Dublin GAA Discussion Thread: Mod Note - No 'Dublin Dominance' chat allowed!

You are being kind to them by saying that.

That's easier said than done though. They had no choice in the matter. The Cork midfield 8 are operating at a different level as athletes and when they apply themselves (they had more gears left in them too) there's not much to be done. O'Mahony and Dalton made it look ridiculous. Quicker to every ball and winning every physical contest. I think i'm right in saying it was O'Mahony who went for a loose ball under the Hogan stand with two Dublin players, there was another Cork player there too. All four arrived on their feet. 2 seconds later the two Dublin lads were on their arses and penalised for lying on the ball. It was tragically funny. They just couldn't hold their ground against him.

Their forwards are the same. Always out in front with pace and able to create the separation from the man. Sure Patrick Horgan turned David Lucey and torched him for the fifth goal. Pace did him. Lucey is 19. Horgan is 37. What do you do about that? They keep making the runs too. They don't let up. Brian Hayes is probably our fastest player and he couldn't keep pace with Robbie O'Flynn. He tried hard too. O'Flynn doesn't even start for them! Dublin won't get anywhere if they don't address this.

Not to say that Cork weren't thoroughly impressive in their use of the ball if any Cork person wants to pick a fight with me for saying they're all brawn. The brawn is really, really important though!

I kind of agree with the first bit. With 65,000 fans cheering them on too… the touch of the Dublin lads deserts them and the Cork players start playing champagne stuff. It's definitely a factor.

However, that doesn't address how they built the lead in the first place. In big games when the game is a contest early doors teams routinely take it away from us. They do it by winning the personal battles all over the pitch. We never have an answer.

Cork won everything in their half back line because they were physically dominant in that area not because they were enjoying themselves. Connolly, Horgan and Hayes put their men to the sword in how they covered the ground, again not because their tails were up.

Games can take on different complexions. I think you can read nothing into the Limerick game for example because we all know Limerick are capable of so much more. I'll put it to you like this though… every team that has won the All Ireland over the last 20 years or more were littered with men who were physically imposing and gifted athletes. How many Dublin players fit into that category? All relative of course. They are all way above the norm but compared to their peers i mean.

thats basically what happened yesterday , another thing i noticed yesterday was when the teams were doing the walk around the ground before the game , the camera zoomed in on cian o'sullivan as he passed a sea of red up on hill 16 , the people of dublin really need to get behind this team too , that was a really poor showing yesterday

no but it was 2/3rds cork yesterday , if it was football it wouldn't have been

@windy shepard henderson As for the crowd I thought the Dublin turnout was way bigger than normal. The core Dublin hurling support is about 4/5 thousand. Of diehard friendly lunatics. How can I put it? The Dublin hurling support is a “nice” crowd. Very polite, not normally vocal. It was unusual that “come on you boys in blue” was echoing around CP when Currie was taking a free early on. Again it gave me immense pride. That is my county! Hurling against the big guns! In an AI Semi, first since 2013.

The fair weather football support never have “hurling” on their radar. Just a fact.

So by Dublin hurling standards it was more than decent support. The fact is it is only in the last 20 years that the DCB treated hurling seriously. I view Dublin hurling like a newly formed country, finding its feet.

That massive Cork support (which is a hurling mad county in a famine) would always dwarf the Dublin crowd.

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it is few days now since the hurling match v Cork. I am still real proud of what Dublin hurling has achieved. Felt like I was witnessed history, a landmark moment. Even in defeat.

The gospel of hurling has definitely spread in Dublin. All those development squads in North County Dublin definitely wiorked: Now there is hurling in Na Fianna (Drumcondra), Barrog (Kilbarrack) and Clontarf, (Blanchardstown, Castleknock) Brigiids, Vincent’s - Marino, Finglas - Erin’s Isle.etc etc, These were hurling wilderness not so long ago. That is amazing achievement and non-Dublin people will never understand what an achievement that was/is. If you said Dublin would have decent hurlers in Finglas and Kilbarrack. Even ten years ago. I probably would have looked at you, like you were away with the fairies! Those are “soccer” areas with the GAA clubs competing against the “foreign” code. I would have said.

I got to be honest the team walking in the parade I got a burst of pride, thinking all those Northside clubs that emerged in the recent years. During the parade thinking “this is magic”!

Look at the work Dublin hurling has done!? Beating Limerick, getting to an AI Semi, Na Fianna (a Northside club!) winning the Ai club.

Dublin hurling is no longer just three southside clubs Kilmacud, Boden, Cuala. Who backboned Dalo’s sides. Over a decade ago. Much more solid base of clubs now for Dublin hurling.

I am still proud Dublin “had a go” against Cork. Dublin kept coming back despite Cork goals. Kept coming back again. Didn’t lie down. Yes, it was probably naive. But it At least showed heart, and fearlessness.
Dublin used to struggle for goals and forwards remember those days that was only a few years ago!? “Dublin need forwards” was the worry. Well Dublin have forwards now. Put up a decent score against a good Cork side and caused their backline problems. Especially early on. Arguably, were unlucky not to get more goals.

The next thing for Naill Ó Ceallacháin (who is already a Dublin GAA legend for what he did with Na Fianna) is to get the balance between defence and attack right. Can’t be pushing up the field like mad eejits, all the time.

To me, that is only a team that needs to learn and be smarter. The tools are there now. Doesn’t feel like a “hammering” to me. I view it as part as Dublin’s hurling education. Ready to start getting the next step. Hurling cuteness. That can be learnt. But only by playing the top counties, in big games.

https://x.com/reallyaminiman/status/1941553732157591721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1941553732157591721%7Ctwgr%5Eaeb6332fbb8fd54ccb16eec9f2ea08c4c97be31c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reservoirdubs.com%2Fforum%2Fthread%2F12315-dublin-v-cork-all-ireland-shc-semi-final-sat-jul-5-2025-17-00-pC3A1irc-an-chrC3B3caigh%2F%3FpageNo%3D94

Same every year. Referees dish out the red cards in league. Different rules for latter stages of championship.

I was going to say the key to that was "early on". But then realised Crummy was sent off real early in the Limerick match. Limerick fan beside me even said it was harsh red.

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But I think is like all things the refs subconsciously call against the weaker sides more. Dublin need to start winning more hurling matches, and will get the decisions. That Wexford fan on the main hurling GAA page is still sore, about the goal given to Dublin v Wexford, that shouldn't have been.

In a way it shows to me that Dublin are now a bigger hurling team than Wexford, and the calls are more likely to go for Dublin than against Dublin. When playing Wexford. Just human nature.

RIP Sean Doherty, 1974 all Ireland winning captain.

Today reinforced my view that we were better off out ,we would more than likely been well beaten by Kerry and they proberly wouldn't have missed those goal chances against us .New manager has big job on his hands.

Couldn’t agree more with this. We would have lost yesterday too.
Only because our finishing is worse than poor. It can be fixed.
Right management and coaches All Ireland semi final bare minimum next year.

We need a reset next year with a new manager and some changes to the squad.Its not going to be easy to just improve our finishing we need improved shooters to achieve that .A few of the lads this year that have been around for awhile are just not at the level we need .A couple might step away and others will be a year older so not going to improve. I hope with the club champo coming up a management team is lined up and ready to look for suitable lads for next year .

Would have thought so