Catchandkick

Compiled by Damian Cullen

2009 All-Ireland MFC Final

Paths to the final . . .

Armagh –Armagh 2-8 Tyrone 1-9

Armagh 2-14 Monaghan 2-8

Armagh 1-8 Down 1-5

Armagh 2-14 Kildare 2-8

Armagh 2-10 Kerry 0-10

Mayo –Mayo 2-13 Galway 1-7

Mayo 1-5 Roscommon 0-8

Mayo 1-8 Roscommon 0-5

Mayo 3-10 Tipperary 1-8

Mayo 2-9 Down 0-9

MFC All-Ireland Roll of Honour

11 – Kerry (1931, 32, 33, 46, 50, 62, 63, 75, 80, 88, 94).

10 – Cork (1961, 67, 68, 69, 72, 74, 81, 91, 93, 2000) Dublin (1930, 45, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 79, 82, 84).

7 – Tyrone (1947, 48, 73, 98, 2001, 04, 08).

6 – Galway (1952, 60, 70, 76, 86, 2007), Mayo (1935, 53, 66, 71, 78, 85).

4 – Derry (1965, 83, 89, 2002), Down (1977, 87, 99, 2005), Roscommon (1939, 41, 51, 2006).

3 – Laois (1996, 97, 2003), Meath (1957, 90, 92).

2 – Cavan (1937, 38), Louth (1936, 40).

1 – Armagh (1949), Clare (1929), Offaly, (1964), Tipp, (1934), Westmeath (1995).

Croke Park confirm that Plan B is now Plan A

The GAA released a statement yesterday confirming that the post-match presentation following Sunday’s senior football final will take place in the Hogan Stand.

Plans to have the presentations in the middle of Croke Park after the All-Ireland hurling final and last Sunday’s under-21 hurling final had to be abandoned after celebrating supporters ran on to the pitch.

The association has urged all patrons to remain off the field at the end of the Sunday’s football decider in the interest of the health and safety of players, officials, stewards and spectators.

The post-match minor presentation will take place on the field of play, affording the winning team the opportunity to complete a lap of honour.

Mayo name unchanged side

Mayo manager Ray Dempsey has named an unchanged side from that which defeated Down in the All-Ireland semi-final for Sunday’s minor decider against Armagh at Croke Park.

Injuries to goalkeeper Micheál Schlingermann (ankle) and corner forward Cillian O’Connor (leg) in the semi-final have cleared up and Mayo are at full strength for their bid to claim the Tom Markham Cup for the first time since 1985.

Armagh have had an even longer wait for minor honours, their only title coming back in 1949.

“Not a lot of people gave us a chance at the start of the year, “ said Armagh midfielder James Donnelly. “Yeah, we won the (Ulster) league, but we had Tyrone in the first round and they were league, Ulster and All-Ireland champions last year.

We didn’t look past it and took it one game at a time. We always prepare for a tough battle, we have had some tough games, but there is just one more to go now.”

MAYO: M Schlingermann; M Walsh, K Rogers, D Gavin; C Charlton, S McDermott, C Crowe; D Kirby, A Farrell; B Ruttledge, D Coen, F Durkan; A Corduff, A Walsh, C OConnor.

Walsh open to idea of dual players

Cork hurling manager Denis Walsh has come out in support of dual players being given the opportunity to play both football and hurling at inter-county level.

Asked on Newstalk’s Off the Ball about Eoin Cadogan, who hurled at full back for the county this year and could step in for Ray Carey should the corner back not recover from injury before Sunday’s football final, Walsh said: “In relation to Eoin Cadogan I saw him at first hand myself during the summer and I had been in touch with him at that time when he was getting involved with the football and would have actually encouraged him.

“He’s a guy with a lot of character and a big man. He’s very athletic and very quick, but I think it’s the character more than anything else. Mentally, he’s very strong and would relish the opportunity if he got the opportunity on Sunday.”

A dual player himself with All-Ireland winning Cork teams in the 1980s and 1990, Walsh said that he would be open to accommodating dual players in his hurling panel.

“The biggest problem for dual players now is maybe the management teams. If the management teams can find a compromise there’s some chance for a player being allowed to have a go at it. The problem for a lot of the managements is that they’re under pressure and feel they need the player there all the time. I still think there’s the possibility of compromise there.”

Familiarity surely breeds contempt

Incredibly, Sunday’s All-Ireland final will be the 19th time Kerry and Cork have clashed in championship football in the noughties.

They have met in one All-Ireland final, five semi-finals (one replay), six Munster finals (one replay) and six provincial semi-finals (two replays) with Kerry winning 10 times, Cork four and another four ending in stalemate.

The last year Kerry and Cork didn’t meet in the senior football championship was in 1997.

2000-2009 18 SFC Meetings

2000 Munster S-FKerry 2-15 Cork 1-13

2001 Munster Final Kerry 0-19 Cork 1-13

2002 Munster S-FCork 0-8 Kerry 0-8

2002 Munster S-F (r)Cork 0-15 Kerry 1-9

2002 All-Ireland S-FKerry 3-19 Cork 2-7

2004 Munster S-FKerry 0-15 Cork 0-7

2005 Munster FinalKerry 1-11 Cork 0-11

2005 All-Ireland S-FKerry 1-19 Cork 0-9

2006 Munster FinalCork 0-10 Kerry 0-10

2006 Munster Final (r)Cork 1-12 Kerry 0-9

2006 All-Ireland S-FKerry 0-16 Cork 0-10

2007 Munster FinalKerry 1-15 Cork 1-13

2007 All-Ireland FinalKerry 3-13 Cork 1-9

2008 Munster FinalCork 1-16 Kerry 1-11

2008 All-Ireland S-FKerry 1-13 Cork 3-7

2008 All-Ireland S-F (r)Kerry 3-14 Cork 3-13

2009 Munster S-FCork 1-10 Kerry 0-13

2009 Munster S-F (r)Cork 1-17 Kerry 0-12