National Forum

Counties Missed Opportunities....

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Replying To brian:  "Looks like someone had a few to many bevvys last night and went on multiple rants and didn't read what I wrote."
I'm pretty sure they did heard your pointless essays. Trouble is you're always going to be right in your head no matter how many times prove otherwise.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 402 - 23/07/2020 11:55:22    2284980

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Replying To dickie10:  "Just a thread on counties in both codes, who have let big opportunites slip away from them, kind of moments in time where they could have led to great or greater success but slipped from their grasp.....and some never recover while others make up for it.
a few off the top of my head head.
1) Louth in the 90s, could have set up a meath v louth leinster final had they took Laois in the first game in 91, led Dublin 1-9 to 0-8 with 20 minutes to go in the Leinster semi final in 1992, they had Kildare in final.....
Beaten by a point by Meath in 1998 leinster semi final.
Beaten by Offaly in 1997 Leinster quater final, in a side of the draw which hadnt got Meath, Dublin,Kildare or Laois. Would they have taken out a weakened Meath in the Leinster final? I dont see 2010 as that much of a missed opportunity for louth, it was a team on decline as proven since.

2)Westmeath in 2001 all ireland q/final. 9 points up in the second half v Meath. Would they have beaten Kerry who had a shocker v Meath in semi final? a westmeath v galway all ireland final....

3)Monaghon v Kerry 2007. If i were from MONAGHON this would keep me up at night, take Kerry and there was an All ireland to be had."
This does keep me up at night. As does the Ulster Final that year, and the 2008 defeat to Fermanagh when Tyrone had been knocked out the previous week and Banty decided to play 4 injured players.

Also 2018 v Tyrone, we would have got scattered by Dublin just the same as they did but getting to an All Ireland Final would have been an experience.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - Posts: 471 - 25/07/2020 10:32:02    2285241

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Maybe not a missed opportunity as such but victims of the old system. Derry v Down 1994 first round Ulster Championship match was actually the All Ireland final that year. The game never got the credit it deserved; likely as it was so far out from the All Ireland series but the best game of that era and maybe ever. Down would tell you they knew Sam was in the bag leaving Celtic Park that day. Derry were very unlucky in that game and would they have caught Down with a second chance; I'm certain it would have been an all Ulster All Ireland final if the backdoor existed back then.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 707 - 27/07/2020 15:06:51    2285467

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Replying To sam1884:  "Maybe not a missed opportunity as such but victims of the old system. Derry v Down 1994 first round Ulster Championship match was actually the All Ireland final that year. The game never got the credit it deserved; likely as it was so far out from the All Ireland series but the best game of that era and maybe ever. Down would tell you they knew Sam was in the bag leaving Celtic Park that day. Derry were very unlucky in that game and would they have caught Down with a second chance; I'm certain it would have been an all Ulster All Ireland final if the backdoor existed back then."
I was lucky enough to be at that match. It still to this day is the best game of football I've ever been to. Score for score. Legends marking legends. It was fascinating on so many levels. Had it taken place a few years later we likely would have seen a series of clashes between Derry and Down reminiscent of the Tyrone v Armagh clashes of 05. In that sense we are unlucky that the AI format hadn't evolved but at the same time there was a knife edged vibe about that game that just couldn't be replicated in todays format. Not for a first round provincial match anyway. It was absolute early season gold! Down fans left Derry that evening celebrating more so than they did in Clones on Ulster final day from my memory. That type of thing is now GAA history but I was glad to see it for myself before it all changed a few years later.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2020 - 27/07/2020 17:00:16    2285482

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Replying To SaffronDon:  "I was lucky enough to be at that match. It still to this day is the best game of football I've ever been to. Score for score. Legends marking legends. It was fascinating on so many levels. Had it taken place a few years later we likely would have seen a series of clashes between Derry and Down reminiscent of the Tyrone v Armagh clashes of 05. In that sense we are unlucky that the AI format hadn't evolved but at the same time there was a knife edged vibe about that game that just couldn't be replicated in todays format. Not for a first round provincial match anyway. It was absolute early season gold! Down fans left Derry that evening celebrating more so than they did in Clones on Ulster final day from my memory. That type of thing is now GAA history but I was glad to see it for myself before it all changed a few years later."
It was a great era for Ulster football! The Down fans knew they'd won the All Ireland that day which is why they celebrated more than they did in the Ulster Final; from the Celtic Park win onwards they were just waiting for the All Ireland to be confirmed. From reports at the time the Derry changing room was a scene of devastation as they knew had they survived which they should have; Derry would have landed back to back All Ireland's. In a way it's a pity it was played out so early and in Celtic Park as had those two played in Croke Park that summer it would have been remembered as the best game ever. 1994 was likely the end of those giant's peak which allowed a new fresh Tyrone team to enter the stage in 1995. However as was shown in 95/96 that Tyrone team weren't at the same level of the Ulster teams 91 - 94. Derry/Down 1994 were the two best teams in the country by some distance; wasn't the old system crazy that they played out a first round match in May?

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 707 - 27/07/2020 18:04:20    2285489

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Replying To GeniusGerry:  "Not sure why I'm bothering but you said Kerry have played second fiddle to Mayo for a decade. My reply had nothing to do with Dublin. It was a direct comparison of their records against each other over that time. I think that was a reasonable reply to your point.

Were you simply saying Mayo lost 'better' to Dublin? Wow, they must be proud of that."
How come you guys are so sensitive to any perceived criticism whatsoever? Is it due to the decline of the Kerry footballers over the past decade?

greatpoint (USA) - Posts: 305 - 28/07/2020 14:07:45    2285574

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Replying To greatpoint:  "How come you guys are so sensitive to any perceived criticism whatsoever? Is it due to the decline of the Kerry footballers over the past decade?"
Disagreeing with a statement and giving the reason why is not being sensitive greatpoint. That is what discussion forums are for.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 1957 - 28/07/2020 19:15:26    2285614

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Replying To greatpoint:  "How come you guys are so sensitive to any perceived criticism whatsoever? Is it due to the decline of the Kerry footballers over the past decade?"
No, the Kerry lads are not rattled at all!

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1583 - 29/07/2020 10:53:42    2285660

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London hurlers were not far from firmly establishing themselves in hurling's second tier. Winning the Rackard then Christy Ring, competing in the Leinster Championship in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 a last minute goal from Westmeath relegated them in a game they should have won. If they stayed up that year, with subsequent restructurings, London could well be in the Joe Mc now with the likes of Antrim, Kerry and Carlow.

As it was, they got relegated, few players went home and the standard has been slipping since. Teams outside the top tier playing London in those few years knew they were in for a serious game and they could beat anyone at that level on their day.

Always seemingly at the mercy of bad luck, like the teams hurleys being lost on a flight before a game (I think actually for that crucial Westmeath game in 2014), could it have been sustained? Could playing at the higher level for longer got a bit of publicity that was always lacking? I remember being annoyed in those years they were winning the Rackard and Ring Cups that the paper reviewing the games wod have a few lines for each of the lower tier games and then a prediction, when for the London games it wouldn't bother with the few lines and just predict their opponents to win. London usually proved them wrong too but it never seemed to change.

Anyway, a lesser known missed opportunity...the last minute Westmeath goal that relegated London
From the Leinster Championship in 2014!

LondainBhoy (UK) - Posts: 34 - 02/08/2020 22:01:21    2286170

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Personally for me it has to be 94. Lost to Down in the quarter finals and many believe the winner of that game whoever it was would win sam that year

Canuckgael (USA) - Posts: 25 - 06/08/2020 02:37:14    2286546

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