Fao Ncc

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Just got this from Herald.ie, thought it might interest you buddy?

New Dubs blueprint

By Conor McKeon

Wednesday June 03 2009

PAT Gilroy has taken last year’s Dublin championship team sheet and shredded it completely in naming the first summer side of his managerial reign for Sunday’s Croker clash with old rivals Meath.

There are a whopping eight changes from the team which flopped out of last year’s championship to Tyrone, with four championship debutants included in Gilroy’s maiden Leinster SFC line-up.

Dennis Bastick and Alan Hubbard will make their first summer starts in blue in the full-back line alongside experienced campaigner David Henry. Ger Brennan, who played a minor role in the 2007 championship from the bench, is named on a championship Dublin team sheet for the first time at centre-half back, while Kilmacud Crokes’ Mark Davoren will make his bow at full-forward.

Gone from the team is midfield stalwart Ciarn Whelan, Dublin’s only current All Star Shane Ryan, and the panel’s sole All-Ireland medalist, Jason Sherlock.

Another notable absentee from the 2008 team is Bryan Cullen, while in attack Kevin Bonner, Toms Quinn and Diarmuid Connolly have all been jettisoned from the starting ranks. The eighth player from last year’s side not to feature is Colin Moran, who has since retired through injury.

There are also a couple of notable positional switches, with Ross McConnell starting in midfield alongside Darren Magee following a two-year stint at full-back. Paul Griffin, who captains the side, is also on the move after being named at right-half back.

Paddy Andrews has made a late surge to nail down the centre-forward spot alongside Fingallians’ Paul Flynn and Bernard Brogan. Andrews started last season’s championship opener against Louth but lost his place to Flynn for the Westmeath match.

Meanwhile, Toms Quinn could be struggling to even make the bench for Sunday after badly spraining an ankle last week.

DUBLIN (SF v Meath): S Cluxton; D Henry, D Bastick, A Hubbard; P Griffin, G Brennan, B Cahill; R McConnell, D Magee; P Flynn, P Andrews, B Brogan; C Keaney, M Davoren, A Brogan.

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cheers MBB - i am at the end of my tether with that team & leinster football in general

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Fair changes though to be fair, could go one way or the other. The inclusion of Andrews at CHF is a great idea. Nearly time someone dropped Cullen also, been cruising for too long.

Ryan, Whelan, Sherlock all beaten dockets at this point. To be honest, thats a decent Dublin team, but they will need to get off to a flyer so as Mickey can resist the temptation to empty the bench if things go wrong.

Meath will go in with everything flying this weekend, animals.

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Ryan is by no means a beaten docket MBB.

Jury out on Bastick.
Hubbard too small and light
Flynn or Andrews not inter county standard imo
Davoren deserves chance but not convinced by him.

Dubs definitely there for the taking i think

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That looks a decent team to me too. Full forward line is really dangerous and I think Bernard Brogan will have a break-out year. I reckon he’ll play in the corner, with either Keaney or his brother in the half forward line. Not sure about Andrews at centre forward and Hubbard is a dwarf but it’s a solid enough team all round. I think I’m going to toddle along to this both for scouting reasons and because Dublin/Meath games rarely disappoint.

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Think I’ll go to this one as well. Give the jackeens some credit they bring some atmosphere to Croker. Reckon dublin should win at a canter, meath are awful average.

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Dubliners are the atmosphere in Croke Park. :clap:

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Where has Kilkennys finest,Diarmuid Connolly gone?,surely Dublins best forward over the past 2 seasons and only a chap still.Im guessing Gilroy doesnt like his lifestyle,id consider that a mistake from the manager,a young lad like him van be fixed especially when hes one of the best footballers in Dublin,theyre from the same club arent they?

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don’t know how lads are calling this a strong Dublin team…its so unproven…good to see McConnell midfield, hope he has a big one…never seen Andrews play centre forward, don’t know if he’ll stay there…Wouldn’t call Whelan or Sherlock a beaten docket by any stretch…would be two very good lads to bring on in my opinion…think Its well known Gilroy has no time for Shane…Bernard brogan is the real deal in my book…has everything to be a top class player and not as greedy as the bro…keaney is only back from a bout of the mumps…Davoren deserves a start on his club form but I’d agree that the jury is still out…at least the good thing about him is he likes to stay in around the goals to sniff out a goal…which has been a problem for Dublin over last few years where every forward runs out and nobody is left inside…Meath were shocking last time I saw them play…as someone else said Dublin will need a good start with so many debutants in the team…I’d expect them to win though by 5 + points…

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Injured as far as i know

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[quote=“thedancingbaby”]Ryan is by no means a beaten docket MBB.

Jury out on Bastick.
Hubbard too small and light
Flynn or Andrews not inter county standard imo
Davoren deserves chance but not convinced by him.

Dubs definitely there for the taking i think[/QUOTE]

Nah, Ryan wont ever reach teh standards he did last year again, its down hill from here. Doesnt have it for midfield any longe rimo, possibly never had anyway, but got away on cuteness, fair play to him for that.

Basticks jury may be out but hes still the best you’ve got back there.

Hubbards hasn’t been caught out yet and looked decent anytime I saw him.

Flynn is dirt.

Andrews is the real deal.

Davoren will get you goals.

Brogan the younger is better than the older lad, good and cocky too. Put money on himself to win an all star last year, gotta admire that sort of cockiness.

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Don’t understand the logic on Ryan at all MBB. All star last year so finished this year, sure that makes no sense.

Don’t think Davoren is up to it either.

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I got the call to dust off the oul boots and line out in midfield. I told them to fuck right off.

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[quote=“therock67”]Don’t understand the logic on Ryan at all MBB. All star last year so finished this year, sure that makes no sense.

Don’t think Davoren is up to it either.[/QUOTE]

Didnt think he deserved the All Star last year rocko. To be honest I think he was an average half back who plugged a hole for Dublin at midfield but to me he caused more problems that be solved. He upset the balance of the team.

He’s some fucking athlete, but his starting showed up all the problems Dublin had to be honest. I think its an awful shame he didnt stick to the hurling actually.

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[quote=“myboyblue”]Didnt think he deserved the All Star last year rocko. To be honest I think he was an average half back who plugged a hole for Dublin at midfield but to me he caused more problems that be solved. He upset the balance of the team.

He’s some fucking athlete, but his starting showed up all the problems Dublin had to be honest. I think its an awful shame he didnt stick to the hurling actually.[/QUOTE]

I’m not sure I’d have given him an All Star last year either but to drop from even being a nominee to going out of the Dublin side entirely is a big fall and it’s not really merited IMO.

He’s been consistent in a team crying out for consistency. He’s not the most natural footballer in the world but any team worth their salt should be able to employ his athletic ability effectively.

Agreed on the hurling though, that was his game.

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I’ve been very impressed by Davoren on the occasions I’ve seen him, which admittedly are few enough. Tall, athletic, good movement, goal getter - what’s not to like?

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there was actually an incident before a league match in a hotel regarding a pre match feed and him going up for a second helpings of bacon and sausages…apparantly Gilroy was just there gobsmacked looking at Rhino stuffing his face…:clap:

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Not really convinced by that team. Think there will be at least three or four changes in personnel come the quarter-finals if we are still involved by then. The spine of the team is very inexperienced and some of them haven’t convinced me. Brennan at centre back is slow and I think Cullen may be back there before long.

Darren Magee has had a very good winter but I’ve never fancied him as a starting inter-county midfielder while Andrews is another I wouldn’t be sold on at all yet. Certainly looks as if Gilroy doesn’t like Ryan, he’s had a very peripheral role up to now and looked overweight when I’ve seen him. Davoren has excellent ball winning ability and and is a good target man, but looks a bit awkward as a footballer.

Lots of talk about how the management would rather go the back door route, can’t understand that logic at all as a new management team would be under serious pressure with a loss against Meath in their first game.

No proper placekicker in that team either. Certainly think Cullen, Connolly, and one or more of Vaughan (for place kicks - still don’t rate him that highly as a footballer), Sherlock, Ryan, and Whelan will be back in come August. Think Dublin will just about do enough to win on Sunday by about two or three points but would definitely expect Meath to raise their game and realy put it up to us. Hopefully the class up front and a stronger bench will mean Dublin should be stronger as the game wears on.

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Hopefully we get dumped out by the animals and then there will be a few good rail trips on the horizon. Failing to win Leinster for a change might not be a bad thing, especially if the Blue Army get a jolly boys outing to Clones or Thurles as a result.

COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE

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is that the real reason you are here?

Or is your undercover mission for the Lords still operational?