The Dominance of Dublin GAA Mod warning post#1

Strumms · 28-09-2021 03:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950172#Comment_117950172

Haha, I’ve spoken about it many times, in detail, put forward my own views, people can agree, disagree, whatever and debate away, you should try it yourself sometime , your contribution as above is not exactly the barometer of maturity or lending to an informed debate. I hope you are enjoying your tongue out Tuesday. ;)

flasher0030 · 29-09-2021 02:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924917#Comment_117924917

Ha Ha, you make it sound like the greatest team of all time just arrived out of nowhere, and that's why the titles increased. The greatest team of all time became the greatest team over a period of time - through training, committment, sacrifices etc. But those issues relate to all intercounty teams. So what has allowed Dublin to take that extra leap from being the type of team that they were in the '90s and '00s to 6-in-a-row champions in recent times? Could you hazard a guess? Tooth fairy maybe??

blanch152 · 29-09-2021 03:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117954190#Comment_117954190

You said it in your own post - the greatest team of all time became the greatest team over a period of time - through training, commitment, sacrifices etc. I would add two more ingredients - natural talent (some of the best players of all time) and great leadership (Cluxton and Gavin).

Of course Dublin saw an increase in titles won because of the GOAT, and that happened at underage as well as senior. It has stopped at underage, which tells you that it was about the talent, not the money, because all the GDOs are still there, teaching the children and helping the under-privileged.

tritium · 18-10-2021 09:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950177#Comment_117950177

wait, I thought the coaches were there to hone the army of AIG robots. Didn’t you tell us they weren’t there to get kids playing the game at all?

If you can't even agree on the story, it just shows you how weak the argument is…..

tritium · 18-10-2021 09:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117954190#Comment_117954190

Possibly the same thing that enabled Mickey Hartes Tyrone to make the transition. Or the last great Kerry team after a relative famine of success….

gormdubhgorm · 02-02-2022 11:47PM

I am interested to see how those with the Dublin GAA dominance narrative are going to frame the current state of Dublin inter county football?

According to many of those a Dublin 10 in a row looked inevitable etc.

Such people now have to frame the decline of Dublin inter county football in another manner?

Because for such people it will completely contradict many a narrative previously put forth - to now say Dublin’s success was cyclical for example.

That would mean such people admitting such things as - A once off group of players - a keeper who redefined the position, who was a crucial cog in the team. A team who had stamina, strength, football intelligence, skill, movement awareness etc.

A manager in Jim Gavin who survived in games because of his tactical nous on the sideline. Example - Even when a man down against Kerry in the drawn final 2019

https://youtu.be/kHR1RftyFr4

Such people will now have to recognise such tactical genius/bravery, application, calmness under pressure. It cannot be brought, thought or transferred. A person or team either has those ingredients or they don’t.

The current state of the Dublin squad proves it. There are only two ‘Dublin Greats’ IMO yet to reach their peak Con O’Callaghan and Brian Fenton. The rest are on the downward slope. The replacements for former greats are not near the same quality.

There are a lot of similarities IMO between Meath Ladies Football manager Eamon Murray and former Dublin manager Jim Gavin. Great tactical nous. I was at that AI final and Meath as well as been superb players were tactically spot on. Great structure and pattern of play.

They should dominate ladies football for the next few years IMO.

rolling boh · 03-02-2022 09:26AM

Think this thread will quiten down a bit proberly to be replaced by gloating and posters asking why we are not winning with all the money etc .

gormdubhgorm · 03-02-2022 12:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574143#Comment_118574143

That was the way it was in the mid 00's those from outside Dublin. Those in the game used to be really condescending towards Dublin. They used to go on about the 'colour' and 'atmosphere' Dublin fans brought. Half laughing at some of the supporters bravado - with nothing to back it up.

But at the same time the same commentators used to question why 'The Dubs' do not produce 'footballers'. Given their population etc. Dublin were not feared - in fact many a player who played against that Dublin era knew they could be 'got at'. They knew that Dublin would fold when it came to the crunch. They also knew Dublin had not many players who were a threat. They were also defensively suspect. I have seen plenty of former players/managers who played against Dublin of that era openly said such things like that on Laochra Gael etc.

In the last decade Dublin finally did produce 'footballers'. And not only that had a manager who knew how to keep it going. But IMO Dublin were lucky as well that Kerry were on a downward cycle at the time. And their great side was breaking up. Also Tyrone were held back by Micky Harte's tactics - despite having great forwards. Mayo were the only team to put it up to Dublin, but when it came to crunch did not have what it took between the ears IMO. Donegal only knew one way of playing, and seemed like a one trick pony at times. Once they were figured out that was it.

At the moment it is different. I would honestly rate the current Dublin football squad at about 7th/8th in the country. There are now three teams clear head of Dublin - Mayo, Tyrone, Kerry. IMO I would rate Mayo as having the best squad. But they lack the calmness and although Horan is good manager. Silly mistakes and an inconsistent keeper seems to let them down. Tyrone have been let off the leash tactically and now go at teams.

I honestly think Monaghan, Donegal, Cork, Galway etc now have the beating of this Dublin squad on any given day. Suddenly it is much of muchness. Even Kildare/Meath would fancy their chances of a scalp against the Dubs IMO.

At the time of writing Dublin were just beaten well by Armagh in the league in the previous league opener. It was aimless stuff by Dublin. That Dublin supporters have seen time and time again at this stage. Whether it is because the players are not up to following instructions or if it is a tactical choice by Dessie Farrell - I don't know

Sideways passes for the sake of it. Easy to defend against. No change and injection of pace. A player is now not given options. Before a Dublin player would have at least two options in support. That was not there. There used to be angles and clever movement all around the pitch. That is now gone.

A good few of Comerford's kick outs were verging towards the 'hit and hope'. And the ball was lost. Would never have seen that under Cluxton. Cluxton would have settled the game down when required. Picked a long range pass or quickly go short when required. There was a clear void there when Dublin were under pressure in the Armagh game.

Davy Byrne was poor at full back - filling in. Howard was tried at centre back - he offered little protection. There is hope that the old men of the Dublin team Cooper and McCarthy could return and paper over the cracks. Both men passed their 30's at 32 and 31 respectively

Then of course there was the fear players had shooting in the Armagh game. Holding on to the ball for the sake of it and then repeatedly running into traffic into the corners. Then when Dublin did shoot it was panicky shots. I remember one part of the match which summed it up. Costello - one of Dublin's few experienced forwards with pace now. Rather than break the lines when he was outside the Armagh 45 they passed the ball back and forth in long passes. Costello claimed a mark. He then proceeded to hook it wide. Dean Rock came on for Costello - ok I thought he might drag Dublin back into it with frees. But Rock was off form - he missed about 3/4 frees he would normally get with his eyes closed. Dublin had no other cards to play that was it. Dean Rock on frees!

Aaron Byrne - a promising Dublin player (for those not following Dublin football closely) had gone off injured. Ryan Basquel was anonymous. There are now no Dublin young up and coming players who really stand out. That those outside Dublin talk about. Archer was talked about within Dublin but early promise at underage by him has not materialised, thus far.

In other games Dublin supporters have questioned Farrell's decisions on the sideline. Late subs - slow to make changes where are required in a game. IMO it is combination of not having the same level of players as before and not being tactically astute.

At the time of writing Dublin have to travel to Tralee to play Kerry in their second league game. I honestly expect Kerry to win comfortably. By at least 6 points. I believe the bookies have it wrong the handicap is +2 Dublin. At this point I would take a 'battling performance' and a narrow loss. It would at least show progress.That a cohesive rebuild with a pattern of play is starting. Currently I see no pattern. It is wing and prayer stuff.

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Then of course there is a complete rebuild of the Dublin ladies team required. That is another story.

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I do wonder why posters such as @Enquiring have not been on here to at least try and explain Dublin's dramatic fall off in such a short period of time. Given that such posters take a keen interest in Dublin GAA, and the previous narrative they have repeated ad nauseam. Such posters have been watching closely - I assume? Or have they now lost interest? The next question is why have such posters lost interest all of a sudden???

rolling boh · 03-02-2022 12:50PM

Would agree with the above post looking back at the last game we were unrecognisable from the last few years I never use wides as reason really for defeat a team has to score to win and missing chances shows in general something lacking . Over the last year the management has definitely let things slip and while I hope I am wrong think it could end ugly this year .Of course we will never know but having to battle both Kerry and Tyrone from a few years back would have meant far harder to win the All Ire having said that Mayo were a very serious team and very unlucky to meet us at our peak . We have had an unbelievable decade or so and for that reason am happy to follow the team now and hope for the best . Think we can still be competitive but not good enough to win for a couple years at least .

gormdubhgorm · 03-02-2022 12:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575041#Comment_118575041

At best it could be 4/5 years before Dublin football looks competitive again IMO. At worst this could be a slow decline for a decade or more. And Dublin supporters are just left with the old clips and chatting about the great Dubs of the past. As the 11-20 era do the after dinner circuit.

I still don't count the AI win under Dessie Farrell by the way. It was a weird GAA season with the COVID, championship structure changes etc. Other counties had their Aussie Rules stars grounded, which changed the course of the AI championship completely. Had a preseason feel to it IMO.

rolling boh · 03-02-2022 01:22PM

Think things broke handy for Dessie alright but I will take the win it was known from the start how it would proceed. I remember guys saying when the backdoor came in they wouldn't go to games if their team was beaten.They said once you are beaten that's it its wrong to let teams back in .Times change of course .

StupidLikeAFox · 03-02-2022 01:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118573415#Comment_118573415

I wouldnt be so harsh on your own team there, an injury time loss in an all ireland sf and one match lost in January is hardly a catastrophe?

Anyway, i know that other counties have implemented similar coaching structures to the ones that were designed and funded especially for Dublin, largely off their own steam, without the level help that Dublin got from the gaa in the last 20 years or so, so it might actually be working! It's a shame that they are playing catchup and couldn't depend on the special treatment Dublin got for years - but at least things might be a bit more competitive in the next while which is better for the gaa on the whole

Anyway, I'm sure if Dublin continue to slide that the gaa will come to your rescue again, "the gaa need a strong dublin" etc etc

bucketybuck · 03-02-2022 02:26PM

It seems very premature for people to start saying one game or one season puts to bed any arguments here.

You have a discussion framed in decades, that funding over a decade led to unprecedented success over following decades.

A dip in that success is not only unsurprising, it was inevitable and predicted by many. And that dip occurring does not change the fundamental question at hand.

I still see Dublin as one of the top teams in the country. I still see their club sides dominating, their ladies teams hugely successful, their hurlers continuing to compete at the highest level.

Armagh may have won a football game in January but the gap in numbers between my county and Dublin remains so unbridgeable that we might as well give it up completely.

I would suggest that anybody who thinks Dublin not winning every single title means there is no problem there, did not actually understand the problem in the first place.

rolling boh · 03-02-2022 03:07PM

I think part of the argument has been some Dubs fans recognised that we had an exceptional group of players come together at around the same time .Other people just kept pushing the resources line and that the players were more or manufactured and that would continue .Dublin will always be at least reasonably competitive generally takes a serious contender to knock them out.Like loads of teams before them lose a couple of key players and you are right back in the pack again .Dublin have always had a potential big pick of bodies and played most of their games in Croke Park while obviously its a big help was not such an issue when we were beaten year in year out by better teams .While it would be great to see loads of teams in the mix each year it never or likely to be the case .

blanch152 · 03-02-2022 05:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575598#Comment_118575598

A dip in that success is not only unsurprising, it was inevitable and predicted by many. And that dip occurring does not change the fundamental question at hand.

I think you are rewriting the history of this thread here. Those who put Dublin's success down to funding were of the opinion that we would see ten in a row. Those who put Dublin's success down to a once-in-a-lifetime collection of great players (including the greatest GAA footballer of all time) together with a great manager were the ones who predicted a dip in success.

The dip therefore lends support to the latter view rather than the former. It wasn't the money, it was Jim Gavin, Stephen Cluxton and another seven or eight all-time greats.

StupidLikeAFox · 03-02-2022 05:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576755#Comment_118576755

Well it was obviously a combination of both factors

blanch152 · 03-02-2022 05:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576764#Comment_118576764

If that is the case, then why are Dublin having a dip now?

StupidLikeAFox · 03-02-2022 05:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576769#Comment_118576769

They are having a dip because they lost those players and are in transition - nobody is denying that. That doesn't negate the additional resources and advantages they enjoyed over the past couple of decades.

Also lots of counties copied he model and funded their own gpos as well - they didn't have the advantage of funding or the headstart Dublin got on that but are likely seeing the benefits now and catching up a bit

blanch152 · 03-02-2022 05:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576857#Comment_118576857

But if the funding made such a difference, the replacements would be on a par and queueing up, sure weren't Dublin able to run 4 teams of equal ability according to some posters only a short 18 months ago. Losing seven or eight on the single team to retirement shouldn't have made any difference to transition.

The hyperbole about Dublin dominance was always overblown. This was just the greatest football team of all time and we have been so lucky to see them.

gormdubhgorm · 03-02-2022 06:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576874#Comment_118576874

Yeah that was the narrative alright the conveyor belt was endless. A certain Kildare journalist living abroad was very fond of propagating that line. Claiming it was not a once in generation set of players. Completely ignoring the fact how key the older legends were to Dublin's success. If all this money made such a difference and that narrative was true all the structures now in place - and mystical 'sports science' which many see as a panacea to everything - the conveyor belt would be ticking along. And as Dub supporters we would be talking about 4/5 lads who look like the next best things to light up Gaelic football. As you rightly pointed out in another post. Where is the underage success for Dublin football??

Another factor in how Dublin dominated that is often conveniently overlooked was because how weak Kildare and Meath let themselves get. Boylan was papering over the Meath cracks for years.

Micko raised the bar in Kildare with the Micko factor - as band of imports who followed him there.

But suddenly Kildare and Meath not only struggled against Dublin - it was not uncommon for Westmeath - Carlow - Wicklow or Longford would beat or put it up to them. For many a year Dublin were the sole representative in division 1. That was not Dublin's fault

Looking more closely at Kildare and Meath in Leinster 2010-2020

It is fairly eye opening when you look at it through the prism of shock defeats and struggles Meath and Kildare suffered in those years - against the teams they should be beating from Leinster.

It is all the more stark when you look at it through the prism of population - often used as a stick to beat Dublin with in the past when calling for a split

2010

Leinster Championship

Kildare: beaten by Louth by 7 points in the Leinster QF

Population

Kildare: 222,504

Louth: 128, 884

2012 - 2014

Leinster Championships

Meath and Kildare defeat each other

Population

Meath: 195, 444

Kildare: 222,504

--

2015

Leinster Championship

Meath lose to Westmeath

Population

Meath: 195,444

Westmeath: 88,700

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2016

Leinster Senior Football Championship

Kildare

Scraping by Wicklow in the QF's and losing v Westmeath in the SF

Population:

Wicklow: 142,425

Kildare: 222,504

Westmeath: 88,700

(Meath 195, 444 lost to Derry in the qualifiers population 107,877. Many of whose population would not mind if the GAA would not exist)

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2018

Leinster football championship

Meath

Shocked by Longford in the Leinster QF by 2 points

Kildare

Shocked by Carlow in the QF by 7 points

Population:

Meath: 195,444

Longford: 40,873

Kildare: 222,504

Carlow: 56,932

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2019

Leinster football championship

Kildare

Snuck by Wicklow by 1 point

Taken to a replay by Longford winning by 11

Population:

Kildare: 222,504

Wicklow: 142,425

Longford: 40,873

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As well as how Kerry were in transition as a team. It just so happened that Dublin peaked at the right time. Basically Leinster was at a similar weak level as to what Kerry have had in Munster for many a decade during their successful eras. That is not the fault of Kerry or Dublin. But the fault of an antiquated championship structure. Which has been debated on other threads.

StupidLikeAFox · 03-02-2022 06:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576874#Comment_118576874

I agree, an incredible bunch of players and a joy to watch.

Look, there is no definitive recipe to a great/dominant team, and it is largely down to the players, management, backroom team, county board etc etc. Like it or not, the funding and structures and special treatment that Dublin got is one ingredient in that - you can argue whether it was 1% of the pie or 99% but it definitely didn't have zero influence.

The fact is that a lot of the players you mentioned had professional coaching structures in their clubs long before other counties had the same resources available. Other counties are copying the model now and seeing the benefits, the only difference is they didn't have the headstart/dollars that the gaa gave to Dublin.

bucketybuck · 03-02-2022 06:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576755#Comment_118576755

I am not rewriting anything, my own words in this thread and similar were that:

"Dublin will eventually lose a game, and when it happens it will not change the bigger problem one little bit. Dublin winning 8 of the next 10 All-Irelands is still the same problem as Dublin winning all 10 of them."

Maybe they are about to enter another 20 years of underachievement. Its possible. But one thing for sure is that losing a semi final and underperforming for a period does not negate anything said in this thread to this point, Dublin still wake up tomorrow with 1 million more people and infinitely more funding than my county.

blanch152 · 03-02-2022 07:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118577215#Comment_118577215

I have to disagree. Dublin are now like Kerry in 1983. Many of the great team are now gone, players who had only substitute roles in the great team are having to step up and be leaders and are found wanting, the conveyor belt has dried up. I can't see them replicating the success of the 84-86 Kerry team because too many Dubs are gone and the gap to the next level is bigger than it was in Kerry back then. Sure they could win two of the next five with the echoes of the great team but it is much more likely that a spread of wins will be found. Certainly the idea that Dublin can be divided should be binned now.

NedsNotDead · 03-02-2022 08:10PM

A thread that been dormant for months is restarted by Dublin supporters desperate to prove that because their team is going through a transition period it somehow disproves the fact that Dublin GAA has been hugely overfunded for many years at the expense of other counties.

You couldn't make this up

gormdubhgorm · 03-02-2022 08:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575598#Comment_118575598

It is not premature at all. anyone who watched Dublin's games in the championship last year saw this coming. Without even going into their league performances

Dublin's first game v Wexford (a) Leinster Quarter Final 2021

- Dublin won by a margin of Eight points 0-15-0-7 this however does not tell the whole story. As Dublin laboured in the match and basically won the game by virtue of Cormac Costello's frees

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/dublin-s-tight-win-over-wexford-highlights-team-s-injuries-and-retirements-1.4612457

The headline were as follows -

Dublin’s ‘tight’ win over Wexford highlights team’s injuries and retirements

'Dublin’s surprisingly tight win over Wexford on Sunday, 0-15 to 0-7, was their narrowest victory since defeating Meath in the 2013 Leinster football final.'

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2021/0704/1232970-sluggish-dublin-too-strong-for-gutsy-wexford/

Sluggish Dublin too strong for gutsy Wexford in Leinster

Dublin: Evan Comerford; Michael Fitzsimons, David Byrne, Seán McMahon; James McCarthy, Brian Howard (0-2), Robert McDaid; Brian Fenton (0-2), Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne; Paddy Small, Ciarán Kilkenny (0-1), Niall Scully; Ryan Basquel, Con O’Callaghan, Cormac Costello (0-7, 5 frees).

Subs: Tom Lahiff (0-1) for McDaid inj., (34); Seán Bugler for R. Basquel; Colm Basquel (0-1) for Scully (53); Aaron Byrne for Small (56); Dean Rock (0-1) for Byrne (66).

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Dublin's second game in Leinster 2021 v Meath (n) - Leinster SF 2021

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2021/0718/1235815-dublin-see-off-meath-after-close-contest-at-croke-park/

The headline was as follows -

Dublin see off Meath after close contest at Croke Park

"It wasn't all plain sailing for All-Ireland champions Dublin in Croke Park but they survived a stern second-half challenge from Meath to book their place in the Leinster SFC final.

From trailing by 11 points at half-time, Meath closed the gap to three in the 69th minute and held all the momentum."

Dublin: E Comerford; M Fitzsimons, D Byrne, J Cooper; P O Cofaigh-Byrne, B Howard, S McMahon; B Fenton (0-1), J McCarthy; D Rock (0-2 one free), C Kilkenny (0-5), N Scully; P Small (0-1), C O'Callaghan (1-3), C Costello (1-4 1-0 penalty).

Subs: T Lahiff for O Cofaigh-Byrne half-time, S Bugler for Small 50 mins, C Basquel for Rock 62m, C Murphy for McMahon 74m

.--

Dublin nearly managed to blow an 11 point halftime lead. This never would have happened under previous management.

Final score - 2-16 to 1-13

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Game 3 Dublin v Kildare (n) Leinster Final 2021

I was at this game and remember it well because Kildare played it cagey for much of the game. Yet despite this one of the few times Kildare ran at the Dublin defence they scored a goal. A magic one from Daniel Flynn.

I remember not been happy about that fact that Dublin were looking so sloppy the only time their defence was really questioned. Dublin won 0-20 to 1-09

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https://www.the42.ie/dublin-kildare-leinster-sfc-final-report-5512388-Aug2021/

Headline -

Kildare show up well in Leinster final but Dublin make it 11 titles in-a-row

"The eight point winning margin was Dublin’s lowest in a provincial decider since 2013, so credit must go to Kildare for a spirited display. However, a tally of 1-9 was never going to beat Dublin and realistically they needed another two goals to stand a chance of causing a major upset.

After missing nine of 18 shots in the opening period, Dublin scored 11 out of their 12 shots at the posts after half-time. It wasn’t a vintage display but they showed good composure to manage the game in the second-half. Colm Basquel had a late goal ruled out for over carrying when a green flag would have put a gloss on this win.

Dublin aren’t blowing teams away but they’re still alive and kicking. Dessie Farrell’s side find themselves in the last four of the All-Ireland series and are 70 minutes away from their seventh final in succession

It was Dublin’s most consistent performance of the championship, although they’re still playing a level or two below their brilliant best of recent years. Farrell lacks the sort of punch off his bench they had during the Jim Gavin era. They’ve scored just a point off the bench in their wins over Meath and Kildare, with Ryan Basquel contributing the sole score by a substitute today"

Scorers for Dublin: Dean Rock 0-5 (0-3f), Ciaran Kilkenny 0-4 (0-1m), Cormac Costello 0-4, Niall Scully (0-1m) 0-2, James McCarthy, Brian Howard, Paddy Small, Con O’Callaghan and Ryan Basquel 0-1 each..-

Game 4 Dublin v Mayo (n) AI Semi Final

Couldn't get tickets for this because of the hames of things made on ticketmaster but that is another story. The way I remember it Dublin were unable to kill the game. And got more and more edgy. Davy Byrne played a ball across his own square after a poor pass and the rest is history. It was very similar to the Meath match I remember saying only this time Dublin got caught.

I actually predicted a Mayo win and I am sure you can find it if you trawl back to the relevant threads. I saw the signs.

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https://www.the42.ie/dublin-mayo-croke-park-2-5523155-Aug2021/

Headline -

Mayo claim incredible All-Ireland semi-final win as Dublin's reign as champions ends

"and this was an extraordinary semi-final success for the Westerners after they trailed by seven points during the first half and were down six at the break.

Scorers for Dublin: Dean Rock 0-7 (0-5f), Ciarán Kilkenny 0-3 (0-1f), Paddy Small 0-2, Con O’Callaghan, Seán Bugler 0-1 each.

--

To say the signs were not there only shows you have not been watching Dublin football very carefully. It is not about the Armagh result it is culmination of poor performances from Dublin.

In the league that year Dublin beat the Rossies by 9 - drew with Kerry - only because Dublin managed 4 goals .

Galway only lost by 4 and Donegal, only lost by the same margin.

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And it is not only the results it is the manner of the Dublin performances that have been shocking, echoing that first game in Leinster v Wexford sluggish - devoid of ideas - depending on frees mostly - and lacking pace.

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You mention the Dublin clubs - it is 2015 since a Dublin football club won a football AI - Boden who were lucky in two games - one v Clontarf and the other v Portlaoise. Bad management by the opponent (Clontarf) and poor shooting (Portaloise) meant they survived. Boden were a man down v tarf and a good few points - MDM was sent off.

Even in the recent decade Dublin clubs have managed to lose to counties they should not have lost to.

Rathnew (Wicklow) beat Vinnies

Mulinanughta (Longford) beat Kilmacud

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You mention the Dublin hurlers - but no AI SF since 2013 no league since 2011. Still have not reached an AI hurling final in my lifetime. It was done with imports from other counties - Limerick - Tipp - Galway etc = and Dalo's (from Clare) management. The current hurling Dublin team are a well gelled outfit - still not good enough against the top tier. At club level Cuala are a Dublin hurling oasis in Dalkey very unusual - but sometimes a club can drive on - Mattie Kenny the common factor. And of course Cuala have Con O'Calaghan who is an excellent dual star.

If the Dublin Domination theory was true - Dublin hurling would now have kicked on in the last decade. They went backwards instead.

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The ladies footballers a rebuild is needed - they are mostly auld wans in football terms.

gormdubhgorm · 03-02-2022 09:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118577649#Comment_118577649

On the contrary - questions were asked how people who frequent this thread will now change their narrative. It is not about proving anything. It is simply that the very fact Dublin are in transition flies in the face of many an illogical argument on this thread. And the other question was why the thread has gone dormant. That was very telling in itself don't you think?

Do you really want me to go through this thread and pick out many of the hyperbole from posters?

It will be 10 in a row etc etc. Football is dead etc. All arguments copied and pasted from Ewan Mckenna. Along with the logical fallacy of 'financial doping' in the GAA - a term borrowed from a professional soccer manager!

It is done so other counties can hide behind their own failings and make excuses for underachievement IMO.You couldn't make that up!!!

It is noticeable that none of the posters look at the mismanagement of other counties - how often did Kildare reach the super 8's? How long was Meath outside of division 1? Etc

Could other counties be merged geographically? No talk of the championship structure issue. Why is the argument always down to ONE issue such as posters as yourself. When the truth is the issue is much more complex than you like to pretend. Cost of land in the spawell alone was dearer than the amount Tyrone built their whole centre of excellence for. Clondalkin has Round Towers in a massive catchment area one club for hundreds of thousands of people. No senior club in D4 for mens football. All issues those who chirp about the ONE issue do not seem to be aware of.