Post Mortem- Season in Review

After the euphoria of the weekend's final marking the end of this years inter-county season I'd like to pool opinions of this years championship.
What would v2 GAAers say in the following depts-

Overall entertainment value (out of 10)
Best moment
Worst moment
Your footballer of the year
Your hurler of the year
Future Expectations

I'd also like to thank a few posters for their contributions this season- Rebelbhoy and others for keeping us up to date with his live scores commentary, Patrick91 for keeping us all up to date on the latest anti-Tyrone conspiracy and Cari for reminding us that Bernard Brogan does indeed play for the Dubs (Yay Beeeeeeeeeeeernie!!)

Overall entertainment value- 7-8/10 Spoiled a bit by Donegal (esspeciaally that semi) and the lack of Royal involvement in the latter stages

Best moment- Our only silverware of the season, the Royal heirs 2-12 to 0-10 win over the rossies in the minor B hurling

Worst moment- Meath's defeats to Kildare & anything involving Donegal

Your footballer of the year- Cooper, Bernie & Cian Ward (for biased reasons)

Your hurler of the year- Lar Corbett

Future Expectations- Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Kildare and to a lesser extent Mayo to be biggest contenders. Dublin Hurling to continue doing well.

Overall entertainment: 8
Best moment: Dublin winning the All Ireland.
Worst moment: Donegal actually winning a provincial title by playing the worst football ive ever seen by a distance.
Footballer of the year: Alan Brogan.
Hurler of the year: Michael Fennelly.

Future expectations: An open football champ next year with as many as 6 teams in with a shout.
Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Wexford and Clare to improve in hurling over the next couple of year's.

Overall Entertainment: 6
Best Moment: Cork V Limerick U21 Munster Hurling final
Worst Moment: Donegal getting as far as they did
Footballer of the year: Alan Brogan
Hurler of the year: Lar Corbett


Future Expectations: Kerry not being as competitve for the next few years. Cork footballers not going beyond next year's semi. Cork to beat Kerry in Munster. Dublin to get to final,Kildare to get to semis. Hurling,Dublin to get to the AI final within 2 years.

Overall entertaiment: 5 for hurling and 8 for football. The best hurling games came from the minors and U21s.



Best moment: Final whistle in both football finals and Clare's Conor McGrath's goal against Tipp. Cheeky young pup, ploughing his way through an All-Star backline.



Worst moment: Final whistle in hurling final. Just a few more minutes.



Footballer of the year; Alan Brogan



Hurler of the year: Michael Fennelly



Future expectations: Hurling: for Tipp get back and win final, otherwise we are in danger of disappearing. Dublin to win Leinster, if they do that they will get to final. All other counties to improve. Never though I'd say this but I kinda miss Cork, all those red jerseys had become one of the sights of the summer.



Football: for Tipp minors to win again (most of them will still be minor next year) just so it's not a once off. Cork to over themselves and Kerry and realise just how bloody good they could be. For Donegal's brand of football to disappear.

Overall entertainment value (out of 10) - 9/10 (well I am a Dubs supporter )
Best moment - has to be that moment seconds after Cluxton gets the winning point last Sunday
Worst moment - can I have two? Me missing the Dubs (although in hindsight it's a good thing because I would've witnessed that god awful Donegal game ) also, Conal Keaney's injury prior to the semi final.
Your footballer of the year - Alan Brogan.
Your hurler of the year - Lanky Lar Corbett.
Future Expectations - the Dubs hurlers (minors and seniors) to go from strength to strength - expect to see them in at least the quarter finals next year. In football, I expect Cork will make a comeback and get into the semi's at least.

Overall entertainment: 7.5

Best moment: Hard one to call I'll come back to it after some thinking.

Worst: Cork going out of the hurling Horrible. Going out of the football hurt too.

Footballer of the year: Bernard Brogan, no other player could have carryed that team to the final he's the beating heart of the Dublin team.

Hurler of the year: Lar Corbett played well all season apart from the final.

Expectations for football: Dublin Kerry and Cork fighting out for Sam. Tipp will improve at all ages, Donegal will get worse and London will get stronger. I expect more shocks too the lesser teams are becoming more organised.

Hurling: Dublin will try to complet the double but I cant see much change happening certain counties willl get stronger others weaker.

Seems such a long a wait though

Overall Entertainment: 8.5/10
Best moment: Donaghy's point to level, Cluxtons point to win it, Richie Hogan goal in final, Limerick beating wexford in the football
Worst Moment:John Mullanes goal to beat us in Munster, Donegal
FOTY: Cluxton & Darran O'Sullivan
HOTY: Corbett, Mullane & Tommy Walsh
Future: Nothing much to change as regards prospective AI winners. Donegal's ridiculous tactics to be found out in a way that even an Antrim or a Fermanagh could beat them..........................

Overall entertainment, with the honourable exception of the final I thought 2010 season produced far more excitement and drama. 7/10
Best moment; Laverty goal against Antrim in the qualifiers which came just as the Antrim supporters beside me were getting cheeky.
Worst moments; Being in Kerry on holiday surrounded by Cork jerseys as the rails came off and Being at the Athletic grounds being baited by Armagh supporters for loving the queen and I dont mean the band.
Footballer of the year; Ger Brennan, why not
Hurler of the year Eoin Larkin
Hopes/Expectations, Down not to get Donegal in Ulster. Jim McGuinness and his tactic manual to vanish in the Killybegs triangle. Down to win the last ever AI final playing freeflowing cavalier football before the end of the world arrives in December 2012. Or the world not to end and Offaly to destroy the Metropolitans dream of two in a row with a last minute goal by Seamus Darby long lost son Tyson Fury.
Its been a long season

Overall entertainment value (out of 10): Football 7/10 I thought it was pretty poor with very little romance stories or upsets, Mayo V Cork the exception. Hurling 7.5/10 everyone expected a KK/Tipp final and that is exactly what happened with no team looking like seriously threatening them and the final was also not as good compared to 2010 in particular. Dublin's progress however brought a lot more interest.
Best moment: London beating Fermanagh! Oh the joy it brought me!
Worst moment: Tyrone getting not only beat but hammered and looking like the end of the greatest ever Tyrone team
Your footballer of the year: Stephen Cluxton. Wouldn't it be radical for a goalkeeper to win.
Your hurler of the year: Tommy Walsh
Future Expectations: Tyrone's recent minor teams to instantly gel in a entire new lineup dominating with a wonderful style of beautiful attack play and also watertight defence winning the fabled 5-in-a-row. Fermanagh also transform into a hurling county and win the Lory Meagher, Nicky Rackard and Christy Ring consecutively before hammering Antrim who have been dominant for the 3 years preceding, whilst the footballers create their own competition 'Tommy Murphy Cup Mk II' where only they compete but they cannot field a team in the final. Leinster, Connacht and Munster all realise they may as well quit and take up handball instead. Ah a man can dream.

entertainment value: Futble 8. London scaring the bejaysus out of Mayo, beating Fermanagh. Limerick in the qualifiers after failing so horribly.....Then Mayo beating the best side on the planet. Oddly, People seeing just how much Donegal could sully the sport was entertainment in itself.
Hurling; 7.5. Galway blowing hot and cold. The inexorable journey to the final that we had to see again. The intensity of that game....boom.

Best moment: For me....... a hook in the u-21's by the Limerick corner back. Sensational. Technically everything about it was pure class. From a wow point of view, a goal by Joe Canning transferring the ball from one side to the other and lashing it in. Class.
worst moment. About 50 minutes into the Mayo game. I knew the well was empty.
FOTY: Darran O'Sullivan
HOTY: Pádraic Maher
Future; Take back sam. I expect that. i demand that. JBM to stop the rot and give us a lift. Maybe a couple of days in the sun

entertainment value: footie 10. Dublin..............swoooooon
Hurling; 9. Semi final dubln swooooooooooon
Best moment: Kev mc's goal in the final
worst moment. 1st half in donegal game when i thought they might beat us
FOTY: Alan brogan or cluxton
HOTY: Theres only one tommy walsh
Future; Double please for the senior u21 and minor dublin teams

Overall entertainment value (out of 10) 9/10.

Best moment - donegal and mayo beating a so called top 4 teams kildare and cork.

Worst moment - losing to donegal.

Your footballer of the year - karl lacey.

Your hurler of the year - lar corbett.

Future Expectations - win back the ulster title and make a good challenge for sam.

Just watching last week's Sunday Game of the final. I didn't realise how class McManamon's goal was - utterly superb watching it back. Bless Cluxton, he's so modest too.

Some great goals in the minors as well.

He took 8 steps by my count,took it well though. Cari,the game is on Youtbe if you want to watch it in parts.

Part one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqCW3gsDjG0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Part two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Gpir6kQXA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Part three(celebrations) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUEdqB_86rM&feature=related

Thomond wrote:He took 8 steps by my count,took it well though. Cari,the game is on Youtbe if you want to watch it in parts.

RebelBhoy wrote:
McMenamin took a rake of steps for the goal.....jussaying

I have been fairly mindful of steps since Jimmy Kerrigan's boy had one chalked off against Kerry that ultimately cost Cork the all Ireland this year......

I thought a the time that he took steps Rebel but it's my first time seeing a replay of it. I suppose the Dubs get away with a lot... JK

Cheers T. I hope it stays there....someone had put up a good video of some of the Ireland/Oz oval ball and the IRB removed it. Killjoys!