Gaa 2012

[Big Papi]

Fair enough but I don't think Kilkenny are in decline at all, I think over the last decade or so they raised the bar, they took hurling to a new level and it's only now that teams are starting to catch up. The stories I'm hearing about what Anthony Cunningham and this Galway team are doing behind the scenes training and preparation wise this year is remarkable.

Galway, like other nontraditional counties, have to hammer into the training. Clare in 1995 & Wexford in 1996 had to be broken mentally before being re-formed.

In his book, Hurling, The Revolution Years, Denis Walsh said that those lesser lights had to be broken, then re-made.

Offaly had a underlying sense of confidence built on the 1971 win over Galway in the football final. The hurlers came sneaking into an AI win in 1981 and then the footballers won again in 1982. The team in 1998 didn't need to be broken. They were going to do it on their terms, but just needed a conductor for their orchestra.

I think Cork in 1999 needed a semblance of the brutal regime to knock the cobwebs off, but not to remould the team.

Since Offaly's win in '98, the Big3 have carved up 13 titles between them. Kilkenny 8, Cork 3 and Tipp 2. Other counties have been 'fortunate' enough to be on the big stage on the final day on six occasions up to this year.

 

[Rooney24]

€80 a ticket for the three stands. €40 for the Hill.

So its €80X73k plus €40X9k

€5840000 plus €360,000 = 6.2mil euros.

Of course you have to take out their costs put it must be worth at least €4mil to them.

Crazy that! Although they have reduced the prices for the replay, the reduction actually just highlights how much money they are making in the first place.

 

[Big Papi]

Crazy that! Although they have reduced the prices for the replay, the reduction actually just highlights how much money they are making in the first place.

Fine, but compare the prices for an AI final to the price of watching those fecking namby pamby over-paid soccer dicks mince around the field in the name of our country at the Aviva. I'd rather watch the amateurs.

 

[Gee Male]

Fine, but compare the prices for an AI final to the price of watching those fecking namby pamby over-paid soccer dicks mince around the field in the name of our country at the Aviva. I'd rather watch the amateurs.

I really hate this sort of post. Why the comparison?

Most of my mates have the same attitude, most of them went to Poland. Best fans in the world.

 

[moses]

Papi is just bitter, he hates everything, even his wife.

 

[Rooney24]

Fine, but compare the prices for an AI final to the price of watching those fecking namby pamby over-paid soccer dicks mince around the field in the name of our country at the Aviva. I'd rather watch the amateurs.

I really hate this sort of post. Why the comparison?

Most of my mates have the same attitude, most of them went to Poland. Best fans in the world.

Exactly forget about the comparison and deal with the fact.

According to thegregsters post the GAA will rake in €6.2m euros from Sundays match.

When you take into account the ticket reduction for the replay:

€50 a ticket for the three stands. €25 for the Hill.

So its €50X73k plus €25X9k

€3,650,000 plus €225,000 = €3.875mil euros.

That is €10,075,000 over both matches.

If the break even costs are to be believed that is one hell of a profit they are mkaing for two games of Hurling!

 

[thegregster]

Exactly forget about the comparison and deal with the fact.

According to thegregsters post the GAA will rake in €6.2m euros from Sundays match.

When you take into account the ticket reduction for the replay:

€50 a ticket for the three stands. €25 for the Hill.

So its €50X73k plus €25X9k

€3,650,000 plus €225,000 = €3.875mil euros.

That is €10,075,000 over both matches.

If the break even costs are to be believed that is one hell of a profit they are mkaing for two games of Hurling!

My figures appear to have been overestimated as i didnt take in too account juvenile tickets.

The GAA says there will also be around 5,000 €10 juvenile tickets in the usual designated areas within the stadium.

Still it only knocks €350k off the original figure and €200k off the second figure so its still around €9.6mil minimum turnover.(Assuming the 5000 juvenile are in the stands which they probably arent).

 

[The Black Pearl]

The vast majority of money (at least 86%) the GAA makes is ploughed straight back into the game again through the clubs and counties across the board.

I think €40 - €80 for last Sundays two games (some people seem to forget there was a minor final as well between Dublin and Tipp also a draw) was excellent value for money. The GAA could easily charge the same again for the replays on the 30th and get it too, but as Liam O'Neill said in the below article they don't need the money and they are not the money grabbing organisation some people make them out to be.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/oneill-gaa-doesnt-need-replay-money-3227248.html

 

[moses]

Don't be knocking the GAA. Look at the facilities in every nook and cranny of the island.

 

[thegregster]

Don't be knocking the GAA. Look at the facilities in every nook and cranny of the island.

Exactly. Pretty much all of the money goes back into the community.

 

[Dave89]

Do the gaa release audited figures showing how much certain counties/clubs/codes receive from the central pot?

 

[Big Papi]

I really hate this sort of post. Why the comparison?

Most of my mates have the same attitude, most of them went to Poland. Best fans in the world.

I compare to contrast. I had one lad working with me and he'd rush home to see Ireland play a friendly against Faroe Islands second XI and talk shite about it all day.

The real contrast was when GB got knocked out of the Olympics. You got the feeling that no-one gave a shit, because the real heroes were on the bikes, in boats of some description or in T&F events. The love affair with soccer is coming to an end and the relationship between player and supporter is ever lengthening.

The GAA, however, powers on. Shefflin & Canning play in front of 82,000 people on the Sunday. For all we know, they're taking their club U6s on the Wednesday. The GAA circle of life continues.

Papi is just bitter, he hates everything, even his wife.

mosey, mosey, mosey. Why did you have to jump in there?

I'm climbing Mweelrea in 2 weeks. Wanna head up? I can show you how non-bitter I can be as we re-enact your favourite scenes from Brokeback Mountain.

 

[Gee Male]

I compare to contrast. I had one lad working with me and he'd rush home to see Ireland play a friendly against Faroe Islands second XI and talk shite about it all day.

The real contrast was when GB got knocked out of the Olympics. You got the feeling that no-one gave a shit, because the real heroes were on the bikes, in boats of some description or in T&F events. The love affair with soccer is coming to an end and the relationship between player and supporter is ever lengthening.

The GAA, however, powers on. Shefflin & Canning play in front of 82,000 people on the Sunday. For all we know, they're taking their club U6s on the Wednesday. The GAA circle of life continues.

Bit strange to be having to defend football on a Manchester United forum, but anyway.

Comparing to contrast is pointless. Why not contrast with the golfing crowds that were up in Down for the Irish Open this year? Why is it that so many GAA fans have to always compare with football?

I should add at this stage that I come from a big GAA background, but I'd never go and try to get into the petty pointscoring like you are. All those people going mad about the Olympics, how many of them are following the Global Champions Tour showjumping this week? feck all, because they don't care about the sports, just the national pride in competing in the Olympics.

GAA attracts a lot of the same fans. I know for instance that my club at home have feck all tickets for the All Ireland final compared to the demand from within the club, there's about 1,200 people trying to get tickets. Yet I don't remember playing a senior game for the club with more than 200 or so at it. Why is that?

I don't think there's anything to be gained from beating your chest in pride at the 82,000 people at the All Ireland final, especially in a year with crowds dwindling. It's all well and good mentioning the crowd on All Ireland final day, there wasn't much to be proud about at seeing the Dubs failing to fill Croke Park for each of their games this year, or the shocking attendance at the Munster football final.

Also, the thing about the players then taking their clubs under 6's is a bit of a myth in the modern day. If your average crappy club manager is getting paid for training a team, you can bet your life that the inter county players are doing feck all for nothing too. The only time we ever saw an inter county player training us growing up was in the summer camps, and they're all well looked after for that, I can ensure you. I actually have a pretty good story about Sean Og O Hailpin and his agent that I probably can't tell on here, but that's the way GAA is going now.

 

[The Black Pearl]

Bit strange to be having to defend football on a Manchester United forum, but anyway.

Comparing to contrast is pointless. Why not contrast with the golfing crowds that were up in Down for the Irish Open this year? Why is it that so many GAA fans have to always compare with football?

I should add at this stage that I come from a big GAA background, but I'd never go and try to get into the petty pointscoring like you are. All those people going mad about the Olympics, how many of them are following the Global Champions Tour showjumping this week? feck all, because they don't care about the sports, just the national pride in competing in the Olympics.

GAA attracts a lot of the same fans. I know for instance that my club at home have feck all tickets for the All Ireland final compared to the demand from within the club, there's about 1,200 people trying to get tickets. Yet I don't remember playing a senior game for the club with more than 200 or so at it. Why is that?

I don't think there's anything to be gained from beating your chest in pride at the 82,000 people at the All Ireland final, especially in a year with crowds dwindling. It's all well and good mentioning the crowd on All Ireland final day, there wasn't much to be proud about at seeing the Dubs failing to fill Croke Park for each of their games this year, or the shocking attendance at the Munster football final.

Also, the thing about the players then taking their clubs under 6's is a bit of a myth in the modern day. If your average crappy club manager is getting paid for training a team, you can bet your life that the inter county players are doing feck all for nothing too. The only time we ever saw an inter county player training us growing up was in the summer camps, and they're all well looked after for that, I can ensure you. I actually have a pretty good story about Sean Og O Hailpin and his agent that I probably can't tell on here, but that's the way GAA is going now.

No more than it being pointless comparing an amatuer sport to a professional one I don'tunderstand the point in going on about how no one should be beating their chest at the attendances at GAA matches this year because I don't think anyone is. Its an expensive enough racket traveling to matches these days and with half the country struggling to put bread on the table its not really a surprise attendances would be down. I've just made it up there and between going to 3 league games one in Tullamore, Mullingar, Portlaoise, up to Croke Park twice and again for the replay it'll have cost me and the missus the guts of 2,000. I doubt I'll be able to follow them like I have this year and in years gone by for a while again because we won't have the money so hopefully Liam will visit Galway this year and I get a look at him!

County players training youngsters isn't really a myth either the lad below calls to my little ones national school fairly often and Canning does his fair share of going around to clubs giving youngsters tips and advice during the year too.


I'm wondering are them crappy club managers that you know of getting paid getting an actual wage for doing the job? Because I'm fairly certain the ones I know of are barely getting enough to cover their expenses same with the players that does the summer camps. And even if they do get paid a few extra quid it's nothing worth talking about.

 

[moses]

mosey, mosey, mosey. Why did you have to jump in there?

I'm climbing Mweelrea in 2 weeks. Wanna head up? I can show you how non-bitter I can be as we re-enact your favourite scenes from Brokeback Mountain.

What are you doing on an association football forum anyway?

 

[Decotron]

At least its an Irish forum though Moses...

 

[Big Papi]

What are you doing on an association football forum anyway?

Originally, I wanted to keep up with the news and get opinions about United. Then it developed into an interest in what users were actually doing. It has become an outlet for sounding out opinions from such a varied group in terms of age, sex, nationality etc. Now, its usually for kicks.

Jesus, when United won in 99, I was over the moon. I even travelled to away WC qualifiers arounf that time. By 2008, I was still making a big effort and watching all United's games I could, by hook or by crook. Now, if United is on I'll watch them. If MoTD or The Premiership is on, I usually catch the United highlights, but in general, the game has been destroyed by the hype. I still love to see Liverpool down and was again over the moon when #19 came along.

Maybe, its because of Fergie. Maybe he's a link to a bygone age and oversaw the transition of players from chattels to ego-maniacs with little or no respect for the grassroots.

The thing about the GAA is that, in the crowd last Sunday, the grassroots were all around....in the stand, on the field, in the suits running the show. O'Neill is a Laoisman. My father was a very good friend of his, through the teaching and his love of Irish.

I almost never post in the FF because although some posters are a bag of shite posting crap, some certainly know tons more than I could and I usually feel that my posts would be too inane to bother with. The odd time, something will stir in me and I will.

So to answer your question, its probably habit.

 

[Big Papi]

Great to see Clare win the U21 title tonight. They went toe-to-toe as Brolly would say and faced the cats down.

Kilkenny facing the prospect of no title in the "Grand Slam" since 2005 - the Grand Slam being Senior, Intermediate, U21 & Minor.

Kilkenny are the only team to have won all four in one year (2008). And apart from that year, the Triple Crown of Senior, Minor & U21 titles has only been won three times - Cork (1970) and Kilkenny (1975 & 2003).

 

[The Black Pearl]

Great result for Clare alright and in away for Hurling in general. They have some lovely hurlers coming through and are definitely on the up. I can see them winning a Munster title in the next 2 years or so.

 

[Big Papi]

Yeah, we had a security guard in work from Kilmihil and he was talking about this year's team last year. He was made redundant at christmas, so I must text him.

You saw what it meant to Clare tonight. Kilkenny would have celebrated but the bonfires will be burning tomorrow.

Same as last night for us. Portlaoise won their one-billionth minor title. Our club could have done with an oul win and we'd have drunk on it for the winter. Sadly, not to be.

 

[The Black Pearl]

Ye were two points up with 5 mins left, was the lad marking Aaron Rafter asleep or what?!

 

[Big Papi]

Ye were two points up with 5 mins left, was the lad marking Aaron Rafter asleep or what?!

He was injured all year and only togged out to be part of the panel. The manager had a brainwave to bring him on. It was fecking crazy. As soon as the goal went in, he called to the sideline to be brought back off. It would make you bloody cry. We've had head-to-heads with Portlaoise all the way up.

U12 beat them in the final after a replay.
U14 PL won by 7 in semifinal.
U16 PL won league and c'ship final by a point.
Minor PL won c'ship by a point.

 

[JakeC]

Been in the gym training hard for next season, hopefully be a good one.

 

[JakeC]

 

[Big Papi]

That's a beauty.....but what about County Junior Football.........?

 

[bazalini]

 

[moses]

Jimmy was refused a visa to come and see the game and play a gig in Donegal. True story.

 

[bazalini]

Jimmy was refused a visa to come and see the game and play a gig in Donegal. True story.

Jimmy is selling watches

 

[Gee Male]

Getting nervous now. Shite's gone soft.

Seriously homesick at this stage too, not getting anything done in work and nobody can understand why, would give anything to be at home at this stage. Will be a wreck by Sunday.

Not sure how this will play out at all either, it really could go either way. First 20 minutes will be crucial, if we can be ahead at half time and coax them into a different system then we can win it. One thing is fir sure, we need to try lead from the off - it would be very hard to make a comeback against Donegal.

 

[The Black Pearl]

I wonder if poor auld Jimmy would have been refused a visa for the week if it was the red and green of Enda's Mayo he was wearing and it was 'Mayo Mayo Sam Magurie is coming home to Mayo' he was belting out!

 

[bazalini]

I wonder if poor auld Jimmy would have been refused a visa for the week if it was the red and green of Enda's Mayo he was wearing and it was 'Mayo Mayo Sam Magurie is coming home to Mayo' he was belting out!

Now that Donegal is in love with Sinn Fein - Jimmy could have got himself a fake passport and accomodation quicker.

 

[The Black Pearl]

Now that Donegal is in love with Sinn Fein - Jimmy could have got himself a fake passport and accomodation quicker.

Doherty will get him in yet I'd say and Jimmy will be singing away to his hearts content above in the Holyrood hotel in Bundoran before the weeks out and feck the bit will Kenny be able to do about it.

 

[BD]

Got a ticket for Sunday

Dublin minors should win, as should Donegal. Never thought I'd say this, but I hope Donegal win.(that may or may not have anything to do with Mayo beating us)

 

[Big Papi]

I think Mayo could have the firepower to do it. Their long-range point taking against Dublin was excellent.....especially in the first half. Donegal are favourites but there is massive pressure on them. If McGuinness manages that, they'll win.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

So I guess now all that's left is for me to fully commit to the Donegal and Galway bandwagon. Even though I'm living in Sligo I can't support Mayo as I come from Tyrone and me Da's from Donegal. Also, I work in Mayo and the percentage of pricks per square mile is higher here than any other place I've been. Some lovely people too, but some shocking arseholes especially the islanders.

 

[moses]

A plague on both their houses.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

Pffft, You're just annoyed cos Donegalway are boss.

 

[moses]

The minors is where it's at.

 

[The Black Pearl]

A plague on both their houses.

Jesus Christ tonight moses,

And there was me roaring on the Dublin minors in the hurling final and nearly getting into a row with a Kilkenny lad trying to mind a spot on the Hill for a Dublin supporter while he was gone for a slash!

I want Mayo to win it, it'll be a great site seeing a county winning it for the 1st time in 61 years and if Galway do it in the hurling it'll be mighty altogether. The west will well and truly be awake then, not that they were sleeping much down in the part of Sligo where moses resides or anything but still!

 

[Gee Male]

I lost a lot of respect for Joe Brolly for coming out and saying what he did earlier in the week. Fair enough if that's his opinion, but the timing of what he said wsa clearly intended to influence the referee, and I don't think it's his place to be involving himself in that sort of thing. No need for it.

It was also factually inaccurate. Mayo did not concede 27 cynical fouls in the game against Dublin, they were only a few fouls more than that in total for God's sake. It was a petty thing to throw out from Brolly, his bias towards the Ulster teams has been obvious since Tyrone's time at the top and he really let himself down. It's the type of thing that could ruin a game too - he'll be the first complaining about all the yellow cards thrown around the place if his comments have their intended effect.

Properly nervous now, and decided to blame all the world's woes on Joe Brolly. I hear he was rioting in Pakistan last week too.