CB will get the right man, or woman for the job!!

For all Kerry’s strengths, having a player like Clifford just makes life so much easier. To score 0-9 from play (0-6 scores) and not be man of the match, is incredible. He’s suffering from his own standards. Putting the ball over or under the bar is the hardest thing to do. Take DClifford out and it could well be a much level playing field

The other aspect the final showed and something we should know, is there’s a world of difference between an All Ireland Final and what comes before. The speed, intensity goes up, players get exposed for weaknesses. I felt watching it, lads like Murphy and McBearty, their time has passed. It really is too much to think lads who were playing in All irelands in 2012 were going to still cut it in 2025 at that level

Good observations Roco re all Ireland final day . For all Donegal’s “don’t play the occasion play the game “ stuff , the parade nonsense said different .

We don’t know anything about winning an all Ireland in Mayo but there is nothing we don’t know about the occasion . As a supporter it always feels different to any other game as obvious as that sounds I always feel how can players not feel it too . You would really want to be very focused and capable in mindset to shut it out . It’s the biggest crowd you’ll ever play in front of , the screaming emotion of mayo supporters used to be almost haunting if that’s the right word , it’s such a magnificent weight on our shoulders collectively, it’s going to take a very special bunch of men to win it for us . We nearly had it of course but was there still that old thing nagging at the true belief system even if it was unknown to them . 2012 to 2021 , 10 finals and we played in six of them . Was only thinking this the other day , 6 out of 10 without winning it must be unheard of in any sport .

Completely agree 1985. We are missing strong personnel in key areas, and regardless of the fact that we came within a point of Donegal in a group match, the final laid it very bare how far away we really are. We wouldn't have laid a glove on that Kerry team. We are realistically little more than a quarter final team at present, if even that. We simply do not have the players right now. McStay etc for sure made mistakes, but the deck is short a few at the moment.

Galway had 16 in the parade last year.

@dreamysleepynightysnoozysnooze: Tell anyone 8 months ago Kerry would be going into an All-Ireland Final with Joe O'Connor, Mark O'Shea & Sean O'Brien around the middle and they'd have given them no hope. As was the case only a few weeks ago with those lads going into the Armagh game.

All 3 stepped up hugely and played their roles to perfection, with tactics tweaked to play to their strengths. Some quite simple changes sticking to basics, while others have led to lads stepping up from questioned for inclusion in the team by their own fans (to be fair, after a number of years destroyed by injury or in recovery from an ACL) to pushing for the Player of the Year conversation.

Anyone who says we are close is just deluding themselves.

The game at the top level is so professional now that you can't just come from nowhere to win it. It takes at least three years of building to even be in the conversation and we need to start building again.

People can say we are close but we aren't. The game goes up a level when you go to Croke Park for knockout football, it makes the group results completely irrelevant. If you want to know where we are at, look at our last two quarter final results - hammered in 22 by Kerry and in 23 by Dublin.

Thank the lord we weren't playing Kerry on Sunday, it would have made 2004 and 2006 look like knife edge battles...

It Means Nothing to Me you are bang on the money. It is an incredible opportunity for a young man or woman.

Will we get any leaks about management teams? Please forgive me if I'm wrong but last time didn't McStay's team get out to media & then the likes of Dempsey & Shaw's followed after?

I think Andy’s ties to older players is a touch overstated. There is actually only a handful, Aidan, DOC, Durcan, Coen and potentially Cillian. I think there is no problem with those 5 players being involved again in 2025, and the reminder of the panel will be pretty young still.
We need to find 2 point shooters as a matter of priority. It’s simply not possible to beat the likes of Kerry without kicking 4 or 5 of them. David Clifford is practically a cheat code and the likes of mayo aren’t going to outscore a kerry team containing him by kicking single points only. Our outgoing managements ignorance of this fundamental change in the game in 2025 was downright unforgivable. The coaching evolution around 2 pointers is still very primitive. For example there is a zone of around 10 m just beyond the 40m arc that is now the worst place on the pitch to commit a foul. Teams are putting 2 points on the board for what are often cheap frees that don’t really warrant such a punishment on the scoreboard. I think in future well coached teams will evolve to a point that there is almost no fouls committed in that area of the field.
Then there is a “dead zone” for point shooting that is around 7 or 8 metres inside the 40m arc. In this zone teams are hitting a low percentage shot as it’s still relatively far out, but still only getting the same reward, one point, as a tap-over 14 yard free. For some reason Donegal took on many shots from this zone and while they kicked quite a few it still wasn’t generating the scoreboard reward they needed.
Regarding our own outlook Kerry are good but certainly not unbeatable. I agree with Sean Burke it’s now that silly period every year when the current champions are lauded as unbeatable for the next few years. As mentioned by several, old fashioned big fielders like Barry Moran and breaking ball scrappers like Colm Boyle and Kevin McLoughlin are back in season now in a big way with the new rules and we need these type of player to come through.

The best 7 or 8 long range point kickers from frees and play in the county have to be brought in next year too. Whoever has the most accurate long range free taker over the next few years will be starting most games at +3 or 4 points every game over teams that don’t have one. It’s a crazy advantage really and the smart coaches and fast learners will take full advantage of it, have no doubt. If there’s one thing certain in the GAA, when there’s an all Ireland to be won, no-one learns faster than Kerry.

Ignorance of this fundamental change in new rules by former management. !!! Not so sure . If it’s the new rules in general you are a bit harsh. We made very few technical errors in comparison to some other teams. If it’s the importance of winning possession from kick outs well our midfield seems to be physically unable to win primary possession. The 2 point kicking I completely agree with you but Mayo forwards have found it difficult down through the years to score points from less than 40 metres let alone hitting points nowadays from outside the arc. The 2 pointer is a strange animal. Galway were belting them over in the league but as the championship progressed they dried up. Meath were so obsessed with them in semi final that instead of working the ball in to keep the score board ticking they put so many eggs in the 2 point basket it failed badly Likewise Monaghan banging them over most of the year but in the half hour of their greatest need v Donegal in quarters they dried up completely. Ironically Donegal and Kerry were quite happy to ignore the 2 pointer to a large extent early in the year usually working the ball in to get score rather than chancing their arm from distance. But last Sunday Kerry nailed some massive 2 pointers while Donegal attempted very few. Kicking points from over 40 metres is a skill and so far we have not excelled in that skill. Finally with more rule tweaks possible I really hope they ditch the 2 pointers free, not just because we seem to score very few of them but because I think it’s a very severe punishment for what might be an innocuous foul just over 40 metres from goal. It’s only one point less than a well worked goal

“Unstoppable” you are right!
I have read all of the above comments with immense interest. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the state of Mayo football but some of the comment is utterly naïve. I don’t believe Mayo at the moment are near the standard required to win Sam Maguire either with their current playing personnel and neither with the current background CB Administration etc. I pose the question – Name me one Senior Club Manager in Mayo who is a serious contender for the vacant Mayo Inter-County Management job?
The two leading contenders Andy and Austin were both engaged outside the County this season and have little experience of actual Club Management within Mayo (not their fault).
The lack of real contenders from the Senior Club Management pool in Mayo is reflective of the poor coaching standards within the County.
There must be a multi-faceted comprehensive approach to repairing the ills and upgrading the standard of performance at all levels in Mayo.
Please people; do not believe that there is some great Messiah out there on a dashing white steed about to be appointed as Manager of Mayo who will immediately lead us to the Promised Land. It will take far more strategic long term planning than that.
What we need to do is invest in Coaching for the Club personnel (48 Clubs) in Mayo. Bring together the required expertise to devise a comprehensive Coaching Prospectus/ Syllabus. Invite each Club to nominate 1 person under the age of 40 from their membership to complete the Course which should be of at least 2/3 years duration. Frequently repeat same so that short of a decade there would be a large pool of Coaches/Managers on the Club Scene which would surely raise standards.
Next the Senior Club Championship within the County should be reformed to include Divisional sides (Amalgamation of Junior and Intermediate teams) to garner talent that may is overlooked at those levels. I believe those Divisional teams should be introduced when the top four in the Senior Championship and the teams in contention for relegation are decided. That should ensure there should be no objections from Senior Clubs trying to maintain their status.
But all is not entirely negative – Mayo Clubs are doing tremendous work on Club infrastructure. Some of the developments by the Clubs cost millions and are virtually cleared by the genius and dedication of their members. That’s why I cannot understand the “fear” of Mayo County Board debt being so prohibitive to required progress? I may be being naïve myself now but if Clubs can clear debt of 4/5/ €Million debt, it should not be beyond the Powers of the County Board to clear multiples of that with the goodwill of the Mayo Diaspora and domestic supporters!
Again though proper strategic planning e.g. Divisional Centres of Excellence (incorporating the existing) with back-up facilities from other Clubs is the way to go.
I have to go now – the banners & the bacon & cabbage is bubbling!

If a player is in a good position to take on a two pointer and he's fouled, then he's entitled to a shot at a two pointer. Otherwise you are rewarding the fouler

@Ontheditch - But for inter county free takers, its a bit too easy to score a two point free.

I do get the point that we would need two point frees otherwise teams would foul far more. I wonder if a way to fix it slightly is to do the same as the mark, the player fouled must be the one to take the two point free. Apologies if that was the point you were making...

@unstoppable. I think that's a fair solution the new rules have gone along way towards reducing fouling.
@ Sean Hallinan. You raise a lot of good points there. I haven't heard of arran banners in a long time.

Maybe no 2ot free for :
1.Picked off the ground
2. Double hop
3. Other minor technical fouls
In this way you don't get rewarded for fouing the attempt to kick 2pters.

The scoring in D1 of Mayo league has increased by >17% v 2024 I think.
So the club managers within the county appear to have adapted to the new rules, so wouldn't hold that against any club managers who go for it. If you do you'd have to hold Andy giving New York their first championship win against him.

Yes the McStay team was released out by someone, likely within the group to drive momentum on their behalf. Forcing others to follow. The 4 or 5 candidates in for it this year appear to be holding shtum, fair play to them. At this stage let the process get on, we can't change it and some of those involved have more important things to be dealing with.

If a person is serious about job they'll be watching the club championship anyway.

So it seems we are into a two way battle for the big job.

Andy Moran

Or

Tony McEntee.

Any preference

@jp yes that sounds like a good refinement.
@Sean H. and unstoppable. I agree, we a lot of work to do. So much depends on the new coaching set up as to how quickly we can become seriously competitive.
Would a director of football be the messiah that would oversee that structures be put in place?
If there's a lesson from outgoing management, it's the pitfall of coaching to the extent of control. Players need to be coached to give leadership. Outside of Paddy Durcan and ROD, AOS. We don't have leaders on the field(the Cavan games comes to mind) how many leaders have that kerry team?

I would like to see Andy on a Management team i think it is a bit soon for him to be the main man but i will be fully behind him if he gets it. Tony McEntee or another outside option would suit if we want a ruthless revamp of the Panel and to demand higher standards from the County Board. Whoever it is they have to bring in coaches with a proven record at coaching and improving players and would be great to have someone with special responsibilities for working with the younger players that we are looking to bring through at Senior. I am thinking Cora, Ciaran Mac, Sean Deane to name a few.

Cora would be a great forward coach with any management team, in her playing days she was an out an out attacking forward always looking to go for a score .

On the 2 pointers, I would like to see trial games without them, as I am not convinced that we need them. But I will never accept the 2 points for a free. I know some have made the argument that a foul preventing a 2 pointer deserves an opportunity for the 2 points. My counter argument is that a lot of these frees are very soft, are subjective, open to refs interpretation and open to attackers playing for them. Also, a player fouled going for goal, outside the penalty area, only gets a 1 point free, instead of a possible 3 and nobody seems to have any problem with that. 2 points from a free is too severe a penalty.

Was away at the weekend so had only limited access to the match. It seems that Jim McGuinness wasn't quite the messiah that some would have you believe beforehand.
If a Mayo team lost to Kerry by 10 points like that imagine the derision that would be sent our way and the subsequent meltdown a lot of our own would be subject management and players to?. We did so in the 04 and 06 finals too, games that nobody gave us a prayer in, yet so many seemed to place Donegal and Jim on a pedestal before this game, tipping them for victory. I wonder with Donegal be subject to the same level of ridicule that our players have had to, or will they be given a bye?.
Congrats to Kerry by the way - they were impressive, ruthless in their execution and very much deserving winners.

Soft fres is a referring issue. Fouled with a clear chance of goal is a black card offence. Free kicks are way down in games thanks to severity of penalty. A lot of continuity of play in games now and most of scores coming from play. Game is easier for referee too
I don't think I'd be too critical of Jim McGuinness. Got players committed to the cause and believing they could do it. And got the people of Donegal behind them. They're a bit like Mayo, they'll get over it, but they enjoyed the journey

Agree on the ditch, Jim got things wrong on the day, no doubt about that. But what he done to get a team from where they were 3 years ago to the All Ireland final in couple of years is still amazing work, when compare to how other counties have faired over similar or longer terms.
Glad to see in papers CB still expecting the Manager to be appointed during group stages of championship. 4 or 5 applications shouldn't take to long process. May best ones win :)

Jim got things wrong but also 2 of Clifford's 2 pointers and also his last point where he absolutely skinned mccole were just outrageous. We really need to find a forward capable of that type of shooting.

@Gizmobobs

I also agree fair play to McGuiness he's really turned Donegal around from where they were .

Just wasn't their day yesterday it's s big occasion and we all know full well the emotional side to it and I think they let it get it to them a bit .

Though in saying that Kerry where just far better I fear now this will spur them on to do 2 or 3 more but I don't think they will be like the Dubs 6 in a row team.

I also agree that we would have gotten well beaten by Kerry to on Sunday if we had made it .

Be really interesting to see who lands the Mayo job. Fair play to them for leaking anything out its nice not to be in the media for a change .

DC............he's no Mickey Linden

@ FDBinashui, they won’t be ridiculed like mayo. They have won an all ireland in the last 20 years. Why do people care so much about how mayo are perceived ffs it’s so frustrating. Mayo, as sad as it is to say, is a football county full of failure. Anyone of us taking enjoyment out of another counties failure, especially a county with connections like donegal, is ridiculous and give mayo supporters a bad name.

I often read on this forum that Cora Staunton is a great coach, that Ciaran McDonald is a great coach, that Andy Moran was doing well with Monaghan this year. What is the basis behind any of these views unless posters have first hand experience

I’m not saying any of the above are not fantastic but I don’t know. I feel too often we seem to connect great players with being great coaches without a substantial body of work behind it

I'd be happy if Tony Mcantee got it did really well with Sligo and the players all seem to have huge respect for him to .

I think it is important to take into account players who have won All Irelands. Cora Staunton and Diane OHora have both done it and maybe at some point in the future they will manage the men's Senior team.
It's crazy to have that caliber of individual in our County and not have them involved.Cora in particular has played professionally also.
OHora might well have a job to do with the Wemons team but maybe next time out she can be a candidate.

@Roco88: You don't have to look too far to chat to lads in Mayo that played under Ciaran's coaching (at senior, academy or minor) or lads that coached alongside him (O'Malley or Horan have often done it in public) singing his praises. His results painting a pretty positive picture from the outside too.

A little bit further afield, so harder to hear it first-hand, but the word from the lads within the Monaghan camp is incredibly positive on Andy. With them frequently (and surprisingly openly) saying he takes a leading role and far more than just a forwards coach (or even just more than a coach) for them. A quick look (or listen - he's incredibly audible at every game) shows a glance at the level of his involvement, leading talks and driving instructions at every turn. With the results and the level of performance well able to stand up to scrutiny too. Similar praise from the lads in Leitrim and some very positive results (same again in Ballagh, but they might have some rose-tinted glasses so hard to take that as a neutral view), after the pretty rocky start in NY.

I haven't spoken to any of the Ballina lads, though I'm sure plenty around the blog or on the pod(s) have to likely drive some of the opinions around Cora.

The football world is relatively small and a fairly tight community at the coalface. You wouldn't need to chat to too many players to hear someone praising when they had sessions under a Cormac Rowland, John Reilly or Terry Kennedy (or lads closer to the pod like Paddy or Nigel) kind of thing. Players are normally great at burying things happening within a camp when needed, but they don't take long to throw a poor coach under a bus once they're gone or to praise the ones that did/do a great job.

Cora has done so well with Ballina and all the guys really respect her to . I'd love to see her in some kind of role within Mayo .

Tony Mc - he was on a podcast previewing the 2019 game with Donegal. He still had a grá for us. The host said something along the lines of what if Donegal mark Keegan..his response was "You don't mark Lee Keegan..he marks you" :)

He was also on a podcast previewing the 2021 semi with Dublin..I'll be honest I gave us little hope but christ after listening to him, I believed.

Would be an interesting appointment for sure

I wonder what are people here expecting from the new management when they are appointed?
This is the question.
It's the same failings that are evident, lack of scoring forwards, stronger midfield, Goalkeeper with a great kickout, tight defence.
The Donegal v Kerry final reminded me of Mayo v Kerry finals in 1997, 04 & 06, Kerry get the early scores, played a high pitch game and out foxed Mayo, 1997 is almost 30 years ago and what has really changed.
Schools final wins, All Ireland underage titles etc ?

This is why I was hoping Donegal could have won as this Kerry team could have a run of wins for the next 3 years or more.

Mayo need to find a few new faces to blend into the team for next year, this seems to ve the only answer, surely current panels can get better at their game with the right Coaching.

Thsnks Tsu for coming back on this

Good to hear word on the ground is that people are happy with them.

What I’m wondering though is from a results or performance perspective what evidence on the pitch have we that their coaching (McD, Cora, Andy) is so strong? What patterns of play do we see that we can say that’s got their finger prints over?

In Galway there is alot of talk about coaching Corofin players get and there is a bar of skills obvious in most Corofin players (two footed, good handling, cohesive team play). In Kerry we often see consistently high skill execution.

Just a thought, maybe Mayo Board should delay picking the management team for a while, what's the hurry, there may be a few more current managers coming available over the next few weeks.

Not sure it would be good to put Cora under the spotlight as one of the first female coaches of an inter county team.
I would like to see her take over the ladies.
Too much abuse for management teams of Mayo seniors.

I would be in favour off a Tony McEntee management team at this time he has more experience for me and Andy as the Under 20 manager and taking the Senior job in 2029 or 2030.The likes of hopefully Kobe McDonald Darragh Beirne, John McMonagle ,Tom Lydon, Niall Hurley and Hugh O'Loughlin and a few others will be established into the Senior team by then and we would hopefully be back in the top 4 teams in the Country contesting All Ireland Semi Finals.

I thought it was interesting that McGuinness placed all the blame on the players, ie the amount of turnovers etc they had. It might cause discontent in their camp and the halo might start to fade...

One day you're cock of the walk, the next a feather duster.

@jr, I wouldn't have any worries about Cora losing sleep over anything said on social media. She's a lit tougher than you're giving her credit for.
The new management need to get a squad of players to buy into their methods, no drop outs no dummy teams treat players with respect. They also need to bring supporters with them, that means more communication via a liaison person(TSU) who can keep supporters well informed. Then we all move forward together.
Focus should be on the skills to compete under new rules. Fielders, two point scorers, leaders on the field, managing the last quarter..

Roco88

I agree with you. In fairness Cora has done well with ballina but Andy and McD are living off their player reputation. It’s a huge issue we have in mayo. Putting a former great player on a pedestal and assuming they will be great coaches. Dare I say it was probably a big pull for McStay last time around, given the fact he was in media and with that comes extra recognition but has zero bearing on his ability to manage mayo.

Worth pointing out that our dear friend from Kerry, Jack O’Connor never played for the kingdom at all. Mickey Harte the same story. Pat Gilroy and Jim McGuinness were only bit part players with Dublin and Donegal during their playing careers.

There is minimal evidence that great ex players make great managers McGeeney, the current only exception I can see. Joyce has a say too but unless he wins an AI I don’t think we can class him as great manager. Maybe you can add Horan to that list but again no Celtic cross in the back pocket unfortunately.

I personally think Andy will get the mayo job based on his playing career, not his management one, which is a huge gamble. Let’s not forget, he was the forwards coach on a complete disaster in the AI QF against Donegal. But no one in Mayo will talk about that because it’s Andy, and Andy was a great player and he “deserves his chance”.

No one deserves their chance to manage mayo or any county. You earn it. For me Andy hasn’t earned it YET. Maybe in the future. If I was the CB I’d be forcing the issue to get Pat Gilroy. Mayo need a cultural overhaul and from what I can see, Gilroy and McGuinness seem like the two best men to changes cultures in a county. Unfortunately one is still employed and the other is the opposite side of the country.

But unfortunately the CBs biggest issue is their niave understanding of football, evidence of which from that brutal statement on McStay. I genuinely don’t trust anyone on the executive committee to pick the right man for the job.

And above all else, I don’t think they will pick a winner! Could you imagine Jack O’Connor having to deal with the Mayo CB. He’d kill them. Winners demand the highest of standards, our CB just want happy go lucky yes men. Not killers.

Have to agree re Andy Green&Red...

Would be a pure case of letting our hearts rule our heads with that appointment, maybe one day sure but he has a lot to prove yet. His time in Leitrim was mostly very poor.

Monaghan got to last 8 through the softest group, as they have managed many times in recent years so about par for them. Id like to see him take a senior club team for the summer and try win an sfc somewhere or take the u20s. Then he is ready

Its not a popularity contest, just because he is a cheeky likeable fella does not a great manager make. Nobody is ever lauding jack o connor for his cheery, loveable demeanor but it does him no harm in the end

Andy might be the man, one day....but in good time

Kerry win their 39th All Ireland pulling up.
They demonstrate a range of kicking skills, from foot passing to long range kicking. Those skills are in almost every player they have on the pitch.

Where does the thread end up, a discussion about who should be the next Mayo manager.

To beat Kerry regularly we will need more than that.
We need to look at our club championships and see how it hasn't produced a team to challenge for an All Ireland for 20 years now.
We need to look at the way we train in our academies and underage teams, running and running producing no "ballers" for the county team.
We need to look at how almost every Mayo person involved in coaching kids loves to see a kid do a solo run.
The term "going on a solo run" is a modern idiom for someone who isn't a team player and has gone away from what was best for the team. Yet we love them in Mayo.
No Kerry fella went on a solo run into the Donegal low block. They might take a man on, but as soon as they are free from the tackle, it's look up and kick the ball into the space.

Let's face facts, if David Clifford grew up in Mayo, he would be a man marking full back or a midfielder. His physical size (remember how much bigger he was than other kids at minor level) wouldnt be allowed to play full forward in Mayo.
Can anyone remember the last time Mayo had a full forward over 6'2" who could take his man on and kick a point?
It will take a lot more than Cora or Andy Moran to turn this ship around.
The county board need a player development plan that forces clubs to produce the players we need and stop producing endless numbers of wing back who love to solo the ball

Good stuff Tirawley. I would add to that to do list by including ball catchers around the midfield area. This was a Mayo specialism and now we seem to lack such natural, (but vital in the new rules), skills.

We need to pick physically big players for our underage teams. Those small very skillful players never seem to make it happen at senior inter county level. Hopefully we will soon have our new manager and start preparing for 2026. The county football championship need to be watched closely to identify new players for our county panel.

Agreed Tirawley, Skills are king...

Your clifford point is funny but probably not far off the mark sadly, he has grown up watching a long line of gifted skillful number 13s in that jersey Maurice Fitz/Cooper etc. These are the guys they are growing up wanting to be...where skills/scoring/creativity put you on a pedestal

In Mayo the culture is different, everybody is a halfback. You could name a squad of county halfbacks who are honest and athletic but that wont land you the biggest prize on the biggest of days.
Every kerry player is 2 footed, even shane ryan was kicking out off both feet. They completely trust in their own skills, its why paudie can play the entire game with his head up, he doesnt need to be looking down at his feet to get a solo under control, thats all on autopilot

...then Jimbo just confirms my point with the post above mine lol.
The focus for many still seems to be on size and not skill, we are focusing on the wrong areas. Our culture is all wrong, its easy to get a few big lumps on men, 6'2 or 6'3. Kerry found that mark o'shea lad down the back of the couch and he was able to do a serviceable job there.

Its elite skillful footballers we lack at all levels...you wont hone that in a gym

Great commentary on the county scene and all Ireland final etc but when do we move onto the real championship......the grass roots of Mayo , our local club championships....I cant wait.....with the new rules and spread of younger players from the minor and u20 squads now coming thought its wide open this year in my view......

I don’t know if it’s worrisome or good that there is very little rumour on the hot seat vacancy.

Sean Burke I think it’s great. Keep everything in house and announce when the man has it. For once there appears to be no circus around the hunt for a Mayo manger. However I get the feeling some Mayo fans still aren’t happy and want news and rumours.

While Kerry had two big men in the middle they quickly ran to the full forward line as Kerry attacked leaving more mobile players to deal with counter attacks.
Only Kerry!!!

I think it's great is well that there isn't any rumours of who went for the job.

We've been in the media far to much for all the wrong reasons lately . So fair play for keeping it airtight on who applied.

You don't see any other counties with as much leaks as us when it comes to stuff like that.

Ahh no , happy out with that yew tree . I’m all for no circus , it’s the same as the “mayo4sam “ it paints a completely false pic of mayo support , we are the opposite of optimistic in general if the truth be told ,

There was a WhatsApp thing last week but that could be anyone started that

Doing a club box drill I attempted a long difficult handpass that got accepted. Roared at for not hustling away like a blind Bullock to setup a 2 yard handpass.
All that box drill crap has to go now.
It actively reduces skills.
Copy wfat Kerry do in terms of skills.
As for the mgmt. We need a manager obsessed with creating a new skillful panel. Up Lars watching videos of an old unfit player that they think they can get 10 mins off the bench ftom.
Age 19 to 35 we look at every player who can give us 10 mins from the bench at least.
It's been too comfortable staying on the Mayo panel for years on end.

Still...it would be nice if CB came out and said we have received interest from x number of candidates for vacant Mayo positions and are going through their applications and will have further updates to follow...for all we know now... nobody has submitted their interest.
Unless I missed a statement along the way!

@Jimbo - I couldn't agree less with your post. One of our big issues of late is picking a team of big lads who are one paced and lack a quality skillset. We've been picking midfielders in our forward line for the past few years and its been completely to our detriment.

These lads aren't scorers, and definitely can't score two pointers. They aren't kick passers, so the ball going into AOS and ROD is usually poor enough.

We need to be finding a Paudie Clifford (who is only 5'10), someone with pace and ability to kick off both feet. Not another one paced, lateral passer who can't kick a score but gets picked because he's 6'2.

@Unstoppable
The closest thing we have to a Paudie is Ryan. Debated on here a few times about whether Ryan should be given a spin at Centre Forward.
Robbing Peter a bit to pay Paul but worth a go in my opinion. He would be likely to score as many from play in the HF line as in the FF line so nothing lost there and we get the creativity as a bonus.

Do ya think the common mistake a lot of us make when saying “ya need big men “ etc we really mean ya need a few hard as nails men , likes of paudie Clifford might not be massive but he’s a tough nut . Ryan definitely fits this bill but he had a very average year this year .

All this stuff is about balance too , you still need big men also (decent fielders ) to compete for the first ball then your Kevin Mcgloughlin type to get in amongst the breaking ball .

Watched a bit of talksport Ireland podcast with Lee Keegan where he said that our expectations in the county are too high over the last few years. Talking complete sense. Talk of All Irelands from people on here when theres no evidence to back it up. No provincial title now for 5 years and a fairly average team. Even after the final, there's still talk on here that we're not far away because we ran Donegal to within a point. The new management team whoever they may be need patience from the fans. A provincial title next year would be a realistic achievement seeing as Galway seem to be in a slight decline. Another further progress from there is bonus territory.

What would you like supporters to do Dave ? If you don’t expect/demand or even dream of a standard you’ll never get it and become complacent as mediocre. Supporters have to dream , what’s the bloody point if ya don’t ? It’s a competition that’s knockout from qf on , anything can happen in a cup competition, Meath made a semi final , Donegal made a final , ask my arse am I going to sit here and concede that we are far removed from such notions .

As for Lee keegan , was a rolls Royce of a footballer but lacks both genuine gra and knowledge of the game . I’d hazard a guess he wasn’t brought up with it .

@Sean Burke

Well said . While we still have a lot of work to do I will always believe we can get there maybe not next year but we will one day .

If you've no hope or demand a certain standard you won't get it and you'll slip down to the radar even further away after a while of people not dreaming. It might be a far off dream but I will still live in hope .

If you look at Graham O'Sullivan we need more players like that. Built thick and strong. He's only 5'11" but he's built.
We've too many 800m runner builds.

Doesn't matter who our new Manager is unless the players and that's all panel players give it 100% and full commitment we are going nowhere, Manager also has to be ruthless, not like in the past , when it was harder to get off Mayo panel than to get on it . Any player not giving everything to cause , has to be let go, and social media and interviews banned till Sam is in Mayo.

No news coming out about management may be interpreted in 2 ways. No leaks or no serious applications. Let’s take the no leaks first Good news but as someone said earlier lots of Mayo supporters want news and want to know what’s going on. Remember when we weee getting no news re Tommy C s return Some here thought they had a right to know. Regards no serious applicants now that would be worrying but let’s be honest the way the senior management was stood down and the way the u 17 and u 20 stood down themselves does pose some questions about what’s going on in Mayo football right now. As regards Lee Keegan saying we have unrealistic expectations I agree completely . There is a big difference between aspirations to win an AI and realistically having a good chance. We all have aspirations. It is something in life I so much want to see a Mayo man collecting Sam. It would be beyond brilliant . I realistically thought we had a great chance in 2013, 2016 and 2017 because we had a great team. I did not realistically expect us to win in 2021. At this moment in time we look well short of matching the Kerry’s of this world. That won’t stop me aspiring to seeing us win Sam and I look forward to going to games next season, seeing us improve and hopefully going on a good run. However I don’t think we have players good enough to win the big one at the moment( I would love to be completely wrong )but hope springs eternal and in Mayo one must always retain the hope

Davitt Neary brought into county panel this year after good club championship last year. He never played minor or u20. Is there any other players out there with potential to watch out for this year that never played minor or u20.

@Sean Burke. Just saying to be realistic. Of course during the 2012 to 2017 era, supporters could have realistic expectations of winning sam because we had an incredible team lining out. A once in a generation team. And hopefully we will get back to that level again within a few years, but right now there is nothing to suggest that we are anywhere near that level at the minute. It doesn't matter who is named manager, it will take time. That's all.

What did Armagh do before they won the All Ireland last year? No provincial titles, hadn't gotten past a quarter final. Lots of agonising defeats. and hey presto they win it..

So the defeatist talk is pure horseshit. If you don't believe, you will NEVER win it & that's a fact!

It's clear now that Kerry are ahead of everyone.. but spare me the nonsense that we are miles off the likes of Galway, Donegal or Tyrone. We aren't.

Can we win an All Ireland in the next few years? I believe we can IF things are done properly..lots of work needed of course, but unless we believe we are going nowhere.

@Just a thought: Neary, Phillips & Coggins all managed that one this year just gone. Feels higher than usual for that kind of thing, but not something I've ever watched in the past.

Plenty to keep an eye out for. A real tough battle for them to make the League/Championship panel put up against some of the existing lads, some of the older former underage lads that haven't made it just yet (Fallon, Callaghan, Henry, Gilrane [nasty injury could sadly rob the whole year, after some serious performances in Chicago], Horkan or the likes) or the newer underage talent pushing through (4 or 5 of last years 20s you'd expect to push and serious questions if we might throw in a couple of the upcoming 20s for a few weeks early/late in the year).

Hopefully the new rules help a couple make a leap forward and we'll get a few surprises:

Liam Lavin (though plenty of county experience with the hurlers), Caolan Hopkins, Jack Livingston (or John if he can sort the work issues - whoever wins that battle as #1 for Breaffy with a good chance of featuring at county you'd imagine given the talent of either/both), David Tighe, Liam Golden, Aidan Cunningham, Pearse Ruttledge, Niall Carter, Darragh Syron or Nathan Armstrong all lads that come to mind (I'm likely missing 10 or 12 others at a similar level with a head like a sieve) that didn't feature at underage but you'd not be shocked to see push through to a panel. Most would have been under consideration in previous years, with more space up top or the higher demands on size/aerial ability/athleticism could see their stock rise in the coming months.

A relatively clean slate between new rules & new management, so a perfect opportunity for someone to force their way into that type of conversation if they can put a run of form together.

Pearse Ruttledge could have been POTY last year in Mayo club football. He should be involved in 2026.

The other standout player from the league is young Fionn O'Donoghue from Belmullet. How he didn't make the minor squad in 2024 is still a mystery. His scoring rate for Belmullet Minors and Seniors this year is really impressive. He should be a certainty for the under 20's. Of all the 2007 players that I have seen, he's looks best placed to make the step up due to his excellent S & C.

@ sean burke. I was in Tuam in 1995 getting hammered by galway and one year later being a bad hop ball of winning the all ireland. If mayo gets the correct manager the sam maguire can be won in 2026.

I'm really looking forward to seeing next year's u20s. Two strong tranches of attacking players between the u20 and u19s ages.

Times have changed since 95 Jimbo. But anyway il go along with the optimism. Mayo for sam 2026 and all that. 75 years and counting.

Tsu - Luke Jordan is another player that could be added to list.

@Rusty Bridges

Exactly that's what I mean we are not miles off the likes of Donegal, Galway, Tyrone etc and that's what I mean about not being far off at getting back to a least the quarters .

I know Kerry are well ahead of us that's clear as day now .

Obviously our goal every year hould be aiming for Sam but I get that we are not in there just yet.

But an improvement would be at least the quarters and connacht next year it has to be the goal and if we get further great .

I think in 2 years or so with the under 20s coming up we will be back being contenders I say that with a bit of hope rather then realism maybe though !

It's as clear as day that football has evolved since the new Rules came in on January.
It has been evolving rapidly since 2000.

Tyrone invented the " put them under pressure style", this was where 4 or 5 players surrounded the opposition player in possession and took the ball from him.

Donegal probably invented the blanket defence and this was de-coded by the Dubs under Jim Gavin, and the Dubs themselves made use of their own blanket / sit back and soak up the pressure and then destroy the opposition later in the game.

Now we gave a new game where very strong midfield, win the breaking ball and shoot from distance a d huge fitness levels are the new norm.

McGuinness tactics were 1 year behind on Sunday last, would probably be good against the teams that cannot shoot from distance but not Kerry.

The more I analyse Sunday's final I cannot understand why Donegal were so stupid in playing out the 1st half in the style that was not working.

To make matters worse, they are a very fit team, surely every kickout had to go short etc.

It will be intriguing to see what manager comes up with a style to try and beat Kerry. It more or less back to the kick, high fielding at midfield, breaking ball, but for Mayo, the crux is that long distance shooting and the old fashioned high ball into the square will need to be Employed.

It seems the word "Zonal" has replaced the word "blanket" but it's the same thing minus 3 players.

@Rusty one thing Armagh didnt have was a history of losing 11 All Irelands in 35 years. Do you put any weight on that being a hindrance? Also what do you see as things being done properly?

I’m Mr pessimistic so I need some convincing

@Rocco88

I fully believe that loosing so many finals has such pressure on whatever mayo team gets to a final no matter how good they are .

They are surely going to themselves we surely can't loose another one and what if we do ..

That's some pressure. Its a mentality thing I now think. I do agree though that we probably just don't have the players atm .

But we will get there and not far off at least a quarter final spot that's a sad sentence to say not far off at least a quarter final spot .

Roco ya they didn't have the weight of history on their shoulders & that means something. But they had years of not being able to close out games & they finally win a close win in the biggest game of all..I would also add they are a damn good team.

What I meant by doing it right was:
Trying to align all the vacant roles towards the one goal.
Put a plan in place to win the All Ireland..be it a 3 year plan, 5 year plan etc.
Improve on the acceptable standards. Horan had that nailed down. If we played a weaker team, we bet them simple as.
Improve the coaching across the county..
Encourage 2 footedness from a young age. That's where it happens..Hard to teach that at an older age.
Start developing & have a plan to develop different types of players. We are stacked with middle 3rd athletic type players.. but don't have specialist fielders, reliable shooters, imaginative & creative forwards.
Regional training bases. The COE is a pipe dream..work with clubs & help them develop what they have but also with a view to helping the county team.
Cast the net very wide for players. If it were me, I'd be bringing in all players who are of a decent s&c level & age profile & test them out & see what they could offer. Long range shooting is key now. There are club players all across Mayo hitting them for fun..they simply have to be considered. Even if they are lacking a bit of pace for example.
Think outside the box.
And get the manager sorted in a timely manner but do it right

Clare it is a bad sentence to say especially when you say it twice and keep repeating the same thing over and over.so now we are not far off making a quarter final spot from being not far off competing for an all Ireland a few days ago

I don’t agree with pressure or the burden of the previous losses being the reason we fail. We fail because we don’t have scoring forwards like kerry. We never have. 2016-2017, o’connor and moran were two forwards that scored. No other player was focused on scoring. Doherty was a work horse. We need to prioritise getting 4-5 shooters on the pitch, lads who can score more than 2 points a game. We will never win otherwise

Just getting around to commenting on the game,

Not much to add on the game itself but its certainly Kerrys greatest All Ireland.

I know Mayo supporters are down at the minute but I theres an interesting fact that I think should give confidence to others.

Before May Mark OShea never played for Kerry, 2 months later he'd starting an All Ireland.
With the right coaching lads can come in and play a big part.

On a separate note,

I think McGuinness was found out on Sunday.

@1985

Ah jeez . Sorry can't seem to say anything right to you so apologies won't comment for a while. As I seem to be over commenting .

And I never said we were far off from competing for an all Ireland @1985 . I said not far off from getting to a Quarter final spot .

No need to apologise to me clare but there is no point in repeating the same thing over and over and if our ambition is now to possibly make a quarter final then it’s time to pack it in and find something else to do .

It's not just about having scorers, that's only one aspect of the picture. How do you explain, having a comfortable lead going into the last quarter against inferior opposition and wee end up letting it slip or barely getting over the line. We had shooters good enough to give us a lead..

Well no Clare that is not what you were saying a few days ago .when anyone says a county is not far off they don’t mean being far off making a quarter final .next it will be we are not far off making a Connacht final

@1985

I meant not far off by getting back to a quarter final.
Think what you like sure .

Sure I say the ambition is sam of course it is but then you say I am not being realistic by saying we should go for Sam every year .

Then I am being realistic in saying a quarter final spot is an improvement from not being able to get out of the group stages and your saying we should pack it in if that's the goal not what I'm not saying at all .

@west kerry, with due respect, I don't think McGuinness was found out, Donegal were.
No county would have lived with kerry and they did hang on to your coat tails until the last quarter.
Remember, it took a lot of prompting from David Clifford to get kerry supporters behind their team. McGuinness brought the people of Donegal with him. Respect

I have said all year that we didn’t have the players at the minute to win an all Ireland but the squad we had was good enough to make the latter stages .Any management that comes in will have ambitions to win an all Ireland otherwise there is no point in taking it on .even allowing for obvious weak areas of the current team we have still massively under achieved over the last 3 years

@ Ontheditch we didn’t have scorers on the bench, while other elite teams do. Costello 2016 for the dubs, mcshane and canavan in 2021. Most of our issues come back to scorers, we never play with three forwards who can score consistently, one of them always has to be a workhorse. That is a outdated system, won’t work in the modern game

You’re probably right plunkett but our scorers like an evan Regan or Paul towey etc just lacked /lack enough power to win enough of their own ball . The next batch do look a little bit more powerful , ie beirne and Hurley etc but it’s obviously completely unknown yet as to how they’ll develop as seniors , I really hope we throw them in the deep end in 26 . Holding back is nonsense, you’ll know after the league if they’re workin out or need another year before they taste championship .

We could need the likes of Philly McMahon as out defensive coach to have our back ready for the liked of the Clifford's, They would not the get same freedom and scores from the likes of Philly.

Ontheditch,

Oh he absolutely was found out.

He stood on a sideline for 70 mins and watched Paidi stroll around Croke Park and didn't change anything.

He has 1 game plan and thats it if that doesn't work as it didn't on Sunday and in 2014 then he cannot change it up.

Yes he gets people behind him hes a great motivator and obviously hugely respected but he reminds me of Mourhino.

One defensive system and loved by the pundits and media.

Some of the utter nonsense that pundits came out with last week was ridiculous.

Culmore is that a joke???

@1885

I also said the squad we had was good enough make the later stages if for better management.

I have said we underachiever

I said already we underachiever unsee mcstay and co . I was just being realistic in my last post. But if Meath can get to a semi so can we with the right management .

@Culmore

You can't be serious philly McMahon in mayo set up? I'd be disgusted tbh .

@West kerry

I'd say there was some party in killarney .

We've still to learn how to manage a lead. Yes we need midfielders yes we need scorers, yes we need a kickout strategy that gives us a good return, and when we have all that in place, we need to manage our way through the last quarter. In terms of bench players, many of our substitutions were with 5 mins to go. If the plan was to use Dawson in the championship why didn't he get game time in the league. On the other hand Thornton was officially down to start v donegal but by Sunday, he's not even on panel. This is the nonsense we had to endure.

I looked at the final again.
Donegal were right in it up to the last 8 minutes.
McBrearty decided to flick kick the ball to a teammate which was intercepted by Kerry leading to a 2 pointers, bringing Donegal from 4 to 6 down.
Donegal not gone away.

I agree West Kerry on McGuiness.He is a good manager but no genius not even close to OConnor or John OMahony or even Fitzmaurice who managed to win in 2014 without Cooper.....which is often forgotten.
Then again if Horan had put OShea back on Donaghy in the first game in Croke Park I reckon Eamonn would have lost to Mayo with 14 men and been go e by the time he got back to the dressing room......small margins!

JR ?

What game were you watching ?

The game was over after 20 mins.

Yes Donegal got back to 4 points but it flattered their overall play.

McGuinness got it right. In that zonal defending prevented kerry with their all star forwards and midfielders from creating one goal chance.
The gamble was the two pointers and only Clifford was on fire. McBrierty chance was a big miss....
Right now Clifford is unmarkable. That's the Trump card that separates kerry from the rest. Considering where Donegal were when he took over, McGuinness did remarkable

@West Kerry, first of all congrats.
If McBrearty had not made that mistake and possibly got a point out of it ,it could have changed the game.
Having said all that I thought the Ref gave Donegal a lot of soft frees early in the second half to bring them back into the game.

Wow Ontheditch,

You must know something that the rest of the country doesn't because not 1 person has said McGuinness got anything right.

In fact what Sunday showed was how naive zonal defending can be.

Donegal let the occasion get to them as we have many times ..

Yes kerry are on top for now no doubt about it .

Though then again Armagh while they are a good team they where the ones to catch thought that myself ( hold my hands up) and..

Is it too soon for an Andy v Tony poll?

I agree that we need to cast the net wide for any talent that may have slipped through the net so far for whatever reason but I believe we should be looking at the coaching in clubs and schools. Do we even have a chief coaching officer? Someone with the remit to organise a select group of coaching coaches to organise workshops around the county in an ongoing setup for clubs to be helped achieve higher levels of skills throughout all levels and age groups. While it's great to see mums and dads helping with underage training they would be more confident and effective if they had some coaching themselves.
As regards the final Donegal were flattered by the scoreline at the end because they were simply outclassed.

Love or Hate Philly, nobody scored 9 points off him, he stopped many of our forwards from playing even men a lot bigger than him. Mr nice guy wins nothing at gaelic football. The question is do we want to win Sam, if the answer is Yes things have to change.

Philly McMahon is very good on the Indo sport podcast. His recent analysis of the nuances around modern defending was very good discussing how Donegal defended. Love his detail. He'd be a good defensive coach for us and speak a few home truths to us, which we probably need.
People are over analyzing the final. Switch David Clifford into the Donegal team and what is the scoreline in this game?
Clifford kicking 2s was the story of the game and he was all day every day the motm.
My version of motm is who had the biggest effect on the scoreboard in what their actions were.
So if a full back makes two huge difficult blocks in a tight game, they're likely on for motm assuming the rest of their play was solid.

I’m not a big Philly Mac fan, his delivery on the podcasts can come across a little confrontational at times.

However a few weeks back, before Galway were knocked out, on the Irish Indep pod he wrote off Galway’s and Dublin’s chances of going far in the championship. I think he noted Galway were playing too much as individuals, not enough collectively. It was a unique view at the time but he questioned culturally if they were doing the right things. He was speaking from a place where he had been with Dublin winning All Irelands and could see subtle acts that would be detrimental to a team going far.

The roundabout point I’m getting to is he might not at all be the worst idea in a coaching ticket. Big into S&C, a straight shooter and high standards. Plus he’s been there and done that.

Jesus lads the locals are getting restless as they say in Kerry.

Philly as a coach in Mayo.. come on lads.

Why are ye only looking for 2 guys in the race to become the new manager, ye should broaden the field, we may hear of a few guys moving on from current roles shortly, and what about guys that are looking for work this past 2 years?

There was some soft talk on one of the pods that a player had been instrumental by laying off hand passes.
Philly was having none of it. Basically derided the idea that laying off some hand passes is some big contribution.
I like that, there's a lot of ex players on pods and everyone is brilliant and everything was huge and thus play and that play was brilliant.
I wouldn't mind Philly McMahon on cold plain language outlining ways to thr panel where they have performance gaps and the plan how to close those gaps.
You'd figure with his very recent career, knowledge of SnC and coaching and performance he's really at the cutting edge for 2026.

@JP I think that's a too simplistic view of the final. Kerry were better absolutely all over the field. Clifford was sublime but quite peripheral (probably by design to pull McCole out).

And putting Clifford on the Donegal team wouldn't help them much because of their style of play. Like us, they rely too much on running the ball. The ball moves faster than the ball & Kerry showed everyone how it's done.

I genuinely thought Armagh would take Kerry. How wrong was i. To be fair they were the only team who actually troubled them from the knockout rounds. Kerry dismantled them in 10 mins & proceeded to make mince meat of Tyrone & Donegal.

So, thought provoker.
Who agrees with me simply switching David Clifford in that game would possibly help Donegal win?
Yes, Clifford was peripheral for spells, why does that matter if he puts 9 pts on the board some of them only him capable of?
The goal at the end was Donegal chasing the game.
I think the scoreline of both teams is changed majorly with David Clifford switching.
If Donegal score 3pts more and Kerry 3pts less we have a game that would have been a nip and tuck battle.

Sorry JP didn't mean to dismiss you. I think switching Clifford helps for sure. And surely if you had a Clifford you would tailor your gameplan to get the best out of him.
For example if we played the pedantic rubbish we did for the last 2 years, we could have Clifford, Con & prime Gooch & it would make no difference. That's just my opinion

Agree with Rusty, if you don't change approach to use the player they contribute much less.
The usage of Cian McHale in the league was shocking for a team with no left footed scorer.

Perfect example JP

@ Rusty Bridges
Kerry employed Mayos tactics V Donegal.
Took their forwards out the field - pushed their midfielders into the square (how many people here complained about seeing Stephen Coen in on the square v a blanket defence)

The difference was, Kerry had Paudie Clifford directing traffic with Sean O Shea and David Clifford kicking the scores

We had Enda Hession directing the play and had Darren McHale and Conal Dawson to take the shots.

Donegal score 19 points v Mayo and Kerry

The difference is Mayo could only get 1:15 v Donegal and Kerry got 1:26.

We struggled to get 20 points all year. Kerry were kicking 25 regularly.

Of the top 4 scorers in the mayo championship last year, we had aiden O Shea, Paul Towey and frank Irwin on the panel and none of them even took a shot that day.

Kerry tore into Donegal from the off. Mayo ran into traffic at half pace
Kerry tried 10 2 point shots with the breeze, Mayo only 3.

There is a lack of adventure in the Mayo team, not tactics.

Congrats West Kerry.
Best team won on the day and there's no arguing that.
Kerry were at their very, very best.
That 2 pointer on half time was a real sickener for Donegal.
Just better all over.

Philly Mc Mahon hates the sight of Mayo there is more chance of Zelenskey becoming the manager of Russia it will be Andy Moran or Tony McEntee and possibly both

Kerry will definitely be hunting for a run of titles now like the Dubs achieved. I always recall what James O'Donoghue said after the '14 final that they don't want to miss any more years. You gotta love that winning mentality, it's incredible. But they have a big target on their back now so nothing's guaranteed. With their forward quality and the new rules it's hard to see anyone stopping them anytime soon.

It's forwards game under new rules and giving away free kicks does not pay. Teams will have to have their own David Clifford to compete v kerry. Maybe someone will come out of the pack in the club championship

If you dominate midfiekd you can bear Kerry and beat them well.

its time to move on from kerry and clifford its getting very boring at this stage , they had their day

@JP obviously any team that is dominated in midfield can be well beaten, I don't think that's specific just to Kerry

Tirawley Baron , Very correct about Kerry tactics v Donegal being similar to ours against them. We pushed our midfield players to edge of square at times while our defenders went man to man. Now Cian o Neill and Yerra Jack are being lauded for their wonderful tactics in the final and rightly so while Rochford was pilloried by quite a few for doing similar. It all comes back to what I have been saying all years. Players win games. Jim Gavin said so before the match. Management can set up their tactics and players implement them. Let’s be absolutely honest here. We do not have forwards of the calibre of the Clifford brothers and S O Shea. Our backs are relatively adequate and no team ran up huge scores against us despite our struggles at midfield but we simply do not score enough. Our forwards are very game and competitive but we are not blessed with natural scorers. As an earlier poster said put Clifford on the Donegal team and you possibly get a different result. Put him in the Mayo team and I doubt we’d bow out so early. It’s not just about Clifford, it’s about the quality of our forwards play in general. Just don’t score enough

But the players don't play with adventure for a number of reasons:

We don't create enough.
We don't shoot enough.
We move the ball too slowly.
And perhaps they don't have the quality but how do we know if they are playing with a strait jacket on? Coen going into the square is a poor example as you'd be as well off having Mrs Doubtfire in there & the opposition know this. No offence to Stephen but that's not his game.

All of the above can be improved with a better gameplan.

And why is Hession the one conducting the orchestra when its not his game? Why didn't we bring ROD out to conduct when he is the player with the most vision? Why does Jack Carney constantly go backwards, when he would go forward if he was playing for his club?
Dawson didn't take a shot against Donegal in the first half when we had the elements! We could have put Donegal to bed early on had we let the handbrake off!

That's all tactics

Mr McMahon has taken up a role with Naas football lads. Where do ye get the ideas from?

Where does the idea of getting a multiple all Ireland winning player who’s involved in coaching/managing club teams joining as a coach in a Mayo squad?! It’s a pretty wild idea to be fair!

The idea that our tactics were the same as Kerry in the final is one of daftest comments I have seen posted on here .Kerry absolutely distroyed donegal in the opening period with lightning fast attacks with a slight wind advantage.we attacked at a snail’s pace with players turning back when in scoring positions.Stephen coen running in and out of the square had no effect whatsoever because Donegal knew we hadn’t a notion of kicking the ball into him.Kerry actually did kick ball in which led to an early score.we trailed by two points at half time with a strong wind behind us while Kerry were basically out of sight by half time.while I have sympathy for mcstay and rochford unfortunately their 3 year reign was a massive failure where our results declined year on year .i would imagine the two lads realise this and want to put it behind them

What’s been said about the capabilities of our forwards is mostly true no doubt but we were missing Tommy conroy (I don’t understand why our fan base don’t realise how huge that is ) , Cillian walked , personally I think James Carr was a loss too especially with new rules but I concede that can be debated

This year a team of Gaelic Footballers beat a team of Athletes, we need more skilled Gaelic Footballers and less Athletes.