[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 810093, member: 24”]Relax on Dublin. They have won nothing yet. They went out of the Championship last year in a whimper as defending Champions - should have been beaten by Laois and beaten by Mayo. I accept that they have changed this year, the biggest introduction has been Mannion who looks a real player but things were close against a only decent Meath side in the Leinster final. Those forwards you speak of include Connolly (who I recall one game which could be described as anything near match winning) and O’Gara who started the last day.
Of the teams left I think Dublin will win it but I still think they have a lot to prove to justify all this hype that surrounds them.[/quote]
O’Gara only started due to injury to Andrews. Andrews is just as important as Mannion but doesn’t get half the credit. When Mannion, Andrews and Brogan all start they play at a different level.
When you have such an advantage in terms of population and money devoted to preparation and the expectation that you’re going to dominate the game for the next decade, there isn’t much kick in winning. I love the way the current Dublin team play and it would be great to see a team winning the All-Ireland playing like that, but I honestly couldn’t take much joy from i) consigning Mayo to a seventh All-Ireland final defeat since 1989 or ii) beating a county with a population of 63,000 who, if they do reach the final, more than likely wouldn’t get another chance to win it for years, possibly in my lifetime (Monaghan).
When Dublin beat Kerry in 2011 I think I wrote that I felt quite sad the next morning as I knew that anything that happened in future would never top it. That’s because Dublin hadn’t even contested a final for 16 years, were genuine underdogs, and won it coming from behind in the most dramatic fashion possible. That builds up a lot of credit to sustain you through future defeats but it also means that the same kick from winning won’t be there in future.
The real kick comes from beating the teams you see as your main rivals. That’s Kerry, Cork and Donegal and to a lesser extent Tyrone at the moment. Beating Mayo or Monaghan in a final would carry very little kick. I’ll put it like this - if Dublin lost to Mayo or Monaghan in a final, I’d have a hell of a lot more fun that night than after a victory. It would also be tremendous for the game from a bigger picture perspective.
The hurling is a lot more important as far as I’m concerned this year than the football.
Ok - saying that they won nothing wasn’t accurate. But what I am getting at is that the way this current team is spoke about you would swear they had won the All Ireland already. I am pointing out that while they did win in 2011, 2012 form was poor mainly (there were a lot of matches that they just about got through) and both need to be considered.
For a Dublin fan maybe. Look at Cork in 2012 and 2011. League winners, but a quarter final exit in 2011 and a semi final exit in 2012. Those years won’t have been considered very successful .
Completely agree. Cork are a team who have the players to do it but you are never sure with them. Still lets wait and see.
It’s not even in question. Dublin were stale throughout the whole of last year’s league and championship. The same as Donegal have been this year and almost every reigning champion since 1990. It was only to be expected. If Dublin win it this year (which they will) I think you’ll see a much stronger bid to retain the title as there won’t be near the same euphoria as in 2011.
Ah FFS sake, this is a forum. You’re supposed to evaluate teams after one league match.
[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 810136, member: 24”]Possibly - their team is young and they have decent underage teams. But I’m not sure how you can say that with confidence.[/quote] Dublin haven’t had decent underage teams in the last few years. They’ve produced a litany of players with the ability to dominate the game for the next decade. It’s frightening. This group of players comfortably has more talent than the Kerry team of the last decade. In years to come the 2011 All-Ireland Minor final result will be seen as the biggest shock of all time in GAA. Dublin will lose a few matches for sure over the coming decade but All-Ireland victories will come to be seen as the rule rather than the exception.
Hunegal deserved every bit of criticism they got after 2011. Fair play to Donegal, they turned it around last year but Hunegal have been horrible to watch again this year.
Probably slightly contradicting myself but as I’ve said many times Gaelic football isn’t that skilful a game where tactics can’t beat or close the gap significantly on the strong counties and it renders obsolete any notion of a two tier championship. Good tactics will get you a long way. Teams can improve hugely in a short space of time. But Dublin (SuperDubs) will beat you anyway.
[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 810101, member: 24”]An All Ireland two years ago. A meek surrender last year.
National League - I said that they look better this year. But not even you consider a League much of an honour.
Leinster title - they won about 10 of them in the last 12 years and have only 1 All Ireland.
Don’t get me wrong - they look good and they will probably win it. But this stuff which fenwaypark was saying was way over the top and typical of the comments around this Dublin team.[/quote]
In fairness Farmer, anyone can call them great when they have a bundle of AI in the bag. FP is entitled to call it up front.
Biggest question for me is how they will react under serious pressure from a top tier side, lot of younger players wont have experienced anything like the onslaught from a MO, KY or DL in last 20 mins of tight AI final.
Think based on what we have seen thy have the potential to be outstanding. The pace thy play at is frightening
They should have won AI in 2010 as well just tied up late against Cork in the semi. Team has progressed significantly since then when they were massively reliant on the Brogans to the point thy now rely on neither.
[quote=“Sidney, post: 810096, member: 183”]All-Ireland 2011
National League 2013
Leinster title 2013[/quote]
Was it you Sid who you told me before that Cork can’t be judged in leagues or the All Ireland cos it was too long ago? As in 2010, the year before 2011.
For all Dublin’s talent, of which there appears to be quite a lot, the liability that is Diarmuid Connolly still gets his game, and Denis Bastick is still on the fringes. Just doesn’t add up. For now.
I see Cork have name an unchanged 15 for the game against Dublin. I am guessing this another Dummy team by Counihan.
Cork XV (v Dublin) Alan Quirke; Eoin Cadogan, Michael Shields, Thomas Clancy; Damien Cahalane, Graham Canty, James Loughrey; Alan O’Connor, Pearse O’Neill; Mark Collins, Aidan Walsh, John O’Rourke; Daniel Goulding, Ciaran Sheehan, Brian Hurley.
[quote=“tazdedub, post: 810354, member: 312”]I see Cork have name an unchanged 15 for the game against Dublin. I am guessing this another Dummy team by Counihan.
Cork XV (v Dublin) Alan Quirke; Eoin Cadogan, Michael Shields, Thomas Clancy; Damien Cahalane, Graham Canty, James Loughrey; Alan O’Connor, Pearse O’Neill; Mark Collins, Aidan Walsh, John O’Rourke; Daniel Goulding, Ciaran Sheehan, Brian Hurley.[/quote]
Paul Kerrigan’s omission is very strange. For me, he has been one of the best performers (in some case the only performer) for Cork in the last two years.
