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Those 1996 games v Meath are still ingrained in the psych of Mayo people. 35 seconds from glory when Coyle launched that Hail Mary kick that bounced over the bar....still Mayo had more than enough possession and chances to win both days but didn't have the quality up front to kill the game...sounds familiar right? yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 16/03/2018 09:49:32 2084879 Link 1 |
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Think they were 6 down. It wasn't a "classic" comeback in that Kildare scored two goals early in the second half rather than late on. This completely deflated Dublin who only scored one point in the entire second half. Kildare bossed the game in that second half and I'd say it'd be up there with the most disappointing performances I've ever seen from a Dublin team.
Kurt_Angle (Dublin) - Posts: 567 - 16/03/2018 10:21:08 2084884 Link 0 |
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to think if Mayo had won that 96 final they would likely have 2/3 AIs to their name since then.
woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 16/03/2018 16:15:57 2084944 Link 0 |
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Cork vs Kerry in 2008 Munster final, Kerry were up by 8 points one stage in the second half but cork came back and won it by about 5 points or there abouts PyatPree (Cork) - Posts: 376 - 16/03/2018 16:35:06 2084947 Link 0 |
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1993 Ulster championship (replay) in the Athletic Grounds. Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 16/03/2018 16:46:01 2084950 Link 0 |
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The problem with that is whatever way you examine it in terms of 15 v 15 or achievements that Meath team was a much superior outfit to Mayo. Mayo had a very good manager, excellent defence with top class defenders eg Nallen and a very strong midfield with McHale and Brady. But there forwards were not good enough to win an All Ireland eg Casey Horan Sheridan Finnerty. Not one of the Mayo forwards in 96 would have got on the Meath forward line in 1996. The Meath forward line in 1996 was one of the best forward lines of the last 25 years. Mayo had the forwards in every other year to win Sam but not 96. They had McDonald in 97 and McDonald Dillon Mortimer in 04 and 06 and Two O Connors McLoughlin O Se Moran in this decade . And them Mayo forwards were all quality forwards .Mayo are good enough to win the All Ireland in this decade with their current brillant brave team. Mayos current team are a very admirable team the way they keep coming back year aftet year. If you were given medals for courage and bravery, this Mayo team would have an All Ireland long ago . Mayo will win an All Ireland soon. If not with this team , but with a future team. If you keep getting to the final it will happen . I have no doubt about that. Mayo is a great football county. But they stole the narrative about 96 and the bouncing ball, thats all you hear since. Actually 97 was the real one that got away. They had the top class forward in 97 with the great Ciaran McDonald and if they had man marked Fitzgerald better by maybe placing Mortimer on him then Holmes. Things could have turned out much different. That kerry team in 97 was an important one ending kerrys poor period. And that kerry team would become a great team in 2000 and into 00s. But that kerry team in 97 is the poorest kerry team to win an All Ireland in the last 50 years. Kerry dont win soft All Irelands. They are just a genius like county that just produces great teams and great player after player. They have won 34 or 35 great all Irelands. . In 97 they beat Clare Cavan and Mayo to win Sam. Mayos real chance was in 97. They had the star forward in 97 and that kerry team was a much weaker one then the truly great kerry teams of 2004 2006 and even 2014. 97 is the one that reallly got away, not 96. You dont hear how inexperienced that very young Meath team was. And how they held their nerve in both games and showed one of the best displays of a never say die spirit by a young team ever in an All Ireland final. People talk about the boucing ball but what about the 5 points Meath scored beforehand in a row unanswered. How Meath took control of the last 15 mins of both the drawn final and the replay. Dublin got great praise for holding their nerve in the last few minutes of the last two finals with a very experienced team.Meath with 7 under 21 did the same in 96 in both games. But never got the praise. The well worked Tommy Dowd goal again is ignored. And Brendan Reilly point as time was nearly up from a very difficult angle is the best point from play to win an All Ireland in the last 50 years. It was probaly even better then Cluxton point in 2011. In that Reilly had to beat his marker to the ball , dummy his marker and then from a very tight angle score a gem of a point in the dying seconds to win Sam. Meath had 6 all star forwards in 1996. That is quite unusual to have nearly 6. The 87 88 team only had For example 1 Tommy Dowd was a 3 time in a row All star forward and one of the best forwards in the country in the mid 90s 2 Trevour Giles was another multiple All star forward , two time footballer of the year. Football of the year at age 21. Best playmaker of his generation. 3 Graham Geraghty was another multiple all star forward and one of the most talented footballers of the last 25 years. 4 Ollie Murphy another all star forward at his peak was unmarkable and from 1999 to 2001 was the best corner forward in Ireland 5 Brendan Reilly was another all star forward and the best full forward , target man in Ireland in 1996 6 Evan Kelly was another all star forward and became a top class wing forward. The only all star forward Mayo had was James Horan. Mayo were a well drilled, super fit, highly organised and highly motivated team. But Meath had better players. Even in defence Meath had two all time great defenders in Darren Fay and Martin O Connell. And international rules captain at the time John McDermont at his peak was the best midfielder in Ireland. What happened was Meath won the All Ireland semi final really well with a great performance. While there was one or two conterveseys. Mick O Connell the kerry great said that Meaths performance in 1996 semi final was the best all round football performance of the 90s up to that year. Geraghty gave the greatest performance by a Meath man in Croke park ever in a big match in that semi final. Bur as they its never a good thing to win a semi final so strongly. Look what happened to us in 2001. We were never going to repeat that level of performance in the final. The young Meath players were anxious and Mayo started strongly in both games. But in both games Meath finished the games very strongly. In the last 15 points of both game together Meath scored 1 - 9 , Mayo didnt score. If a team scores so much in the last 15 minutes surely they deserve to win. The fact is with 7 under 21s that Meath team is one of the youngest teams ever to win an All Ireland along with the Kerry team in 1975. And for that reason they have to be the two best young teams of the last 50 years. As they are the only teams to win an All Ireland with so many under 21s players. All the stats back up Meath were better then Mayo between 1996 to 2001. Meath won 2 All Ireland Mayo won 0 Meath reached 3 All Ireland Mayo reached 2. Meath were undefeated v Dublin in 4 championship games in 5 years. This is one of the most sucessful periods any team has had over Dublin. Meath also defeated very strong Kildare Offaly Tyrone Armgh Cork and kerry teams. When they hit form they could really play some brilliant swashbuckling football and blow team out of the park. For example the 9 point win V Tyrone in the 96 semi final and beating Kerry by 15 points in another All Ireland semi final in 01 which was kerrys worst defeat ever. They were also involved in a great saga with kildare and played in the game of the decade v kildare in 97. And remember it was a very competitive leinster championship at the time where there was 4 leinster teams all top division 1 teams and all of them were in the top 6 or 7 teams in the country at time . With Dublin winning an All Ireland in 95 , kildare reaching an All Ireland final in 98 and Offaly winning leinster in 97 and the national league division 1 title in 98. Louth also had a strong team reaching 6 leinster finals in a row . And in any other era that louth team with Stefan White and Seamus O Hanlon would have won leinster. It was a golden age of leinster football. Only the 1940s and 1950 can be compared to the late 90s as a greater period of excellence in the provience. Meath never really got credit for their achievements in 96. When we look back now in Meath and realise how lucky we were to have had such a great team. Will we ever see the likes of that Meath team again coming from the Royal County. Happy memories all the same. Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 16/03/2018 17:56:01 2084958 Link 0 |
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Furlong1949 - you'll not find many Mayo men that will dispute Meath had better forwards...that said if that Coyle kick bounced wide or Madden came of his line...Mayo would have been All Ireland champions...."35 seconds left" those were Cannings words that day.... yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 16/03/2018 18:19:30 2084960 Link 1 |
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Think that was six points realdub. One of my more memorable visits to Croker. Won by 3 or 4 maybe 9 point turnaround??
St.Conleth (Kildare) - Posts: 1700 - 16/03/2018 18:52:28 2084963 Link 0 |
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Thanks for saying that about that Meath team. I do appreciate. There was tension on both sides for along time afterwards. But its 20 years on and so much has happened since . The current Mayo team are very popular and well respected in Meath football circles.In the last few seasons when you guys were playing the Blue Meanies from the capital. I saw quite a few hardcore Meath fans wearing Mayo jerseys. The same way some Dubs were wearing Mayo jerseys against us in 96. But every final there is a twist something happens that if it didn't happen Sam would have gone to another county. If that Tyrone player didn't block that Armagh player bearing down on goals in the last few minutes in 2003 , Armagh would have won 2 in a row. If the ref didnt give Dublin the free against Keane in 2011 or if McAuley didn't make the interception that set up McMemanin goal, Dublin wouldnt have won Sam in 2011. If Darby didnt nudge Doyle at the right time Kerry would have 5 in a row in 82. If the ref didn't give Beggy last minute free in 88 , no double for Meath. If Finnertys shot was a few inches left of the inside post, Mayo would have won Sam in 1989. If Cavanan was not pulled up for a pick up in 95 Tyrone would have drawn with Dublin. Theres alway a twist , a block, a free , a pick up, a bounce of the ball that decides every final when it comes down to it. But there is also another thousand reason that play a role in the destination of Sam Maguire every year. But there was more to 96 then a boucing ball and the franca. Its only in Meath that we find ourselves in our worst decade since the 1920s that we really realise what a special group of men that young team was in 1996. And what a great achievement it was. Its just feels that we didnt get full credit for that achievement. Its the same when any team outside the big three in hurling or kerry Cork and Dublin win Sam..When any other county wins an All Ireland. They never get full credit and r usely heavily criticised. Like Clare hurlers in 90s or Galway hurlers in the 90s .Or Meath Tyrone and Donegal footballers. When Donegal won in 2012 and it was criticised because of blanket defences and sweepers. But when Kerry won an All Ireland 2014 wiith a blanket defence no one batted an eyelid. The same way Clare were criticised in 90s for being to physical in hurling. When kilkenny won in 00s with an even more physical game under Cody , they were called the greatest. Thats I suspose is the way it goes. Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 16/03/2018 19:06:08 2084966 Link 0 |
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Thanks for the comments GreenandRed. Your a gentleman. But I can be a bit long winded. But there was some great Meath comebacks in the past. Pity we dont have that mental resolve and toughness anymore. That was a great leinster final in 2000. One of the best of the last 20 years, I would go even further one of the best leinster finals of the last 50 years. It had everything. Dublin were brillant in the first half. It wasnt just they were ahead but the standard of scores in the first half was as good as you would see from the current Dublin team. Dublin were hitting points from every angle from long distance. I remeber one particular great Collie Moran point from 40 metres. At half time Dublin didnt just look like Leinster champions but possible future All Ireland champions in waiting. So the second half , it was some turn around. Two Tadhg Fenin goals and from that kildare took total control. I don't think it was really a issue of Dublin been disappointing but being rather how good kildare were in the second half. That kildare team 97 to 2000 had allot warriors who werent afraid of the Dublin and were willing to take them on. Players like Ryan Dalton Rainbow McCreery Earley. It was a great leinster final , a real rollercoaster of two very differing halves. Extraordinary thing is thats Kildares only victory over Dublin in 90 years in a leinster final. And is the only leinster final Dublin have been beaten in by a team other then Meath in the last 35 years. You have go back to Offalys record defeat of the Dubs in the 1982 leinster final for the last victory over Dublin similar to kildares in 2000. There was celebrations in Newbridge that night. I was in the town that weekend and they were dancing on the tables. It was great few days of celebrating down by the Curragh. Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 16/03/2018 19:14:50 2084967 Link 0 |
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"What if" is a sentence that must be muttered every day in Mayo. 89, 96, 97, 04, 06, 12, 13, 16, 17...in 28 years we have competed in and lost 9 finals. yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 16/03/2018 19:57:22 2084971 Link 1 |
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When you put it like that, it would drive you to drink alright. Happy St Patricks weekend. Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 16/03/2018 20:02:43 2084972 Link 0 |
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Unfortunately for us,there was a great comeback in the All-Ireland football Final of 1946.Roscommon were seeking their third senior All-Ireland football title in 4 years and were leading Kerry by 6 points with only a few minutes remaining in the match.Kerry scored 2 late goals to secure a draw and the Kingdom won the replay. endgame (Roscommon) - Posts: 2154 - 16/03/2018 20:11:15 2084975 Link 0 |
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1985 Leinster Semi Final Offaly V Kilkenny...Offaly 9/10 points down twice in the game and came back to draw...won replay...Tipp V Limerick in 1996 drawn Munster final..what a game that was..and Meath V Wexford in 2008 I think it was in football...Wexford 10 pints down at half time and into the secondhalf...look there are others and everyone remembers their own favourites... Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 16/03/2018 23:46:31 2085007 Link 0 |
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Mayo remind me of ways of the Cork football team of 1982 and 83...very good side only Kerry and Dublin came with good sides at the wrong time for Cork at the time...any year after and Cork would have probably won an All Ireland before eventually winning one in 1989, team of 87 was very good too..88...Meath were very strong then...
Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 17/03/2018 01:04:22 2085011 Link 0 |
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As outstanding comebacks go and considering it was a first too, I think you would have to consider the Westmeath comeback against Meath in 2015 Leinster s/f up there . Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 17/03/2018 08:09:09 2085015 Link 0 |
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Clare Offaly 1998 Final whistle gone. Clare won.Offaly come back and win. NOTHING trumps that :) :( :'( MiAmigaVERONICA (Clare) - Posts: 298 - 17/03/2018 08:14:32 2085016 Link 0 |
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The ultimate GAA comeback was when Offaly stopped the Kerry 5 in a row bid. Séamus Darby scored a really great goal in the last minute to stop the 5 in a row! galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2517 - 17/03/2018 09:08:16 2085025 Link 1 |
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Even as a Meathman I would have to say it was a great comeback. Westmeath owed us. In 2001 we played them twice in the championship both great comebacks for Meath . In the first game in leinster, Westmeath were 6 points up with 15 mins left and Trevor Giles scored a 40 metre free in injury time to win the match. And in the quarter finals Westmeath were winning by 9 points well into the second half and an Ollie Murphy goal drew the match in the dying seconds. So 2015 it was payback time . Theres actually footage on another website of hill 16 full of thousands of Dubs going mental with delight when Westmeath won v Meath in 2015. The article says the Dubs celebrated Meaths losing more then Dublins win in the following game afterwards . We dont get those games anymore like Meath v Westmeath in 2015. We used to have great gaa moments in 90s and 00s . Like Clare winning munster in 92 or Leitrim winning Connacht or Westmeath winning leinster in 2004, moments which really lit up the championship. We dont get those great football moments anymore. Even though it was painful watching for me as a Meathman , the game in 2015 was no way near those great football moments 20 years but its probaly one of those few times in recent years we had one those football moments which lite up the championship. But the king of comebacks in a big match has to be the 1970 leinster final. It was a clash between 2 great teams. The great Meath team of the 60s who where the dominant team in leinster in the 60s who were coming to its end in 1970. And a new brillant Offaly team were emerging on the scene and in the following years would become the dominant team in leinster winning a double All Ireland. That Offaly team was one of the greatest ever to come out of leinster . Probaly the most underated team of all time. Won their first All Ireland in 1971 and followed up a second one in 72 beating kerry by 8 points in a final, which is kerrys worst defeat ever in final. Imagine if Tyrone and Armagh followed their first wins in 2003 and 2002 with another win in the following year. Thats what Offaly did in 1972. When people talk about great teams in football that Offaly team is criminally ignored. Anyway in 1970 at half time Meath were 10 points down well into second half. And won by 1 point when the final whistle was blowing. The final score was Meath 2-22 Offaly 5-12. Its more like a hurling scoreline. It still the highest score in a football final ever. People like Michael Muiritigh claim it was one of the greatest games ever played in Croker. It definatly was a unique final in every way. Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 17/03/2018 16:38:31 2085088 Link 0 |