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Chapter 1: What happened to Armagh and Donegal in the latest football matches?
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It's the GA Social on BBC Sounds and we have our game back. We have our game back. Again. Again. Again. There's nothing to complain about. Unless you're from Armagh. Unless you're from Donegal. We maybe get into that. But tell you what, there's not too much complaining done from Wicklow or Shane.
No, it was a good weekend for us. Very good weekend. It was just brilliant to be involved first and foremost and then to go ahead and put in the second half performance we put in. It was a lot of happy Wicklow faces there and I was delighted for that. I was delighted for the players and for supporters and everybody I like. Myself and everybody else as well.
I was delighted for the smiles on the faces of those supporters and how many times they've watched Wicklow teams and maybe not getting across lane or just falling short. And certainly our first half performance wouldn't have inspired them.
But they stuck with us through the game and in the end, you know, they're just that 16th man for you because they really turned out in the numbers as they did last year. And I know they were disappointed last year, but at least we done the job yesterday and they have another day out to look forward to.
Yeah, it was a spot at the McConville Cubs wearing Wicklow jerseys. What's going on, boy?
What's going on? Well, they couldn't get to Killarney because we're all in Dublin. So look, they've been at most of the games. It's brilliant because the lads themselves, you know, the players make a big deal of them and they love it and enjoy it. And they're sort of part of the furniture there.
and that's probably as it should be because like as I say you know you you spend a lot of time on the road or spend a lot of time away from them so it's good to be able to take them and occasions like that will always live with them so it was nice nice good to see nice to get them onto the hollow turf yep
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Chapter 2: How did Kerry achieve perfection in their recent game?
It means you're out. You know, I've seen Jim McGinnis talking about being out week on week and that is not simple and it's not easy and the travel and everything that's involved in the preparation and all that. But I still think they just seem to lack a spark from that Kerry game. I don't know if they put an awful lot into it or what.
But if you're looking at the roadmap for Donegal at the start of the year, it probably hasn't gone the way they wanted it to. I'm sure they would have liked to be in an also final. I'm sure they would have liked to have gone straight into their quarterfinals. I'd say that was all in the planning. But being out week on week probably wasn't.
And I thought that would come back to bite them a little bit. And I thought, from a Dublin point of view, you have to handle them. They looked absolutely ravenous today. You know, they just couldn't handle Conor Callaghan. Basquale was very good.
coming back in as well, there was, that, that assured he was back, with Dublin, I thought today, and, I would associate that more, with Donegal, and yet, Donegal come up short, in that area, but,
there was a little period on 60, 58 to about the 60 second minute, neither team could score, and you're thinking the next team to get a score is probably going to win this, Dublin got it, but Donegal still, Michael Murphy kicked that two-pointer under pressure, great kick, you know, under that sort of pressure, and then you think, okay, well, They'll get them in it.
You think of the depth of the squad that Donegal have and you think they'll come out and they'll be firing. I don't know what it was about them since that Kerry game, but they just really haven't got to the pitch of it.
Is that an energy word that's been used a lot? Jim McGuinness mentioned after the down match that just we didn't have the energy today, but it just seems to be Donegal haven't had the energy this championship season, which seems a crazy thing to say about a really good football team.
It does seem crazy because there was a stage where you think after the National League and then, okay, you think, okay, the down game is a blip for them. But then they go down to Killarney and win. And you think, right, that now we're going to see the real Donegal. Now they're going to kick on. But that just hasn't happened.
And if you were to say that, we've had many conversations from the league started on Sunday nights about how good Donegal have been, the strength and depth in the squad, the experience, the youth, the running power, the physique. their ability to win ball in the middle, all of those things.
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Chapter 3: What were the highlights of the Mayo vs. Dublin match?
Four points, as Ossian was saying, the margin of victory for the Dubs. And into the quarterfinal draw, as are Monaghan, where it finished 1-28 to 2-19. 1-28's solid shooting, so Monaghan, after everything.
I mean, I'm not from Monaghan and it's nothing against Westmeath, particularly the job that Mark McHugh has done with that Westmeath team and winning the Leicester Championship, but you wouldn't be human if you didn't admire what Monaghan are all about. They just are able to do it and they still have quality players.
I mean, it's just... We're actually not surprised they're in the quarterfinal, are we? We kind of said it was just the Monaghan thing, but... They have something that is fairly special that even whenever things are not going well and they are players down and they have a horrendous league that they have an ability and a confidence and are clearly good enough to grind out championship matches.
Yeah, look, I think it gets patronising, I think, whenever you say, you know, Mon and O's get the best of themselves and all of those things. But it's not patronising to say that, like, they showed unbelievable quality today, I thought. And I thought the big thing about them was, you know, it was a composed and controlled performance. And they looked way more experienced than Westmead did.
And yes, look, Westmead have had a brilliant season. Mark McHugh has done a brilliant job there. And it just felt as if it was one game too many. That's the way it felt. I just always thought Monaghan were in control. Westmead didn't get that kiosk going that they're raveling. And Monaghan every time...
Westmead looked as if they were getting close Monaghan were able to push it out to those two and three score gaps and it was very difficult then and then you could see it was starting to take its toll like everybody talks about physically but even mentally just you know Westmead you know the hay of winning a lesser championship you know and then you're on the road since and that's not simple so yeah
been a brilliant year for Westmeath but it's just a Monaghan thing isn't it it's just it's just what they do yeah Jack McCarron finished the 1-5 Rui Began it was interesting there was a bit of concern with him at the end of the match but Gabriel Banigan was doing an interview with our good mate
The great Owen O'Connor. I listened to it.
He was working for RT Radio at the weekend and up pops the little cabin gem that he is. People that have listened to BBC Radio Ulster for years and years and years and years and years and years and years. Well, no, he was the voice of it. And so he popped up and he was doing a post-match interview where he asked Gabriel Banigan and Gabriel said, no, it was just a precaution.
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Chapter 4: How did Monaghan secure their victory in the championship?
We have to set a marker down. And I thought they did that. And I thought everything seemed to be going okay for them. But I only watched this... Last night when I come home. So, you know, I was watching it. I was watching pre-record. But I just felt that our man needed to start well. He started well. He probably could have taken a couple more chances. And really put themselves in the game.
But once Kerry got that goal before half-time, it's a massive uphill task. Almost an impossible task because you know they're going to chip away at the scoreboard. And they finished with 4-18 and probably could have finished with a bit more.
2-16 from that full forward line. I thought Dylan Ganey was excellent. And the boy, Wander Clifford, finished with 1-10. And there was a moment in the second half, and R. McKay, who's a brilliant footballer, and a brilliant lad too, actually. Really, really good fella. But... He was caught out around 45, Clifford, and Clifford just took him on. And it felt like, look, we'll have a race here.
Like, you know, I'll have the ball, you don't, but I'm still going to beat you in this sort of 30-minute dash race. And he did, and he just cut across the bend and just slaughtered it over the bar. I mean, it was just... It was just freakish watching it. Clifford was just on a different level. And there's probably more there too, which is a ridiculous thing to say.
I'm not sure when we actually said this, but he's definitely kicked on physically as well in the last 18 months. You know, he looks in...
in serious shape you know that pace is coming out to play and he's taking players on now or maybe he wasn't maybe two years ago so he's just getting stronger and being more comfortable if that's possible so Kerry are through and you know with the makeup you feel now it's theirs to lose is that is that the vibe
It is the vibe and yet, niggling away in the back of my mind, it's like nothing is going according to plan in this championship. It's just like I know how much you're enjoying the championship as in the games, but also the championship as a whole because it's so unpredictable.
You know, and, you know, even the likes of, like, you take, for example, like, two weeks ago, like, what were we saying about Mayo? And yet, you know, they put in that performance, scored 22 points, were under the cosh for long periods of that game, and yet... you know, come out with that win and now they're going to Croke Park and now you think, right, Mayo are a dangerous animal now.
So, like, as much, yeah, going back to your question, I do think, I do think Kerry looked the strongest now with getting all those players back but I don't think it's going to be a straight lane. I don't think this thing is going to be a straight lane. I think there is going to be a few turns along the way but, and the draw is massive. Next weekend's draw is huge. It certainly is.
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Chapter 5: What challenges did Donegal face this championship season?
My words will not do it justice, but he... He is some boy.
Thomas, he's playing like a 26 or 27-year-old. It's absolutely insane because they may get to the top end of the field, they're looking to hold on to the ball and who are they giving it to? They're looking for him. They're looking for him and Randall Donoghue. He's an 18-year-old. You know, there's not too many playing inter-county football when they're 18. Not nowadays, anyway.
It does take a couple of years of development and a couple of years of hanging about a panel before you probably get your head. But he has, he's just come in and taken it by storm. there's not too many who've done that down through the years.
You're looking at, we were talking with Clifford there, he obviously did it when he came in, but you can count him on one hand and that's exactly what he's done. But I just think it's amazing the fact that, you know, we're looking to keep the ball, we're looking to kick out, we're looking to score. Who do we go to? Colby McDonald and he's 18 years of age. It's unbelievable.
And win again. And again, just quietly going about their business and into the last eight and, you know,
picked up rightly after the Toronto game obviously for me it feels I didn't think they were that far away you know in the Toronto game they had probably enough chances to win that game but but yeah they were better they were better on Saturday
It feels hard to come up with any other conclusion other than that this has been a disappointing year for me. I mean, it seemed the Leinster Championship was wide open and they were probably the favourites in most people's eyes. They didn't win Leinster. A team ranked, whatever that means, below them did win it. And, you know, they did make the quarterfinals.
They did make the semifinals of the All-Ireland last year. I mean, it just feels there's a big step back there.
Yeah, well, look, they got promotion, obviously. So, I mean, that has to be, as far as progress is concerned, that has to be the next step that they get up to Division 1 and they maintain their status there. I suppose that's for next year. But I think the big thing for me, around me, is that they would have been massively disappointed.
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Chapter 6: Why was the performance of Dublin crucial in the recent game?
It was just, it was an unbelievable force of nature performance in the second half.
Did you get a chance to talk on the Mech-A afterwards? So is the Trek-A?
I talked to him before and after. I was actually talking to him when I was coming off the pitch. There was a walk around in the pitch and I was coming off, he was waiting for me. So we had a chat before that. I think both of us said, isn't it strange that we're in Pro Park, he's in awfully colours and I'm in Wicklow colours.
But I chatted to him then and he was very magnanimous after the game as well. As you know, me and Mickey, people think me and Mickey don't get on that well, but we don't see enough of each other not to get on well. Yeah. We just have different views, I suppose. Yeah. No, I think he's hit each other. It was very amicable after the game.
Totally got it. Good, good, good, good, good, good. Into the Fortune Cup final. Congratulations, man. Delighted for you. And that's no slight in any way against Offaly. A couple of things just to wrap up upon. Unbelievable reaction to the Gregory McCartan podcast. I mean, I was video calling him on Saturday evening and he is... Video calling? Oh yeah, here.
very very very fancy um and he was in great form and he is uh very happy and very thankful for all people who have reached out to him so he's a bit stunned by it i think um but he's happy and he's delighted and so he should be because it was it was some podcast stashing you know like the amount of people who have just you know really stunned by it this lovely reaction a lovely reaction
Yeah, I think we said last week he's somebody you don't really hear from and probably people get an impression of somebody and then the reality is quite different. I thought that was the case with him. I thought he was brilliant. He's just a brilliant fella. I've always had serious time for him. I don't know, you're very adamant that people only get one chance but
I think there's another one in them.
It might just be people who have said, man, it's part two, man. I don't know. Is this a thing now?
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Chapter 7: What impact did the draw have on the upcoming matches?
Do you remember the one that you did with Donald McAnnell? Obviously, and Kevin McCloy. And I was like, yeah, yeah, no, do you surely? Of course, Cormac MacDonald's brother. He's like, well, do you know what we did? After I listened to that, we'd set up a first responders piece in Kilmany.
And because he says that it takes about an hour for an ambulance to get to Letterkenny and it might be too late. So off the back, and I was like, did you have a notion of that? Then it just confirmed me. He's like, no, no notion of it. Just listen to that podcast. We thought we're going to start up something like that. I was like, I just said to him, I go, that is such a lovely compliment.
That is unbelievable. And the taxi driver called Cody, who has no more interest in Gaelic football than the man on the moon. Absolutely not. And I said, you do know you're the only Donegal man probably is like that. And he goes, I do know that. And he was talking about the first responders unit and how it works.
And just the minute, God forbid, somebody takes a heart attack, the text goes in and somebody's assigned to go and try and give you a wee bit of a better chance until medical, an ambulance arrives, which all came off the back of listening to Donald McAnally, obviously the brother of Conor McAnally and Kevin McCloy. And he's attributed it to the podcast. So there you go, Ashi. Well done, mate.
I've actually been up in Clonmany a couple of times. And the last time I was up, I was doing a talk, a presentation talk, and somebody before me had been up talking about the first responders unit, but I didn't know the link. There you are. Brilliant. Well done, Tommy.
Good weekend was had by all. Did you behave yourself above?
Pardon? Did you behave yourself above?
Yeah. Good. 100%. As you well know. And here ends the GA Social Podcast for all sorts of reasons. Listen, we'll chat during the week. We've a big podcast this week. And again, I feel like we always say it's very different. This one is definitely different. I think it's an important one as well. Yeah, it is. And it is just... Yeah, we'll just see how it goes. We'll see how it goes.
But that'll be released on Tuesday night. Thanks ever for listening. Many more podcasts, BBC Sounds, and much more content right across the BBC, specifically the BBC Sport website. And it's a big week. Full details of the draw shortly after half past eight will be on the website. What a week to be alive. Oisín, look after yourself. We'll chat soon.
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Chapter 8: How did the podcast influence community initiatives in Donegal?
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All right, let's go to the ship.