Gaa 2012

Can someone explain to me what Gaa is? I see it said a lot. A quick Wiki seems to be a mix of rounders which I thought only girls played, football and something like lacrosse.

Do they have different teams for different events? Or does each team do each event.
 
What happens, do they have a real season? Is it like a multi even team where your United's and Chelsea's for example have players for every event or does each event have different completely different teams unassociated to teams from another event?
 
There are 32 counties, most have a team for each of the two seperate codes, Gaelic Football and Hurling. It's initially a regional draw ending up in a national final.
 
Zarlak said:
What happens, do they have a real season? Is it like a multi even team where your United's and Chelsea's for example have players for every event or does each event have different completely different teams unassociated to teams from another event?
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It's a championship, like the FA cup, if it was split into 4 groups, north south east and west, and they have knockout rounds, the top 2 teams from each province move on to the quarter finals.
 
Zarlak said:
What happens, do they have a real season? Is it like a multi even team where your United's and Chelsea's for example have players for every event or does each event have different completely different teams unassociated to teams from another event?
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Sorry, I have to say this.

GAA covers a number of sports - hurling, football, camoige (womens' hurling), ladies football, handball and rounders.

By and large, its built from the bottom up. The strength of the GAA is that you play for where you are from. Good club players will play for their county, which is considered the pinnacle for most players. The four provinces have an annual competition, but this has dwindled in popularity in more recent years.

In the tiniest of parishes and villages, you'll find a pub, a shop, a school and a GAA pitch - most likely linked to one another. The GAA drove home the point in the 80s where every club was encouraged to buy its own pitch. That's why so many clubs have such great facilities all over the country - the pride of the parish and oneupmanship can lead to great pitches, stands, carparks, hurling walls etc to get one over the neighbours.

Given that the parish rule exists (largely anyway), you end up with very lopsided resources ie Dublin population 1.5M or so v Leitrim population 25,000. However, surprises can and do happen.

Where you get vitriol between parishes at a club match, . I remember it struck me a number of years back, when roaring on Paraic Clancy play for Laois in Croke Park in front of 50,000 people against Meath. A few weeks later, he was playing against my own club in an intermediate club championship match and I was roaring for our lads to belt him (I was a mere sub).

Hurling evokes images of heroism and athleticism that few sports can match. Christy Ring, Mick Mackey, the Doyles of Tipp, the Rackards of Wexford, Babs, Fenton, Heffernan, Conolly of Galway, the Fennellys of Kilkenny, DJ, Seanie Mc, the Lohans of Clare and King Henry. These men are/were giants of the game who are and have been worshipped for the skill and bravery that they brought to the field.

GAA means everything to some and something to most on this island. They are men's games, to be played by hardy bucks, in a sporting manner.

Croke Park is the Mecca. A stadium of 82,300 built for sports played by amateurs, who train like professionals...all for the love of the game .....and the pride of the parish.
 
moses said:
If Dublin turn up it wont matter what Mayo do. I think Dublin v Donegal would bea better final. But who knows, Mayo could be champs in 4 weeks
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I don't necessarily agree with that. I reckon whoever has the better of the opening 20 minutes will win the game, and maybe quite easily too.

I reckon Mayo Donegal would be a better final too. Anything that resembles Dublin Donegal from last year should be avoided at all costs.

All that being said, we could easily fold again. Nothing would surprise me from this game.
 
Gee Male said:
I don't necessarily agree with that. I reckon whoever has the better of the opening 20 minutes will win the game, and maybe quite easily too.

I reckon Mayo Donegal would be a better final too. Anything that resembles Dublin Donegal from last year should be avoided at all costs.

All that being said, we could easily fold again. Nothing would surprise me from this game.
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To be fair Donegal have an attack this year.
 
thegregster said:
To be fair Donegal have an attack this year.
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It's more Dublin's approach that wouldn't bode well for an entertaining game.

Dublin's tactics last year against Donegal was basically to copy their style and pack out the defence in the same manner Donegal did at the other end. Which was very effective and clever, but the two together made for an awful game - 8 points to 6 wasn't it?

Doing that again would probably go a long way to beating Donegal I reckon but it would make for a bad final.

I don't think Mayo would take that approach, maybe because we're just that bit naive and try to play our own football regardless. It's one of my biggest gripes with Mayo, we just refuse to be cynical enough to actually close out big games. Which is why I think us against Donegal would be a better final than Dublin/Donegal.

Which is all academic and probably nonsense anyway. I'm very hungover at the moment.
 
thegregster said:
To be fair Donegal have an attack this year.
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Anyways, to say Donegal have a better attack this year is slightly untrue - only three forwards scored against Cork the other day - McFadden, Murphy (who didn't score from play) and McHugh, who pretty much plays as a defender.

What they have done is given their backs and midfield more licence to break forward on quick counter attacks, which has worked well for them. Four backs scored against Cork (excluding McHugh) and both midfielders.

The key against Donegal isn't about breaking them down, it's about tracking runners when they're breaking from deep. You need six forwards putting in a serious shift.
 
I know it's a long shot, but I'm desperately stuck for a couple of All-Ireland tickets.. Anyone have a decent source that might be able to help me out??
 
Gee Male said:
Dublin's tactics last year against Donegal was basically to copy their style and pack out the defence in the same manner Donegal did at the other end. Which was very effective and clever, but the two together made for an awful game - 8 points to 6 wasn't it?
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It was a a shocking game but to say Dublin had 15 players in their own half is juts not true because that's what Donegal had at several points in the game. I never saw anthing like it. I'm not sure if you were at the game but the worst sections nevrer made the 'highlights show'.

At one point a Donegal half back attacked a ball and his monentum took him inti the Dubin half. He no no support so turned around, the whole stadium booed. Dublin struggled 'til half time and it was looking really really bad, and they had few ideas, but my hole did they replicate what was in front of the them.

Donegal snook a point ahead early and stopped. For 65 minutes only one team was trying to play.

In an odd way it helped us win last year, over the years we have never been very good at dealing with thinking and being patient. We have always been easy to frustrate in Croker and struggled with teams smart enough not to go toe to toe. We had the ball for almost the whole game and only scored 8 points, it was a good lesson for us.
 
I'm going in to the Dublin v Mayo game tomorrow. Really looking forward to it I have not been to a game in years
 
moses said:
It was a a shocking game but to say Dublin had 15 players in their own half is juts not true because that's what Donegal had at several points in the game. I never saw anthing like it. I'm not sure if you were at the game but the worst sections nevrer made the 'highlights show'.

At one point a Donegal half back attacked a ball and his monentum took him inti the Dubin half. He no no support so turned around, the whole stadium booed. Dublin struggled 'til half time and it was looking really really bad, and they had few ideas, but my hole did they replicate what was in front of the them.

Donegal snook a point ahead early and stopped. For 65 minutes only one team was trying to play.

In an odd way it helped us win last year, over the years we have never been very good at dealing with thinking and being patient. We have always been easy to frustrate in Croker and struggled with teams smart enough not to go toe to toe. We had the ball for almost the whole game and only scored 8 points, it was a good lesson for us.
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I'm not saying that Dublin stuck 15 men in their own half, but they did employ the sweeper policy by having an extra man around the half back line. Which was a great way of nullifying Donegal - as I said earlier, stopping their runners from deep is key, so every time a runner got as far as that extra man for Dublin he had to turn back.

Very effective, but didn't make for a good game to watch, unless you're the type that loves those tactical battles.

But the original point I disagreed with was that Dublin/Donegal would make for a better final than Mayo/Donegal, which based on last year's game makes no sense.

Anyway, all opinions really.

Looking forward to the game today now though it means staying up all hours in Sydney to watch. Haven't been this nervous about a semi since watching Brokeback Mountain.
 
Gee Male said:
I'm not saying that Dublin stuck 15 men in their own half, but they did employ the sweeper policy by having an extra man around the half back line. Which was a great way of nullifying Donegal - as I said earlier, stopping their runners from deep is key, so every time a runner got as far as that extra man for Dublin he had to turn back.
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Out half backs played most of the game on the halfway line. I'm not sure what you are talking about; that might have been the way the Dubs took the field, but as the game unfolded that's not what was going on.

Up the Dubs!
 
Great first half from Mayo. Touching distance here, really need to get over the line in this one. Still looking slightly dodgy at the back, the Dubs are getting too much space going forward and are likely to get a couple of goal chances in the second half.

No excuses if we throw it away from here, need to see this one out.
 
No fear of Mayo losing it now. Dublin looked to be ok and then I have no idea. Fair play Mayo.
 
Jesus we're doing our best to lose it. Some comeback by the Dubs
 
My second team now.

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Its a pity that the year Horan transforms Mayo, McGuinness transforms Donegal.
 
Unreal game - both semi final were the best football I have seen since the glory days of Meath.

Would love to see Mayo do it now
 
Heart going like the clappers here - feck we don't like to do things easy.

Absolutely top quality performance for 50 minutes and then a bit of a shambles after that. It was only when McLoughlin came back on that we steadied the ship a bit - you could really see how important he was for us in the period he wasn't on the pitch.

Won't be able to sleep for a while after that. May have to look into flights home for the final!
 
Hopefully you'll have all or the guts of your first 15 fit and ready for the final Gee Male. A good few incidents got swept under the carpet today I thought by the officials and the pundits but that was hardly a surprise. Best of luck in the final, I hope ye do it.

Big one next Sunday now, some cats need skinning for the 2nd time this summer. Gaillimh Abú!
 
Just back from the game, the first have is the worst I have seen Dublin play in a long long time, the come back in the second half made it exciting. I was on the hill for it so the atmosphere was brilliant, throat is killing me from all the shouting and singing but well worth it. i havent had a chance to go to a game in years.
 
Just back, feck me that was poor. First half from us was shite, last 25 mins were good, but we left it too late. If only Brogan had've scored that goal! Eamonn Fennel was useless. Absolutely shite. Gotta say, Mayo were cnutish. You'd swear it was a soccer match, the amount of time they spent pn the floor. They started time wasting with 20 mins to go! Shows a lack of self believe, and they so nearly shat in their nest. They'll need a huge lead over Donegal with 15 minutes to go if they are to win.

Donegal to destroy Mayo in the final.
 
Big Papi said:
Funny, Cluxton not taking 2minutes per kick now.

Bet you Dublin get their 6/7 minutes injury time too.
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You're really are a bitter shite, aren't you? There we so many stoppages in the secobd half(mainly Mayo lads feigning injury), that 6/7 minutes wouldnt have been a surprise at all. 5 was the absolute minimum that shouldve been added on.
 
All this shite about cluxton taking 2 minutes for a kick, the mayo physio was on the pitch nearly more than the mayo players in the second half, and the mayo goalkeeper was being a tosser as well. And that's not me being bitter that's the simple truth of it
 
BD94 said:
Mayo were cnutish. You'd swear it was a soccer match, the amount of time they spent pn the floor. They started time wasting with 20 mins to go! Shows a lack of self believe, and they so nearly shat in their nest. They'll need a huge lead over Donegal with 15 minutes to go if they are to win.

Donegal to destroy Mayo in the final.
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BD94 said:
You're really are a bitter shite, aren't you?
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Someone is anyway.
 
Big Papi said:
Someone is anyway.
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I'm not the one who posts bitter comment after bitter comment during Dublin matches on here. Maybe you're a WUM, but if not you're hugely bitter.

Where are you from anyway?
 
Of the finalists now, given the paucity of appearances from 3 of them, the number of doubles are rare.

Only Kilkenny & Donegal have a winning double (1992).

Kilkenny & Mayo doubled up in losses, when both lost their finals in 1916 & 2004.

Kilkenny have won, where Mayo lost in 1932 & 2006.

Mayo won in 1936 & 1950, when Kilkenny lost both finals.

Galway have only been in 19 finals and have not overlapped with either of the two football finalists.
 
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