Watch The Sunday Game live (Ireland only)
Tadhg Peavoy - sportonline@rte.ie
1748pm I'm back, just for a moment. We have just received this screengrab of Benny Coulter's positioning prior to the Down goal. The Wikipedia definition of the square ball rule is as follows:
Technical fouls. Square ball, an often controversial rule: If, at the moment the ball enters the small square, there is already an attacking player inside the small rectangle, then a free out is awarded.
This screengrab clearly shows that Coulter was in the square before the ball arrived, thus the goal should not have stood. That casts Down's two-point win in a very different light. However, it must also be stated that Down were superb on the day and were arguably the better team throughout. Goodbye for now.
1729pm As always, thank you for the pleasure of your company, I hoped you enjoyed our coverage. Join us next week for the All-Ireland SHC final between Kilkenny and Tipperary. I hope everyone at www.thefreekick.com enjoyed that. All the best, and see y'after, Tadhg Peavoy.
1727pm That was a helter skelter second half and I was struggling to get your comments in, so, better late then never.
Listening from Dorado, Puerto Rico. Looking like a Cork Down final. G'wan the rebels.
Aidan
Listening in from Christchurch New Zealand, working the night shift at Christchurch Hospital.
Owen Mc Kenna
Go on down from Glenn family at Belfast Mela festival while following updates on rte mobile
Come on the Lillywhites from New Hyde Park NY- Dermot Early's old town Shamrocker 1979
Following the action on my Blackberry in Hartford, Connecticut. Good luck to Down and my brother John Devaney with the Down backroom team on the sidelines at croker.
Paul Devaney
Pete and Conor from Manchester
Following the game online
1724pm To lend your opinion on today's magnificent semi-final, use the new RTÉ GAA Facebook application. You can find it here: Apps.facebook.com/rte-gaa
Pictured: Benny Coulter (left) was one of Down's star performers as the Mourne Men squeezed past a wonderful comeback effort from Kildare at Croke Park. Kildare substitute Hugh Lynch (right) was crucial to the Lilywhites spirited attempt to overturn Down's lead, knocking over several impressive second half points.
1718pm The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final 2010 will be contested between Cork and Down on 19 September 2010 in Croke Park.
1713pm The whole of this office was on their feet watching that endgame. Truly breathtaking play from both sides in those closing minutes came down to one moment which won the game for Down.
As Kelly stood up and smacked the ball goalwards, Down had a line of players protecting the net. The ball was inches from crossing the line when a Down hand - which after seeing only one replay, I believe was Kalum King's - tipped the ball onto the bar, ricocheting the shot away from goal.
1712pm FULL-TIME: KILDARE 1-14 DOWN 1-16
70+5 mins Amazing shot!! Brilliant, but from 12 yards out on the left of the square, Kelly's shot rattles the crossbar on the left-hand side of the goal and rebounds out. That is the last play of a truly magnificent example of Gaelic football. Down are victorious on a scoreline of Kildare 1-14 Down 1-16.
70+5 mins Robert Kelly will take it.
70+4 mins Goalmouth scramble and there is total bedlam!!!! A throw-ball is followed by a free for Kildare.
70+4 mins Possession is key now. Kildare have it.
70+3 mins Clarke hammers it well wide. Wow!
70+3 mins Play is held up as Kildare's Hugh Lynch is down injured.
70+2 mins Free-in for Down. Marty Clarke will take this one.
70+2 mins A goal will win this one now.
70+1 mins David Lyons points for Kildare from 25 yards. Kildare 1-14 Down 1-16
70 mins Kildare hit the post through Robert Kelly from 30 yards. He was set up by James Kavanagh who worked like a trojan to secure breaking ball 20 yard from goal.
70 mins Three additonal minutes to be added.
68 mins Free-in for Kildare, Padraig O'Neill skyscrapers it toward the Canal End, but it is wide. A crucial miss for the Lilywhites.
66 mins Free-in for Kildare. Doyle to take it from wide on the left from 14 yards out. The crowd are roaring: he gets it! Kildare 1-13 Down 1-16 John Doyle is the Championship 2010's top scorer now.
66 mins A massive point for Ronan Murtagh from 40 yards for Down. Kildare 1-12 Down 1-16
65 mins Hugh Lynch points from 25 yards out. Kildare 1-12 Down 1-15
64 mins Down's Calum King is booked for a very high tackle on Eamonn Callaghan. He punched him in the temple there! Ouch!
1658 Proinnsias Barrett relying on text in Concepcion, Chile. A galway man looking for a Kildare comeback, something strange probably, vamos los lillies!
Brian and Niamh from Newry cheering on the bhoys in red and black from Melbourne! Quietly confident... Brian McArdle
63 mins Marty Clarke goes for a point from 25 out on the left - it's wide. A rare mistake from Clarke.
62 mins Hugh Lynch receives a long ball on the right flank and from 30 yards he hammers it over. Kildare 1-11 Down 1-15
61 mins Ten minutes left and Down are looking good. The Mourne Men have the look of winners out there today.
60 mins Big UP to DOWN from the Devlin family who are driving from Brittany France back to London. Listening on 252 AM!
59 mins Benny Coulter, with his back to goal and under pressure from a Kildare defender, smacks the goal over the bar from 21 yards out. Kildare 1-10 Down 1-15
58 mins GOAL FOR KILDARE: From that point Kildare break downfield and Eamonn Callaghan beats three Down defenders and round the keeper, hammering high into the roof of the net! Superb goal. Kildare 1-10 Down 1-14
58 mins Peter Fitzpatrick is played in on goal 15 yards out. He only has the keeper to beat and goes for the point! Should have gone for goal. Kildare 0-10 Down 1-14
57 mins Conor Maginn hammers a point over from 20 yards on the right. Benny Coulter had won the ball for Down. Kildare 0-10 Down 1-13
56 mins Scratch that earlier comment about Down looking rattled I reckon!
55 mins Kildare's Hugh Lynch foulds Danny Hughes. Lynch is yellow carded - it was very high and caught Hughes around the neck. Free-in for Down by Marty Clarke from 45 yards - it is pefect! Kildare 0-10 Down 1-12
54 mins Kildare are pushing up as much as possible and trying to force the game. Down look rattled.
53 mins Sean Quinn
Siting in the middle of no where in BC Canada no Internet just 2 bars on the IPhone reading the plays come Down
52 mins It was in fact Morgan O'Flaherty, not Peter Kelly who got the block for Kildare at Down's goal chance earlier.
51 mins Free-in for Kildare. Karl Ennis from Maynooth will take it from 40 yards on the right - he gets it. Kildare 0-10 Down 1-11
51 mins Kalum King has an effort blocked by Brian Flanagan on the 20 metre line.
50 mins Come on down - L Quinn Properties seattle usa
48 mins Benny Coulter is fouled by Hugh McGrillen, McGrillen gets a yellow card for the trip. From 21 yards on the left, Mark Poland scores the free for Down. Kildare 0-09 Down 1-11
47 mins Doyle floats a ball at goal, it has no power and is collected by Down keeper Brendan McVeigh.
46 mins Goal chance for Down. Peter Kelly makes a block in the square. The rebound is saved by Shane McCormack between the sticks.
1640 Hi lads 2 girls from down and a lad frm Kildare in Thailand getting
your text updates.....UP DOWN!! Kate McManus
44 mins Doyle gets another free - from 40 yards this time. He is now joint top scorer in the Championship 2010 along with Bernard Brogan. Kildare 0-09 Down 1-10
43 mins Kildare hit the post. Eamonn Callaghan is fed the ball on the left in the 13-metre area. He bursts into the large rectangle and smashes the ball across the face of goal. It cracks off the post!
42 mins Kildare 's Emmet Bolton makes no mistake from 40 yards out. He wellied it high into the sky and it cam over the bar just inside the right post. Kildare 0-08 Down 1-10
41 mins Benny Coulter runs 20 yards down the left wing and from 22 yards out he tries to curl it over, it is over ambitious and slips wide to the right.
40 mins Kildare free just outside a 45, it is pushed wide
1634 In bar in Thira, Greece, relying on rte internet, UP DOWN ! John O'Brien
38 mins Free-in for Down. Marty Clarke will take it from 15 yards out on the right, he makes no mistake whatsoever. Kildare 0-07 Down 1-10
37 mins Good Kildare approach play leads to James Kavanagh catching a long ball, but when he tees up O'Flaherty the shot drops wide.
36 mins Eoghan O'Flaherty gets a yellow card for a late tackle on Declan Rooney.
35 mins Benny Coulter has an effort for Down from 40 yards - it is wide.
1629 The teams are back out on the pitch in Croke Park.
1625 Up Down, sean o'neill in Preston!!
1623 Pictured: Down's Benny Coulter has scored a goal that should have been disallowed and also one of the points of the 2010 Championship against Kildare today.
1620 hi lads.. six lads from clogherinkoe listening to the game on a lap top on a boat in split croatia. hup the lillies!
Briain O'Meara
1619 A great first half, with very little between the teams. The talking point is, once more, the umpires at Croker today. Kildare had a clear point disallowed and Down had a goal that was clearly a square ball allowed. The score should read Kildare 0-08 Down 0-09.
1618 Phew, fair amount to get through there! Thanks - as always - for the comments.
1612 Half-time has arrived and it gives me a chance to give a shout-out to all of you that have been emailing in from all across the globe, so here goes:
Patrick Campbell: 2 Down men listening to match in Leucate Village near Perpignan 28 Degrees, cool beer. Come on Down.
Paul, Dublin: Hello panel,
HOW is it POSSIBLE for the umpires to get that decision wrong ? Benny Coulter was in the square about 'half an hour' before the ball dropped into him ! It's becoming a farce - you will never see a clearer 'square ball' decision in your life. DISGRACEFUL decision against Kildare & I'm a Dublin fan !!
GAA - sort it out. It cost Louth a Leinster title, now it could cost Kildare a place in an All-Ireland Final.
Padraig O'Sullivan, Sydney, Australia:
hello,
you could make two men very very happy if this was passed onto Michael o muircheartaigh, commentating on the down v kildare match at the moment.
i'm writing this email at 1am in sydney. 4pm in ireland. my name is Padraig O Suilleabhain from ballyganeen in An Gaeltacht in Kerry. i'm sitting in my living room in sydney with my house mate Paul Rafferty from Maghery in Armagh. We are listening in online to Michael's brilliant stories about the player. we have the tv tuned into to setanta because we can't get RTE. but the laptop is tuned for Michael.
Enjoying the game and the commentary a lot and hello to everyone at home.
fantastic to see the semi final of the underdogs! Couple of the lads from Queen's (Nathan, Nick and Gavin) listening to the match in Doha, Qatar waiting for our connection to vietnam. Up Down!!!
Fantastic commentary guys,
Im Ruairi Cunningham from Newry Co. Down listening in Bangkok, Thailand. Listening to rte is a close 2 nd best to being in HQ today!!! On the edge of my seat here!
Come on the Mourne men!!!!
Oliver Carvill listening to Marty on the web in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. From (Greencastle) Come on Down!!!!
Hi
I’m in the office at 930am in Kingston on a hot Sunday morning so I can support the Mourne men. If Down win I’m booking a flight back for the final!
Thanks
James McElvanna
HALF-TIME: KILDARE 0-07 DOWN 1-09
35+1 mins Amazing point from Benny Coulter. He was fed the ball on the 20-metre line and Coulter piledrives the ball over the bar. Point of the match so far! Kildare 0-07 Down 1-09
35 mins Yellow card for Down's Declan Rooney for a clumsy challenge.
34 mins Danny Hughes storms down the right flank, beats Emmet Bolton and taking advantage of acres of space he left foots over the bar. Kildare 0-07 Down 1-08
33 mins One additional minute to be added on in the first half.
32 mins Effort on goal from Marty Clarke is collected with ease by Kildare keeper Shane McCormack.
31 mins Benny Coulter wides from 10 yards out - an unusually easy miss from the red-headed dynamo.
30 mins Down have a goalscoring chance. McKernan drives into the 20 yard area and feeds McCumiskey on the left. He decides to play safe and point with only the keeper to beat. Kildare 0-07 Down 1-07
29 mins Marty Clarke, with his back to goal, fires a point over from 40 yards - superb left-footed effort. Kildare 0-07 Down 1-06
27 mins Doyle is attacked by two Down defenders and is fouled. Doyle takes the free himself from 30 yards. As usual he makes no mistake - his fourth point of the match. He is now one point away from being top scorer in the Championship, behind Bernard Brogan. Kildare 0-07 Down 1-05
26 mins Danny Hughes adds another score for Down from wide on the right. Kildare 0-06 Down 1-05
24 mins Martin Clarke capitalises on Brian Flanagn spilling the ball and as Clarke charges in on goal he is rugby tackled by Flanagan. Flanagan is booked and the free is put over the bar by Mark Poland. Kildare 0-06 Down 1-04
23 mins John Doyle cuts inside his marker and 36 yards from goal, directly in front of the sticks, he smacks it over. Kildare 0-06 Down 1-03
21 mins Free-in for Kildare. Kavanagh will take this one. from 18 yards out on the right he has missed. Shocking miss for the star forward.
19 mins Down's Paul McCumiskey has a go at a point from 30 yards, but it is poor and wide.
18 mins James Kavanagh is held and it's a free-in for the Lilywhites. John Doyle will take it from 19 yards out. Wide on the right it is a magnificent point - Doyle's second of the day. Kildare 0-05 Down 1-03
17 mins Alan Smith feeds Morgan O'Flaherty on the right of the pitch 25 yards out. He pops the ball over the bar.
Kildare 0-04 Down 1-03
16 mins Peter Fitzpatrick lashes a wild effort at a point for Down, it curls off to the right.
15 mins The goal should not have stood, it was clearly a square ball, I don't know how the umpires missed that. Mark Poland knocks over a free for Down. Kildare 0-03 Down 1-03
12 mins GOAL AND POINT FOR DOWN: A poor pass from Peter Kelly hands the initiative to Down. A massive long bell comes down in the square and Benny Coulter taps it in for a goal. Kevin McKernan then grabs his second point. Down right back in this! Kildare 0-03 Down 1-02
11 mins A long ball almost finds Kavanagh again, but Brendan McVeigh comes off his line to save Down.
10 mins Free-in for Kildare from 14 yards. John Doyle takes it and makes no mistake - easy. Kildare 0-03 Down 0-01
9 mins A long ball into the Down 20 metre area finds Kavanagh and the half forward pops it over the bar for Kildare. Kevin McKernan responds with a Down point from 30 yards. Kildare 0-02 Down 0-01
7 mins Emmet Bolton has a pop at a point from 40 yards, but it ends up well wide for Kildare.
5 mins James Kavanagh makes ground inside the Down 13 yard area on the right, he tees up Alan Smith, but from 15 yards the umpires rule it wide. They got that totally wrong, that was a clear point. It should be 0-02 for Kildare now.
4 mins Free-in for Down from 45 yards. Martin Clarke will take it - he pulls it right and wide, a very poor effort.
3 mins Eamonn Callaghan makes no mistake from 35 yards, he curls it from the right side of the semi-circle between the sticks. Kildare 0-01 Down 0-00
2 mins Padraig O'Neill, with his back to goal, turns and tries to float a point over the bar from 20 yards - he puts it wide. Two wides from two efforts for Kildare.
1 mins Superb approach play from Kildare, but Brian Flanagn miscues his effort at a point and skews the ball wide to the right.
1 mins Pat McEneaney referees the game as we throw-in at Croker.
1533 Bit of a hairs on your neck standing on end moment during the anthem.
1532 National anthem time now. The ground is silent.
1530 There is a minute's silence being observed for Patrick Dinsmore, who collapsed and died playing for his club St Peter's in Warrenpoint.
1530 Kildare are huddled tight in the middle of the park and look focused to the hilt.
1529 The parade is over and it's time for football, baby!
1527 The atmosphere at GAA HQ looks electric. My seat in the office with a pair of headphones on doesn't compare with Marty Morrissey's spot in the commentary box in Croker. Some fellas have all the luck.
1527 Pictured: Don't fence me in. The new Croke Park fence was erected this week - on Thursday we believe.
1520 Dermot Earley's presence in midfield is the biggest talking point ahead of today's encounter. Is he fit, will he last, how much of a gamble is it starting him? All those questions will begin to be answered in nine minutes time.
1517 The sun is shining, the weather is sweet, makes those footballing stars wanna move their goalscoring feet - Bob Marley was a soccer aficionado, but I'm sure he would have appreciated Croker today; a full house, sweet weather and a game that's very hard to predict. Bring it on.
1514 The consesus here amongst my super internet-geek colleagues and I is that Kildare will pip it: the Leinster side get the nod by three votes to two.
1512 Down's quarter-final performance against Kerry was the epitome of doggedness and just the right amount of cockiness. More of that swagger, tied to creative football will put Kildare under pressure.
1510 So, the minor match is done and dusted and what a goal-fest it was. More of the same for today's final from ye gods of football, please.
1508 A big hello to www.thefreekick.com. I know you will be only delighted to hear that I am doing the updates today. Bandage and the lads there will know what I mean.
1507 I'll pass you over to Tadhg Peavoy now, he'll guide you through the rest of today's action.
By Rory Houston
1501 Down manager James McCartan: 'We're nervous but we're just looking to get the game started.'
Peter Fitzpatrick comes into the team as Ambrose Rodgers drops to the bench.
McCartan said: 'Peter Fitzpatrick has been doing it in training and he was outstanding for the under-21s last year so he was the first man in line.'
1457 We'll now concentrate on the Senior match with Croke Park beginning to fill up. A massive day for Down and Kildare, read Seamus Leonard's preview here.
1453 The Minor semi-finals have been really entertaining this year. The final should be another thrilling affair.
1448 The Galway players are distraught as the referee blows for full-time. The Tribesmen threw away a nine-point lead and Cork will now meet Tyrone in the final.
1445 Brian Hurley is pulled back by a Galway defender, Hurley sends the free over the bar. Cork are about to complete the most sensational of wins.
1444 A Galway defender handles on the floor, allowing Cork to make it level scores once again with 90 seconds left.
1443 Shane Maughan puts Galway in front, more brilliance from O'Griofa and Maughan just sneaks it between the posts.
1442 Superb free by Brian Hurley, keeping his composure from 40 metres or so.
1440 Peadar O'Griofa looks a tremendous prospect, somehow getting by three defenders and winning a free in front of the posts. Galway lead by a point.
1439 Amazing, Kevin Hallisey finds time to shoot from 30 metres and sends a lofting shot over the bar. Three minutes to go, the teams are level.
Galway 5-06 Cork 3-12.
1437 Cork are back to within a point with six minutes to go after an excellent point from Damien Cahalane.
1435 Hurley reduced the gap to just two points with a free from close in on goal. Galway 5-06 Cork 3-10.
1432 Kevin Hallisey was the scorer of the third Cork goal, I know that because he's just hit another excellent point for the Rebels after a patient move.
Galway 5-06 Cork 3-09.
1430 O'Rourke forces another excellent save from Hanarahan as the goalkeeper palms it out for a 45 to Cork. Jamie Wall points soon after, my calculator tells me Galway are four points ahead.
Galway 5-06 Cork 3-08.
1428 Stop scoring goals! Cork go straight up the field and reduce the lead, sorry to say I missed the scorer. There are 14 minutes remaining.
1426 Galway are cruising to the final now with ther fifth goal of the game.
O'Griofa once again turns his defender and unselfishly passes it into Rabbitte who taps it home.
Galway 5-06 Galway 2-06
1422 Cork are all over the place now as O'Griofa misses his chance for a hat-trick when dragging the ball wide with just the goalkeeper to beat.
1421 Who needs points? Maughan does well to find the incoming Rabbitte for Galway.
Rabbitte beats the keeper with ease. That's 4-05 to 2-05 in favour of Galway.
1416 This is a real goalfest as once again Galway make Cork pay for losing concentration after scoring.
Niall Flynn ghosts in from the near the endline and from a very tricky angle he fires the ball into the top of the net.
Goalkeeper Hanrahan will be disappointed with his effort, going to ground way too soon.
1415 Almost an identical goal but this time it was for the Rebels and they are level again.
Hurley claims the ball with one hand, controls and then places the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper. 2-05 each.
1402 Half-time in Croke Park, Galway lead by 2-05 to 1-05.
1400 Brilliant individual goal for Galway as Peader O'Griofa claims a long punt forward and turns his man with ease. O'Griofa's shot sails into the top corner. That could be a big turning point in added time of the first period.
1358 Very well-worked goal for Cork and Jamie Wall and John O'Rourke combine to set up Hallisey who just beats onrushing goalkeeper to slam the ball home. We're level.
1356 Cathal O'Neill takes his time and measures a kick from 25 metres over the bar. Galway lead by a goal with two minutes of the first half left.
1353 Cork have come fighting back with two point in the last few minutes to make the score 1-04 to 0-05 in favour of Galway.
1347 Galway goalkeeper James Keane saves brilliantly from Brian Hurley as Galway maintain their four point advantage.
1345 Conor Rabbitte hits a superb point to put Galway 1-04 to 0-03 in front.
1340 Peadar O'Griofa scored the Galway goal after winning the ball only a few yards from goal.
1338 There is 10 minutes gone in the Minor semi-final with Galway leading 1-01 to 0-02 against Cork.
1330 Welcome to coverage of the second semi-final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Down and Kildare meet at Croke Park in two hours time.
Cork await the winners, hopefully we have the same amount of drama as last weekend when the Rebels edged out Dublin.
We'd be delighted to hear from GAA fans/RTÉ.ie users around the world so if you'd like to get in touch and potentially see your comments added to this live text commentary, then sportonline@rte.ie is the email address.
