Anyone who is actually into sport and the competitive nature of it doesn’t like seeing what’s happening in Leinster now.but it’s important to acknowledge the problem has more issues than just Dublin funding …
Amazing the law of unintended consequences. Mummy sent Ultán or sneachta to a gaelscoil to avoid the foreigners and suddenly the gaa wasn’t just a pursuit for culchies or the handful of die hards, cuala training was the the place to show off your new white range rover.
Add to this the proliferation of branded club gear. Your at nothing if you don’t have a castleknock or Lucan hoody or top you can wear shopping, having it marks you out as well connected, part of the community right there on your chest.
Dublin were always going to become dominant. It was just a matter of time and organisation such are their advantages. The funding put that into overdrive. The gaa recognised this, and suggested at the outset that the funding would have to be accompanied by splitting them. They wouldn’t take that, but the money? No problem.
The way the game is gone it’s essentially basketball in croke park, the great wide surface means you don’t run into trouble until you are close to goal. It’s unrecognisable from 25 years ago. Add into the mix a genius like Jim Gavin, who given the right material, excellent athletes that can be cherry picked from a huge population makes it almost unstoppable. Even when they have off days, as they did a few times against mayo, the real phenomenon of the last ten years, dublin still won.
Not many have an insight into the Dublin set up, one or two posters do, the fair weather lads still think others just need to try really really hard and ‘get their house in order’ I know someone involved in it, it’s fully professional and other countries will never match it.
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If Meath did everything right, they’d still lose to Dublin by 7-10 points most days.
Teams have played out of their skin against a misfiring Dublin and still lost.
One Problem I see in Meath is the ex players are quite brutal with their assessment of the current teams failings… no pride ,embarrassment, not standing up as men etc …they’re like Roy Keane …that hard nose approach doesn’t work with most modern players .
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Meath are an amateur team in a high scoring sport. In what other sport will an amateur team have a chance against a professional set up?
Is it any worse than say the likes of Kerry? Meath relied on thuggery when they were at their pomp, the rules of the game generally don’t allow for it anymore and they’ve gone soft as a result.
Meath should be better, no doubt. They could have what Kerry or Mayo have if they got things right.
But no one can consistently match Dublin as things stand. The future will be them winning 4, 5 or 6 on the bounce repeatedly with maybe the odd freak defeat thrown in.
I’m out lads, I dont see the solution offering itself forward here anytime soon and I’m too old to have this discussion again.
If they were really cynical they’d lose to Cavan or mayo/tipp, all would be right with the world and Dublin would be free to win the next six no questions asked.
It’s never going to be equal, the likes of Carlow will always struggle against the likes of Meath but it won’t be an insurmountable gap. A good bunch of players and they could have a great few years. The gap from Dublin to the rest is completely insurmountable as it’s a system not individuals.
The only solution i see is treat Dublin as a separate province. It’s what they asked for anyway back when they demanded that funding and predicted they’d win 1 in every 3 football all Ireland and 1/5 hurling. Give them a bye into the quarters or whatever but inevitably they will have to be divided, I think four is reasonable then let them play out their own championship.
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This time is different. I think the juxtaposition of tipp and cavans achievements against the hopelessness of Leinster, just hours apart will turn public opinion.
What Leinster county board will be brave enough to withdraw? The mere suggestion of it will see croke park offer all sorts of money, that might be enough to quiet gombeen men.
Using yesterday as an argument for a knock out championship makes no sense in my view. If a surprise team wins the all Ireland that would be the time for that argument.
The provincial championships have always been straight knock out. It wouldn’t take from yesterdays wins in the slightest if donegal and Cork were now still in the championship. It didn’t take from the likes of monaghan, sligo or roscommon winning them in recent years. Especially because the presence of Dublin means it doesn’t give cavan or tipp any better chance of winning the all Ireland really.
In fact I think in cavans case going into the super 8s and playing three big games, one of them at home, would be far preferable for fans and players in a normal year than only having just one more game where they are going to get the faeces kicked out of them by Dublin and end the year on a low.
The problem with Dublin is directly connected to the decline of the Irish soccerball team. Up to about 2010 young Jackeens aspired to being the next Robbie Keane but as his star waned a new hero in the form of, let’s say Alan Brogan emerged. He could do great deeds, win All-Irelands and was approachable. The FAI became irrelevant, the GAA harnessed up the pony and here we are. All the soccerball crowds fault.
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Soccer is still just as popular. Gaa has made fuck all inroads into working class Dublin.
Yes.
Dublin and particularly Dessie Farrell are terrified of this current crop from Tipp.
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The same argument was made for the rugby guys when they were on a high - Shure you meet them down in Spar at the deli counter
Is soccer as strong as it once was in working class communities in Dublin ??
I agree with you that GAA still struggles in certain parts of Dublin . That is scary in one way as think if they fully harnessed that demographic
Utterly shitting their togs I am reliably formed
You’d wonder what the intrepid Jimmy Sloyan is thinking. An ambush would have apocalyiptic repercussions. Be great though.
Soccer is literally the be all and end all. The English premier league though. Interest in the Ireland team would be minimal. GAA even smaller and rugby zero. The GAA are hardly spreading properly into half the city I’d say.