While population is, undoubtedly, an advantage. If it was the advantage it was cracked up to be then all the top teams in the country would be made up largely of counties with the top ten populations.
Instead take division one, which it would be fair enough to say is comprised of the top 8 teams or at least close enough to it. Monaghan the 29th most populous county in Ireland, Kerry the 15th most populated, Mayo 17th, Tyrone 10th, Dublin 1st, Kildare 7th, Donegal 13th, Galway 5th. So 3 out of the top 8 are in the top 8 for populations, 3 from the 2nd 8 most populous, 1 from the next 8, and 1 from the bottom 8.
Div 2 is split 2 from each group of 8.
So while more populated counties are marginally more likely to have better teams it doesnât really hold at all.
To put it simply Cork currently being average while having twice the population of everyone below Dublin is generally the best argument you can make that population is not everything.
Itâs an advantage definitely, but management, underage structures, county boards, fundraising etc. are all as important if not more important.
Population is just one of at least four factors that has separated Dublin from the rest. Other counties rather than try to match Dublin at those other levels first have instead thrown their hands up in the air and said sure what can we do, rather than looking at the things they can fix.
The likes of Meath, Kildare, Limerick, Cork, Antrim, Wicklow, Wexford, Derry, Down, Galway etc. shouldnât be looking at Dublin and moaning, they should be looking at the likes of Monaghan (a team with no all Ireland win so tradition excuse not valid) and asking how the fuck are they doing that.
Cork are a mess and more traditionally a hurling county
Monaghans achievement is an outlier in the modern age and a tremendous credit to them.
Dublin are tremendously organised, and have a football tradition. Its impossible to overstate how much of an advantage this is. Throw in the population, location and home advantage and its difficult to see them now win a handful of All Irelands each year going forward.
Sure what harm is that? Kerry & Dublin have always dominated Gaelic. As long as they donât walk every all Ireland them winning a few every so often is good for the game.
The difference now is that the chasm (cc @patspillane) is growing and will continue to grow as a result of them finally properly harnessing all of these natural advantages. Its unlikely to be a âfewâ.
It is to Dublins credit, I never said otherwise? Iâve in fact repeatedly said that they are organised and properly harnessing their advantages. It doesnât make it any less worrisome for the competitiveness of a poorly structured competition.
No sane person is suggesting Leitrim should up their game to match Dublin. But if London can reach a Connacht final recently then it should be an attainable goal for Leitrim.
Weâre not talking about reaching mickey mouse provincial finals. They can be reached by dint of a lucky draw. This is about teams matching Dublin or giving them a decent game. Only 2 can at the business end of the game in recent years, and only one in the immediate past/present.
